1010 WINS: Actor Logan Lerman Talks New Film 'Indignation'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- Actor Logan Lerman, star of "Percy Jackson" and "The Perks of Being A Wallflower," sat down with 1010 WINS' Rebecca Granet to discuss his upcoming film "Indignation."

The film follows the story of a working-class student in the 1950s. Lerman's character, Marcus, attends a small college in Ohio where he struggles with the themes of foolishness, intellectual resistance, sexual discovery, courage, and error.

RG: You've been acting from a really young age. Do you remember your first acting job?

LL: Yes, I do! It was a commercial. I was very young. I believe it was for "Cabbage Patch Kids." I was really temperamental. I argued with the director a lot. I was maybe 5 or 6 years old. I was very serious about my craft and I really wanted to find the truth in the role I was playing (haha).

RG: As you're growing up in this field, who did you look to as your role models?

LL: I had mentors who helped shape the way I view films and influenced my early education. In terms of who I admire, they were always filmmakers. Filmmakers who had a really clear understanding of each medium involved in filming and able to dictate their vision clearly to each department. To name a few would be David Fincher, Tarantino, Soderbergh.

RG: What does it feel like when you get a script and feel like you really connect with it?

LL: Good scripts are hard to find. Good writing is a unique talent. That said-- in relation to this film, I spent about a year trying to find the next film that excited me and that I was passionate about. There was nothing that came around and then this script came around for "Indignation" and the novel by Philip Roth was adapted and I had this visceral reaction to the material where I just knew with certainty that it was the next project. That feeling doesn't come around very often and when it does it's great.

RG: What was it about the script?

LL: I definitely connected with the character. I don't really just look at my character, I try to see the whole movie. That being said, I was already excited by the idea of working with James Schamus 'cause I've been a fan of him for so many years. He's indirectly responsible for my interest in film. He's involved in a lot of movies that really inspired me to want to learn. I read the script and just fell in love with the movie as a whole. I saw an opportunity to do something different, to explore different tone and different character.

Check out the full interview in the video above.