LUCAS HEDGES
The Chameleon Star's Great Year
Lucas Hedges has made a bit of a name for himself as a chameleon of a performer. Easily able to flit from one character to another, never overplaying any, always bringing a nuanced performance. From the closeted love interest to Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird, to Meryl Streep’s doting nephew in Let Them All Talk, to an apathetic young man who can’t seem to break away from his mother’s domineering presence in French Exit, he always delivers a solid, understated performance.
Although best known for his more recent films, Hedges’ got his first big break when he was cast as Redford, the enemy of the lead character Sam, in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom. He continued acting through his teens, and even re-teamed up with Anderson for a small role in Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel. His breakthrough came when he was cast as orphaned teen Patrick in Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea. For his performance, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars.
He has not slowed down since. He quickly went on to play large supporting roles in Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-nominated Lady Bird, and Martin McDonagh’s Oscar-nominated Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. He finally got to step into leading roles when he was cast in the gay conversion drama Boy Erased, and as a rocvering drug addict in Ben is Back. Hedges, an outspoken supporter or LGBTQ+ rights, has taken on many roles in queer-themed projects. He has also been publicly open about his own sexuality, in a Vulture interview he described himself as not necessarily straight, gay, or bisexual, but existing somewhere along the sexuality spectrum.
While 2020 was an undeniably bizarre year, it actually proved to be pretty good for the young star. He found himself in not one, but two major awards contenders. In Steven Soderbergh’s Let Them All Talk, he truly holds his own against the talents of Meryl Streep, Dianne Wiest, and Candice Bergen. And he went toe-to-toe with Michelle Pfeiffer in Azazel Jacobs French Exit. Both films are busy gearing up for awards season. With such a great year under his belt, we sure can’t wait to see what he does next.
