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“I have a picture of Jonathan Bailey on my refrigerator,” Jeff Goldblum says in his signature husky baritone. “I aspire to be like him.” The Wicked and Jurassic World co-stars fall into a similar category of internet boyfriend—both armed with eccentric red carpet styles and singular, highly meme-able charm. While Bailey has been bringing delightful randomness to red carpets in recent weeks, Goldblum has decades of aesthetic quirk under his belt. This is why, when asked if he would give any style advice to his younger colleague, he insists it couldn’t be done. “You can’t do better than Jonathan Bailey. Geez, I’m always looking eagerly at what he’s gotten from his closet.” Jeff Goldblum knows that taste can’t be taught. After all, he’s got it in spades. The iconic actor’s undeniable dapperdom makes him a shapeshifter of showbiz, flowing seamlessly from the big screen to fashion week front rows to the sophisticated coolness of the jazz world. He’s jaunty in an old-fashioned kind of way, playfully handsome and inherently flirtatious—a quality that has been well-recorded over the years. At his core, Jeff Goldblum is a performer. And his latest endeavour, a new jazz album with his band The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, proves just how connected he is to his craft.
Photography by Kuba Ryniewicz
In June, Jeff Goldblum came to Toronto’s Massey Hall to perform his recently-released jazz project, Still Blooming. Made up of both classics and original songs, the album includes features from names like Scarlett Johansson, as well as Wicked co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. “Delivering [these songs] to people kind of jazzes me up,” he says with a smile, just before his show. [spotify-embed url=”https://open.spotify.com/album/2TA9I5hYhwBJQ9JcDqCjbg?si=t9lFtIksRDitVtAbf33hgw” /] Some might think recording with Grande and Erivo was a natural next step after working so closely on Wicked, where Goldblum plays the deceitful Wizard of Oz with glamorous zeal. “I can’t spill the beans because part two comes out in a couple of months, and we’ll be yakking about that,” he says. “But there’s a moment that I’ll cherish forever—and it’s changed me for good—where I get to sing not only in front of, but with the two of them, believe it or not.” Still, Goldblum says recording with them for Still Blooming was a distinctly intimate experience: where the movie is a large-scale Hollywood production, the album-making atmosphere was “artisanal, funky, cozy”. “Cynthia came into that studio kind of like an eighth-degree black belt professional, like a tennis player or a professional pitcher,” he recalls. “Seeing her grab a mic in a studio and do a few takes, I wept.” And while he’s always quick to sing his peers’ praise, Goldblum himself is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to star quality.
Photography by Kuba Ryniewicz
In recent years, the 72-year-old has become a fixture of refined fashion with a playful twist. Odes have been penned about his pattern-mixing and colour-blocking. He’s been a standout attendee of recent Met Galas. And beyond gracing front rows, he walked the Prada runway in 2022—crystallizing his status as the archetypal silver-fox. “I only did it once, who knows if I’ll ever do it again, but I like getting gussied up,” he says. “Mrs. Prada and that whole organization is particularly”—he pecks his fingers in a chef’s kiss motion—“wonderful.” Miuccia Prada has become the maestro for a specific brand of highly coveted off-kilter coolness, and Goldblum effortlessly embodies the vision. “She’s a high-integrity, gifted artist, and the whole team are so sweet to us,” he says of the designer and her label. “So they make you feel like it’s a salt-of-the-earth kind of endeavour.” More than anything, the secret to his still-blooming success is perhaps his willingness to go with the flow. Does he have a go-to song? “I’m kind of non-formulaic,” he ponders. He practices jazz every day, but when it comes to seeking out a tune that gets him in the right headspace, whether for an acting role or just to go about his morning, he can’t pin down one specific track. “I like being surprised by music. That kind of opens the door to my deepest feelings.” Clearly, it’s working. Jeff Goldblum’s emotions—just like his charm—are certainly fine-tuned. Continue Reading
