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The Hollywood Reporter | August 15, 2019
Eren Yeager: From Prada to Titans
The model-turned-actor talks fashion, friendship, and why he couldn’t say no to one of the most ambitious productions in cinema history
By Hitch Dreyse, August 15, 2019
From strutting the runway for Prada and Dior to shaking the world with a pair of swords, Eren Yeager has made the bold leap form modeling to acting. In this exclusive conversation, Attack on Titan’s leading man opens up about trading fragrance campaigns for one of the most ambitious productions in cinematic history – and how a certain best friend might be the one to thank (or blame).
Interviewer: Eren… it’s a pleasure to have you here today. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to ask the questions your fans are dying to have answered.
Eren: Oh, love – the pleasure’s all mine. It’s Hitch, right?
Interviewer: Yes, Hitch is right. How sweet of you to remember. Isn’t he a real charmer?
Eren (winks).
Interviewer: Let’s dive right in it. This is your first time in front of a camera that isn’t about selling perfume or showing off that perfectly sculpted body in nothing but a pair of Calvin’s.
Eren (laughs): You’re right – it is!
Interviewer: So what made you take such a sharp turn in your career and step into acting? You’re only 21 and already considered the most successful male model of the past five years, which is beyond impressive, if I may add!
Eren: Oh, thank you. But honestly… I’d call it more a side quest than an actual career decision.
Interviewer: A side quest? Why do you say that?
Eren (chuckles): Because I was basically pestered into it by best friend
Interviewer (gasps): No way!
Eren: Yes way. Jean – that bastard – drove me crazy with his passion for his job, and eventually the only way he’d stop was if I agreed to give it a try myself.
Interviewer: Jean… as in Jean Kirstein?
Eren: As in the most annoying asshole I know, but yes – Jean Kirstein.
Did you know?
Eren Yeager and Jean Kirstein first crossed paths in 2015 during Berlin Fashion Week – and they’ve been inseparable ever since, from watching the new Balenciaga collection to dancing until sunrise at Berghain’s legendary afterparty. Their friendship has only deepened with time: this May, Eren stood proudly at Jean’s side as best man when he married Mikasa Hizuru – now officially Mikasa Kirstein.
Interviewer (laughs): While I won’t encourage the name-calling, I do have to ask: what exactly did Jean do – or say – that made you give in and take on a project this massive? After all, Attack on Titan is no small undertaking. Far from a modest indie, it’s been described as one of the boldest, most resource-heavy productions the industry has seen in recent years. To give our readers some perspective: Attack on Titan is ranked among the most expensive and ambitious films of the past two years, with a budget even surpassing Avengers: Infinity War. Put that way, it’s staggering. And here you are… calling it your side quest.
Eren: Woah… I honestly never thought about it like that.
Interviewer: You didn’t?
Eren (shrugs): No… to me it just seemed like a fun thing to try out.
Interviewer: I can only imagine how many actors who didn’t land the role of Aaron are cursing your name right now.
Eren (laughs): Probably more than a few.
Interviewer: But I have to admit – after seeing the trailer and all the promotional material form my fellow colleagues – I genuinely can’t picture anyone else as our most infamous war criminal.
Eren: Funny enough, that’s exactly what Jean told me too. That’s actually why I auditioned in the first place – he wouldn’t shut up about Universal’s casting call for Attack on Titan after he read that epic story.
Interviewer: Would you mind elaborating for us?
Eren: Well, the thing is – Jean is obsessed, and I mean completely obsessed, with that book. He was so sure I was the perfect fit that he literally called me several times a day, begging me to audition. He kept insisting that when he read the story, he could only picture me as Aaron. At the time, I hadn’t even read it myself. And mind you, my entire “acting career” up until that point was a black-and-white short for Chanel’s Allure Homme Eau de Toilette – me running through the streets of Paris trying, and failing, to catch a taxi in the pouring rain.
Interviewer (laughs): Oh wow! I’d never have guessed you were that inexperienced – because honestly, your performance feels outstanding.
Eren: Thank you! I was actually surprised myself that I managed to convince the casting directors.
Interviewer: “Fabulous” is the word I’ve heard thrown around.
Eren (fanning himself dramatically): Now you’re flustering me.
Interviewer (chuckles): Me? Flustering the Eren Yeager? That can’t be an easy feat.
Eren: Oh honey, you have no idea.
Interviewer: What was that? Something you’d l like to share with us?
Eren (winks): Maybe one day.
Interviewer (chuckles): I see… then let’s not stray too far from the story on how you became Aaron Kruger.
Eren: Of course. So Jean, with his endless connections in the film industry, managed to land me an audition – and along with it, a script to practice with. That was the moment it really hit me: just how good the story was that I might be stepping into. Even from that tiny excerpt, I could feel its weight. At the time, I didn’t read very much. My schedule was busy enough as it was. But after running through the script once, I went straight out, bought the novel in the next best bookstore at – was it Copenhagen Airport? – and devoured it in three days flat. I read every spare moment I had between shootings and shows, while getting my make-up done – I was absolutely hooked. No, more than hooked. I’d never been much of a fan of war stories, and fantasy wasn’t really my thing either. The combination should have turned me off completely. But damn… I can’t even find the words for what that plot did to me. I came out of it a changed man.
Quick Fire Facts
Age: 21
First Campaign: Burberry SS15
Signature Scent: Vanilla Fatale (Eau de Parfum) by Tom Ford
Wardrobe Staple: Cropped black tank top
Favorite City: Ibiza
Most Played Song: Wet Dream by No Name
Interviewer: I think we all did. It really is a masterpiece.
Eren: Yeah, and I just hope we can do it the justice it deserves.
Interviewer: I’m sure you will. From what I’ve seen, the rest of the cast seems just as dedicated and passionate about the project as you are.
Eren: It’s definitely a passion project for a lot of people. Turned into one for me. I can’t thank my co-stars enough – and honestly, the entire crew behind the movie – for the effort and heart they’ve poured into it.
“My character crush is definitely Lewin Feldmann” – Eren Yeager
Interviewer: So tell me, what was one of your favorite things about the story when you finally read it?
Eren (laughs): Honestly? I can’t even decide. Everything about it feels perfect. But if I had to pick… what grabbed me even more than the plot were the characters.
Interviewer: So I take it you’re now also a big Aaron Kruger fan?
Eren (laughs): Aaron? Please – Lewin Feldmann is the real star. He’s the underdog in my opinion.
Interviewer: Now that is a twist I didn’t see coming! And what makes it even more amusing is that the actor who landed the role of your favorite character is just as new to acting as you are.
Eren: Oh yeah… it’s still hard to believe I’m starring alongside a rockstar in a movie.
Interviewer: That must have been surreal.
Eren (smug): Surreal? Oh, it was exciting. Very exciting.
Interviewer: Did you enjoy filming with L – or should I say, now officially revealed – Levi Ackerman?
Eren: Oh yeah. I did. A lot.
Interviewer: And what would you say was your favorite part about working alongside someone just as new to acting as you are?
Eren: Honestly, it was reassuring. It took so much pressure off me to know I wasn’t the only one being thrown into the deep end without knowing exactly how to swim.
Interviewer: I can only imagine the two of you must have stuck together as the “babies” of the cast.
Eren (gasps): Don’t let Levi hear you call him baby.
Interviewer (laughs): Good thing Mr. Rockstar isn’t here to bite my head off, then.
Eren (chuckles). Exactly. You’ll be fine though, I know how to handle him.
Interviewer: I bet you do. Rumor has it you two became rather inseparable during the shoot. Is that true?
Eren: Inseparable might be pushing it… but let’s just say we grew on each other. Which turned out to be a good thing, since we spent pretty much every single day together for five months straight. That said, I don’t want to overlook my other co-stars. Armin, Connie, and Sasha are amazing – wonderful, highly talented people. Without their experience and their patience with Levi and me, I don’t know how we would’ve managed. I’m just grateful I had such incredible people around me. Still do.
Interviewer: So you’re still in touch with some of your co-stars?
Eren: Absolutely. Attack on Titan gave me friendships I’ll carry with me for a long time. That’s something I’m endlessly grateful for. Honestly, I had the time of my life with this project.
The Hollywood Reporter would like to thank Eren Yeager and the Attack on Titan press team for their time and insight. The film is scheduled for worldwide release on September 1, and anticipation continues to build. Audiences will soon experience Yeager’s portrayal of Aaron Kruger next to Levi Ackerman as Lewin Feldmann in a release positioned as a landmark achievement of the season.
Vanity Fair | July Issue 2021
A September to Remember
At the end of summer, Eren Yeager will marry his fiancé, luxury real estate agent Reiner Braun, in Los Angeles. The announcement has stirred great anticipation, but who is the man about to share his life with one of Hollywood’s most closely watched rising stars?
Story by Anka Rheinberger, July 9, 2021
The sound of wedding bells is approaching, and with it comes the opportunity to look more closely at the figure who has quietly stood beside the model-turned-actor throughout his remarkable ascent. In an exceptional gesture, the couple opened their private world to Vanity Fair, granting us an exclusive engagement photo session with renowned photographer, and dear friend of Eren, Floch Forster. Before turning the page to those images – arguably among the most awaited of the year – we invite you to become acquainted with the man who, with dignity and discretion, calls himself Eren Yeager’s other half.
Profile: Reiner Braun
Discreet, ambitious, and unwaveringly loyal, Reiner Braun has built a reputation that extends far beyond the world of real estate. Now, as he prepares to step into the public eye alongside Eren Yeager, his own story deserves to be told.
Age: 29
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Education & Career Path: Studied Entrepreneurship with focus on Lifestyle & Luxury Markets at Stanford University, where he first met Zeke Yeager. The two founded the Y & B Collective during their final year, quickly establishing themselves as trusted brokers in Los Angele’s ultra-competitive luxury property market.
Profession: Luxury real estate agent based in Los Angeles
Firm: Co-founder of the Y & B Collective with Zeke Yeager – a boutique agency specializing in international high-end properties
Specialty: Trusted by an elite clientele to manage and expand their luxury real estate portfolios – regularly traveling between Los Angeles, Miami, and London to oversee investments personally
Fun Fact: A devoted admirer of the band No Name since his youth; through Eren, he has formed a personal friendship with the musicians, who will be among the wedding’s honored guests
Relationship: Reiner and Eren have confirmed that they first met through Eren’s half-brother, Zeke Yeager, who introduced them on a blind date. Three months later, they made their relationship public – yet aside from a few glimpses on social media, the couple has chosen to keep their bond largely private.
“Eren is like the sun – I’m just happy to shine in his light.” – Reiner Braun about his fiancé Eren Yeager
The couple has confirmed that they will exchange vows on September 21, 2021, at the breathtaking Glass Garden Pavilion, Château d’Éternité in Beverly Hills, California. More than 300 guests from around the globe are expected to attend what is already being called one of the society events of the year. After officially going public just three months into dating, Eren and Reiner have largely kept their relationship private – sharing only the occasional glimpse on social media. That makes this exclusive engagement photo shoot for Vanity Fair all the more special. Styled head-to-toe in Balmain by Creative Director Olivier Rousteing and his team, the two offer readers a rare and intimate look at their bond.
Style Credits
Wardrobe: Balmain, styled by Olivier Rousteing and the Balmain creative team
Jewelry: Cartier Haute Joaillerie
Grooming: Dior Beauty
Location: Vellano Estate, Chino Hills
Variety | Oscar Special 2020
Levi Ackerman | From Anonymity to Oscar Gold
With this year’s first-time Academy winner – remarkable and fiercely talented Levi Ackerman – Variety takes a closer look at how the frontman of No Name wrote an Oscar-worthy song that shook the world.
By Flegel Reeves, February 14, 2020
Ackerman’s journey to the stage began far from the spotlight. Raised in Detroit in a working-class household, he lost his mother at the age of seven and was taken in by his uncle – a difficult upbringing that left its mark on him. By seventeen, seeking stability, Ackerman moved in with his close friend H, who would later become No Name’s drummer. Together, they began experimenting with music during their high school years, and soon after joined forces with E and M, the band’s future guitarist and bassist. What started as late-night sessions in E’s garage evolved into the first raw demos that would define No Name’s early sound.
By 2005, Ackerman and his bandmates had already discovered the taste of fame with Song to Say Goodbye. At the time, they performed under a veil of secrecy, their faces wrapped in bandages and their names reduced to initials. The air of anonymity only amplified the intrigue, fueling a cultural phenomenon that resonated deeply with a young generation hungry for rebellion and raw authenticity.
Blending garage rock with sensuality, dark themes, and provocative – even political – lyrics, No Name rocketed to the top of the charts within a year of their debut. Their first album, Chemically Insane, stormed onto the Global 100 at No. 3 and sold more than one million copies in just two weeks of its release. From there, the band’s trajectory was unstoppable, cementing their status as a voice of a generation felt left behind and overlooked.
Over the course of twelve years, No Name released seven albums and embarked on multiple world tours, before announcing an extended hiatus at the height of their fame. For two years, speculation swirled around their return until the band reemerged last year with a new album and new tour dates – only months after L revealed his true identity as Levi Ackerman.
That revelation coincided with another milestone: Ackerman’s contribution to the Academy Award-winning film Attack on Titan, both as an actor – portraying Lewin Feldmann – and as a music producer. His haunting composition for the soundtrack, Rumbling, earned him the Oscar for Best Original Song – a crowning achievement that not only affirmed his evolution from enigmatic rock icon to celebrated songwriter, but also marked the beginning of an entirely new chapter in an already extraordinary career.
“You may know my name now, but you still don’t know who leaves my hotel room. And you won’t.” – Levi Ackerman in Interview with Rolling Stone 2019
When asked about his decision to finally step out from behind the veil of anonymity, Ackerman told the press: “It doesn’t matter if people know my name or my face. They still won’t know me – not really. And I intend to keep it that way.”
The statement could not ring truer. Throughout the span of his career, the public has never been able to glean more about the musician and his bandmates than they deliberately chose to share.
The commitment to privacy has always been part of No Name’s DNA. While Ackerman has revealed himself, the rest of the band continues to guard their identities with the same intensity that once defined their stage persona. This discretion extends to relationships and dating: Ackerman has been clear that the public has never – and, in his words, will never – learn more about his private life, partners, or anything beyond the music.
Recently however, speculation has reached a new pitch. Since Ackerman’s appearance in Attack on Titan, rumors about a possible off-screen relationship with co-star Eren Yeager have spread widely across social media and in the press. In typical No Name fashion, neither Ackerman nor the band has addressed the chatter at all – not to deny it, not even to acknowledge it – leaving fans and observers to draw their own conclusions.
What makes this wave of speculation particularly notable is that it marks the first time in years that any dating rumors have surrounded Ackerman or the band – and they are, significantly, same-sex rumors. That context only heightens public curiosity, especially given No Name’s long-standing silence on matters of identity and relationships.
Even as No Name has pushed boundaries with provocative lyrics exploring the themes of sexuality and desire, the band has consistently refused to label themselves or confirm anything about their own orientations. In this way, they embody precisely what their name suggests – No Name, no labels.
Nevertheless, Variety has compiled a No Name Biography with all information currently available about the band and its members – as much as the mystery allows.
No Name | A Band Biography
DISCOGRPAHY
2005: Song To Say Goodbye (Single Release)
2005: Chemically Insane
2007: I Like It Better When You Sleep
2010: Midnight Boom
2011: Painful
2013: Girls and Boys
2015: Kiss Your Knuckles Before You Hit
2017: Border Control
2019: Unholy Thoughts
2020: Medicine (Single Release)
Formed in 2004 in Detroit, No Name rose from the city’s underground with a sound that defied easy categorization. From the beginning, the band cultivated enigma: faces concealed in bandages, names reduced to initials, and a refusal to be confined by convention. Their identity was as much about as what they withheld as what they shared – a philosophy that continues to shape their legacy.
The band’s breakthrough came when they were discovered by Petra Ral, then a young intern at Interscope Records. Ral championed them from the start, recognizing their raw potential and helping secure their first deal. Today, she runs her own independent label Surveyed though No Name ultimately chose to remain with Interscope.
Their debut album, Chemically Insane (2005), captured the angst and intensity of a generation. Critics and fans alike speculated that the darker themes and emotions drew directly from the member’s own difficult upbringings, with particular weight given to Ackerman’s early personal losses. The record quickly went gold, setting the stage for what would become one of the defining acts of the era.
“Music is never not political.” – No Name at their Grammy performance 2013
With Midnight Boom (2010), No Name reached their commercial and critical peak. The album remains their best-selling release, and its single Kiwi is still regarded as their most successful track to date. Yet the band never allowed themselves to be tied to one sound. True to their name, No Name has consistently experimented across the spectrum of rock and punk, blending styles and influences in ways that resist easy classification.
Across the seven studio albums and years on the road, No Name continually reinvented themselves, testing the limits of both sound and subject matter. Their catalog is marked by songs that dissect societal hypocrisy, expose the fragility of mental health, and confront taboos rarely acknowledged in mainstream rock. From stark meditations on death and addiction to unflinching explorations of fetish and kink, their work has been as transgressive as it is cathartic, giving listeners both a mirror and an escape.
That uncompromising spirit reached a new intensity with Unholy Thoughts (2019), widely regarded as their most overtly sexual record. Its graphic honesty reportedly caused friction during the release process, with labels and distributors hesitating over its explicit content. Yet controversy only fueled the momentum: the album not only debuted to record-breaking sales and streaming numbers but also reaffirmed No Name’s position as a band unwilling to temper its vision, even after years from the spotlight.
ON THE ROAD: TOURS AT A GLANCE
2006: NN Tour (North America)
2007-2008: NN II Tour (North America & Europe)
2010-2012: Dark Pulse Arena World Tour
2013-2015: Drift into Debauchery Stadium World Tour
2016: Festival Tour (Global)
2017: Festival Tour with final pre-hiatus performance at Coachella (Global)
2019-now: Indecent Material Arena & Stadium World Tour
The making of Unholy Thoughts was itself a feat of endurance. At the time, frontman Levi Ackerman was in the midst of filming Attack on Titan, yet he continued writing with the band between shoots and is credited as the principal composer and lyricist on the record. The rest of the group contributed equally to the creative process, with production support from longtime Interscope collaborator M. Werner. The outcome highlighted No Name’s capacity to merge raw expression with disciplined songwriting, even under demanding circumstances.
Following their current world tour Indecent Material, however, the group has no immediate plans for new releases. After nearly two decades of relentless output, the members have been candid about seeking balance, a middle ground between work, passion, and private life that allows them to continue without burning out.