The Tropic Thunder star talks style, cigarettes, hockey, and why Mos Def isn’t in his new movie.

Photographs by Andre McLeod; Styling by Anoma Ya Whittaker

Jay Baruchel is fucking cool. We say this not only because we’ve laughed at his antics as part of Judd Apatow’s crew in Undeclared and Knocked Up, but because he’s just fucking cool. He hails from a cool town (Montreal, Quebec), he’s passionate about a cool sport (ice hockey), and his career is about to blow up (Tropic Thunder) but he could give two shits about the Hollywood life. We shot Jay for the fashion story in our Aug./Sept. issue, and talked to him by phone a few days later from his apartment in Montreal. It was a week after he wrapped his first lead role, the upcoming rom-com She’s Out of My League.

Complex: What happened last night?

Jay Baruchel: Well I was just watching the Stanley Cup, and then here’s where it gets real lame and creepy: I played a computer game until about 4 o’clock in the morning.

What game?

Jay Baruchel: [Laughs.] I’m too embarrassed to mention.

Why, was it World of Warcraft or something like that?

Jay Baruchel: It’s so much lamer than World of Warcraft.

Guild Wars?

Jay Baruchel: I’ll say that we played some Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty as well, just to make me feel a little less lamer. I played this game called NHL Eastside Hockey Manager. It’s a text-based managerial sim game for hockey managers.

I know that game. I mean, I don’t know that actual title but I know Football Manager.

Jay Baruchel: Yeah, that’s it. It’s that for hockey. So that’s what I did until 4 o’clock in the morning last night.

Were you playing a franchise of the Canadians or something?

Jay Baruchel: Yeah, that’s exactly it. I was on my sophomore year as general manager of the Montreal Canadians. We won a Stanley Cup at the end of last season, so…

You won the Cup your first year of being general manager?

Jay Baruchel: Yes sir. I made a few big trades and I just sort of...it’s always good to come up with a slogan or an overriding philosophy, and mine was just, “younger, bigger, faster, younger, bigger, faster.” So every trade that I made I tried to gain a couple of years on whoever I was trading.

And when you’re playing the game it’s just like little dots, right?

Jay Baruchel: That’s exactly it! [Laughs.] Okay, I was waiting for that bombshell, whether or not I had to be the one to admit that the lame thing was you just watch these little dots, but you know, so okay. It’s the little dots. The little dots kept me awake until 4:30.

So you just wrapped your new film, She’s Out of My League, in Pittsburgh. How was Pittsburgh, you were there for—

Jay Baruchel: Two and a half months.

Was it dreadful?

Jay Baruchel: No, it’s awesome. It’s a great fucking town. Dare I call it the best-kept secret in America? It’s chill as fuck. I mean number one, it’s honestly—and everybody looks at me cross when I say this, but it is really one of the prettiest cities in America, which is something you never hear. But it’s really, really gorgeous. It’s about 250 years old, it’s all built on hills. It has the most bridges of any city in America. Their ballpark is just fucking sick and gorgeous. It’s a really, really cool place with a really neat people and tasty food and all that stuff. Home // STYLE // STYLE FEATURES // Jay Baruchel: Breaking Out