Luka Sabbat on "Grown-ish" and Developing His On-Screen Alter Ego
If we’re keeping tabs on who has the best lines in the first season of Grown-ish, Luka Sabbat, who plays Cal U student Luca Hall, is already a shortlist contender. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment in a montage that features Yara Shahidi’s Zoey trying to hang with both Luca and sophomore Aaron Jackson — without either one finding out about the other. Social media makes being sneaky harder than she would have thought, and as she dodges Luca trying to get her in a selfie, she offers a weak excuse: “That lighting wasn’t good for you.”
“Excuse me, Zoey,” Luca deadpans. “All lighting is good for me. That’s a fact.”
It’s that charm and confidence that quickly establishes Luca as a character to watch. As it turns out, he’s not that far off from Luka, the actor, either. “My character is basically me,” Luka tells Teen Vogue, adding that a major difference is that “his name is Luca with a ‘C.’ He’s studying fashion, which is fun because it’s a TV, college student version of me.” (But, he’s quick to explain that while “Luca smokes in the show, I don’t do any drugs in real life.”)
He also notes that he styles his character, too — which is why you likely spotted Luca-with-a-C wearing Balenciaga’s Bernie Sanders-inspired hoodie and OffWhite sneakers in an early episode. And while it may seem a little far-fetched that a college freshman could afford off-the-runway fits, there’s no denying that not using Luka’s IRL wardrobe for any show would be a missed opportunity. “He’s a college dude, but still a creative,” Luka says.
The collaboration doesn’t end there, as Luka says that he works with the show’s writers on his lines. “On top of playing myself, they let me change my figure of speech,” he shares. “If something in the script is something I wouldn’t say in real life, they let me change it. It’s a fun character to play.”
So, what should you know about Luka beyond the fact that his wardrobe is truly enviable? Well, for starters, he’s been in the business of creativity for a long time. “I was born in New York and grew up in Paris. I was born into a fashion family and I went to fashion shows very young,” he says. “I think being around models, designers, and creatives very early influenced me, even though I don’t remember all of it.”
With that kind of exposure, it’s only natural that he go on to book shows like Yeezy and Public School, but Luka’s pretty mellow about his runway work. “I modeled for a bit, then detached from that and started my creative company,” he says. Up next for him? Expanding what it means for him to create. “I had a gallery show in February at Milk Studios, and we just did another in L.A. It’s a photo exhibit. We made photo stories and my friend Curtis writes poems for every set of photos. As you walk through the gallery and read everything, the story comes together. We love to play with texture and lighting. We shoot people. I’ve dropped two books — working on another right now — and I’m dropping a collection of clothes soon.”
With everything Luka has going on, how Grown-ish ended up fitting into the picture is a question worth asking. “I had met Kenya [Barris, the show’s creator] and we had a quick back and forth,” he recalls of the initial connection. “He said he liked my style, and then later on he found me and asked me to be on the show.” As for the rest of the Grown-ish crew, Luca says, “Everyone is super cool. Working with Yara is fun,” he adds, nodding to his costar.
As for why you might have missed him in recent episodes? It’s part of his filming schedule. “For fashion week, they wrote me out then wrote me back in. I have a whole separate career outside of acting, but they’re open to working with my schedule. It’s pretty balanced,” he explains. As a result, his character “is in a lot of episodes but I don’t have to be there throughout.” Just imagine that Luca is off at a fashion internship or shooting a brand campaign, like his IRL counterpart.
Additional reporting by Ariana Marsh.
Production: Kiori Georgiadis at Hinoki Group.
Related: Yara Shahidi’s New Show Grown-ish Is Getting Honest About College Life
