Aahana Swrup
The Netflix rom-com film ‘People We Meet on Vacation‘ follows its protagonists, Poppy and Alex, across different stages in their lives. The pair of best friends first meet in college when they carpool back to their shared hometown of Linfield, Ohio. After striking up an easy friendship, the duo find themselves back together for a summer adventure as they make plans to go camping in Squamish, Vancouver. The trip is meant to be a pick-me-up for Alex, who has recently undergone a breakup with his girlfriend, Sarah. However, as the two teens embrace spontaneity and throw caution to the wind, the trip ends up becoming something much more cementing the longevity of their connection. During this trip, their paths also cross with many fascinating personalities, including a young free spirit named Buck. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Buck and Poppy Enjoy a Brief Summer Romance
Buck retains a minor feature in Poppy and Alex’s narrative, but leaves behind a notable impression. The teenage duo meets the young man in Squamish on a boat ride, during which the attraction between him and Poppy becomes apparent. As a result, he ends up inviting the duo to a highly exclusive party in the woods. In the spirit of spontaneity, the pair accepts the invite and finds themselves spending the night in the company of an intriguing group of campers. Naturally, as sparks continue to fly between the boat-owner and the aspiring writer, they end up retiring back to the former’s tent later in the night. What follows is a heavy makeout session and an unexpected discovery of Buck’s oddly morbid tattoo signifying death.
Poppy doesn’t share much of Buck’s fascination with death; thus, the tattoo only serves to kill the mood for her. However, before this could dissolve into any awkwardness, she ends up being called away by a distressed Alex, who is in need of her help. As it turns out, he had managed to lose his clothes during an unsuccessful skinny-dipping attempt. Therefore, after she hands her friend her own outerwear romper to save his modesty, the night ends in laughter for the pair. Poppy ends up returning to her and Alex’s tent, unbothered by the untimely interruption to her time with Buck. Ultimately, the latter becomes a fond memory for her, and the night turns into a funny story to share at future dinner parties.
Lukas Gage Brings Buck’s Romantic Charm to the Screen
In ‘People We Meet on Vacation,’ Lukas Gage steps into the role of Buck, bringing an effortless allure to Poppy’s earliest love interest. The character’s free-spirited nature, paired with his magnetic personality, is perfectly encapsulated by the actor as he brings the bookish character to life in the film. Gage has been in the industry for a long time, debuting with a brief role in a TV series all the way back in 2013, with the show ‘Enlightened.’ In the years that followed, the actor continued to secure small roles in TV shows and short films, including projects like ‘On My Block,’ ‘Veronica Mars,’ and ‘Supergirl.’ Additionally, he also has memorable, if short-lived, roles in shows like ‘Euphoria‘ and ‘Love, Victor.’
However, in 2020, the actor unexpectedly went viral after sharing a post about a Zoom audition where a director, Tristram Shapeero, could be heard criticizing his apartment. Eventually, Gage and Shapeero were able to clear the air. Around the same time, the actor started entering the mainstream with projects like ‘The White Lotus,’ ‘Queer as Folk,’ ‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline,’ and more. In fact, he even has brief appearances in ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘The Other Two,’ where he plays self-referential versions of himself. Fans will also recognize Gage from shows like ‘You,’ where he plays the character of Adam Pratt, ‘Fargo,’ where he plays Lars Olmstead, and ‘Dead Boy Detective,’ where he steps into the character of the Cat King. Additionally, his other 2020s projects include ‘Down Low,’ ‘Smile 2,’ ‘Companion,’ and ‘Overcompensating.’
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