Name: Billy Crudup
Age: 45
Neighborhood: Soho
Occupation: Actor, currently appearing alongside Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, and Shuler Hensley in Waiting for Godot and No Man’s Land, performed in repertory at the Cort Theatre on Broadway.
Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
It’s a tie between Mohamed from Rosa Maria Pizza, who used to let my brother and me buy slices on credit, or Holden Caulfield.
What’s the best meal you’ve eaten in New York?
I remember a pasta tasting at Babbo that was very, very good.
In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
I make faces and put on other people clothes, and sometimes I say things as though I’m someone else.
What was your first job in New York?
I waited tables at the Mad Hatter on the Upper East Side, or maybe it was at Ernie’s first. I can’t remember.
What’s the last thing you saw on Broadway?
The Glass Menagerie. So good.
Do you give money to panhandlers?
Sometimes. I find the situation confusing so I normally donate to charities that have practical and reliable ways to help the homeless in NYC.
What’s your drink?
Corona with lime.
How often do you prepare your own meals?
Once or twice a week.
What’s your favorite medication?
Advil.
What’s hanging above your sofa?
Exposed steam pipes that look cool, but that get very fucking loud in the winter.
How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
I would never spend more than $12,000.
When’s bedtime?
11:45 p.m., then 4:45 a.m., then 6:45 a.m.
Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
They are kind of similar to me, both expressions of the vulgar and dangerous, but seductive features of this city and our society.
What do you think of Donald Trump?
Well, I confess I am kind of amused by his unceasing interest in himself, as well as your magazine’s insistence on encouraging that interest!
What do you hate most about living in New York?
Traffic of all kinds, and corruption.
Who is your mortal enemy?
The slow walker.
When’s the last time you drove a car?
Tuesday.
How has the Wall Street crash affected you?
Well to be glib, it got me a job playing Tim Geithner in HBO’s Too Big to Fail. Otherwise it hasn’t seemed so great for the overall vibe of the city.
Times, Post, or Daily News?
Times.
Where do you go to be alone?
My couch.
What makes someone a New Yorker?
I think it is the ability to endure, and also share, the rage you undoubtedly experience while living in this city, with just enough charm to make it tolerable and unmistakable to the people around you. Or live here for twenty years.
