Asa Butterfield began his career as a child actor. Over the last decade, the English actor has starred in several memorable roles in movies and TV shows. Although several of his earliest roles have been overshadowed by the popularity and success of Sex Education, Butterfield has had memorable roles since the 2000s.
The actor was born Asa Maxwell Thornton Farr Butterfield in Islington, London, England, on April 1, 1997. Although neither of his parents was in the performing arts, they allowed Asa Butterfield to pursue his interest in drama. At 7, Butterfield was already performing at his Young Actors Theatre Islington. With about eight upcoming projects at different production stages, here’s a look at Asa Butterfield’s 10 most memorable roles of his career.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
For many movie audiences, the 2008 The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was the first time they saw Asa Butterfield. Although he guest-starred as Mordred in Merlin that same year, his performance as eight-year-old Bruno stood out. Butterfield, who was 11 at the time of the film’s release, Played the German son of a Nazi commandant. Bruno joined the rest of his family in moving to a house near a concentration camp.
Unaware of the horrors in the camp, Bruno befriends Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), a Jewish boy imprisoned in the camp. The story is told from Bruno’s innocent perspective, highlighting the horrors of the Holocaust through the eyes of a child. Asa Butterfield’s role in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas proved the then-child actor was destined for greatness. Also cast in the movie were Vera Farmiga, David Thewlis, and Rupert Friend.
Nanny McPhee Returns
The 2010 Nanny McPhee Returns was Asa Butterfield’s next movie project. As a sequel to the 2005 Nanny McPhee, actress Emma Thompson reprised her role as the titular Nanny McPhee. Asa Butterfield was cast as Norman Green, the eldest child of Isabel Green’s (Maggie Gyllenhaal) children.
Mrs. Green struggles to run the family’s farm while her husband is away at war. Norman and his siblings face challenges when their wealthy, spoiled cousins are sent to live with them. The magical Nanny McPhee is invited to help put things in order. Nanny McPhee Returns was a critical and commercial success, grossing $93.2 million against its $35 million budget.
Hugo
In 2011, Asa Butterfield played the title character in Martin Scorsese’s adventure drama Hugo. Butterfield co-starred alongside Chloë Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ray Winstone, Jude Law, and Emily Mortimer. Cast as Hugo Cabret, Butterfield plays a 12-year-old orphan living in a Paris railway station in the early 1930s.
After the death of his father and alcoholic uncle, Hugo is forced to maintain the station’s clocks to keep his home. He secretly works on fixing an automaton left to him by his late father. Along the way, he befriends Isabelle and uncovers a mystery involving her godfather, Georges Méliès. The movie was an adaptation of Brian Selznick‘s 2007 book The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Despite being critically acclaimed, Hugo was a Box Office disappointment.
Ender’s Game
Two years later, Asa Butterfield returned to movies, playing another title character, Ender Wiggin, in Ender’s Game. The movie was based on Orson Scott Card‘s 1985 novel. Butterfield led the movie’s star-studded cast comprising Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Viola Davis, Abigail Breslin, Ben Kingsley, and Moisés Arias. Butterfield’s Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is a highly intelligent and strategic boy chosen to lead humanity’s forces in a war against an alien race, the Formics. Although he excels and leads what he thought to be a simulated fight against the Formics, he soon realizes a shocking truth about the nature of his mission.
A Brilliant Young Mind
In A Brilliant Young Mind, Asa Butterfield played another brilliant character, Nathan Ellis. The 2014 British drama is one of Butterfield’s lesser-known films. Nathan Ellis is a socially awkward, autistic, but mathematically gifted teenager. After his father’s death when he was young, Nathan struggles with forming emotional connections, causing a sense of isolation. His exceptional mathematical abilities bring him an opportunity to compete in the International Mathematical Olympiad. A Brilliant Young Mind was a critical success.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
In Tim Burton’s fantasy film, Asa Butterfield portrayed Jake Portman, a 16-year-old peculiar with extraordinary gift of seeing the invisible Hollows. His power leads him to Miss Peregrine’s home, a sanctuary for children with peculiar abilities. At the home, Jake learns of his grandfather’s past, the world of peculiars, and his destiny to protect the children from the Hollowgasts. Asa Butterfield shared the screen with notable actors, including Eva Green, Terence Stamp, Ella Purnell, and Samuel L. Jackson,
Journey’s End
Saul Dibb’s 2017 British war film Journey’s End was the fifth movie adaptation of R. C. Sherriff’s 1928 dramatic play. Asa Butterfield portrayed the young and naive Second Lieutenant Raleigh. Idealistic and eager to join the British army during World War I, he requests to serve under Captain Stanhope (Sam Claflin). At the battlefront, Raleigh is exposed to the grim realities of trench warfare, representing the loss of innocence and the emotional toll of war on young soldiers. Journey’s End is yet another underrated masterpiece from Asa Butterfield. It also starred fellow English actors Paul Bettany, Tom Sturridge, and Toby Jones.
The Space Between Us
Although a Box Office bomb, The Space Between Us is another of Asa Butterfield’s memorable films. In romantic science fiction, Butterfield plays Gardner Elliot, the first human born on Mars. Gardner was born and raised on an isolated planet. As a teen, he begins communicating with Tulsa, a girl on Earth. Curious about Earth and eager to meet her, Gardner travels to Earth, despite the physical challenges and risks his body is subjected to due to being born in a lower-gravity environment. The Space Between Us also starred Gary Oldman, Carla Gugino, and B. D. Wong.
Your Christmas or Mine? Movies
The Your Christmas or Mine? movies are one of Asa Butterfield’s critically low-rated movies, but they are also one of his recent works. As a Christmas romantic comedy, Your Christmas or Mine? joins the ever-growing list of cheesy Christmas movies. Butterfield played Hubert James Hughes, a young university student, alongside British actress Cora Kirk (as Hayley Taylor).
Cast as a young couple, they each decide to surprise the other by spending Christmas together. However, this quickly goes awry, as their plans leave them spending the holidays with each other’s families. This accidental switch forms the comedic and heartwarming backdrop of the movie as they navigate each other’s family situations. Asa Butterfield and Cora Kirk reprise their roles in the 2023 sequel, Your Christmas or Mine 2.
Sex Education
Asa Butterfield entertained television audiences as Otis Milburn in all 4 seasons of Netflix’s Sex Education series. As Otis Milburn, Butterfield played the socially awkward but insightful teenage son of a sex therapist. Despite his inexperience with relationships and intimacy, Otis becomes an unofficial sex therapist at his high school. He offers advice to his peers about their sexual and emotional issues.
While providing help to others, the character navigates several personal challenges. These include his complicated relationship with his mother, Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson), friendships, and his romantic life. The British teen sex comedy features an ensemble cast that includes Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Alistair Petrie, Mimi Keene, and Simone Ashley. Besides these Asa Butterfield roles, actress Joey King is another young star with impressive film and television performances.
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