Lucas Hedges | |
|---|---|
 Hedges in 2017 | |
| Born | (1996-12-12)December 12, 1996 (age 28)[1] New York City, U.S. |
| Education | University of North Carolina School of the Arts |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Parent | Peter Hedges (father) |
| Awards | Full list |
Lucas Hedges (born December 12, 1996) is an American actor.[2][3] A son of filmmakerPeter Hedges, he studied theater at theUniversity of North Carolina School of the Arts. Hedges began his acting career with a supporting role inWes Anderson's comedy-dramaMoonrise Kingdom (2012). He had his breakthrough in 2016 playing a sardonic teenager inKenneth Lonergan's dramaManchester by the Sea, which earned him a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor, among otheraccolades. Hedges then starred as an aggressive youth in anoff-Broadway production ofYen and had supporting roles in the coming-of-age filmLady Bird and the dramaThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in 2017.
In 2018, Hedges played the lead role of a teenager forced into agay conversion therapy program inBoy Erased, which earned him a nomination for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama. He also made hisBroadway debut in a revival of Lonergan's dramaThe Waverly Gallery in the same year. In 2023, he starred asEnnis Del Mar in aWest End theatre production ofBrokeback Mountain.
Hedges was born inBrooklyn,New York City,[4] the second of two boys born to poet and actress Susan Bruce (née Titman) and screenwriter and directorPeter Hedges.[5][6][7] His paternal grandfather, the Rev. Robert Boyden Hedges, was an Episcopal minister. His maternal grandfather was a former vice president in New York atHBO,[8] and his maternal grandmother, Narcissa Titman, is a former theatre director and lecturer.[9][10] He has an older brother, Simon, who works in private equity in New York. He grew up in Brooklyn Heights andCobble Hill, frequently visiting his father's film sets.[11] As a child, Hedges made his feature film debut as an extra in his father's filmDan in Real Life (2007), but his line in the film was cut in post-production.[12]
A graduate ofSaint Ann's School, he studied theatre at theUniversity of North Carolina School of the Arts from 2015 to 2016.[4][13][14][15] Hedges is a graduate of the Cherubs Theatre Program atNorthwestern University's National High School Institute.
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During a middle-school play production, Hedges was spotted by the casting director forWes Anderson'sMoonrise Kingdom (2012), who eventually cast him in the film as Redford.[16][17] He went on to play small roles in the comedy-dramaArthur Newman (2012),[18]Jason Reitman's romanceLabor Day (2013),[19] andTerry Gilliam's science fiction filmThe Zero Theorem (2013).[20][21] In 2014, Hedges had a minor role in Anderson'sThe Grand Budapest Hotel and played the son ofJeremy Renner's character inMichael Cuesta's dramaKill the Messenger, which was based onCIA involvement in Contra cocaine trafficking.[17][22] The latter led the criticTodd McCarthy to rank him as "very good," and Rodrigo Perez ofIndieWire considered him to be the "surprise stand-out of the cast."[23][24] In 2015, he was cast in theNBC miniseriesThe Slap, which was adapted from theAustralian series of the same name.[25]
Hedges next joined the cast ofKenneth Lonergan's independent dramaManchester by the Sea (2016). In it, he played Patrick Chandler, a 16-year-old boy dealing with the recent death of his father, who is left in the care of his unwilling and troubled uncle (played byCasey Affleck). The film premiered at theSundance Film Festival.[26] Tim Robey ofThe Daily Telegraph wrote, "Hedges, phenomenal, fights off every cliché of 'troubled' teenagerhood and gives us a gruff, sympathetic boy with a tearaway sex drive."[27]Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian said his performance was "glorious" and added that he "makes a tremendous troubled 16-year-old."[28] It earned over $78 million against its $9 million budget.[29] For his work, Hedges won aCritics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer, and received a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor, among others.[17][30]
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The following year, Hedges made his stage debut as the lead in the Trip Cullman-directedoff-Broadway playYen, penned by the playwrightAnna Jordan.[31] The production ran from February 19 to March 4 at theLucille Lortel Theatre.[32] Taking note of his performance as an aggressive and violent teenager who shares a troubled relationship with his half-brother,Ben Brantley ofThe New York Times wrote that he "delivers an expert anatomy of an adolescent on the edge of explosion".[33] Hedges was nominated for theLucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play and won theTheatre World Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Debut Performance.[34][35][36][37] Also in 2017, Hedges had supporting roles in two films—Greta Gerwig's directorial debutLady Bird andMartin McDonagh's crime dramaThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, both of which were nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture.[38][39] The cast of the latter film were awarded with theSAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast.[40]
Hedges had three film releases in 2018. He played the supporting role of a teenager who violently bullies his younger brother (played bySunny Suljic) inMid90s, which marked the directorial debut ofJonah Hill.[41] Eric Kohn ofIndieWire wrote, "Hedges, quickly becoming the most impressive actor of his generation, buries himself in the gruff, unhappy role of an angst-riddled teen."[42] Hedges played the lead role in his two other 2018 films—Boy Erased andBen Is Back.[43][44] In the former, based on theeponymous memoir, he played the son of a Baptist pastor who is forced to take part in agay conversion therapy program.Russell Crowe andNicole Kidman played his parents. Writing forThe Hollywood Reporter, Stephen Farber noted that Hedges "carries the entire show and is alternately frightened, bewildered and defiant. There isn't a false note in his performance."[45] ForBoy Erased, Hedges received a nomination for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama.[46] InBen Is Back, a drama directed by his father and co-starringJulia Roberts, he played the titular character, a drug addict who returns home after spending time in rehab. Pete Hammond ofDeadline Hollywood praised both Roberts's and Hedges's performances, adding that they "are pitch perfect together, never striking a false note in demonstrating the everlasting bond between a mother and son."[47]
Also in 2018, Hedges made his first appearance onBroadway in a revival of Kenneth Lonergan's playThe Waverly Gallery, alongsideElaine May, at theJohn Golden Theatre.[48] He played the role of a teenager coping with his grandmother'sAlzheimer's disease.Chris Jones of theChicago Tribune credited him for effectively conveying the "frustration family members feel when one of their own starts to decline."[49]Honey Boy, a drama penned by and co-starringShia LaBeouf about his childhood and relationship with his father, marked Hedges's first film release of 2019.[50] Hedges andNoah Jupe played Otis Lort, a character based on LaBeouf, at different ages. Reviewing the film forEntertainment Weekly, Leah Greenblatt wrote that Hedges "doesn’t seem to have found a role yet he can’t fully inhabit; his Otis is raw and furious, and genuinely funny."[51] He next took on a supporting part inTrey Edward Shults'Waves, a drama about the emotional journey of a suburban family,[52] which led Peter Debruge ofVariety to consider it "an impactful reminder of how much the actor can bring to a smaller role".[53]
In 2020, Hedges appeared in the miniseriesHome Movie: The Princess Bride forQuibi to raise money forWorld Central Kitchen.[54] Also that year, he starred alongsideMichelle Pfeiffer in the black comedyFrench Exit,[55] and was part of the ensemble cast ofSteven Soderbergh's comedy filmLet Them All Talk.[56] In his review for the former film, IndieWire's David Ehrlich was appreciate of Hedges' "subdued but strikingly thoughtful performance".[57] The following year, he appeared in an episode of theFX anthology seriesThe Premise.[58]
Hedges took a small break from acting to focus on writing, and returned to the stage in a 2023West End theatre production ofBrokeback Mountain at@sohoplace, in which he starred asEnnis Del Mar oppositeMike Faist'sJack Twist.[59] Comparing his performance toHeath Ledger's portrayal of Del Mar in the2005 film of the same name, theatre critic Matt Wolf ofThe New York Times wrote that Hedges "may not have the immediate physical command that Ledger had onscreen, but he shares his late predecessor’s furrowed brow and a sense of roiling anguish".[60] The following year, he had a supporting role in the biographical filmShirley, about the 1972 presidential run ofShirley Chisholm.[61]
Hedge's next release,Sorry, Baby, starring, written and directed byEva Victor, premiered at the2025 Sundance Film Festival.[62] Commenting on his role as a kind neighbour of the film's troubled protagonist (played by Victor), Peter Debruge considered it "perfectly suited to Lucas Hedges’ uniquely sensitive energy".[63] He is set to star alongsideDaniel Radcliffe in the war thrillerTrust the Man.[64]
When asked about his sexuality in 2018, Hedges said: "In the early stages of my life, some of the people I was most infatuated with were my closest male friends. That was the case through high school, and I think I was always aware of that, while for the most part I was attracted to women," also adding that he exists "on that spectrum: Not totally straight, but also not gay and not necessarily bisexual."[65] He later spoke about being an ally to theLGBTQ community and said that he considered his sexuality to be a "fluid experience."[66]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Dan in Real Life | Lilly's Dance Partner | [a] |
| 2012 | Moonrise Kingdom | Redford | |
| Arthur Newman | Kevin Avery | ||
| 2013 | Labor Day | Richard | |
| The Zero Theorem | Bob | ||
| 2014 | The Grand Budapest Hotel | Pump Attendant | |
| Kill the Messenger | Ian Webb | ||
| 2015 | Anesthesia | Greg | |
| 2016 | Manchester by the Sea | Patrick Chandler | |
| 2017 | Pigeonhearts | Eli | Short film |
| Lady Bird | Danny O'Neill | ||
| Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | Robbie Hayes | ||
| 2018 | Boy Erased | Jared Eamons | |
| Ben Is Back | Ben Burns | ||
| Mid90s | Ian | ||
| 2019 | Honey Boy | Otis Lort | |
| Waves | Luke | ||
| 2020 | French Exit | Malcolm Price | |
| Let Them All Talk | Tyler Hughes | ||
| 2024 | Shirley | Robert Gottlieb | |
| 2025 | Sorry, Baby | Gavin |
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Corrections | Young Chip Lambert | Unaired pilot |
| 2015 | The Slap | Ritchie Joanou (né Collins) | 5 episodes |
| 2020 | Home Movie: The Princess Bride | Westley | Episode: "Chapter Six: The Fire Swamp" |
| 2021 | The Premise | Jesse Wheeler | Episode: "The Ballad of Jesse Wheeler" |
| Year | Title | Role | Theater | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Yen | Hench | Lucille Lortel Theatre | Off-Broadway |
| 2018 | The Waverly Gallery | Daniel Reed | John Golden Theatre | Broadway |
| 2020 | This Is Our Youth | Warren Straub | — | Virtual play |
| 2023 | Brokeback Mountain | Ennis Del Mar | @sohoplace | West End |
| Year | Title | Role | Author |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Love, Kurt: The Vonnegut Love Letters, 1941-1945 | Narrator | Edith Vonnegut |
Hedges was nominated forAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance inManchester by the Sea (2016), and for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his performance inBoy Erased (2018).
PETER HEDGES LUCAS born.
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