Line #45 Creator/AsaButterfield


1	[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gettyimages_1235613178_612x612.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:225:[[WhatBeautifulEyes Look at those blue eyes.]]]]
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4	Asa Bopp Farr Butterfield[[note]](pronounced /'eɪsə bɑːpː fɑɹ bə'tɝɹ.fiːld/)[[/note]] (born Asa Maxwell Thornton Farr Butterfield on 1 April 1997 in Islington, England), is an English actor best known for portraying Bruno in the [[TheFilmOfTheBook film adaptation]] of ''Literature/TheBoyInTheStripedPyjamas'', Hugo Cabret in Creator/MartinScorsese's ''Film/{{Hugo}}'', Ender Wiggin in ''Film/EndersGame'', and Otis Milburn in the Creator/{{Netflix}} series ''Series/SexEducation''.
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6	He began acting at age 8 after he was spotted by a casting director at a local drama club, and soon secured a minor role in the MadeForTVMovie ''After Thomas''. From there, he had a supporting role in ''Film/SonOfRambow'' before doing an episode of ''Series/AshesToAshes2008'' in 2008. In the same year, he won the recurring role of the infamous Mordred in Creator/TheBBC's ''Series/{{Merlin\|2008}}'' -- a role not dissimilar to his successful performance in ''Rambow'', which is possibly why he was cast. Released around the same time was the ''Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'' film; his starring role in the film was his [[StarMakingRole first to receive major recognition]]. At the same time that he auditioned for the film, he also successfully auditioned for a role in ''Film/MrNobody'', but turned it down in order to do the film.
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8	During this time, Butterfield was still attending regular school like any other boy; he would put his career on temporary hold beginning in fall 2008, when he began secondary school. He returned with a supporting role in ''[[Film/TheWolfman2010 The Wolfman]]'' followed by a lead role in ''Film/NannyMcPheeAndTheBigBang'', both released in 2010. In these films, he played alongside respected actors like Sir Creator/AnthonyHopkins and Creator/EmmaThompson, and his own real stardom began. Following this, he won the titular roles in ''Hugo'' and ''Film/EndersGame'', leading an AllStarCast with veteran actors in each film.
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10	After finishing up ''Ender's Game'', Butterfield appeared in several other films, including ''Film/MissPeregrinesHomeForPeculiarChildren'', ''Film/TheSpaceBetweenUs'', and ''Film/SlaughterhouseRulez''. He most recently starred in the series ''Sex Education'' from 2019 to 2023.
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12	Butterfield is known for several other public ventures. He is an [=eSports=] player, having played at the Nintendo World Championships in New York in 2017 and Genesis 6 in Oakland, California in 2019, and being to Team Liquid in October 2020 under the username "Stimpers." He also bridged the gap between acting and professional gaming further when he was signed onto Panda Global in 2018 as a brand ambassador to promote the [=eSports=] team to a wider audience. He also enjoys making and producing music (forming the group Mambo Fresh with his brother), co-designed a turn-based [=iPad=] game called ''Racing Blind'' with his father and brother, and has taught an annual acting masterclass since 2017 at the London-based acting school The Reel Scene.
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14	!!Roles:
15	* Andrew in ''[[{{Film/After Thomas}} After Thomas]]'' (2006)
16	* Brethren Boy in ''Film/SonOfRambow'' (2007)
17	* Donny in ''[[{{Film/AshesToAshes}} Ashes to Ashes]]'' (2008)
18	* Bruno in ''Film/TheBoyInTheStripedPyjamas'' (2008)
19	* Mordred in ''Series/{{Merlin\|2008}}'' (2008)
20	* Younger Ben Talbot in ''Film/{{The Wolfman\|2010}}'' (2010)
21	* Norman Green in ''[[{{Film/NannyMcPheeAndTheBigBang}} Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang]]'' (2010)
22	* Hugo Cabret in ''Film/{{Hugo}}'' (2011)
23	* Ender Wiggin in ''Film/EndersGame'' (2013)
24	* Nathan Ellis in ''[[{{Film/XPlusY}} X+Y]]'' (2014)
25	* Jude Keffy-Horn in ''[[{{Film/TenThousandSaints}} Ten Thousand Saints]]'' (2015)
26	* Jacob Portman in ''Film/MissPeregrinesHomeForPeculiarChildren'' (2016)
27	* Sebastian Prendergast in ''[[{{Film/TheHouseOfTomorrow}} The House of Tomorrow]]'' (2017)
28	* Jimmy Raleigh in ''[[{{Film/JourneysEnd}} Journey's End]]'' (2017)
29	* Gardner Elliot in ''Film/TheSpaceBetweenUs'' (2017)
30	* Calvin Lewis in ''[[{{Film/ThenCameYou}} Then Came You]]'' (2018)
31	* Stillman in ''[[{{Film/TimeFreak}} Time Freak]]'' (2018)
32	* Willoughby Blake in ''Film/SlaughterhouseRulez'' (2018)
33	* Otis Milburn in ''Series/SexEducation'' (2019)
34	* Brandon Boyd in ''[[{{Film/FiftyStatesOfFright}} 50 States of Fright]]'' (2020)
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36	!!Tropes applied to his works:
37	* DawsonCasting: Throughout his acting career, Butterfield has primarily played characters younger than his age. He has played a 10 year old in ''Film/EndersGame'' while 14-15, a 16 year old when 18 in ''Film/MissPeregrinesHomeForPeculiarChildren'', and a 17 year old in ''Series/SexEducation'' when 21 years old.
38	* FakeNationality: Frequently. He has played a German in ''Literature/TheBoyInTheStripedPyjamas'', a Frenchman in ''Film/{{Hugo}}'' and an American in ''Film/EndersGame'', all ''before his sixteenth birthday''.
39	* InnocentBlueEyes: Especially in ''Film/TheBoyInTheStripedPyjamas'', ''Film/{{Hugo}}'', and ''Series/{{Merlin\|2008}}'', whereas in ''Film/EndersGame'' and later movies/TV shows, they're more like IcyBlueEyes.
40	* SociallyAwkwardHero: We see him play this type in ''Film/EndersGame'', ''[[{{Film/XPlusY}} X+Y]]'', ''Film/TheSpaceBetweenUs'', ''Then Came You'', ''Time Freak'', and ''Series/SexEducation''.
41	* TabloidMelodrama: Butterfield was a candidate for the role of Spider-Man in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. When casting, there were rumors that he was about to receive the role but lost out because he felt that he couldn't keep the secrets. Although he later debunked the rumors, they persisted for a while.
42	* TallDarkAndHandsome: As a young adult, Butterfield stands at 6 feet tall, and has become quite popular with younger audiences.
43	* TeenGenius: Many of his roles involve this type. We see this in ''Film/EndersGame'', ''[[{{Film/XPlusY}} X+Y]]'', ''Film/MissPeregrinesHomeForPeculiarChildren'', and ''Time Freak''.
44	* TheFilmOfTheBook: Most of his roles are within these. He has commented that he prefers such roles because "when you have a book as material as it is, it's a lot easier to create a character because you have so many resources to draw upon when acting."
45	* {{Typecasting}}: His filmography is made up of waifish, precocious boys in science fiction and fantasy.
46	* WiseBeyondTheirYears: He played this type in many films from his younger years and seemed unusally mature as a child, giving inspirational and wise quotes in interviews.
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48	!!Trivia
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50	* Asa Butterfield wanted to quit acting at the age of 8 after ''Literature/TheBoyInTheStripedPyjamas'' because he found it difficult to handle the intense themes of death and suffering.
51	* Butterfield attended a regular school until his graduation and refused homeschooling despite requests by staff to begin homeschooling. He believed that homeschooling would separate him from reality.
52	* He created a mobile app known as ''Racing Blind'' at the age of 16 and was the only app on the App Store at the time designed to be played blind.
53	* Butterfield auditioned for the role of Spider-Man in 2015, but lost to Tom Holland. Debunked rumors emerged that his Reddit post was what lost him the role.
54	* Butterfield's mother is a psychologist, much like Otis Milburn's mother.

Context Creator / AsaButterfield