A collection of books recommended by Jacob Elordi
Following in the footsteps of the internet’s other favourite young adult fiction star turned indie darling Robert Pattinson, Jacob Elordi seems to be engineering a quick career pivot. After finding his start in the clichéd romance of Netflix’s The Kissing Booth series opposite Joey King, the Australian actor secured a role in the glittery and gritty high school drama Euphoria.
Though he owes his success to those pieces of teen media and remains a regular on the HBO show, it seems that Elordi is looking to put his days as Noah Flynn behind him in favour of a growing interest in more artistic filmmaking. This year alone, he stars in The Sweet East, which saw its debut at Cannes, Emerald Fennell’s striking Saltburn, and Sofia Coppola’s retelling of Priscilla Presley’s memoir.
Shrugging off his reputation as a one-dimensional Netflix rom-com lead, Elordi looks set to become a firm favourite in indie film circles. Between The Kissing Booth, Deep Water and Priscilla, Elordi also seems to have shown a penchant for adaptation – be it from Wattpad stories, fictional thrillers, or real life.
Elordi’s reading habits seem to extend beyond scripts and material to support his acting career. The Priscilla actor has often divulged reading recommendations via his social media and interviews, ranging from Homer to Donna Tartt.
“I read a lot,” he told Bustle. “I went through periods. Probably when I was making the first [Kissing Booth] movie, actually. I was an enormous Kerouac fan. I was on an airplane, going on this new adventure, everything was changing, and I was [reading] Kerouac. I’m also a huge Sartre fan. Donna Tartt definitely has my heart.” Elordi went on to name The Secret History as Tartt’s “best work,” adding, “I would die to see that as a movie, even though it’s quite sacrilegious.”
The actor also picked out some more classic works, including Homer’s The Odyssey, which felt like “going on some kind of adventure,” and divulged his love for Shakespeare, though he acknowledged the cliché of it considering his profession. As for Sartre, Elordi shared that he was reading Nausea, which he deemed “incredibly relatable” for charting the life of “a dude who thinks way too much about everything”.
Outside of interviews, Elordi often shares his current reads to his Instagram story, with picks ranging from fellow actor Ethan Hawke’s third novel, A Bright Ray of Darkness, to John Steinbeck’s 1952 classic East of Eden.
As Elordi moves towards more artistic endeavours on screen, it will be interesting to see him put his reading habits to use on screen. The Aussie already has two more literary adaptations in the pipeline in On Swift Horses and Oh, Canada.
Find the list of books Jacob Elordi has recommended below.
Jacob Elordi’s favourite books:
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- On The Road by Jack Kerouac
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck
- Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre
- The Odyssey by Homer
- A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke
