BELOW THE SURFACE: ROBIN GREER ADMINISTERS THE SUBSTANCE

by JUSTIN KENDALL

When I ask actor Robin Greer about the beginnings of his career, he shivers. Not because there is something dreadful to relate, but because we are walking through an industrial area of Paris in mid-December, and the 24-year-old is still dressed in the final look from our shoot. (Admittedly, not the most practical winter garb). The first café we come to is closed. I offer him my coat, which he politely declines.

coat and gloves EMPORIO ARMANI
shorts and shoes ACNE STUDIOS
socks FALKE

Still, once finally installed in a warm bar and with beer in hand, there is a modesty to Greer which offsets his quiet confidence. For one, he frames things passively. Most notably, Greer suddenly ‘found himself’ a minor character in an internet frenzy when The Substance—a front-runner for 2024’s most talked-about film, and Greer’s first serious appearance—shot its way to a somewhat unexpected, and firmly sensational, success. The actor recalls his astonishment at the Cannes screening: “It was just insane,” he smiles. “People were screaming and jumping, everyone went crazy.”

But Greer is more exacting than he lets on. Even for a short appearance examining the spiral cord of Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) and proclaiming, rather carelessly: “You’re a good candidate,” his role in The Substance shimmers behind the entire film. Halfway through its gruelling 140-minute run time, the appearance of his (nameless) character’s decaying other half represents our only encounter with another ‘user’ of the ‘substance’—and one of the only things akin to genuine plot exposition throughout. And, much like his character, Greer himself has also been hard at work, scheming in the background – you’ll find him in The Count of Monte Cristo this year, with more to come.

jacket and loafers RANDOM IDENTITIES
tank top and leggings ACNE STUDIOS

Greer’s break, then, has happened quickly. Auditioning for The Substance with little more information than the character’s physical attributes, the actor remembers how his endorsement from director Coralie Fargeat came amid a fluster of production stress: “They called me back, they told me to come to the studio,” he says. “I met Coralie and she told me: ‘Okay, you’re in. We’re shooting tomorrow. See you then’.” At this, Greer becomes even more animated—his excitement at being recognised by such a visionary filmmaker clearly hasn’t dimmed since.

For Greer, as for many others, it was Fargeat’s extremity, her excessiveness, which made headlines. No wonder: for someone whose first major film was a body horror in the purest sense, Greer’s early influences were mostly coming-of-age narratives and adventure stories. Yes, the world of David Cronenberg had an impact on him, and his interest in cinema spanned a wide variety of genres, but he holds a special place in his heart for films he watched as a kid with his dad (Lord of the Rings, James Bond, The Italian Job) or the classic and indie titles he’d see with his mum (Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Intouchable). We’re a long way here from the intense gore and complex moral textures of The Substance—but Greer’s eagerness to take on a genre movie as his first appearance only testifies further to the actor’s newfound maturity.

jacket ERWAN L’HÉRON

Greer’s also not into fashion (well, not really). He’s suspicious of the ever-increasing synonymy of brands and celebrities with film, arguing that it can often detract from true artistry in the field. As an actor, Greer is interested not in cultivating a recognisable personality for himself, but in separating himself from it: “What I like about cinema and movies,” he muses, “is that, as an actor, you can see and live things. You’re not living in your real life.”

What Greer might be interested in, then, is substance in the broadest sense. He paraphrases Quentin Tarantino’s idea that art should be so personal that you feel embarrassed to share it. As someone who’s gone through the traditional route into acting, Greer values his work at its purest. He isn’t here for the glamour or for fame. He isn’t an Instagram baddie.

left:
top OUR LEGACY

right:
full look EMPORIO ARMANI
loafers AYEDE

And he isn’t alone. As we move further into 2025, young people are increasingly disillusioned with – and vocal about – an ecosystem of culture which prioritises content over art, taking to the very social media platforms that birthed these proclivities to rail against their algorithms’ aesthetic preferences. Online, looks get you further than anything else. TikTok-less The Substance might be (its vaguely ‘80s, Jane Fonda-fied look is one of its most defining characteristics) but considered in this light The Substance, with Greer’s character centred, was just as much about the horror and superficiality of youth than the gruesomeness of age.

What, then, lies behind the bronzed, near-alien skin perfection of Greer’s nurse? The promoter of the ‘substance’ is smoothed over to the point of two-dimensionality, afforded no backstory, and allowed only a spectre-like appearance on screen. Is it possible to dig any deeper? No – and that is crucial. Like much of the film’s plasticity, there lurks nothing under the surface. Perhaps this is why Fargeat never elaborated on the role. Either way, it seems the young actor got more than he bargained for from his first Hollywood appearance: not distancing himself from his own person, but laying waste to the personal in its entirety. We look forward to seeing what body he inhabits next.

TEAM CREDITS:

talent ROBIN GREER
photography and production DEMIAN PANT
styling ILLIA KULISHOV
hair KATRIN SACHENKO
makeup VASILIY PALAMARCHUK
interview JUSTIN KENDALL
video ARTEM SADOVNIKOV
styling assistant OLEXANDRA KOZACHENKO
photography assistant LIUBOV ILINYKH
location BLUE STUDIO PARIS
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA