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There's a telling moment in the actor's new book where he refers to it a "premature autobiography". It's a self-deprecating joke, of course, but it's also accurate. Gage isn't extremely famous – at least not yet. Chances are, though, if you've seen him then you will remember him. In 2020, he went viral after sharing an audition video where the director – not realizing he wasn't on mute – was heard judging his living arrangements. "These individuals live in these small apartments," he states, before Gage steps in to let him know he can hear every word. The following year, Gage appeared in the debut installment of The White Lotus: in one scene, his role Dillon is caught by a hotel guest standing completely undressed in the manager's office, while the manager engages in a sexual act on him.

"I figured: I don't have too much to do in the show so I'd better make an impression on it big," he remarks with a smile today. "I wanted to give people something to recall me for – and I did!"

Chaotic Roles and Life

Gage specialises in characters whose lives are chaotic and disordered – just like his own. That life is all revealed in his memoir, which – here comes another self-deprecating remark – is titled I Wrote this Book for Attention. Although humorously engaging, its content is far from simple. We start with Gage's emotions of rejection by his father, then move on to substance abuse, sexual abuse, domestic issues, dependency, personality disorders, shame, rocky romances and heartbreak. What we don't get all that much of is the glitz of fame. Gage readily admits he is at the start of his career. He has no great reserves of wisdom to share on achievement. So what was the purpose of writing a memoir?

"I think it's cathartic for me to share my journey," he explains over a online call from New York. "During the Hollywood writers' strike I had the opportunity to really delve and go deep, so I just thought: why not."

Early Years and Approval

Gage, 30, was raised in San Diego, and from an young age he was cognizant of his persistent need for validation. He recalls a party where he showed up, aged four, wearing high heels and Playboy bunny ears; in particular, he recalls being wounded by his dad's obvious disgust at what he was doing. Their relationship never really recovered – Gage's dad left and became increasingly remote with his sons (Gage has two older brothers) before starting with a new family.

Gage found it difficult to belong at school. He was a natural performer, but this meant it was often hard to know who the true Lukas was. "I found myself constantly trying on different hats and identities, which I think was quite divisive for people," he states. It also had its advantages. Gage could effortlessly adopt the persona of a clean-living football player while privately stocking his backpack up with alcohol at the rear of the local store. He was sometimes paid by classmates to call up and pretend to be their parents to get them out of class. "Becoming different people was natural to me," he says.

Dependency and Household Challenges

The book addresses dependency – mainly his older brother's battles with heroin that turn the cool sibling he idolised into a weak shell, but also his mother's obsession with gambling devices. An initial win meant the family could manage to make the down payment on a bigger house, but Gage chuckles when I ask if she really profited from gambling. "Ultimately, how much she spent was certainly a lot more than that."

It is amusing, he notes. Until she had read the book, his mum hadn't really reconciled with this aspect of her personality. "She talked to my siblings, like, 'Do you guys think this way too?' And they were all like, 'Naturally, we've been mentioning this since we were kids.'"

Gage has a lot of love for his mum, who obviously brought her kids up in challenging circumstances. But she had a difficulty reviewing it. "She felt as if she was unsuccessful as a mother and I did not want her to feel that way at all. I feel like even though there's these chaotic things that occurred to me, hard things, I truly loved the way that I was raised."

Discovering Identity and Abuse

Gage didn't begin to find his real identity until he was sent to an performance program as a youngster, where being boisterous, flamboyant and expressive was actually encouraged. The experience was transformative in good ways, but also in a awful one. One night, he was accompanied in his shelter by a camp counsellor who told Gage and a girl camper to kiss, remove their clothes and press their bodies against each other while he pleasured himself. For a long time later, he tried to ignore the guilt it imprinted him with.

"Like a lot of people who undergo being abused, I felt like there was a willingness on my part because my body just checked out. I knew it was wrong. I knew that the situation should not be taking place. But I just endured it."

Self-Criticism and Career Path

Gage is tough on himself in the book – and still is. He confesses to looking for "dark critiques" of himself on the internet. "I regret that I don't always regard my acting and work in the best light," he states. "I wish I could have more empathy with that part of myself."

Yet he accepts that this self-criticism drives him forward too. In high school, he appeared in a skin care commercial and spent the day on set inquiring about every question possible about mic positioning and the job of grips. Despite his mum's concerns, he left San Diego for Hollywood at the age of 18, staying in the Alta Cienega Motel where his idol Jim Morrison lived, on and off, between 1968 and 1970 (online comments – "Stay FAR FAR AWAY from this place!" – suggest it might not have been the most luxurious of lodgings).

Gage's big break should have arrived when he secured a part in Mad Men, as Sally Draper's crush. He told his entire household about it, but during a wardrobe session he was forced to show the tattoos he'd had done on his ribs, back and leg. "I had these agents telling to me: how could you damage this? How could you mess this up? I don't think that was the best thing for a young adult to listen to when they've just lost something that big."

These days, such tattoos would be covered up in minutes, but back then he was shown the door and starting over. The constant cycles of tryouts and rejections were brutal, but at least he had been prepared well for them. "Whenever I got turned down for a job, I would always feel: it's fine, it's not as bad as my dad leaving me for another household and kid," he remarks.

Perseverance and Breakthrough

Gage continued. The story of how he lied, pleaded and cheated to get an tryout for Assassination Nation, which ultimately resulted in a role in the popular series Euphoria (as Tyler Clarkson, bruised and in a support) and then The White Lotus, could fill a book in itself. Gage remembers the strangeness of shooting The White Lotus in 2020, holed up in a luxury Hawaii hotel while the health crisis and the US election unfolded. It was actually Gage, along with co-star Murray Bartlett, who pitched the idea that their sex act should be something a bit extra – and show runner Mike White readily agreed. Gage chuckles remembering his mum's response. "She sent me a message, like, 'Such a cute bum, but maybe next time provide a warning that's going to occur when I'm viewing with my friends.'"

It was while on set that Gage showed fellow cast members the audition video in which his apartment was criticized. Their reaction – shocked, entertained, supportive – persuaded him to share it online. He wasn't ready for the feedback it got: countless articles, expressions of backing from fellow actors and strangers alike, and a crusade against the director in question, none of which Gage had any say over. "I thought like people were much more mad about it than I was, which confused me," he {