Asa Butterfield
Asa Butterfield | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Asa Butterfield (born 1 April 1997) is an English child actor, best known for his role in the Holocaust film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008) and for his role as Norman in the 2010 film Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang.
Life and career
Butterfield was born in Islington, London. He is a pupil at Stoke Newington School (Year 9) in Hackney.[1] He first started acting at the age of 7 on Wednesday afternoons after school at the Young Actors Theatre in his hometown. Later, he secured minor roles in the 2006 television drama After Thomas and the 2007 film Son of Rambow.[1][2] In 2008 he also had a guest role playing Donny in Ashes to Ashes.[3][4] He is well recognised for his distinctive blue eyes.
In that same year he became known to the general public for his lead role in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Director Mark Herman said that they came across Butterfield early on in the audition process. He was on the first audition tape he received and he was the third hopeful he met in person. Herman thought Butterfield's performance was outstanding, but only decided to cast him after auditioning hundreds of other boys, "so no stone was left unturned".[5]
Producer David Heyman and director Mark Herman were looking for someone who was able to portray the main character's innocence, so they asked each of the children what they knew about the Holocaust. Butterfield's knowledge was slim and it was purposely kept that way throughout filming so it would be easier for him to convey his character's innocence. Contrary to common practice, the final scenes of the film were shot at the end of the production period to prepare both him and Jack Scanlon for the dramatic ending of the film.[6][7] He beat hundreds of boys to the role and also successfully passed the auditions for a role in Mr. Nobody for which he auditioned at the same time. He chose not to pursue the latter role.[2]
In the 2008 Merlin episode "The Beginning of the End", he plays a young druid boy who is hunted by Uther Pendragon who wants to sentence him to death because he feels threatened by the boy's magic. Despite the Great Dragon's advice and the warning that Arthur cannot survive if the boy does, Merlin, with the help of Morgana, helps the boy escape Camelot and returns him to the druids. When they are about to disappear into the forest Arthur asks him for his name. The druid boy identifies himself as Mordred.[8]
In 2010, he appeared alongside Anthony Hopkins in The Wolfman.[9]
He recently starred playing one of the main characters, Norman Green, in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, working together with Emma Thompson. The film received great reviews along with his performance.
Asa has recently been cast as the main character, Hugo in Martin Scorsese new 3D film The Invention of Hugo Cabret which began shooting in June of 2010 and is planned for release in November of 2011.
He has already been nominated for 2 awards. He was nominated in the category "Most Promising Newcomer" of the British Independent Film Awards,[10][11] but he was beaten by Dev Patel from Slumdog Millionaire.[12] He was also nominated for the NSPCC Award (Young British Performer of the Year) in the London Critics Circle Film Awards,[13][14] but he missed out on this award too. It was won by Thomas Turgoose for his roles in Eden Lake and Somers Town.[15]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | After Thomas | Andrew |
| 2007 | Son of Rambow | Brethren Boy |
| 2008 | Ashes to Ashes | Donny (Episode 1.6) |
| 2008 | The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas | Bruno |
| 2009 | The Wolfman | Younger Ben Talbot |
| 2010 | Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang | Norman Green |
| 2008- | Merlin | Mordred (Episodes 1.8, 2.3 & 2.11) |
| 2011 | Hugo Cabret | Hugo Cabret (currently filming) |
Awards
| Year | Nominated/Won | Award | Notes | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | nominated[10][11] | British Independent Film Award | Most Promising Newcomer | for: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas |
| 2009 | nominated[13][14] | London Critics Circle Film Awards | NSPCC Award (Young British Performer of the Year) | for: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas |
References
- ^ a b "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Production Notes". Miramax Films. 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ a b "Star Interview: Asa Butterfield". TVhits.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ "Ashes to Ashes: Series 1, Episode 6". BBC Online. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ Davies, Janet (2008-10-23). "Janet's Spotlight: "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas"". ABC 7 News. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ "The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas - Casting the characters". Last Broadcast. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ Carnevale, Rob. "The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas - Mark Herman and David Heyman interview". indieLondon. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ "Pajama Drama" (PDF). The Irish Times. 2007-06-01. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ "Programmes: Merlin, The Beginning of the End". BBC One. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ Maher, Kevin (August 30, 2008). "Meet the child stars of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas". London: The Times. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ^ a b "Hunger dominates nominations for British Independent Film Awards". Metro.co.uk. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ a b Foley, Jack. "British Independent Film Awards 2008: Nominations in full". IndieLondon. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ Hoyle, Ben (2008-12-01). "Slumdog Millionaire wins at British Independent Film Awards". The Times Online. London. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ a b Child, Ben (2008-12-19). "Slumdog Millionaire leads London critics' nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ a b "Nominations for London Film Critics' Awards held in aid of NSPCC" (Press release). NSPCC. 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ Thomas, Archie (2009-02-04). "London loves 'Wrestler,' 'Slumdog'". Variety.com. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
External links
- Asa-Butterfield.net The Best Fansite on the Web for Asa Butterfield
- Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
- "Teenage Dirtbag vs Making Plans For Nigel" - Remix by Asa Butterfield, entry to the 2003 Xfm Rock School competition.
- Template:Fr Little-Stars : Asa Butterfield
