Joe Alwyn | |
---|---|
![]() Alwyn in 2022 | |
Born | Joseph Matthew Alwyn 21 February 1991 Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England |
Other names | William Bowery [note 1] |
Education | City of London School |
Alma mater | |
Occupation |
|
Years active | 2015–present |
Partner(s) | Taylor Swift (2016–2023) |
Relatives | William Alwyn (great-grandfather) |
Joseph Matthew Alwyn (born 21 February 1991) is an English actor. Alwyn made his feature film debut as the titular character in Ang Lee's 2016 war drama Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk and has since played roles in films such as The Favourite (2018), Boy Erased (2018), Mary Queen of Scots (2018), and Harriet (2019). In 2022, he starred in the Hulu drama series Conversations with Friends and the period comedy film Catherine Called Birdy.
Born in Kent and raised in North London, Alwyn developed an interest in acting during his teenage years. He acted in student productions at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and obtained BA degrees in English literature and drama, and acting, from the University of Bristol (2012), and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (2015), respectively.
Alwyn dated American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for six years. He worked with Swift on ten of her songs released from 2020 to 2022, including "Exile" and "Betty" from Swift's eighth studio album, Folklore , which won the Album of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. He won a Trophée Chopard at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and appeared on the 2022 Time 100 Next list of rising stars.
Joseph Matthew Alwyn was born on 21 February 1991 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. [1] Raised in North London, [2] [3] Alwyn is the son of a psychotherapist mother and a documentary filmmaker father. [4] He is the great-grandson of composer William Alwyn. His great uncle was priest and peace activist Bruce Kent. [5]
Alwyn was privately educated at the City of London School. [2] He briefly took guitar lessons, and was part of a school band called Anger Management. He later played football and rugby at school. [6] Although an "introverted" child, [7] Alwyn pursued a desire to become an actor. [8] He auditioned for a small role in Love Actually , a 2003 Christmas romantic comedy film, but did not get the role. [4] He became a member of the National Youth Theatre in his late teens. [9] While pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English literature and drama at the University of Bristol, [7] he acted in two student productions at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. [10] He graduated in 2012. After applying for four drama schools, he was accepted by the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, [11] where he completed a BA in acting. [9] During the third year of the course, Alwyn signed with an agent who had come across Alwyn at a student showcase. Soon after, the agent informed Alwyn that a production company was looking to cast the title character of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016), which would become Alwyn's debut in a feature film. [6]
In early 2015, [12] [13] Alwyn was cast in the lead role of Taiwanese director Ang Lee's 2016 war drama film, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk , [14] [15] which is a film adaptation of the 2012 novel of the same name by American writer Ben Fountain. [16] Lee stated that he selected Alwyn because of his "ability to communicate the book's paradox of war with just his facial expressions". [17] Alwyn came to the United States for the first time after passing the film's auditions. He stated that he didn't "exactly fit" the casting requirements of the role, which were "a 19-year-old U.S. Army grunt"; Alwyn said he had long blond hair and was "a lot skinnier" when he auditioned. [18] In reviews of the film, critics praised Alwyn's performance for its naturalism. [11] Journalists went on to describe the film as his "breakout". [19] [13] He then played a supporting role in the 2017 mystery drama film The Sense of an Ending , directed by Indian filmmaker Ritesh Batra. [19]
Alwyn appeared in a number of 2018 films. He played a supporting role as the British nobleman Samuel Masham in the period black comedy film The Favourite , [20] directed by Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. [21] The film garnered 10 nominations at the 91st Academy Awards. [22] Lauren McCarthy of W magazine praised Alwyn's physical humour and silly acting style in the film, in contrast to his "boy-next-door-meets-movie-star-hearthrob looks". [23] He played a supporting role in Chris Weitz's historical drama Operation Finale , [24] [25] and a minor role in Joel Edgerton's Boy Erased —a biographical drama film based on a 2016 memoir by American LGBT+ activist Garrard Conley. [24] Alwyn then appeared as English statesman Robert Dudley in the historical drama Mary Queen of Scots . [26] [27] Alwyn won the Trophée Chopard alongside Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. [28]
In 2019, Alwyn played a slave owner in Harriet , a biographical drama about Harriet Tubman. [29] He appeared as Bob Cratchit in the dark fantasy television miniseries A Christmas Carol, based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella of the same name. [30] In 2021, he had a minor role in drama film The Souvenir Part II , [31] and played a 1960s industrialist in the film adaptation of Jojo Moyes' 2008 romantic novel, The Last Letter from Your Lover . [32]
In 2022, Alwyn starred in the drama series Conversations with Friends—a Hulu adaptation of the 2017 novel of the same name by Irish author Sally Rooney. [33] Alwyn's performance was met with mixed reviews; Variety critic Caroline Framke wrote that Alwyn lacked personality and chemistry with his co-stars. [34] Alwyn was paired with Margaret Qualley in the romantic thriller film Stars at Noon , directed by French filmmaker Claire Denis, [35] and played the titular character's uncle in Catherine Called Birdy , a medieval comedy film directed by Lena Dunham, based on the 1994 children's novel of the same name; [36] both the films were met with generally positive reviews, [37] [38] with the former premiering at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and winning the Grand Prix. [39]
In 2024, Alwyn played a supporting role in Kinds of Kindness , an anthology film directed by Greek filmmaker Yorogos Lanthimos. [40] [41]
While in a relationship with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, Alwyn contributed to the production of ten of her songs released from 2020 to 2022. Alwyn stated that "it came about from messing around on a piano, and singing badly," and then "being overheard by Swift, and being, like, 'Let's see what happens if we get to the end of it together'". [42] He is credited as co-producer of the songs "Exile", "Betty", "My Tears Ricochet", "August", "This Is Me Trying" and "Illicit Affairs" on Swift's eighth studio album, Folklore (2020); [43] and was also co-writer of "Exile" and "Betty", under the pseudonym William Bowery. [44] "Exile" reached the top 10 of the charts in various countries, including number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 [45] and number eight on the UK Singles Chart. [46]
At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021, Folklore won the Album of the Year, earning Alwyn his first Grammy Award for his producing credit on the record. [47] Credited as Bowery, Alwyn also co-wrote "Champagne Problems", "Coney Island" and the title track on Swift's second 2020 album, Evermore . [48] In April 2022, Alwyn revealed to The Wall Street Journal that the name "William Bowery" was derived from the first name of his great grandfather William Alwyn, who was a music composer, and the last name in honour of the New York City neighbourhood Bowery, where he had spent "a lot of time" when he first arrived in the U.S. [6] On Swift's tenth studio album, Midnights (2022), he is credited as co-writer of "Sweet Nothing", again as Bowery. [49]
Alwyn was in a relationship with Taylor Swift from 2016 to 2023. [50] [note 2] It was subject to intense tabloid scrutiny. [54] On their breakup and the publicity surrounding it, Alwyn said in 2024: "I would hope that anyone and everyone can empathize and understand the difficulties that come with the end of a long, loving, fully committed relationship of over six and a half years. That is a hard thing to navigate. What is unusual and abnormal in this situation is that, one week later, it's suddenly in the public domain and the outside world is able to weigh in ... There is always going to be a gap between what is known and what is said. I have made my peace with that". [55] Swift references her breakup with Alwyn on her eleventh album The Tortured Poets Department (2024). [56]
Alwyn keeps his personal life private, which he described as a "knee-jerk response to the culture we live in". [6] [57] GQ labelled Alwyn a "notoriously low-key actor". [58]
† | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk | Billy Lynn | [13] | |
2017 | The Sense of an Ending | Adrian Finn | [19] | |
2018 | Operation Finale | Klaus Eichmann | [25] | |
The Favourite | Samuel Masham | [21] | ||
Boy Erased | Henry Wallace | [4] | ||
Mary Queen of Scots | Robert Dudley | [59] | ||
2019 | Harriet | Gideon Brodess | [60] | |
2020 | Miss Americana | Himself | Documentary | [61] |
2021 | The Souvenir Part II | Max | [31] | |
The Last Letter from Your Lover | Laurence Stirling | [32] | ||
2022 | Stars at Noon | Daniel DeHaven | [35] | |
Catherine Called Birdy | George | [36] | ||
2024 | Kinds of Kindness | collectibles appraiser man 1 / Jerry / Joseph | [40] | |
TBA | The Brutalist † | Post-production | [62] | |
TBA | Hamlet † | Laertes | Post-production | [63] |
TBA | Hamnet † | Filming | [64] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | A Christmas Carol | Bob Cratchit | Miniseries; three episodes | [65] |
2022 | Conversations with Friends | Nick Conway | Main role; 12 episodes | [66] |
Year | Album | Song | Credit [note 1] | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | "Exile" | Co-writer | [67] | |
"My Tears Ricochet" | Co-producer | |||
"August" | ||||
"This Is Me Trying" | ||||
"Illicit Affairs" | ||||
"Betty" | Co-writer; co-producer | |||
"Champagne Problems" | Co-writer | [68] | ||
"Coney Island" | ||||
"Evermore" | ||||
2022 | "Sweet Nothing" | [69] |
Garrett John Hedlund is an American actor and musician. His films include Troy (2004), Friday Night Lights (2004), Four Brothers (2005), Eragon (2006), Death Sentence (2007), Tron: Legacy (2010), Country Strong (2010), On the Road (2012), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), Unbroken (2014), Pan (2015), Mudbound (2017), Triple Frontier (2019), and The Marsh King's Daughter (2023).
Laura Elizabeth Dern is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards.
Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting and artistic reinventions, Swift is a leading figure in popular culture and the subject of widespread public interest.
William Ellis Porter II is an American actor and singer. Porter gained notice performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer and actor. Porter won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role as Lola in Kinky Boots. He credits the part for "cracking open" his feminine side to confront toxic masculinity. For the role, Porter also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.
Joey Lynn King is an American actress. She starred as Ramona Quimby in the comedy film Ramona and Beezus (2010) and gained wider recognition for her lead role as a late-blooming teenager in The Kissing Booth film series (2018–2021). King received critical acclaim for playing Gypsy-Rose Blanchard in the crime drama series The Act (2019), for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and the CEO of HYBE-America, the North American subsidiary of South Korean entertainment company Hybe Corporation. He is credited with having discovered Canadian singer Justin Bieber in 2008, whose success foresaw the establishment of Braun's record label RBMG Records, a joint venture with R&B singer Usher. Braun has also served in career management for artists including Kanye West, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, J Balvin, Ozuna, Dan + Shay, and the Kid Laroi, among others.
Dylan Rhodes O'Brien is an American actor. His first major role was as Stiles Stilinski in the MTV supernatural series Teen Wolf (2011–2017). He achieved further prominence for his lead role in the science fiction Maze Runner trilogy (2014–2018), which led to more film appearances.
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is a satirical war novel written by Ben Fountain, which was published in early May 2012 by Ecco Press, a publishing imprint of HarperCollins. The novel chronicles the experience of a group of Iraq War veterans who are hailed as heroes and sent on a victory tour following their engagement in an intense firefight that happened to be caught on camera. Set during a single day, the story primarily focuses on Specialist Billy Lynn's perspective as he struggles to reconnect with his family and come to grips with the huge disconnect between the realities of the war at home and the war overseas as Bravo Squad is sent to participate in the Dallas Cowboys' Thanksgiving halftime show. The novel's primary themes include fraternity, the commercialization of war, and what it really means to support the war when the real costs are barely felt by the majority of US citizens at home.
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is a 2016 war drama film directed by Ang Lee and written by Jean-Christophe Castelli, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Ben Fountain. The film stars Joe Alwyn, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin, and Chris Tucker. Principal photography began in April 2015 in Georgia. The film is a co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, and China.
Finn Wolfhard is a Canadian actor and musician. He is known for playing Mike Wheeler on the Netflix series Stranger Things (2016–present). He also played the roles of Richie Tozier in the horror film It (2017) and its sequel It Chapter Two (2019), and has starred in the supernatural comedy Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and its sequel Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024).
Sadie Elizabeth Sink is an American actress. She began acting at age seven in local theater productions and played the title role in Annie (2012–14) and young Elizabeth II in The Audience (2015) on Broadway. In 2016, she made her film debut in the biographical sports drama Chuck.
Yellowstone is an American neo-Western drama television series created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson that premiered on June 20, 2018, on Paramount Network. The series stars Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, and Gil Birmingham. The series follows the conflicts along the shared borders of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, a large cattle ranch, the Broken Rock Indian reservation, Yellowstone National Park, and land developers. The fifth season will be its last and is set to be followed by a sequel series titled The Madison. The first part of the fifth and final season premiered on November 13, 2022, with the second part scheduled to premiere on November 10, 2024.
Boy Erased is a 2018 American biographical drama film based on Garrard Conley's 2016 memoir of the same name. It was written and directed by Joel Edgerton, who also produced with Kerry Kohansky Roberts and Steve Golin. The film stars Lucas Hedges as Jared Eamons, a fictionalized version of Conley, the closeted gay son of Baptist parents, who is forced to take part in a conversion therapy program. Edgerton, Joe Alwyn, Xavier Dolan, Troye Sivan, Cherry Jones, and Flea also appear in supporting roles.
The Morning Show, also known as Morning Wars in Australia and Indonesia, is an American drama television series starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell that premiered on Apple TV+ on November 1, 2019. The series is inspired by Brian Stelter's 2013 book Top of the Morning. The show examines the characters and culture behind a network broadcast morning news program. After allegations of sexual misconduct, the male co-anchor of the program is forced off the show. Aspects of the #MeToo movement are examined from multiple perspectives as more information comes out regarding said misconduct. Subsequent seasons focus on other political topics and current events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, racial inequality, the Capitol insurrection, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Studio 8 is an American entertainment company founded in 2014, by Jeff Robinov, John Graham, Mark Miner and based in Culver City. It specializes in film and television production.
"Betty" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). It was written by Swift and Joe Alwyn, and the former produced the track with Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff. MCA Nashville and Republic Records released the song to US country radio on August 17, 2020. "Betty" is an Americana-inspired song combining country, folk rock, and guitar pop. Its production consists of a harmonica, a pedal steel, guitars, and a key change after the bridge.
"Exile" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring the American band Bon Iver. It is from Swift's eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). "Exile" was written by Swift, Joe Alwyn, and Bon Iver's frontman Justin Vernon, with production by Aaron Dessner and Alwyn. Republic Records released the song to US alternative radio on August 3, 2020.
"Champagne Problems" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). She wrote the song with Joe Alwyn, who is credited under the pseudonym William Bowery, and produced it with Aaron Dessner. "Champagne Problems" is a lo-fi tune driven by a rhythmic composition of piano and guitar riff.
"This Is Me Trying" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). It was written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, and Joe Alwyn was credited as co-producer. The track is an orchestral pop and dream pop tune with a production featuring an organ, slow-paced beats, and horns. "This Is Me Trying" was inspired by Swift's state of mind during 2016 and 2017, when she said she was at her lowest. The narrator of "This Is Me Trying" proclaims themselves as an unwanted person who struggles with existentialism and alcoholism.
"Sweet Nothing" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her tenth studio album, Midnights (2022). Swift wrote the song with Joe Alwyn, who is credited under the pseudonym William Bowery, and produced it with Jack Antonoff. An electric piano-led ballad, "Sweet Nothing" features a bedroom pop production that is reminiscent of 1970s ballads. It is accompanied by saxophone and clarinet accents. The lyrics are about a narrator's appreciation of her lover for his calming presence and simple gestures amidst the chaos of the outer world.
...26-year-old Crouch Ender...