Ruaridh Mollica | |
|---|---|
| Mollica in 2024 | |
| Born | Ruaridh Silvio James MacGillivray-Mollica 14 October 1999 Prato, Italy |
| Citizenship | |
| Education | Heriot-Watt University |
| Years active | 2013–present |
Ruaridh Silvio James MacGillivray-Mollica (born 14 October 1999) is a Scottish actor, writer, and director. For his performance in the film Sebastian (2024), he was nominated for a British Independent Film Award. On television, he starred in the Disney+ series VisionQuest (2026). He also appeared in the Channel 5 series Witness Number 3 and the BBC Three series Red Rose (both 2022).
Mollica was named one of Screen International 's 2024 Rising Stars Scotland. [1]
Mollica was born in Prato, Italy, to a Scottish mother and an Italian father. [2] Mollica attended Broughton High School in Edinburgh. [3] He joined the Strange Town youth theatre company, where he met his agent Ruth Hollyman. [4] Mollica graduated with a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Heriot-Watt University in 2021. [5] During his time at university, he participated in snowsports. [6] He intended to do a master's degree in cybersecurity at a London university, but declined the offer when he was cast in Red Rose. [2]
Mollica began his career as a child actor, making his television debut aged 12 in an episode of the BBC One series Case Histories with Jason Isaacs and Mark Bonnar and his feature film debut as a background dancer in the Sunshine on Leith adaptation. He worked on-and-off for a number of years, [2] appearing in the 2015 drama Stonemouth as a young version of Christian Cooke's character [7] and the 2018 romance film Tell It to the Bees .
During his final year at university, [2] Mollica returned to acting when his Strange Town agent Ruth Hollyman got him the lead role opposite Joshua Griffin in Sean Lionadh's 2022 short film Too Rough , [8] which won a Scottish BAFTA. He then landed his first recurring television role as Patrick Hume in the BBC Three horror series Red Rose , which Mollica declined his postgraduate university place to film, and his first main role in the Channel 5 series Witness Number 3. [9] He also appeared in Wasted at the Jack Studio Theatre. [10]
In 2024, Mollica starred as the lead character Max Williamson in Mikko Mäkelä's sophomore feature Sebastian , which opened at the Sundance Film Festival. [11] For his performance, Mollica was nominated for the British Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Performance. [12] Mollica also played a young version of Stephen Moyer's character Teddy in the Paramount+ series Sexy Beast .
In 2025 he appeared in the film Sukkwan Island . [13]
Mollica made his London West End debut alongside Joe Locke in Clarkston , a play by Samuel D. Hunter, from September to November 2025. [14]
In October 2025, Mollica was added to the cast of Marvel's VisionQuest , playing Tommy Maximoff / Thomas Shepherd. [15]
Mollica is queer. [16] While he identifies as bisexual, he prefers the term queer. [17] Regarding his sexuality, in a February 2024 interview with Queerty , Mollica said, "it was only when I moved to London and had the ability to be myself that I realised, 'Oh actually, no, I like men as well'". [18] He explained in an interview with The Skinny in April 2025 that "The circles I moved in at school and uni were not really queer circles, so I only started to learn about queer culture as I was coming out in London." [17] He said in his interview with Gay Times in February 2025, "I moved to London to also be more free and discover myself more. I wasn't completely out as queer in Edinburgh, and that was something that moving to London allowed me to be able to do, and fall into, and embrace. I went on my journey of becoming who I am and being openly queer alongside the film happening and the film coming out. It was actually really beautiful, and it couldn't have been more perfect." [16]
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Sunshine on Leith | Dancer | |
| 2018 | Tell It to the Bees | Rose Attacker | |
| 2022 | Too Rough | Nick | Short film |
| The Doomsday Clock | The Reader | Short film; director, writer | |
| 2023 | Boys on Film: Dangerous to Know | Nick | |
| 2024 | Sebastian | Max Williamson | |
| 2025 | Sukkwan Island | Roy | |
| TBA | Isle of Man † | TBA | Filming |
| Bare † | TBA | Filming | |
| † | Denotes television productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Victorian Villains | James Fleming | TV film [17] |
| Case Histories | Freddie Marshall | Episode: "Nobody's Darling" | |
| 2015 | Stonemouth | Young Stewart | Part 1 |
| 2022 | Witness Number 3 | Po | Main role |
| Red Rose | Patrick Hume | 5 episodes | |
| 2024 | Sexy Beast | Young Teddy Bass | 1 episode |
| The Jetty | Troy | 2 episodes | |
| Ridley | Ryan Stanford | 2 episodes (series 2) | |
| The Franchise | Jaz Cox | Supporting role (5 episodes) | |
| 2026 | A Thousand Blows | Nicholas Grafton | 2 episodes (series 2) [19] |
| VisionQuest | Tommy Maximoff / Thomas Shepherd | Main role | |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Clarkston | Chris | Trafalgar Theatre, West End | [20] |