Justice Smith
Smith in 2017
Born
Justice Elio Smith

(1995-08-09) August 9, 1995 (age 28)
California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active2012–present
Notable workJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
All the Bright Places
Detective Pikachu
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Justice Elio Smith (born August 9, 1995) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, All the Bright Places, and the video game The Quarry.

Early life

Smith was born in California.[1][2][3] Smith graduated from the Orange County School of the Arts in 2013 and has performed in shows around Orange County. His father is Black, and his mother is of Italian and French-Canadian descent.[4]

Career

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]

Personal life

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]

He is also an avid Pokémon fan, and has stated in interviews that he still has the first-generation Pokémon trading cards.[20]

Filmography

Film

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 The American Society of Magical Negroes[21] Aren
I Saw the TV Glow Owen

Television

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

Theatre

Year Title Role Venue
2017 Yen Bobbie Lucille Lortel Theatre
2019 The Mother Nicolas Atlantic Theater Company

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2022 The Quarry Ryan Erzahler Voice, motion capture and likeness

Awards and nominations

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
2019 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Supporting Actor Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Nominated [22]
2021 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy Series Generation Nominated [23]
2023 New York Game Awards Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game The Quarry Nominated [24]
2024 Variety & Golden Globe's Breakthrough Artist Awards Breakthrough Award I Saw the TV Glow/ The American Society of Magical Negroes Honoree [25]

References

  1. ^ "Justice Smith". TV Guide. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  2. ^ "Justice Smith Almost Lost Himself in The Get Down". Vulture. September 1, 2016.
  3. ^ Hsiao, Cassandra (March 29, 2015). "Meet Justice Smith who plays Radar in John Green's 'Paper Towns' Movie + Trailer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  4. ^ McHenry, Jackson (March 12, 2019). "Justice Smith on Acting With Isabelle Huppert and Detective Pikachu". Vulture.
  5. ^ a b c Ramos, Dino-Ray (July 23, 2015). "Who Plays Radar In 'Paper Towns'? Justice Smith Is A Rising Star with a Killer Next Role in the new juristic world". bustle.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  6. ^ Sneider, Jeff; Ge, Linda (October 9, 2014). "John Green's 'Paper Towns' Adding Austin Abrams, Halston Sage, Justice Smith (Exclusive)". thewrap.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  7. ^ "Paper Towns (2015)". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  8. ^ Jung, E. Alex (September 1, 2016). "Justice Smith Almost Lost Himself in The Get Down". Vulture. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  9. ^ Friedlander, Whitney (April 9, 2015). "Baz Luhrmann's Netflix Series Finds Its Leads". variety.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  10. ^ "Justice Smith". Forbes. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  11. ^ Review: ‘Yen’ Is a Den of Family Dysfunction Ben Brantley. New York Times. January 31, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017
  12. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (July 7, 2017). "Maria Bello, Debby Ryan, 'Spider-Man: Homecoming's Jacob Batalon & More Join 'Every Day' From MGM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  13. ^ Kit, Borys (December 1, 2016). "'Jurassic World 2' Casts 'Get Down' Star Justice Smith (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  14. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (November 17, 2017). "The Get Down's Justice Smith Stars in Legendary's Live-Action Pokémon film". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  15. ^ Hipes, Patrick (July 23, 2018). "'All The Bright Places' Movie Ramps Up With Justice Smith To Star With Elle Fanning, Brett Haley Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  16. ^ George, Doug (May 13, 2020). "Oak Parker stages Zoom plays as COVID-19 benefits, casting Florence Pugh and more young Hollywood actors". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  17. ^ "Young Hollywood actors perform online for charity". BBC News. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  18. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (June 6, 2020). "Justice Smith Comes Out as Queer, Voices Support for Black Queer and Trans Lives". Variety. United States: Variety Media, LLC. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  19. ^ Mauch, Ally (June 6, 2020). "Justice Smith Comes Out as Queer, Calls for More LGBTQ Inclusion in Black Lives Matter Movement". People. United States: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  20. ^ Thompson, Avery (August 6, 2019). "Detective Pikachu Star Justice Smith Reveals He's Been A 'Huge Pokemon Fan' Since He Was Little Kid". Hollywood Life. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  21. ^ Focus Sets Kobi Libii Directorial Debut ‘The American Society of Magical Negroes’
  22. ^ "RAZZ NEWZ – The Razzies!". Golden Raspberry Awards. January 21, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  23. ^ "PLENTY OF "LOVE" IN THE HEART OF THE COUNTRY!". Black Reel Awards. June 17, 2021. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  24. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (January 17, 2023). "New York Game Awards 2023: Elden Ring Wins Two Awards as Phil Spencer Is Honored". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  25. ^ Earl, William (January 11, 2024). "Variety and the Golden Globe Awards Announce Party at Sundance Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved January 12, 2024.

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