Why Henry From The Undoing Looks So Familiar
HBO's new hit series The Undoing stars Nicole Kidman as Grace, a very successful New York City therapist whose life is rocked when her husband Jonathan, played by Hugh Grant, goes missing and becomes the main suspect in a murder investigation. Their son attends an elite private school called Reardon, which his mother attended when she was younger, and which is the basis for the family's social circle. This is how Grace meets Elena Alves (Matilda de Angelis), a young and beautiful mother of a fellow student, who turns up murdered on the same day Jonathan disappears. Forced to look back at her and Jonathan's whole relationship, Grace starts to uncover a series of signs revealing that the man she married might not be who she thought he was.
The series is created by David E. Kelley, the man behind HBO's hit Big Little Lies, and has a great cast, with Donald Sutherland playing Grace's father Frank Reinhardt, Édgar Ramírez as Detective Joe Mendoza, and Lily Rabe as Sylvia Steineitz, Grace's close friend and lover of gossip. Alongside them all, the family's young son Henry is played by rising British star Noah Jupe. At first, Jupe might seem like a new face amidst all these big names, but at only 15 years old, he's already made his mark on Hollywood in his short career. If you can't quite place where you've seen him before, check out some of his biggest roles.
Noah Jupe played Jack Will in the inspiring movie Wonder
In 2017, Jupe joined the warmhearted film Wonder, about a young boy with facial differences who tries to fit in when he enters public school for the first time. The film is based on the New York Times best seller of the same name by author R.J. Palacio. Another big child star, Jacob Tremblay, plays the main character Auggie, who has Treacher Collins syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes physical deformities of the face that can in turn cause problems with breathing, hearing, sight, and other complications.
In Wonder, which also stars Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, Jupe plays a boy named Jack who is one of the first students to befriend Auggie. Jack later falls to peer pressure and makes fun of Auggie's appearance, but Auggie overhears the conversation, creating a split in their friendship. Thankfully, Jack quickly realizes his mistake and becomes determined to make it up to Auggie, partnering with him for the science fair and defending him against other students bullying him. The film's story is really inspiring and moving, and it's definitely a good choice to watch if you want a pick-me-up full of emotion.
Noah Jupe starred as Marcus Abbott in horror hit A Quiet Place
The horror film A Quiet Place was a surprise success for many people, including the cast. Director John Krasinski made the low-budget film starring himself, his wife Emily Blunt, and a small cast of young actors playing their children: Millicent Simmonds, Cade Woodward, and of course, Jupe. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic 2021 in which the world has been overtaken by extraterrestrial creatures who hunt by sound, forcing humanity into silence to survive.
Jupe plays the middle child of the family, a character unnamed in the film due to the need to be silent, but credited as Marcus on IMDb. Marcus is a kind 12 year-old boy who is very anxious and hesitant, following his family's directions but unable to take risks himself. When the family's peaceful life is thrown for a loop, Marcus is forced to come to terms with his fear and trust his own instincts to help them all survive. The sequel film, A Quiet Place Part II, was scheduled to be released in March 2020, but has since been pushed to April 23, 2021 because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Noah Jupe portrayed a young Otis in Shia LaBeouf's autobiographical movie Honey Boy
Written by Shia LaBeouf, Honey Boy is a fictional film directly based on LaBeouf's experiences as a child star growing up with a run-down, controlling father named James — played by LaBeouf. The movie shows two parallel stories — one that takes place when the main character is 12 years old, and the other when he's 22. Jupe plays the 12-year-old version of the character, right in the middle of a flourishing child acting career that's bound to hit a wall.
With a lot of clear parallels to LaBeouf's own life, Otis lives with his alcoholic father who accompanies him to all his jobs. Otis at 22, played by Lucas Hedges, portrays more of LaBeouf's later years and troubles, filming action films, getting in a car crash with a co-star, and ending up in rehab. Honey Boy, directed by Alma Har'el, brings all of this to life with honesty and innovation, and the film was very well received by critics and audiences.
As you can see, Jupe clearly has a lot of acting talent and maturity for his young age. With his new role as Henry in HBO's The Undoing, he continues to prove his ability, and set up for an even bigger career going forward.