From fresh-faced Brissie boy to the ultimate Hollywood heartthrob: Inside Jacob Elordi's incredible rise to fame - and how Eminem helped the Euphoria star nail his PERFECT American accent
It was a father-son exchange like any other - John Elordi was lending counsel to son Jacob who - then just 13 - was expressing a desire to pursue acting after being captivated by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.
The Brisbane youngster, who at that point was nearly 200cm tall and looked more on track for a future in basketball, wanted to act.
'He loved the theatre. He devoured films. He devoured books about films', John told Daily Mail Australia this week as he gave an insight into the 24-year-old Hollywood heartthrob's rise to fame.
'Sometimes two or three books at a time. He watched YouTube video of actors auditions,' recalls John, who along with his wife Melissa, was slightly more preoccupied at the time with their eldest daughter, Isabella, who was making moves as a word-class ballerina.
The Elordi family even briefly relocated from Brisbane to Melbourne to help Isabella pursue her dream at The Australian Ballet School.
But it was her little brother, attending Brisbane's Nudgee College and becoming increasingly obsessed with the world of acting, who had some pretty big dreams of his own.
![Inside Jacob Elordi's rise to fame: From a Brissie boy to becoming one of Australia's most talked about actors. Pictured in January 2022 at the Euphoria photo call in Los Angeles](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/02/03/54833277-10566975-Inside_Jacob_Elordi_s_rise_to_fame_From_a_Brissie_boy_to_becomin-a-24_1646192946350.jpg)
Inside Jacob Elordi's rise to fame: From a Brissie boy to becoming one of Australia's most talked about actors. Pictured in January 2022 at the Euphoria photo call in Los Angeles
'Jacob always had this very strong self-belief but of course as parents you try and be pragmatic and we were very pragmatic,' John said from the family home in Brisbane.
'He always knew what he wanted to be. And as his father there was a time I said to him "Mate, acting is a one-in-a-million kind of situation".
'And he said to me "Well why can't that one be me? Why can't I be that one in a million?"
'That's how confidently he looked at things. So as a parent we just decided to back him to the hilt and trust that he knew what he was doing.'
What happened next was, as John describes, a 'fairly rapid' ascent for his only son (Jacob has three older sisters) who soon landed his first on-screen acting role after nailing his audition for Swinging Safari - the gauche Aussie comedy from Stephan Elliott.
Released in 2017 the movie - which also starred Guy Pearce and Kylie Minogue - got a mixed response from critics but Elordi's few minutes on screen stood out - largely but not solely due to his impressive physical presence.
Strikingly handsome and symmetrical in a way which echoed old-world stars like Cary Grant and Errol Flynn, the-then 19-year-old also had an enviable physique honed from years of state-level basketball and rugby union.
The kid looked like a star.
'Then things started to happen pretty quickly,' says John, who watched as his son packed his bags for Los Angeles for a very brief baptism of fire.
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/02/23/54880703-10566975-image-a-20_1646264611686.jpg)
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/02/23/54880701-10566975-image-m-19_1646264588857.jpg)
Family: Jacob was born in 1997 to parents John (right) and Melissa Elordi (left). He has three older sisters
![Early life: Jacob (pictured with his mother Melissa) was born and raised in Brisbane, attending St Joseph¿s Nudgee College where he dreamed of becoming an actor](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/02/23/54880705-10566975-image-m-13_1646264503233.jpg)
Early life: Jacob (pictured with his mother Melissa) was born and raised in Brisbane, attending St Joseph’s Nudgee College where he dreamed of becoming an actor
Most aspiring actors spend months, sometimes years, on an audition roundabout. Elordi, however, landed a major gig almost immediately as one of three romantic leads in the 2018 Netflix smash rom-com The Kissing Booth.
He also struck up a romance with his co-star, Joey King, which would be the first of a handful of personal relationships that would land the towering Aussie in the tabloids.
The next would coincide with what was undoubtedly Elordi's biggest role to date - that of the toxic and violent sociopath Nate Jacobs in HBO's Euphoria.
'Unlike a number of people on the internet I am able to differentiate between the character and the actor,' jokes John, referencing the impact his son has had on the smash hit series.
'It's not necessarily easy to watch though. When you see your son on screen putting a gun to his head or putting his hand around a girl's throat... I get it.'
Euphoria has been met with critical acclaim with 6.6 million viewers watching the bombshell finale episode of season 2 live - more than five times the audience for the season one closer.
Euphoria Season 2 episodes currently average 16.3 million viewers each across all platforms - the best performance for any season of an HBO series other than Game of Thrones.
![Budding star: In an interview with The Courier Mail in 2018, Jacob said he was gripped with anxiety at age 16 as he asked himself 'What if I never make a movie?' while lying in bed](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/02/01/54832995-10566975-image-a-26_1646185598567.jpg)
Budding star: In an interview with The Courier Mail in 2018, Jacob said he was gripped with anxiety at age 16 as he asked himself 'What if I never make a movie?' while lying in bed
With the perfect combination of brooding, psycho-sexual magnetism and 'rich white boy' toxicity, Elordi's portrayal of Nate has been hailed by critics who regularly single out the Aussie as one of the show's strongest performers.
His American accent is so on-point that fans are often shocked to meet Elordi in real life and discover he's Australian.
'It even amazes me how flawlessly he switches,' says John, who puts his son's perfect American twang down to 'years' of listening to Eminem.
'Every album, forwards backwards, backwards forwards.'
![Stardom: Jacob cracked Hollywood when he appeared in Netflix smash The Kissing Booth in 2018, where he starred as lead character Noah Flynn](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/02/01/54832993-10566975-image-m-38_1646186255762.jpg)
Stardom: Jacob cracked Hollywood when he appeared in Netflix smash The Kissing Booth in 2018, where he starred as lead character Noah Flynn
Off camera, Elordi again stirred up tabloid intrigue when he began dating his Euphoria co-star Zendaya though the pair never confirmed the romance 'on the record'.
He hit the headlines again in mid 2020 when he went public with new love Kaia Gerber - the international catwalk princess and daughter of US supermodel Cindy Crawford.
All of a sudden the tall Aussie leapt off the screen and onto the pages of magazines, gossip websites and newspapers around the world - a tabloid fever dream that culminated in the pair making their red-carpet debut at the celebrity-packed Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures opening gala last September.
Not surprisingly the fashion world soon beckoned, with Elordi revealed as the new face of Hugo Boss's men's fragrances and eyewear just a few weeks later.
His romance with Gerber, however, fizzled out before the campaign was released in January 2022 and Elordi found himself in unusual territory.
While his relationship with one of the world's most famous models had come to an end, the paparazzi's fascination with the Nudgee College old-boy remained.
![More roles: Jacob has enjoyed a number of movie roles including horror movie The Mortuary Collection (2019) Australian hit The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee (2020, pictured) and 2 Hearts (2020)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/02/02/54832979-10566975-image-m-49_1646186490339.jpg)
More roles: Jacob has enjoyed a number of movie roles including horror movie The Mortuary Collection (2019) Australian hit The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee (2020, pictured) and 2 Hearts (2020)
![Huge show: In the majorly popular American teen drama series Euphoria, Jacob plays Nate Jacobs, a high school quarterback who struggles with an abusive father who soon becomes a terrifying villain in his own right](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/03/04/54832987-10566975-Huge_show_In_the_majorly_popular_American_teen_drama_series_Euph-a-41_1646282847792.jpg)
Huge show: In the majorly popular American teen drama series Euphoria, Jacob plays Nate Jacobs, a high school quarterback who struggles with an abusive father who soon becomes a terrifying villain in his own right
A sighting with socialite and Insta-model Olivia Jade Giannulli led to international speculation the pair were a new Hollywood item.
Then, as recently as last week Elordi attended Paris Fashion Week where gossip sites reported in breathless detail a dinner he attended with another rumoured love interest - model, socialite and undisputed media megastar Kendall Jenner.
'I think that's the part Jacob struggles with the most,' says John of the intense media attention now focused on his son's off-screen dalliances.
![Speculation: Jacob alongside his Euphoria co-star Zendaya (left) in 2019. The pair were rumoured to have dated in the same year, though neither have ever confirmed](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/03/04/54832975-10566975-Speculation_Jacob_alongside_his_Euphoria_co_star_Zendaya_left_in-a-38_1646282846764.jpg)
Speculation: Jacob alongside his Euphoria co-star Zendaya (left) in 2019. The pair were rumoured to have dated in the same year, though neither have ever confirmed
![Love story: After filming The Kissing Booth together, the actor dated his co-star Joey King in 2017. However, they are belieed to have split in early 2019 after unfollowing each other on Twitter.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/03/04/54832991-10566975-Love_story_After_filming_The_Kissing_Booth_together_the_actor_da-a-45_1646282848401.jpg)
Love story: After filming The Kissing Booth together, Jacob dated his co-star Joey King in 2017. However, they are believed to have split in early 2019 after unfollowing each other on Instagram. Pictured: The couple in April 2018
![Speculation: Jacob was linked to YouTube star Olivia Jade (pictured) in December 2021, after the pair were spotted grabbing coffee together in Los Angeles. Neither have spoken out about the rumours](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/03/04/54880699-10566975-Speculation_Jacob_was_linked_to_YouTube_star_Olivia_Jade_picture-a-44_1646282848130.jpg)
Speculation: Jacob was linked to YouTube star Olivia Jade (pictured) in December 2021, after the pair were spotted grabbing coffee together in Los Angeles. Neither have spoken out about the rumours
'He can't just walk down the street anymore.
'In Australia he can still kind of get away with it and in some parts of LA where there is a celebrity on every corner.
'But he does find it hard and I try and give him advice as best as I can. I generally just say to him "Mate, you know the difference between right and wrong and if you are a decent bloke at the end of the day then that will do me".
'And I am proud of how has handled everything.
'He was back home in Brisbane a few weeks ago and was down the back chatting with the neighbours and they said to me later "Oh my god he is still so down to earth".
In June 2020, the star splurged $2million on acreage in the Byron Bay hinterland, according to realestate.com.au.
Jacob joins the likes of Chris and Liam Hemsworth, Elyse Knowles and Hollywood heartthrob Zac Efron who are all living in Byron Bay.
![Man of many talents: As well as being an actor, Elordi also landed a gig as a Calvin Klein underwear model in a 2019 commercial alongside stars including Odell Beckham Jr., Bella Hadid and Naomi Campbell](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/03/04/17216734-10566975-Man_of_many_talents_As_well_as_being_an_actor_Elordi_also_landed-a-42_1646282847796.jpg)
Man of many talents: As well as being an actor, Elordi also landed a gig as a Calvin Klein underwear model in a 2019 commercial alongside stars including Odell Beckham Jr., Bella Hadid and Naomi Campbell
Attention now turns to what comes next for Elordi who is appearing in the Ben Affleck thriller Deep Water set for release on March 18.
After that, he headlines the crime drama flick He Went That Way alongside Suits star Patrick Adams and Star Trek's Zachary Quinto before a lead turn in Tom Green-directed suspense thriller Parallel, scheduled to begin filming later this year.
With the Oscars just around the corner on March 28, it's tempting to imagine Elordi may one day join the list of Aussies who have won one of the priceless gold statues.
His father, for, now, remains characteristically pragmatic.
'What little I do understand about the movie world is that it can be very fickle and one minute there might be something really big happening and then the next minute it's gone,' John said.
'I know what a hard worker Jake is so if he keeps doing that, which I know he will, then he will achieve whatever he puts his mind to.'
![Lifestyle: In June 2020, the star splurged AUD $2million (USD $1.4million) on a Byron Bay hinterland acreage, according to realestate.com.au](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/03/04/54833221-10566975-Lifestyle_In_June_2020_the_star_splurged_AUD_2million_USD_1_4mil-a-40_1646282847094.jpg)
Lifestyle: In June 2020, the star splurged AUD $2million (USD $1.4million) on a Byron Bay hinterland acreage, according to realestate.com.au
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