Joe Alwyn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joe Alwyn
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Alwyn in 2022
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Born |
Joseph Matthew Alwyn
21 February 1991 Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
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Other names | William Bowery |
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Occupation |
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Years active | 2015–present |
Relatives | William Alwyn (great-grandfather) |
Joseph Matthew Alwyn (born 21 February 1991) is an English actor. Alwyn made his feature film debut as the titular character in Ang Lee's 2016 war drama, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, and has since played supporting roles in films such as The Favourite (2018), Boy Erased (2018), Mary Queen of Scots (2018), and Harriet (2019).
Born in Kent and raised in North London, Alwyn developed an interest in acting during his teenage years. He acted in student productions at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and obtained BA degrees in English literature and drama, and acting, from the University of Bristol (2012), and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (2015), respectively.
Alwyn dated American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for six years. He worked with Swift on ten of her songs released from 2020 to 2022, including "Exile" from Swift's eighth studio album, Folklore, which won Alwyn the Album of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. In 2022, he starred in three adaptations—Hulu drama series Conversations with Friends, the romantic thriller film Stars at Noon, and the period comedy film Catherine Called Birdy. He appeared on the 2022 Time 100 Next list of rising stars. His accolades also include a Trophée Chopard at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
Contents
Early life and education
Joseph Matthew Alwyn was born on 21 February 1991 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. Raised in North London, Alwyn is the son of a psychotherapist mother and a documentary filmmaker father. He is the great-grandson of composer William Alwyn.
Alwyn was educated at the City of London School. He briefly took guitar lessons, and was part of the school band called Anger Management. He later played football and rugby in school. Although an "introverted" child, Alwyn pursued a desire to become an actor. He auditioned for a small role in Love Actually, a 2003 Christmas romantic comedy film, but did not get the role. He became a member of the National Youth Theatre in his late teens. While pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English literature and drama at the University of Bristol, he acted in two student productions at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He graduated in 2012, and applied for four drama schools, but got rejected by all except one—the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, where he completed a BA in acting. During the third year of the course, Alwyn signed with an agent who had come across Alwyn at a student showcase. Soon after, the agent informed Alwyn that a production company was looking to cast the title character of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016), which would go on to mark Alwyn's debut in a feature film.
Career
Acting
In early 2015, Alwyn was cast in the lead role of Taiwanese director Ang Lee's 2016 war drama film, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, which is a film adaptation based on the 2012 novel of the same name by American writer Ben Fountain. Lee stated he selected Alwyn because of his "ability to communicate the book's paradox of war with just his facial expressions". Alwyn came to the United States for the first time after passing the film's auditions. He stated that he did "exactly fit" the casting requirements of the role, which were "a 19-year-old U.S. Army grunt"; Alwyn said he had long blond hair and was "a lot skinnier" when he auditioned. In the film's reviews, critics praised Alwyn's performance for its naturalism. Journalists went on to describe the film as his "breakout". He then played a supporting role in the 2017 mystery drama film, The Sense of an Ending, directed by Indian filmmaker Ritesh Batra.
Alwyn appeared in a number of 2018 films. He played a supporting role as the British nobleman Samuel Masham in the period black comedy film, The Favourite, directed by Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. The film garnered 10 nominations at the 91st Academy Awards. Lauren McCarthy of W magazine praised Alwyn's physical humour and silly acting style in the film, in contrast to his "boy-next-door-meets-movie-star-hearthrob looks". He played a supporting role in Chris Weitz's historical drama Operation Finale, and a minor role in Joel Edgerton's Boy Erased—a biographical drama film based on a 2016 memoir by American LGBT+ activist Garrard Conley. Alwyn then appeared as English statesman Robert Dudley in the historical drama Mary Queen of Scots. Alwyn won the Trophée Chopard alongside Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
In 2019, Alwyn played a slave owner in Harriet, a biographical drama about Harriet Tubman. He appeared as Bob Cratchit in the dark fantasy television miniseries A Christmas Carol, based Charles Dickens' 1843 novella of the same name. In 2021, he had a minor role in drama film The Souvenir Part II, and played a 1960s industrialist in the film adaptation Jojo Moyes' 2008 romantic novel, The Last Letter from Your Lover.
In 2022, Alwyn starred in the drama series Conversations with Friends—a Hulu adaptation of the 2017 novel of the same name by Irish author Sally Rooney. Alwyn's performance was met with mixed reviews; Variety critic Caroline Framke wrote that Alwyn lacked personality and chemistry with his co-stars. Alwyn was paired with Margaret Qualley in the romantic thriller film Stars at Noon, directed by French filmmaker Claire Denis, and played the titular character's uncle in Catherine Called Birdy, a medieval comedy film directed by Lena Dunham, based on the 1994 children's novel of the same name; both the films were met with generally positive reviews, with the former premiering at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and winning the Grand Prix.
Alwyn plays a supporting role in Kind of Kindness, an upcoming anthology film directed by Greek filmmaker Yorogos Lanthimos.
Music
While in a relationship with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, Alwyn contributed in the production of ten of her songs released from 2020 to 2022. Alwyn stated "it came about from messing around on a piano, and singing badly," and then "being overheard by Swift, and being, like, 'Let's see what happens if we get to the end of it together'." He is credited as co-producer for the songs "Exile", "Betty", "My Tears Ricochet", "August", "This Is Me Trying" and "Illicit Affairs" on Swift's eighth studio album, Folklore (2020); and was also co-writer for "Exile" and "Betty", under the pseudonym William Bowery. "Exile" reached the top 10 of the charts in various countries, including number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number eight on the UK Singles Chart. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021, "Exile" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, while Folklore won the Album of the Year, marking Alwyn's first Grammy win. Credited as Bowery, Alwyn also co-wrote "Champagne Problems", "Coney Island" and the title track on Swift's second 2020 album, Evermore. In April 2022, Alwyn revealed to The Wall Street Journal that the name "William Bowery" was derived from the first name of his great grandfather William Alwyn, who was a music composer, and the last name in honor of the New York City neighbourhood Bowery, where he had spent "a lot of time" when he first arrived to the U.S. In Swift's tenth studio album, Midnights (2022), he is credited as co-writer of "Sweet Nothing", again as Bowery.
Personal life
Alwyn was in a relationship with Swift from 2016 to 2023. It was subject to intense tabloid scrutiny. Alwyn keeps his personal life private, which he described as a "knee-jerk response to the culture we live in". GQ labelled Alwyn a "notoriously low-key actor", with The Wall Street Journal calling him "Hollywood's Most Private Leading Man".
Filmography
Film
Denotes works that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
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2016 | Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk | Billy Lynn | ||
2017 | The Sense of an Ending | Adrian Finn | ||
2018 | Operation Finale | Klaus Eichmann | ||
2018 | The Favourite | Samuel Masham | ||
2018 | Boy Erased | Henry Wallace | ||
2018 | Mary Queen of Scots | Robert Dudley | ||
2019 | Harriet | Gideon Brodess | ||
2020 | Miss Americana | Himself | Documentary | |
2021 | The Souvenir Part II | Max | ||
2021 | The Last Letter from Your Lover | Laurence Stirling | ||
2022 | Stars at Noon | Daniel DeHaven | ||
2022 | Catherine Called Birdy | George | ||
TBA | Kind of Kindness | TBA | ||
TBA | The Brutalist | TBA | ||
TBA | Hamlet | Laertes | In production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
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2019 | A Christmas Carol | Bob Cratchit | Miniseries; three episodes | |
2022 | Conversations with Friends | Nick Conway | Main role; 12 episodes |
Discography
Year | Album | Song | Credit | Ref. |
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2020 |
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"Exile" | Co-writer | |
"My Tears Ricochet" | Co-producer | |||
"August" | ||||
"This is Me Trying" | ||||
"Illicit Affairs" | ||||
"Betty" | Co-writer; co-producer | |||
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"Champagne Problems" | Co-writer | ||
"Coney Island" | ||||
"Evermore" | ||||
2022 |
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"Sweet Nothing" |
Accolades
Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
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Austin Film Critics Association | 2019 | Best Ensemble | The Favourite | Nominated | |
BMI London Awards | 2021 | Most Performed Songs of the Year | "Betty" | Won | |
2022 | "Exile" | Won | |||
Boston Society of Film Critics | 2018 | Best Cast | The Favourite | Runner-up | |
Cannes Film Festival | 2018 | Trophée Chopard | Himself | Won | |
Critics' Choice Movie Awards | 2019 | Best Acting Ensemble | The Favourite | Won | |
Detroit Film Critics Society | 2018 | Best Ensemble | Nominated | ||
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | 2018 | Best Ensemble | Won | ||
Georgia Film Critics Association | 2019 | Best Ensemble | Won | ||
Grammy Awards | 2021 | Album of the Year | Folklore | Won | |
2022 | Evermore | Nominated | |||
International Cinephile Society | 2019 | Best Ensemble | The Favourite | Nominated | |
New York Film Critics Online | 2018 | Best Ensemble Cast | Won | ||
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards | 2018 | Best Ensemble | Boy Erased | Nominated | |
The Favourite | Runner-up | ||||
Satellite Awards | 2019 | Best Ensemble – Motion Picture | Won | ||
Seattle Film Critics Society | 2018 | Best Ensemble Cast | Nominated | ||
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | 2018 | Best Acting Ensemble | Won | ||
Women Film Critics Circle | 2018 | Best Ensemble | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Joe Alwyn para niños