that O’Connor came to the attention of some of his current collaborators. Jonathan Anderson, creative director at Loewe and now a good friend, was drawn to the humility O’Connor radiated onscreen, and instantly sought him out as the face of the Loewe men’s line. Luca Guadagnino, who cast him opposite Zendaya and Mike Faist inthe forthcoming tennis-themed love triangle, also wanted to work with him straightaway.
Guadagnino knew that he was casting against type. Truth be told, O’Connor struggles with the very idea of competition. Here’s how he has spent the past few months: After making the film, he traveled around Europe on his own in a reconditioned DHL delivery truck transformed into a camper van and painted sunflower yellow. He spent the whole of last January doing a ceramics course in Cornwall, and yearns to spend a significant portion of his life making “functional plates and bowls.