Justice Smith | |
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 Smith in 2017 | |
| Born | Justice Elio Smith August 9, 1995 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2012–present |
Justice Elio Smith (born August 9, 1995) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), Detective Pikachu (2019), All the Bright Places (2020), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), and I Saw the TV Glow (2024).
Smith was born in Los Angeles, California. [1] [2] [3] Smith graduated from the Orange County School of the Arts in 2013 and has performed in theatre around Orange County. His father is Black and his mother is White. [4]
In 2014, Smith appeared in Nickelodeon's superhero comedy series The Thundermans , playing Angus in two episodes. [5] He also appeared in the HBO's documentary series Masterclass and some VlogBrothers videos. [5] In 2015, Smith had a supporting role as Marcus "Radar" Lincoln in Paper Towns . [5] [6] The film was directed by Jake Schreier and released on July 24, 2015, by 20th Century Fox. [7] In 2016, Smith broke out in the lead role of Ezekiel Figuero in Netflix's musical drama series The Get Down , during which Smith employed the technique known as method acting by taking up residence in a dilapidated Bronx apartment. [8] The Get Down premiered in August 2016 and concluded in April 2017, being cancelled shortly thereafter. [9]
In 2017, Smith was on Forbes 30 Under 30 List. [10] Smith also appeared in New York, opposite Lucas Hedges, in the Off-Broadway stage production of Yen by playwright Anna Jordan. The production ran at the Lucille Lortel Theater starting January 2017 and closed on March 4, 2017. [11] In February 2018, Smith co-starred in Every Day as Justin, the boyfriend of lead character Rhiannon. [12] A few months later, in June 2018, he portrayed Franklin Webb in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom , which turned out to be his first big breakthrough. [13]
Smith starred in the 2019 blockbuster Pokémon Detective Pikachu , a live-action film based on the video game of the same name. [14] He starred alongside Elle Fanning in All the Bright Places , directed by Brett Haley from a screenplay by Liz Hannah and Jennifer Niven, the latter of whom authored the novel upon which the film is based. Filming commenced in the fall of 2018. [15]
In 2020, Justice Smith participated in Acting for a Cause , a live classic play and screenplay reading series created, directed and produced by Brando Crawford. Smith played Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and Dennis Ziegler in This is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan. The reading raised funds for non-profit charities including Mount Sinai Medical Center. [16] [17]
Smith came out as queer in an Instagram post on June 5, 2020. He is in a relationship with actor Nicholas L. Ashe. [18] [19] In April 2021, Smith said in an interview that he and Ashe were no longer together, [20] but they had reunited by later that year, [21] [22] shooting a Calvin Klein campaign video together in mid-2022. [21] [22]
He is also an avid Pokémon fan. His favorite is Totodile and he has stated in interviews that he still has the first-generation Pokémon trading cards. [23]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Trigger Finger | Boy at school | |
| 2015 | Paper Towns | Marcus "Radar" Lincoln | |
| 2018 | Every Day | Justin | |
| Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | Franklin Webb | ||
| 2019 | Pokémon Detective Pikachu | Tim Goodman | |
| 2020 | All the Bright Places | Theodore Finch | |
| 2021 | The Voyeurs | Thomas | |
| Ron's Gone Wrong | Marc Wydell (voice) | ||
| 2022 | Jurassic World Dominion | Franklin Webb | Cameo |
| 2023 | Sharper | Tom | |
| Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves | Simon Aumar | ||
| 2024 | I Saw the TV Glow | Owen | |
| The American Society of Magical Negroes | Aren | ||
| 2025 | Now You See Me 3 | Filming | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Masterclass | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2014–2015 | The Thundermans | Angus | 2 episodes |
| 2016–2017 | The Get Down | Ezekiel "Zeke" Figuero | Lead role; 11 episodes |
| 2019 | Drunk History | Ptolemy XIII | Episode: "Bad Blood" |
| 2021 | Generation | Chester | Main cast; 16 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Yen | Bobbie | Lucille Lortel Theatre | Off-Broadway |
| 2019 | The Mother | Nicolas | Atlantic Theater Company | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Quarry | Ryan Erzahler | Voice, motion capture and likeness |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Yen | Nominated | |
| Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Nominated | |||
| 2021 | Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy Series | Generation | Nominated | [24] |
| Pena de Prata | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | [25] | ||
| 2022 | The Queerties | Favorite TV Performance | Nominated | [26] | |
| 2023 | New York Game Awards | Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game | The Quarry | Nominated | [27] |
| 2024 | Variety & Golden Globe's Breakthrough Artist Awards | Breakthrough Award | I Saw the TV Glow / The American Society of Magical Negroes | Honoree | [28] |
| Astra Midseason Movie Awards | Best Actor | I Saw the TV Glow | Nominated | [29] | |
| Gotham Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance | Nominated | [30] | ||
| Film Independent Spirit Awards | Best Lead Performance | Pending | [31] | ||
| Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards | Best Lead Performance | Nominated | [32] | ||
| Dorian Awards | Film Performance of the Year | Pending | [33] |
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