Although Liev Schreiber has grown increasingly synonymous with Montauk, the actor is not currently in Montauk. When we speak, he’s between New York and Pittsburgh—neither of which has much in common with the small fishing town on the easternmost tip of Long Island that has been Schreiber’s treasured respite for years.
The actor is back and forth to the Rust Belt hub to shoot the forthcoming Apple TV+ series Lazarus, a bone-chilling cop thriller about an ex-soldier who moves to a small town looking for a more peaceful life. The show is the latest in a wave of projects that have occupied Schreiber over the last year, including a Critics Choice Award–winning appearance in Netflix’s The Perfect Couple, a lead role in the off-Broadway play Creditors this spring, and the wild ride that is Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing (out on Aug. 29).
For the actor, Montauk is an escape from the crush of city life and shooting on location. It’s no surprise, then, that he’s currently missing it. “The thing is, I never realize how much I need to be there until I arrive,” he says. “When I get out of the car or the bus and smell the air, it’s like a trigger. Something in me relaxes.” So CULTURED brought the Hamptons to the actor with a questionnaire guaranteed to summon the environs’ singular feel.
Tell us about what you’re shooting at the moment. You’re in Montauk’s sister city, Pittsburgh.
I am. Lazarus is an adaptation of a book [series] by a Swedish writer called “The Sandman,” about a serial killer thriller.
We’re so ready for that.
You are? Okay, good. I’m doing my best. It’s Stephen Graham and an actress named Zazie Beetz. Some really good actors, so I’m excited for people to see it.
When you’ve finished a long, demanding project and you finally get back to Montauk, what is the first thing you do? What’s the Liev Schreiber self-care regimen?
Oh, the first thing I do is clean. Typically, finishing a big project means I haven’t been in the house for a while. There are all sorts of things you’ve got to deal with out there, like ants and moths and other creatures that find their way in when you’re out. Then, I jump in the ocean. If you want an instant reset, that’s all you need to do.
So spend the day cleaning, then walk into the sea.
That’s pretty much it. Gets all the dirt off.
What does a perfect day look like out East?
I get up with [my daughter] Hazel. We go for a walk—if it’s early enough, maybe we’ll see some deer and lots of bunnies. Then we’ll walk to Anthony’s and get pancakes for Hazel. Then we come back and have a swim before Hazel has her nap. That’s usually when I start to work—reading scripts, that sort of thing. When she wakes up, we’ll go down to the beach, spend a couple of hours there, maybe get some ice cream. Hazel loves the red swing behind the church—she tells me about it pretty much all day. “Red swing, red swing.” At the end of the day, we have bath time, do books, and go to sleep.
We’ve heard that you’re obsessed with ice cream.
It’s my superfood. It’s my desert island food. It’s my weakness.
What’s your top choice?
I hate to admit this, but I like soft serve. If I’m buying it from the store, I’ll get Ben & Jerry’s Americone Dream or Phish Food.
What are the hot spots for ice cream?
There’s not an ice cream shop I haven’t hit out there, so this is going to be a long list. Number one is John’s for me. I have also been known to frequent Ralph’s and Carvel—
Are you talking about Carvel, like the chain? That’s number three?
Yeah, don’t mess with me on this.
What are your favorite hidden gems out East?
This is a catch-22 situation. I don’t want anyone to know about the places I like, but I’ll share. Crow’s Nest is always good. Air + Speed has the best surf gear. They make great pizzas at Dive Bar Pizza. Wasabi Beach has great sushi.
What is your sign that you’ve stayed too long in the city and that it’s time to go out East?
The thing is, I never realize how much I need to be there until I arrive. When I get out of the car or the bus and smell the air, it’s like a trigger. Something in me relaxes.
Do you ever hit a point where you’re like, “Time for me to get back to the city”?
No. I’d be perfectly happy staying out there all the time.
Describe your fashion sense. How does it change when you’re in the Hamptons?
My fashion sense typically is whatever I had on yesterday. Out there, it’s the same, just less sleeve and less pant leg.
What’s the biggest myth about Montauk?
Oh, that it’s full of rich people. Montauk’s a real community; it’s hanging on to that. It used to have a really thriving commercial fishing industry, which has fallen apart. Now the locals are living off the seasonal stuff that comes with all of the tourism. But there’s also this community of people who, like anywhere else, call this place home year-round. That feels good. That’s why we drive the extra distance to be there.
Get your copy of the Liev Scheirber Hamptons issue here.
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