Brenton Thwaites, star of the highly anticipated sci-fi adaptation The Giver, is about to become the next big thing.

Who Is Brenton Thwaites?

Thwaites, 24, is an Australian actor whose Hollywood career picked up this summer with breakout roles, co-starring in the thriller Oculus and as Prince Phillip in Maleficent, in which he acted opposite Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning. Also this summer, Thwaites starred in The Signal opposite Laurence Fishburne. Before booking a string of Hollywood films, Thwaites starred on Australian television shows, SLiDE (2011) and Home and Away (2011-2012) and appeared in the Lifetime original movie Blue Lagoon: The Awakening (2012).

Thwaites, who is currently filming Gods of Egypt alongside Gerard Butler and Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, is certainly on his way to stardom, and he said working with more experienced Hollywood actors has been a huge step forward for him. In addition to his previous work with Jolie and Fishburne, Thwaites will share the screen with Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges in The Giver.

Brenton Thwaites On The Giver

“Having the chance to work on such incredible projects with a cast of such talent and experience presents an enormous potential to learn. It was wonderful and surreal and yes, of course I was continually picking up lessons and from all of those experiences, including Jeff and Meryl, whether they were intending it or not,” Thwaites told The Huffington Post.

The Giver, based on the acclaimed novel by Lois Lowry, already has skeptics criticizing the film after the first trailer was released in color, and not the anticipated black-and-white. Fans were also surprised when Thwaites was cast as the lead, Jonas, who is 12-years-old in the book. Thwaites may look young, but he certainly cannot pass for 12, and his casting is just one in a string of changes for the film adaptation. Thwaites doesn’t seem too concerned with upsetting fans of the book, however, seeing the changes as an opportunity instead.

“I hadn’t read the book prior to being cast in the film. I read it after being offered the role. At first I was a little concerned that Jonas was too young for me to play him. Ultimately in the script rewrite, I saw he was older and felt it was an opportunity to play him,” Thwaites said.

Not much is known about Thwaites, and he reveals little on his social media accounts – he rarely shares posts on Instagram and Twitter. However, The Giver co-star Odeya Rush, who plays his love interest, Fiona, in the film, revealed that Thwaites enjoyed playing guitar with co-workers on set.

“Jeff [Bridges] would play guitar, and Brenton and Taylor [Swift] would, too. Our writer would play the piano and then come up with songs on the spot that included all of us. It was so fun,” Rush told Seventeen about life on set.

Brenton Thwaites Instagram

“All you need in life,” Thwaites captioned the above Instagram photo of his suitcase and guitar.

Thwaites’ official Instagram profile may be bare, but it is somewhat revealing. On the photo-sharing site, Thwaites has posted a few photos of himself skateboarding and surfing.

He also used the platform to share his love of Monster’s U.

The Giver will hit theaters August 15, and Thwaites will then star in Helen Hunt’s second directorial effort, Ride, and Son of a Gun with Ewan McGregor.

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Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.