Garrett Hedlund
Garrett Hedlund is an American actor recognized for his performances in various films and television shows, including "Friday Night Lights," "Four Brothers," "Tron: Legacy," and "Unbroken." Born on September 3, 1984, in Roseau, Minnesota, he grew up on a beef-cattle farm outside Wannaska following his parents' divorce. From a young age, Hedlund showed an interest in acting, which blossomed when he moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, at age fourteen. He worked diligently, taking extra classes to graduate high school early and moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting full-time.
Hedlund's career took off after landing a role in "Troy," which garnered him recognition and led to various significant roles that showcased his range as an actor. He has since transitioned from playing stereotypical characters to more complex roles, receiving critical acclaim for performances in films like "Mudbound" and "Inside Llewyn Davis." Beyond acting, he has also ventured into music, performing tracks for movie soundtracks. His personal life includes relationships with fellow actors Kirsten Dunst and Emma Roberts, with whom he shares a son. With a diverse portfolio and evolving career, Hedlund continues to be a prominent figure in the entertainment industry.
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Garrett Hedlund
Actor
- Born: September 3, 1984
- Place of Birth: Roseau, Minnesota
Contribution: Garrett Hedlund is an actor best known for his roles in Friday Night Lights (2004), Four Brothers (2005), Tron: Legacy (2010), and Unbroken (2014).
Background
Garrett John Hedlund was born on September 3, 1984, in Roseau, Minnesota, to Kristine Anne Yanish and Robert Martin Hedlund. His parents divorced when he was young, and his father raised him and his older brother and sister on a beef-cattle farm outside Wannaska, Minnesota, near the Canadian border. As a youth Hedlund was encouraged by his father to perform in local Christmas plays. He showed an interest in acting early on and would practice impressions to amuse himself while performing his chores around the farm.
At age fourteen Hedlund moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, to live with his mother. He developed a serious interest in acting and began studying the works of playwrights Tennessee Williams and David Mamet. While attending Horizon High School in Scottsdale, he began working at a restaurant and used the money to pay for an acting coach. He also found work as a model for Teen magazine and L. L. Bean catalogs. During this time Hedlund took extra classes so he could graduate from high school early.
When he was eighteen years old, Hedlund convinced his mother to sign the necessary early graduation form and set off for Los Angeles in his pickup truck, arriving in January 2003.
Career
After a month of auditions, Hedlund got his big break when a casting agent noticed his resemblance to a younger version of actor Brad Pitt. This led to him being cast as Patroclus, the cousin of Pitt’s character Achilles, in the epic period film Troy (2004). Although the film received mixed reviews, Hedlund was nominated for a 2004 Teen Choice Award for choice male breakout movie star. Also in 2004 Hedlund appeared in the sports drama Friday Night Lights, which focuses on a high school football team in Texas; he played the part of Don Billingsley, a student with an abusive father.
Hedlund gained even more exposure as one of the lead characters in the vigilante thriller Four Brothers (2005). Although the film received mixed reviews, many critics noted the believable familial relationship between Hedlund and the other three main actors. He then had a supporting role in the fantasy film Eragon (2006), his first foray in the fantasy genre.
Following a role in the critically panned comedy-drama Georgia Rule (2007), Hedlund was able to break away from his typical attractive farm-boy persona with the revenge thriller Death Sentence (2007), in which he played a gang leader with a shaved head and large tattoos. Hedlund, who is barely recognizable in the role, has stated that he enjoyed playing a villain rather than the more vulnerable characters he typically portrays. For his next role, as a country-music singer in the film Country Strong (2010), he displayed his singing talent along with his acting skill, performing on six of the soundtrack’s fourteen tracks. The film was received poorly, but the soundtrack received high marks, particularly from country-music fans.
Hedlund followed up Country Strong with his biggest film up to that point, Tron: Legacy (2010). The sequel to the 1982 cult classic Tron, the film follows Sam Flynn (Hedlund), the son of the first film’s main character. Hedlund had to go through arduous training— including wirework, weight training, and hand-to-hand combat—in order to perform the necessary stunts. The role earned Hedlund a Saturn Award nomination for best supporting actor and the Young Hollywood Award for actor of the year. Glamour magazine named him Man of the Year for 2011.
Tron: Legacy was followed by the much less extravagant On the Road (2012), an adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s classic 1957 novel of the same name. Hedlund played the character of Dean Moriarty, based on Kerouac’s friend Neal Cassady. Although the film received mixed reviews, Hedlund’s performance was highly praised by critics. He next appeared in the Coen brothers’ critically lauded film Inside Llewyn Davis (2013).
After having a prominent role in Angelina Jolie's 2014 film adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling 2010 book Unbroken, Hedlund starred alongside Oscar Isaac in the dramatic thriller Mojave (2015) and played the character Hook in Pan (2015). In addition to appearing in Ang Lee's 2016 film Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, he gave a largely praised performance as a member of the McAllan family in the 2017 film adaptation of the 2008 novel Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan. Returning to television, he played Joel Hurley in the HBO series Mosaic between 2017 and 2018. In 2019, he starred with Ben Affleck, Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, and Pedro Pascal in the action film Triple Frontier. In 2022, he played a bartender who once rode bulls in Tulsa King starring Sylvester Stalone.
Hedlund starred in several films in the 2020s. In 2021, he played US government official Harry J. Anslinger in The United States vs Billy Holiday. The actor landed the lead role in the 2023 psychological thriller The Tutor. During the same year, he also starred in The Marsh King's Daughter, a film about a young woman who is the daughter of a kidnapper and the woman he held captive.
Impact
Not long after relocating to Los Angeles, Hedlund started landing roles in high-profile film productions. By taking grittier roles such as his characters in Four Brothers and Death Sentence, he was able to shed his pretty-boy image and move on to more nuanced roles that earned him critical acclaim.
Personal Life
In late 2011 Hedlund began dating actor Kirsten Dunst, whom he met while filming On the Road. The couple broke up in 2016. In 2020, he had a son with actress Emma Roberts. When he is not filming, he enjoys photography and playing music.
Bibliography
Eyre, Hermione. “Garrett Hedlund: Rebel without a Hairbrush.” London Evening Standard. Evening Standard, 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.
"Garrett Hedlund." Cryptic Rock, 20 Mar. 2023, crypticrock.com/interview-garrett-hedlund/. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.
Hedlund, Garrett. “Garrett Hedlund Really, Really Loves the Character He Plays in On the Road.” Interview by Brian Brooks. Movieline. PMC, 20 Dec. 2012. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.
Hedlund, Garrett. Interview by Jeff Bridges. Interview Dec. 2012: 87+. Print.
Hedlund, Garrett. Interview by Lynn Hirschberg. W Magazine. Condé Nast, Jan. 2011. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.
Miles, Jonathan. “Garrett Hedlund: Road Scholar.” Details. Condé Nast, Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.
Rao, Priya. “A Little Bit LA and Nashville.” Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones, 8 Jan. 2011. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.