We reunited with actor on the rise Will Hochman who was one of our first cover guys when he was just a 27 year old lad starring on Broadway alongside Mary-Louise Parker in “The Sound Inside.” Now much more mature, wise and chiseled he chats about being a part of the long standing hit series “Blue Bloods” which ends its 14 season run. We captured some intimate shots at Will’s Manhattan apartment (including playing his guitar in his Crocs) then he shared thoughts on his inspiring Blue Bloods castmates, self-care, his professional/personal evolution, summer plans, and the barest of essentials water, sleep, and sunshine.

The Bare Magazine: Please some highlights of filming Blue Bloods this season?

Will Hochman: I think the most meaningful part of filming this year has been getting to connect even more with the crew and the cast. I’ve been working on the show with these wonderful people for four years now. That’s a lot of shared life. We travel to locations together. We talk between takes. We film into the night and trade stories and snack on too many Peanut M&Ms. I love the people I work with on “Blue Bloods.” They’re excellent and curious and imaginative and courageous and funny as hell. It’s a real community. I feel grateful I get to belong to it. Also - my parents came to set one day when we were filming outside in Brooklyn. They raised me in Brooklyn. It will always be home. So, it was all kinds of special to get to share that with them.

Bare: why do you think it has been as popular as it is all these years?

WH: From what I gather from the fans who say hello on the street, I think the show resonates with people because it is, at its core, about family. There are certainly exciting plot lines and plenty of action, which is fun to play, but at the end of the day it’s about a loving family navigating life together. The show tests the limits of their love. It follows compelling characters as they age and change and grow - I certainly have in the four years that I’ve been on the show - and work to hold on to each other. The most important thing is to work and fight for each other, to remain as a family. I think there’s great beauty in that. I think it’s deeply relatable.

Bare: What are your plans this summer?

WH: I’m planning to travel for a bit - to follow the work. My first stop will be Los Angeles. There are a lot of different directions life might take me, promising possibilities coming down the pipeline. I’m thrilled about letting go into that and seeing where it - jobs, life, adventure - might lead. It feels like a new chapter getting started and I’m ready for it. I’m curious. I'm excited. Game on.

WH: Since seeing you starring alongside Mary-Louise Parker in "The Sound Inside" how have you grown and evolved personally and professionally?

WH: When “The Sound Inside” finished, I was twenty-seven and trying to figure out what might come next. None of my planning included navigating a global pandemic. Only two months after we closed the show, the world shut down. Whatever path I thought I was on pivoted abruptly, as I suspect it did for a lot of us. Since then, it's been a period of pretty dang rapid growth and a whole lot of change.  I traveled and I moved and I moved again and I turned 30. I learned how to be that version of myself. I joined a show called “Blue Bloods” in what was originally a guest star but has since turned into twenty-one episodes across five seasons and I learned how to be that version of myself. I acted in a few films that I love. I played the lead in one (which is now awaiting news from festivals). I started getting recognized on the street and in airports and I learned and I learned and I learned and I filmed four episodes of an upcoming Apple TV show with Billy Crystal and Judith Light and I fanboyed occasionally and I learned how to be that version of myself. I’ve gotten to step more deeply into a life that I always imagined. It’s been nothing nothing short of astonishing, nothing less than a profound education. One of the great gifts of being an actor is that it offers an invitation to better know yourself. I think life offers us that invitation, too, but acting can specify and supercharge that experience. I’ve been so lucky to work consistently since “The Sound Inside.”  (I think of that time often and am still blown away that it happened. I have so much love for the people involved, for Mary-Louise and for Adam and for David and all.) And through all of that work, and of course through life taking its unpredictable, fascinating, incredible twists and turns, I've learned a tremendous amount about myself. It’s been a gift.

Bare: You showed of some of your personal style when we shot together...how would you describe it and who are a few favorite designers/brands?

WH: I find myself turning right now toward clean lines, comfort, and ease. Often, function first. Some staples I love come from Shades of Grey by Micah Cohen, Octobre Editions, Buck Mason, Wythe, and, of course, Uniqlo. 

Bare: Who are some iconic legendary actors or artists that inspire you daily?

WH: Anyone who looks into the center of things, creates with courage, and knows how to really laugh.

Bare: how do you take care of your body and mind when you feel it's time to destress and recharge? 

WH: Anything that turns off that cyclical part of the brain is good. Anything where I can really let go. I find that in basketball and running and yoga. Reading a great novel. Movies, often in the theater. Uncontrollable laughs with loved ones. Travel. Dogs. Riding my sweet little Honda Super Cub.

Bare: Please list your top 5 bare essentials. 

1) Water. 2) Sleep. 3) Sunshine. 4) Exercise: run, stretch, lift heavy things up, put them down, lift them up again. 5) Joyous, meaningful time with other people.

Photos/Interview: Tina Turnbow

Will wears his own clothing