The actor-slash-skater talks us through his off-screen boarding style, and which pieces of his Mid90s wardrobe made it home
He wasn’t born until 2005, but actor and skateboarder Sunny Suljic is already the break-out star of Mid90s, Jonah Hill’s directorial debut. For his first lead role, Sunny plays Stevie, an impressionable kid growing up in a broken Los Angeles home in – you guessed it – the mid-90s.
After stumbling upon skate store Motor Avenue and the older teens – Ruben, Ray, Fuckshit and Fourth Grade – that work there, Stevie is quickly taken under their wing, despite his lack of skills. In real life, Sunny has been skating since he was three, citing his first board as “a Toys R Us skateboard. It had a bulldog wearing a crown on it, and I just fell in love with it.”
“I would skate in front of my house,” he tells us, “but then my board flew into the street and someone ran it over, so I had no choice but to upgrade. My mom was really supportive, so she got me another board, and then when I was six or seven I got a skateboard from an actual skate shop. That’s when I decided I wanted to make a career out of it.” Impressively for a 13-year-old, he’s now doing just that.
While Sunny’s Mid90s looks perfectly replicate the generous silhouettes, smaller boards and pop culture trends of the time, here in 2018, he has his own specific skater style and essentials. He talks Dazed through them, below.
ILLEGAL CIV BOARDS
“I’m sponsored by Illegal Civ,” says Sunny. “The brand has a really colourful look to it, and the boards are really sick. It’s good to try different things, but now I’m sponsored I’ve set my mind on the brand that I’m on. I wanted to take advantage of having a board on set, so the minute we stopped shooting I would be skating. Eli Bush, the producer on the film, would get super bummed when I wouldn’t have any pads on. But that’s just how skating is.”
INDEPENDENT TRUCKS AND ORBS WHEELS
They’ve been around since 1978 and are loved by skateboarders worldwide, including one of Sunny’s favourite pros, Louie Lopez, so it’s no surprise he uses Indys. Known for being lightweight, but still durable, Independent Trucks have such a cult following that you’ll find certain vintage models listed on eBay for upwards of $350. As for wheels, Sunny rides Orbs, which are fast and come in all kinds of sizes and designs.
SHAKE JUNT GRIP
Peep Sunny’s Instagram videos and you’ll almost always see Shake Junt grip tape on his board, which he tells us is one of his skate essentials. Recently he’s been favouring the Neen Williams print grip with its bold yellow and green design.
CUSTOM LEVI'S AND RALPH LAUREN JEANS
“I loved the clothing on the movie so much that I was like, ‘I need to start wearing this for skating,’” Sunny told us. “The wardrobe people were super generous and gave me some clothes, so now I only wear a bunch of the jeans from the film, mostly Ralph Lauren and Levi’s.” Mid90s costume designer Heidi Bivens had much of Sunny’s wardrobe tailored for a just-baggy-enough fit, and it seems it did the job.
ADIDAS SHOES
Thanks to deals with Old Friends and adidas, Sunny has no shortage of ‘fits to choose from, but it’s “always adidas” he turns to for his skate shoes. But could there be something more than a sneaker sponsorship behind Sunny’s prefered kicks? Mid90s director Jonah Hill did tease an adidas collaboration on his Instagram earlier this month, showing off new Three Stripes in two consecutive posts, alongside the caption, “Something fun coming from me and adidas?” We’re keeping an eye out.
Mid90s is released in US cinemas on October 19