All roads lead to New York. Just ask Charles Melton—the thirty-three-year-old actor has been on a “whirlwind of traveling” this summer, jetting from the south of France to see loved ones up to Paris, where he hops on a phone call with me. He’s there for only a few days before going to New York, and in a way, it’s New York that we’re here to talk about today.
Melton stars in Coach’s Fall 2024 campaign (along with Elle Fanning, Storm Reid, and Nazha, fellow global ambassadors making their debuts with the brand), which features a short video and a series of images that were shot in New York, are set in New York, and embody an attitude that is quintessentially, unequivocally New York: pure, unadulterated expression. The campaign, called “Unlock Your Courage,” is all about doing just that: removing yourself from the constrains of perfectionism and judgment, basking in uninhibited authenticity and freedom. And it’s about looking damn good while doing it. (This is Coach, after all.)
“I felt like I was allowed to really let loose and express more of a playful side of myself, which I don’t get to do too often in front of the camera,” Melton says. “It’s really just about letting this idea of judgment go. And once you do that, you can truly experience this liberating and joyful feeling, and the expectations that you may think are put on you. It’s about abandoning those expectations.”
For Melton, this liberation can come from dancing (in the woods, sometimes—more on that later), from a damn good outfit, from a reliable staple bag he takes with him everywhere. It’s reflected right there in the campaign: Sometimes the small things are the things that give that feel-good feeling.
“The whole concept is that I have to be perfect for this date,” he says of the campaign video. “I’m not loose; I’m not really in my body. And then the bag acts as this catalyst to shake me out of the social confines of this idea of perfection so that I can be myself. And it takes me on this journey.”
Below, Melton unpacks what perfection and expression mean to him, where he draws his confidence from, and, because all roads do lead to New York, what his favorite bagel order is.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
ESQUIRE: What was your experience shooting this campaign like? Do you have any special memories from set?
CHARLES MELTON: Oh, definitely. It was one of the best experiences I’ve had shooting something. I had an incredible time working with our director, Camille Summers-Valli, who shot the video, and the photographer, Elaine Constantine, who shot the campaign another day. I felt very loose. The whole environment and the vibe of the days that we spent filming and shooting were very loose and free. I felt like I was allowed to express more of a playful side of myself, which I don’t get to do too often in front of the camera. I did a lot of dancing in the commercial, and I just kept on asking for more takes because I had to nail the take, like when I’m on top of the dining-room table and I spin in a circle and knock off all the plates. It was just a lot of fun. It was pretty incredible. The energy was infectious from the cast and the crew, and it was really a great time.
I love that.
And I just resonated with the whole concept of it. The campaign is “Unlock Your Courage,” and I really did unlock my courage to whip out some of these dance moves that no one’s ever seen before. It felt very authentic to me.
You mentioned that you wanted to nail the takes when dancing—would you consider yourself to be a perfectionist?
You know, I would say it’s very interesting, because I think the idea of perfection and being perfect can be projected onto you. But I think authenticity, your true self, your authentic true self, is the perfect self. It’s not confined or projected from someone else about what it is to be perfect, but it’s more like if you feel a freedom to express yourself, your authentic self, without any sort of fear of judgment, then I think that is the perfect self—the divine self, so to speak.
What I really like about this campaign is that it’s so, so expressive. Outside of your career and outside of acting, how do you express yourself?
Believe it or not, we see it in this campaign. I love to dance. I love to dance in unusual places. Like, when I go camping, or on top of different mountain peaks, or in my kitchen, I’m always finding times to express myself, so that when I do show up to set and I’m asked to dance, there’s this fearlessness to it because I’ve done it before.
I need to clarify—when you say you dance when you go camping, are you just, like, dancing in the woods outside a tent?
Oh, yeah. And I have my dog Neya with me. Yeah, I’m just dancing. Dancing underneath the stars. I’ll bring a speaker with me sometimes, and I’m just dancing.
What are you listening to?
I have a camping-by-the-fire playlist I love to listen to. There’s an eclectic list of songs—maybe I’ll release it on a Spotify playlist or something.
You 100 percent should. In this campaign, I also really love the pieces you’re wearing. How would you describe your personal style, and what are you most likely to reach for from your closet on a daily basis?
My style is constantly evolving, and I’m really into nineties, oversized, relaxed pieces. I travel a lot, so I always have to have my main go-to that I build my wardrobe around. After shooting the campaign, I had to leave New York to go to London to film my next project. Coach gave me this army-green Hitch Backpack, and I have been taking it with me everywhere. It’s the centerpiece for pretty much whatever I get dressed in.
Because this is a New York–inspired campaign and it’s set in New York City, I want to do a really quick rapid fire about New York with you. Are you ready?
Yes. Let’s do it.
All right. Uptown or downtown?
Downtown.
What is your go-to bagel order?
Um, cream cheese. Cream cheese.
That’s it?
That’s it.
All right. Solid, classic. Which does New York do better: Korean barbecue or karaoke in K-town?
Ooh, that’s a good one. I’d say karaoke.
