The āShamelessā kids: Jeremy Allen White on playing Lip Gallagher
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Part one of four in ShowTrackerās āThe āShamelessā Kidsā series.
Jeremy Allen White is doing his part to keep a stiff upper Lip.
The 19-year-old actor plays tough, protective brother Phillip āLipā Gallagher on Showtimeās āShameless.ā Itās hard standing out in a dysfunctional family, especially one helmed by an alcoholic patriarch, but Lip manages to do it. He is the sibling with good grades -- which he exploits by taking SAT tests for money -- and the one who is least likely to rat you out if you have a file of homoerotic pictures stashed in your room.
āHeās quite the brother,ā said White, who opted against a phone interview and visited The Times because āI donāt like talking on phones.ā
Read on to learn how White prepared for his role, what he thinks of the relationship between Lip and dad Frank (William H. Macy) and what lies beneath Lipās tough exterior.
You had auditioned to play Ian and Lip. Whom do you prefer?
Originally, I kind of liked Ian a little bit more. I thought he was a little more interesting. I felt like I had read Lip; I felt like I already knew who he was. I thought I already had him pegged down. Then I gave it a few more reads and I realized I was being an idiot. I really had no idea. I hate reading scripts and being like āI know you. Iāve seen you before in movies and on television.ā But I learned that Iām constantly finding out more about Lip. Thatās whatās really fun. Iāll be sitting in my apartment and reading a book and Iāll be like āOh ... I just thought of something about Lip.ā Itās a cool thing for my head to be in that space all the time, no matter what Iām doing.
How do you even prepare for a role like this?
I went to a few Al-Anon meetings in New York. I just kind of listened to some stories. Thankfully, my family is, you know, dysfunctional ... but in their way and not in the Gallaghersā way, so I couldnāt really draw from personal experience. I went to those meetings and listened a lot. Itās pretty powerful just to imagine not having your father supporting you. For me, just to imagine having that taken away, it was quite shocking and really affected me a lot.
What struck you most about the relationship among the siblings?
I think, in a way, their patriarch, Frank, has given them a gift in that theyāre forced to grow up really, really quickly. Heās given them a real sense of independence and strength. Theyāre incredibly strong characters and itās really inspirational. Itās a lot to deal with. Itās a survival story. I think itās compelling for people to watch because so many people have a hard time every single day and it goes unnoticed. I think, in a way, itās sort of uplifting to see them struggle because, at the end of the day, theyāre still there. Theyāre still living life.
Talk a little bit about the relationship between Lip and Frank.
Lip, heās really smart and at a really early age he learned how to compartmentalize his relationship with his father and know what he has to take seriously and know when he has to tell him to ... off and not even have to think about it. Heās had a decent amount of success doing it, at least where we pick up with the first few episodes. But, you know, Frank definitely tests Lipās sensitivity to him and it gets harder and harder for Lip to ignore him these things heās doing are having a greater and greater affect on the family. But then thereās the other part ā Frank is a really intelligent character. Heās almost Shakespearean. He has these monologues where heās commenting on culture and love ā¦ you laugh, but heās not always wrong. Thereās something that Lip, as a son, has to admire ā thereās moments of admiration no matter how brief they may be where Lip really turns his head and is like ā¦ thereās small moments where heās like, āmaybe youāre not the biggest ... ā
Do you think theyāll be able to deal with him wanting to be sober at some point?
Thereās an episode that actually addresses just that. Lip is affected by it the most. He doesnāt think itās fair, I think, that Frank can turn the switch off and on. He doesnāt think itās fair to the family because itās not right to see a father sober who is an alcoholic because its only going to be worse when he starts drinking again. So, itās almost like you can always count on Frank to be drunk. You know what to expect because heās very thorough in the way he is. I think itās incredibly off-putting when he stops drinking for a short period of time. We donāt -- itās confusing. Itās like āThe Twilight Zone.ā And itās scary because my younger siblings might have their hopes crushed ā itās only for so long and it will just hurt them even more once they get a taste of what a loving father can be when heās not drinking.
Looking in, what puzzles you the most about the family?
Itās interesting because I always think, would we be happier if Frank left too? But Iāve sort of thought of that: Why hasnāt Frank left yet? I suppose the only reason he could stick around is because there has to be some sense of love for the family and also he has the twisted sense that heās still the father figure. He thinks heās still this worldās greatest dad. So itās like, āWhy would I leave? Iām doing such a great job raising these kids.ā So because of his own twisted mind, I donāt think he could imagine leaving cause he wouldnāt have anything to talk about.
Will we get a peek into how Lip is dealing with all this? Heās has this tough exterior ā¦
I think heās been able to remain pretty levelheaded. But I think he feels like he had his childhood taken away from him and now heās forced to kind of fill his fatherās shoes in a way. I think itās incredibly unfair and thereās something definitely bubbling in Lip ā a lot of anger thatās been withheld and false trust in who his father could be. Thereās nothing worse ā¦ heās forced to grow up so quickly. Fiona was still pretty young when he was young. And heās managed to remain so levelheaded and just hold it and hold it and hold it all in. But you can only do that for so long.
Do you think Lip cries at night?
Itās possible. He would make sure that no one else was in the house. He could definitely shed a few tears when no one is around, I think.
Which character, other than Lip, do you sympathize for?
I think maybe Debbieās character. She has such a false trust in her father. She really thinks heāll pull through in the end. Thereās nothing sadder than seeing ā especially a little girl or a little boy ā having such a sense of false hope. Just believing it so thoroughly and then to be let down is terrible.
When do you think Lip gave up believing that his father could change?
I donāt know if he ever had that much hope. Heās always been really, really smart. He might have figured it out so early on. He might not have been able to verbalize it, or understand it, but he might have known before Debbieās age. Or heās still harboring some of it. I think Debbieās character is the worst. But we all ā somewhere deep inside ā hope that Frank will get his ... together.
How important is the relationship between Ian and Lip in terms of survival?
Lipās usually there more for Ian than Ian is there for Lip. Lipās the older brother and heās usually giving advice. And Iām sure that gives him great comfort even though heās not getting it in return. I think he enjoys putting things in perspective for others. But I think he also wishes someone was to do the same for him.
And weāll see the mother returning at some point, right? What can we expect?
Itās hard. I donāt want to say too much about it. Itās just another person that failed us miserably. One is bad enough. Itās hard having two to see every day.
And whatās it like working with William H. Macy? Intimidating? Does he offer advice between takes?
Itās not very deep. Itās like, āJeremy, memorize your lines.ā Ah, words of wisdom from Bill Macy. Heās such a smartass: āThe sceneās a lot easier when you know all your lines.ā But I learn a lot without him giving advice; just watching him work is plenty.
Amy Smart will be guest-starring. Anyone else youād like to see stroll through?
Iām a big fan of Sam Rockwell. I think he could definitely have a cool little part on the show.
[Check back tomorrow for an interview with Emmy Rossum, who plays Fiona]
--Yvonne Villarreal
