Brenton Thwaites(born 1988 or 1989) is an Australian actor. Beginning his career in his home country in 2011, he had a starring role on the seriesSlideand later appeared on the soap operaHome and Away.Since moving to the United States, Thwaites has had major roles in the filmsBlue Lagoon: The Awakening(2012),Oculus(2013),The Giver(2014),Gods of Egypt(2016), andPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales(2017). He starred asDick Grayson/Robin/Nightwingin theDC Universe/HBO MaxseriesTitansfrom 2018 to 2023.
Brenton Thwaites | |
|---|---|
 Thwaites in 2020 | |
| Born | 1988/1989 (age 35–36) Cairns,Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Partner | Chloe Pacey (2015–present) |
| Children | 5 |
Early life
editThwaites was born inCairns,Queensland.[1]He has a sister. He graduated fromCairns State High Schoolin 2006.[1]
During his youth, Thwaites was drawn to the idea of becoming a policeman or a firefighter, having been interested in movies involving the latter. However, his interests changed to filmmaking and "letting [one's] personality shine through so many different characters". At the age of 16, Thwaites gave his first performance in front of a live audience inRomeo and Juliet.[2]
Thwaites studied acting at theQueensland University of Technology(QUT) for three years, before graduating in 2010.[3][4][5]He then relocated to Sydney to join the long-running soap operaHome and Awaybefore moving to the United States in 2011/12 to pursue his career in acting.[6][7][8]
Career
edit2010–2011: Early career
editPrior to graduating from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Thwaites made his film debut inCharge Over You,a 2010 independent film.[9]After he graduated, Thwaites appeared in an episode ofSea Patroland in the short filmHeadsmen.[10][11]
In November 2010, Thwaites was cast in a newFox8Australianteen dramaseries,Slide.[12][13]The show follows five Brisbane teenagers making their way to adulthood.[13][14]Thwaites believes his character,Luke Gallagher,"stands back a bit. He watches. He's struggling with family issues. He's drawn in as it was a chance to find better friends and an opportunity to be part of a group. He's a cool, accepted kid. Some friends he can love and help him mature."[10]Thwaites made his first appearance onSlidein the series'premiere episodeon 16 August 2011. The series ran one season.[13]
Shortly after Thwaites moved to Sydney in April 2011, he was given a five-month recurring role ofStu Hendersonin the 24th season ofHome and Away.[5][7]Thwaites called the show a great learning experience and said his co-stars were easy to work with.[8]Thwaites made his first appearance as Stu, a member of the River Boys, on 23 August 2011.[7]Tristan Swanwick ofThe Courier-Mailsaid Thwaites was a "bit too pretty to be a bad-ass River Boy" but that some fake tattoos would balance that impression.[5]Of his character, Thwaites said, "Stu's awesome, he has some fights, he gets the girls, it's awesome fun."[5][15]
2012–2016: Film roles and continued success
editFollowing Thwaites' relocation to the United States, he signed on to play the male lead in the 2012 television filmBlue Lagoon: The AwakeningoppositeIndiana Evans.[16]The film received generally mixed reviews, withZap2itpraising both Thwaites and Evans' "(mostly) believable" acting[17]andThe New York Timessaying their performances were superior to those of the leads inthe first film of the series.[18]
In 2013, Thwaites starred in the psychological/supernatural horror filmOculusas the male lead Tim Russell. Production on the film began in October 2012 in Alabama, and was completed a few weeks later.[19]The film was first released on 5 September 2013, at the2013 Toronto International Film Festival,[20]and received a worldwide theatrical release on 11 April 2014.[21]His performance as Russell was well received byIndiewire,which claimed that Thwaites maintained a "credibly frightened demeanor" throughout the film.[22]
In 2014, Thwaites briefly returned to Australia for the filming of crime thrillerSon of a Gun.Primarily shot in Perth, Kalgoorlie and Melbourne,[23]Thwaites had to audition for the part of JR "up to 10 times before landing the role." Regarding his character, Thwaites said, "I jumped at the opportunity to audition when this came up and I found the character was a very vulnerable kid amongst strange men that are in some way an inspiration. I just thought that was interesting as a young man myself."[24]Thwaites received critical acclaim for his portrayal of JR, withVarietycontending that he "makes a suitably keen-eyed, clean-scrubbed lead, retaining a kind of porous naivete even as the character gets his blood up"[25]andThe Sydney Morning Heraldpraising his role as the embattled hero of the plot.[26]The film premiered in Australia on 16 October 2014.[27]
In 2014, Thwaites appeared inMaleficentasPrince Phillip.[28]AMaleficentsequelwas released in 2019, butHarris Dickinsonwas recast in Thwaites' role as he was unable to return due to scheduling conflicts.[29]Additionally, he starred inThe Signalas the male lead, Nic Eastman. The film opened at theSundance Film Festivalin January, seven months after shooting on location in the desert of New Mexico.[30][31]Thwaites received praise in a review byThe Plain Dealerthat noted his performance inThe Signalwas "as a compelling presence in the driver's seat as things get freakier and freakier around him."[32]
Later in the year, Thwaites also had the lead role inThe Giver,playing Jonas.[33]Primarily filmed in South Africa,[6]the film was met with generally mixed to negativereviews,withThe Telegraphcriticising Thwaites' portrayal for "he [struggled] to give us the layered, conflicted hero this film [needed]".[34]However, his portrayal was well received by theHuffington Post,who commended Thwaites' acting[35]and byThe Plain Dealer,which noted that the "fast-rising Thwaites...does a nice job with the lead role."[36]He was awarded theAustralians in Film"Breakthrough Award" for his role inThe Giver.[37]
Thwaites starred inGods of Egypt.He played Bek, a human thief.[38]Principal photographyon the film began on 20 March 2014 at theFox Studiosin Sydney, Australia, and the film was released worldwide on 26 February 2016.[39]
2017–present:Pirates of the CaribbeanandTitans
editThwaites starred in the fantasy-adventure sequelPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,which was released on 26 May 2017.[40][41][42][43]Thwaites portraysHenry Turner,the son of franchise charactersWill TurnerandElizabeth Swann.[44][45][46]Shooting of the film commenced in February 2015, on theGold Coastof Queensland, Australia.[47][48]
FollowingPirates,Thwaites had a leading role in the 2017Christian film,An Interview with God,portraying a young journalist, Paul Asher.[49]Thwaites was then cast asDick Grayson / Robinin theDC UniverseseriesTitans[50]which began airing in 2018.
Personal life
editThwaites has been in a relationship with Chloe Pacey since 2015,[51][52]after they both lived in the samesharehousein Australia while Thwaites was filmingPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.[53]After a stint in Los Angeles, Thwaites returned to Queensland.[54]Thwaites and Pacey became engaged on 26 July 2023. The couple have five children.[55]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Charge Over You | Sam | |
| 2012 | Save Your Legs! | Mark Cow | |
| 2013 | Oculus | Tim Russell | |
| 2014 | The Giver | Jonas | |
| Maleficent | Prince Phillip | ||
| Ride | Angelo | ||
| The Signal | Nic Eastman | ||
| Son of a Gun | JR | ||
| 2015 | Ruben Guthrie | Chet | |
| That Sugar Film | Himself | Documentary film[56][57] | |
| 2016 | Gods of Egypt | Bek | |
| 2017 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | Henry Turner | |
| 2018 | Office Uprising | Desmond | Also executive producer |
| 2019 | An Interview with God | Paul Asher | |
| A Violent Separation | Norman | ||
| 2020 | Ghosts of War | Chris | |
| 2020 | I Met a Girl | Devon | Also executive producer |
| 2024 | We Bury the Dead | Clay | Post-production |
| 2024 | How to Make Gravy | Dan |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Sea Patrol | Leigh Scarpia | Episode: "Black Flights" | |
| Slide | Luke Gallagher | Main role; 10 episodes | ||
| Rove LA | Himself | Part of the studio audience[58][59] | ||
| 2011–2012 | Home and Away | Stu Henderson | Recurring role | |
| 2012 | Blue Lagoon: The Awakening | Dean McMullen | Television film | |
| 2018–2023 | Titans | Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing | Main role |
Awards and nominations
edit| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AiF Breakthrough Award | 2014 | Up-and-coming talent | The Giver | Won | [37] |
| EuroCinema Kawananakoa Award | Rising star | – | Won | [60] | |
| GQ Men of the Year | Breakthrough Actor | – | Won | [61] | |
| Teen Choice Awards | 2017 | Choice Action Movie Actor | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | Nominated | [62] |
| 2019 | Choice Action TV Actor | Titans | Nominated | [63] |
References
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- ^abcdSwanwick, Tristan (9 July 2011)."Brenton soaps up well for role".The Courier-Mail.Queensland Newspapers.Retrieved27 September2011.
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External links
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