Meet Fred Hechinger: the ‘unhinged emperor’ in Gladiator II – also starring Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal – broke out in The White Lotus and is one of Hollywood’s hottest young actors
New York-born Hechinger comes from a family of creatives and was a young journalist – then caught the acting bug. His role as surly teen Quinn Mossbacher in The White Lotus came in 2021
Fred Hechinger is only 24, but in his short career he’s already displayed acting chops that would make Hollywood heavyweights green with envy. In just a few years, Hechinger has played a socially awkward teenager, a loner seeking to rid his town of outsiders and a young boy harbouring dark secrets.
So who is Fred Hechinger, the man who’s quickly become one of the most sought-after young actors in Hollywood?
Hechinger is one in a line of writers
Born in New York on December 2, 1999, Fred Hechinger comes from a creative family. His mother is an award-winning photographer, his father works in broadcast and online journalism and his grandfather, Fred M. Hechinger, was an education editor at The New York Times.
How did he get into acting?
Everything began to shift for Hechinger after he was invited to a performance of the Upright Citizens Brigade improv show Asssscat, during his bar mitzvah. At 13 years old, he was enthralled. He went back the next night, sitting on the floor of the theatre by the side of the stage and decided, “That’s the coolest thing ever. I want to do what they’re doing.”
Inspired, he began acting in school productions. At 18, he landed his first Hollywood role as Trevor in Bo Burnham’s 2018 film Eighth Grade. Though a small role, it was a formative experience. Watching comedian Burnham make his directorial debut taught Hechinger that approaching anything fearlessly can produce great results.
“It was the first time I would walk outside and people would want to talk to me about [something I was in],” he said about his breakthrough part.