The magician is a sacred figure. Unless you are very young or somehow ignorant to the laws of nature, the enjoyment one can reap from a magic show is directly proportional to that individual’s willingness to suspend disbelief. You don’t really believe that a magician is using some strange means to execute these tricks—you believe in your own willpower; your ability to keep yourself from leaping onstage to see how the trick is executed, your willingness to be entertained instead of forcibly peeling back the layers of the mystery.

This conundrum is perhaps the reason why the Now You See Me film franchise occupies an interesting place in our collective cultural consciousness. The actor, like the magician, must force a suspension of disbelief from the audience, but the actor’s tricks are a bit less Googleable. Justice Smith, part of the newest generation of stars in the latest installment of the popular franchise, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, clearly prefers the latter trade.

“We had to do this month-long magic training [in preparation for the film],” the 30-year-old actor tells me over Zoom, mere hours after I’ve come back from a screening of the film, poised to truly figure out the tricks behind the curtain, for both the actor and the budding magician. Smith denies me the privilege almost immediately, laughing: “I don’t remember most of the tricks, but I do remember how to shuffle.”

In the Now You See Me franchise, a star-studded ensemble gallivants around the world committing crimes using illusionist magic—the movies are beloved, all silly, campy adventures with a Robin Hood bent. Now, 12 years after the original, it’s time for the next generation. Now You See Me: Now You Don’t stars a group of new “Horsemen,” the core magician vigilantes: returning cast members Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, and Isla Fisher are now joined by a younger crew (Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt, and Justice Smith). Together, the Horsemen and the rookie magicians must unite to pull off a dangerous, high-stakes heist against a South African diamond heiress.

Smith, who stars as young upstart Charlie in the movie, portrays a dramatic transformation in Charlie’s selfhood and magicianship throughout the film. He reminisces fondly on what it was like to join such a legendary cast—particularly after appearing as supporting roles in franchise films for so long (Smith played a critically acclaimed protagonist role in 2024’s I Saw the TV Glow, but has appeared for years across our screens, with appearances in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Netflix rom-com All the Bright Places, The Get Down, and the live-action Dungeons and Dragons).

This time, though, Smith is poised to become one of the faces of the franchise that he is joining. “The existing Horsemen were so welcoming to us, which they really didn’t have to be,” he says. “The first day I came on set, Jesse [Eisenberg] invited me into his trailer and wanted to get to know me, and [the returning cast] made a point of filling us in on all their inside jokes and the little games that they play on set. It really felt like a family and it was one of the best experiences I’ve had on a film.”

When Smith pops into our call, he sports a simple blue button down. He’s smartly dressed, quick to smile fully, wearing a full beard that hides his dimples. His look is a far cry from his on-screen styles (a platinum turn in Generation comes to mind), and it’s a far cry from the style of his character in NYSM: NYD, whose style mirrors that of a younger adult.

In discussion of the Charlie character, Smith mentions parallels between his own realm and that of the film, particularly bringing up a brand of jacket he wears earlier in the film which he wore in real life in his 20s: “I had that jean jacket for the longest time and was shocked when I saw a version of it in the fitting room. It felt like returning to a younger version of myself,” he laughs. But, later in the film, Charlie matures, donning elegant, tailored suits, embodying the kind of self-assured sophistication that defines BOSS. “When I saw the suit, and the significance of the buckle, it really helped reclaim the image of Charlie in the car with his mom [earlier in the film]. Without any spoilers, I felt like I understood his whole arc when I put that suit on.”

Smith, who endeavors to comprehend his own arc, is a gifted actor caught between worlds in more ways than one. LA-born, he has skillfully oscillated between critically acclaimed indies and mainstream blockbusters, but he clearly relishes the variety of challenges he has had the opportunity to take on as an actor. Fascinated by his range, from Nickelodeon shows to heady horror, I ask about his process. “There’s so much downtime that happens in between jobs as an actor,” he reasons. “I just try to make sure that I’m living life, observing relationships, examining the self. That is my training for when I get back on set… most of your reference for how your character is going to feel about a thing, or the arc of a story, is from just experiencing life… I try not to treat my characters as mountains to climb, so I look within and find different versions of myself that are the character. That’s always easier to do.”

Smith quotes an adage from an acting teacher, sharing that “Every character you will ever play already lives within you.” In NYSM: NYD, he participates in the ensemble’s pursuit of robbing an unethical corporation. Pointedly, Smith acknowledges the anti-capitalist, Robin Hood tone of the NYSM franchise.

At the same time, he recognizes that there is a twist of hypocrisy in his personal anti-capitalist sentiments and his participation in Hollywood. With a laugh, he says, “I like to perform a [caricature] of a hungry capitalist as a joke, but deeply, this system is gonna kill us all.” All of this is said in earnest. Smith bristles when I bring up AI in Hollywood, and the recent news of AI “actor” Tilly Norwood. “I’m pissed. Are you kidding me? We did this whole strike, and what did we really get? Companies are really doubling down, like, ‘We don’t care. You can scream all you want. We have money. We will just starve you out.’ It’s so disheartening.”

We both share a hope for art to continue to have a positive effect on people, despite tech’s growing influence. I meekly suggest that my optimism might be naive. He assures me otherwise, saying: “I don’t think it’s naivete. I do think art creates cultural shifts… [but] legislation is being passed around what art can be made, so I do feel like art can’t change the masses as effectively as it could in its rawest form because of all of these factors.”

He’s certainly trying his hardest. On screen, he’s benefited from a babyface (when he’s clean shaven), which has allowed him to play younger characters. That’s starting to change, but he’s not concerned. “I’m like, ‘Okay, we’re in the man category [now].’ I’ve played a lot of boys. Hopefully I can make the transition. People are often surprised that I’m 30, just based on the way I animate.” That doesn’t change the task at hand, though. He continues, saying, “It’s my job to play a character: their age, class, and identity factors. I don’t take it as personally if I get a role that’s older. I’m just thinking about the person that I’m creating.”

In 2013, Smith participated in the YoungArts program alongside Timothée Chalamet. I bring up Chalamet’s very public declaration of artistic intent, wherein the actor stated that he’s “in pursuit of greatness.” Smith doesn’t recall hearing the speech, but still resonates with the sentiment. “I was talking to [a friend] and I just was like, ‘I think I’m realizing that I’m good, but I’m not great.’ That was a really hard truth for me to internalize. It was almost freeing, in a way, because I had this obsession with being great that was almost preventing me from enjoying my job. Everything was revolved around my career and around acting,” he reasons.

“The reason why I love acting is because of its expression. When I think about it in critical or capitalistic terms, of course, I’m going to want validation from the masses, alongside awards, money, and respect. But I realized if I were to have all that, it wouldn’t really make me happy,” he says. “I still struggle with desperately wanting those things. What I hope to continue to find is joy on set and creative fulfillment. Maybe if I pursue that, greatness will come.”

Justice Smith, like all good consumers, is learning that the illusion lies within the audience’s willingness to believe.

Photographed by Michael Muller

Styled by Annie & Nora at The Only Agency

Written by Tal Kamara

Grooming: Yvette Sheldon

Flaunt Film: Simon Gulergun

Photo Assistant: Selah Tennberg

Production Assistant: Sophie Saunders