Cooper Raiff, Arriving Early to the Party

For a while, working behind the camera didn’t appeal much to Cooper Raiff.

“I never wanted to be a director,” he said.

“When someone says they want to direct, I’m like, ‘Who do you think you are?’”

But at 25, the overachieving actor, writer, and, despite his prior

sentiment, director, has made two bittersweet personal features

that have garnered both critical and industry notice.

“I didn’t like the idea of directing because directors need to really

bring everyone together and gain trust amongst the team and

that’s not my comfort zone,” he said.

But I’m really good at making sure people want to be around me. I think it’s about me not wanting to be alone.