Let’s face it: We all love a nice Jewish boy who can sing. And while there are plenty of them currently working in the entertainment industry (Ben Platt and Daveed Diggs, for example), we are here to bring Jewish actor and singer Skylar Astin to your attention.
Since being catapulted to fame in 2006 when he debuted on Broadway, Sylar has done just about everything: theater, film, television, and now, we patiently await his first solo album!
To honor his past successes and the hits he surely has to come, here are 18 things to know about Skylar Astin:
1. Skylar was born in New York City to Jewish parents.
2. Skylar Astin is actually his stage name — his full name is Skylar Astin Lipstein.
3. He has three siblings: two brothers, Milan and Jace, and a sister, Brielle.
Swipe to see them together!
4. He’s a dead ringer for his maternal grandfather. Just look:
5. He gave away some very on-brand party favors for his bar mitzvah:
Skylar, we are begging you to release “Sounds of Skylar” immediately.
6. He also has his own… shall we say… unique definition of happiness:
Happiness is… getting an oversized Jnco Jeans shirt for Hanukkah in the 90s. 👕 pic.twitter.com/9hrYwGbBW7
— Skylar Astin (@SkylarAstin) November 29, 2016
7. As a kid, Skylar attended Stagedoor Manor performing arts theater camp in upstate New York. which he says was very influential for him.
In an interview with Playbill, Astin shared his favorite memory from camp:
“I did an acting class there, and the teacher made us sit in a circle, and one person at a time would go in the center of the circle, and everyone would tell them five wonderful things about them and five things they could work on. Not even really as an actor, just as a human being, it was intense to have your peers do that. But, I remember it changed my life. I was weeping, and it was so sad, but beautiful, but there was so much care in the exercise. It changed me as a person and as an actor. I’ll never forget it.”
Check out this throwback video of a Stagedoor sing-a-long Skylar attended:
8. Here’s his first ever headshot!
9. Skylar attended the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU before taking a leave of absence because…
10. In 2006 he made his Broadway debut as Georg Zirschnitz in “Spring Awakening.” He also had a very interesting take on the the role.
“Actually,” he told the Jewish Exponent, “I’ve approached the character as a Jewish character.”
Take a look at this very young Skylar on the opening night of “Spring Awakening”
11. According to his college ex-girlfriend, he’s a really good kisser.
“He was an exceptional kisser,” she wrote in a 2013 op-ed for Elle. “The kind of kisser that makes you question how good of a kisser you are.”
Damn Skylar, OK.
12. His first Hollywood blockbuster role was as Jesse Swanson in “Pitch Perfect.” (Alongside Ben Platt!!)
Check out this video compilation of his best singing moments from “Pitch Perfect” and “Pitch Perfect 2”:
On set, Skylar became close friends with co-star Anna Camp and they started dating after the movie wrapped. The couple married in 2016 and divorced in 2019.
13. Following the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Skylar shared his thoughts on the terrifying display of racism and antisemitism, including his memories from Hebrew school, via Twitter:
1/5 I remember in Hebrew School when they showed us footage from the Holocaust and Kristallnacht, I wondered how evil like that could ever
— Skylar Astin (@SkylarAstin) August 16, 2017
3/5 Now just days ago, seeing Americans with torches shouting "Jews will not replace us" among other hateful bigoted speech breaks my heart.
— Skylar Astin (@SkylarAstin) August 16, 2017
5/5 and evil, and he's an absolute disgrace. A soulless charlatan. The joke's over. We are better than this. #ImpeachTrumpNow
— Skylar Astin (@SkylarAstin) August 16, 2017
14. In 2018, Skylar joined the cast of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” as Greg, a love interest of Rachel Bloom‘s character Rebecca.
He took over the role from actor Santino Fontana, and absolutely nailed it with songs like “I Hate Everything But You”:
15. After “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” ended, Skylar took on the role of Max Richman in “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” alongside Jane Levy.
The show has given him plenty of opportunities to sing, like this one:
16. In 2020 Disney announced their plans for a live-action remake of “Hercules” and Skylar had a very apt response:
*Cue “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)”*
17. For Hanukkah in 2020, Skylar gave us the gift of a thirst trap:
After for that, we thank him.
18. In June 2021, Skylar released his debut single “Without You” from his upcoming solo album.
Later in the summer he released his second single “When You’re Not There.”
“There’s a lot more to me than the roles I play,” Astin told Entertainment Weekly about his music. “It’s just a different side, like this is truly me. I always try to put a lot of me into the roles I play, but this is just more me.”
Thanks for sharing yourself with us, Skylar!
