Ben Lewis(born September 30, 1985) is a Canadian actor known for his role as the adult version ofWilliam Claytonin the last two seasons ofArrow.He also playedOther ScottinScott Pilgrim vs. the Worldand Bobby Beckonridge inDegrassi: The Next Generation.
Ben Lewis | |
|---|---|
 Lewis in 2018 | |
| Born | September 30, 1985 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouse | |
Career
editLewis graduated from theNational Theatre School of Canada.[1]One of his earliest roles was in a guest starring role as Teddy Jones Jr., aranch handwho kills his father's murderers, onMurdoch Mysteriesin 2009,[2][3]but his biggest roles came in mid-2010 when he had a small role as Other Scott in the filmScott Pilgrim vs. the Worldand played Bobby Beckonridge in the tenth season ofDegrassi: The Next Generation;in July 2010 he said that they were the biggest roles of his career up to that point.[4]
Interviewed at the time, he said that before getting the part of Bobby inDegrassihe had auditioned for the Canadian rite-of-passage show several times without success, and that he had not been invited to the first round of auditions for Bobby because they had been looking for a younger actor, getting the chance to audition when they didn't find anyone.[4]Bobby is an abusive boyfriend with some personal baggage, and Lewis said that co-starAnnie Clark,who played Bobby's girlfriend Fiona, was the key to helping him perform this, saying: "Annie is the sweetest girl, and we got along really really well from the very beginning which really helps, especially when you're dealing with such sensitive subject matter. You feel that you trust the other person, and you can really go there."[4]
InScott Pilgrim vs. the World,Lewis playedOther Scott,the boyfriend of Scott Pilgrim's roommate Wallace Wells.[5]Jeff Bayer'sThe Scorecard Reviewreview of the film gave the cast of the film 10/10, noting that "Scott's bandmates are even better.Alison Pill,who you may remember fromMilkand Ben Lewis as the other Scott, steal every moment they are on screen. It's just an amazing cast of characters that support this film ".[6]During theScott Pilgrim vs. the World10th anniversary livestream,Lewis tweeted that "[Scott Pilgrim] profoundly changed my life. [Edgar Wright] seeing fit to include me in this cast was an honour & the greatest vote of confidence a young actor could've asked for. "[7]
Lewis then had television roles inDesignated Survivor,The Handmaid's Tale,[8]Chasing LifeandSuits.In 2018 he joined theDC Comicssuperhero television showArrowin its seventh season as the recurring characterWilliam Clayton,and became a main character for the eighth and final season. Lewis' William is an adult version of the Arrow's son, portrayed as a child by Jack Moore, who appears in a future timeline.[1]
In 2019 he finished filming a role in the upcoming movieThe High Note.[1]During theCOVID-19 pandemic,Lewis joinedCameoto raise money for charities.[9]He has also written and directed short films, includingApart from EverythingandZero Recognition,and wrote for the web seriesThis Week Had Me Like.[8]
In 2020 Lewis starred opposite his real-life husbandBlake Leein the romantic comedy television filmThe Christmas Setup.[10]
Personal life
editLewis is openly gay, and came out to his parents when he was seventeen.[11]He is married to actorBlake Lee,whom he met in theGrauman's Chinese Theatrebathroom at theScott Pilgrim vs. the Worldpremiere after being told they had mutual friends. Lee had been attending asAubrey Plaza's friend. Lewis and Lee began a long-distance relationship betweenLos AngelesandToronto.They have a dog called Todd.[12]
Lewis has publicly criticized theMarvel Cinematic Universefor not castingLGBT+ actors; in a 2019 interview withAttitudehe said, "How many fuckingAvengersare there at this point, and not one gay actor in the bunch. "Attitudenoted that Lewis overlookedTessa Thompson,a queer actress who plays the bisexual AvengerValkyrie,in his comments.[13]In the same interview, Lewis praised theArrowproducers for "[giving] moreoutactors [...] a platform to succeed ".[13]HisArrowcharacter was given a coming-out scene after Lewis specifically requested they write it into the show.[11][14]In relation to Lewis' character coming out, magazineOutalso lamented that theDC Extended Universeonly had one queer character.[15]
Filmography
editFilms
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Toronto Stories | Junkie | |
| 2010 | The Shrine | Eric Taylor | |
| Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | Other Scott | ||
| 2014 | Don't Get Killed in Alaska | Dan | |
| Pompeii | Fulvius Fronto | (uncredited) | |
| 2020 | The High Note | Chad |
TV
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The House Next Door | Pizza Boy | (TV Movie) |
| 2007 | Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming | Max Cogan | (TV Movie) |
| 2008 | The Russell Girl | Jon Morrissey | (TV Movie) |
| 2009 | Murdoch Mysteries | Teddy Jones Jr. | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Mild Mild West" |
| 2010 | Aaron Stone | Conner Sullivan | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Run Aaron, Run" |
| Lost Girl | Liam | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Fae Day" | |
| Unnatural History | Tramm Van Horn | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Maximum Insecurity" | |
| 2010-2011 | Degrassi: The Next Generation | Bobby Beckonridge | (TV Series), 6 episodes |
| 2011 | InSecurity | Noah Johansson | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Spies of a Certain Age" |
| Suits | Seth Keller | (TV Series), 3 episodes: "Dirty Little Secrets", "Tricks of the Trade" and "The Shelf Life" | |
| 2012 | Beauty and the Beast | Peter Hollingsworth | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Out of Control" |
| 2013 | Long Story, Short(TV Series) | Greg Power | (TV Series), 2 episodes: "Crutches" and "Reality Sucks" |
| 2014 | Reign | Father Benoit | (TV Series), 1 episode: "The Prince of the Blood" |
| 2015 | Chasing Life | Josh | (TV Series), 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Designated Survivor | Carter | (TV Series), 1 episode: "The Enemy" |
| 2017 | The Handmaid's Tale | Peter | (TV Series), 1 episode: "The Other Side" |
| 2018 | Insecure | Cody | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Familiar-Like" |
| Ransom | Brian Smith | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Secrets and Spies" | |
| Wisdom of the Crowd | Joel | (TV Series), 1 episode: "The Tipping Point" | |
| 2018-2020 | Arrow | Adult William Clayton | (TV Series), 20 episodes |
| 2020 | The Christmas Setup | Hugo Spencer | (TV Movie) |
| TBA | Married with Friends | Bo | Main role |
References
edit- ^abcBoucher, Geoff (July 17, 2019)."'Arrow': Ben Lewis Upped To Series Regular For Final Season ".Deadline.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^"Teddy Jones Jr. - Murdoch Mysteries".TV Maze.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^"Murdock Mysteries Rewatch: (S02E01) Mild, Mild West".Geek Girl Authority.January 16, 2017.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^abc"Spotlight on Ben Lewis: Degrassi's Latest Bad Boy".The TV Addict.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^"Arrow Casts Scott Pilgrim Alum in Spoilery Season 7 Role".CBR.October 17, 2018.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^"Scott Pilgrim vs. The World".The Scorecard Review.August 13, 2010.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^Lewis, Ben (May 20, 2020)."#ScottPilgrim profoundly changed my life. @edgarwright seeing fit to include me in this cast was an honour & the greatest vote of confidence a young actor could've asked for.pic.twitter /MwfPf6ibtk".@benlewishere.Archivedfrom the original on May 21, 2020.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^ab"Ben Lewis".CFC Creates.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^Lewis, Ben (May 1, 2020)."I joined Cameo to raise money for coronavirus relief and immediately ruined everything".CBC.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^Leanne Cusack,"The Christmas Setup filmed in Ottawa and Almonte, lauded as holiday rom-com with representation".CTV News Ottawa,December 18, 2020.
- ^ab"William's 'Arrow' Coming Out Is One of the Highlights of the Series".Pride.November 5, 2019.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^"For Blake Lee & Ben Lewis, A Chance Encounter in the Men's Room Became an Eight-Year Love Affair".Out.January 10, 2018.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^ab"'Arrow' star Ben Lewis urges Marvel to cast a gay actor as MCU's first LGBTQ superhero ".Attitude.May 24, 2019. Archived fromthe originalon February 14, 2020.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^"Arrow's Ben Lewis Pitched William's Coming Out Scene".Comicbook.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^"A Major 'Arrow' Character Finally Confirmed 'I'm Gay'".Out.February 12, 2019.RetrievedMay 31,2020.