Ashton Sanders on How Moonlight Changed His Life

In Moonlight, 21-year-old Ashton Sanders plays the teenage version of Chiron--later embodied by Out's current cover star, Trevante Rhodes. With the Oscars less than two weeks away, and eight nominations for the movie, Sanders talks about his breakout role in the spring issue of Dazed, which features him on the cover.

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Scroll down to read an excerpt of his interview, and click here to read the full cover story.

On playing the character of Chiron

"To be that lonely at such a young age for so long, you would feel a certain type of way, that's how deeply I dug into his personality. Even talking about it right now, man, it's super-sad, and you feel it... I had withdrawals from playing Chiron."

On his life after the movie

"Moonlight has changed my life externally, but also internally... spiritually as well."

On becoming an actor

"It's going to sound cliche, but I started acting as an emotional outlet... Growing up, I felt like all the other kids had that (with sports) and I really needed it at that point in time. I used to bug my dad like, 'Yo, I really wanna do this. Please enroll me in acting class.'"

Read the full cover story at Dazeddigital.com

Photography: Sean and Seng. Styling: Robbie Spencer