Justice Smith

Justice Smith
Justice Smith
	Smith in 2017
Born	Justice Elio Smith; August 9, 1995 (age 29); Los Angeles, California
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2012–present

Justice Elio Smith (born August 9, 1995) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), Detective Pikachu (2019), All the Bright Places (2020), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), and I Saw the TV Glow (2024).

Early life

Smith was born in Los Angeles, California.^[1] Smith graduated from the Orange County School of the Arts in 2013 and performed in theatre around Orange County.^[2] His father is Black and his mother is white.^[3]

Career

In 2014, Smith appeared in Nickelodeon's superhero comedy series The Thundermans, playing Angus in two episodes.^[4] He also appeared in the HBO documentary series Masterclass and some Vlogbrothers videos.^[4] In 2015, Smith had a supporting role as Marcus "Radar" Lincoln in Paper Towns.^[4]^[5] In 2016, Smith had a lead role in Netflix's musical drama series The Get Down, playing Ezekiel Figuero, during which Smith employed method acting and took up residence in a dilapidated Bronx apartment.^[6] The Get Down premiered in August 2016 and concluded in April 2017.^[7]

In 2017, Smith was on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.^[8] Smith also appeared opposite Lucas Hedges in the Off-Broadway stage production of Yen by playwright Anna Jordan. The production ran at the Lucille Lortel Theatre starting January 2017 and closed on March 4, 2017.^[9] In February 2018, Smith co-starred in Every Day as Justin.^[10] In June 2018, he portrayed Franklin Webb in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.^[11]

In 2019, Smith starred in the film Detective Pikachu.^[12] He starred alongside Elle Fanning in All the Bright Places, for which filming commenced in the fall of 2018.^[13]

In 2020, Justice Smith participated in Acting for a Cause, a live play and screenplay reading series. Smith played Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and Dennis Ziegler in This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan. The reading raised funds for nonprofit organization including Mount Sinai Medical Center.^[14]^[15]

Personal life

Smith came out as queer in an Instagram post on June 5, 2020. He is in a relationship with actor Nicholas L. Ashe.^[16]^[17] They shot a Calvin Klein campaign ad together in mid-2022.^[18]^[19]

Smith is an avid Pokémon fan.^[20]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2014	Trigger Finger	Boy at school
2015	Paper Towns	Marcus "Radar" Lincoln
2018	Every Day	Justin
2018	Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom	Franklin Webb
2019	Detective Pikachu	Tim Goodman
2020	All the Bright Places	Theodore Finch
2021	The Voyeurs	Thomas
2021	Ron's Gone Wrong	Marc Wydell	Voice
2022	Jurassic World Dominion	Franklin Webb	Cameo
2023	Sharper	Tom
2023	Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves	Simon Aumar
2024	I Saw the TV Glow	Owen
2024	The American Society of Magical Negroes	Aren
2025	Now You See Me 3		Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2014	Masterclass	Himself	1 episode
2014–2015	The Thundermans	Angus	2 episodes
2016–2017	The Get Down	Ezekiel "Zeke" Figuero	Lead role; 11 episodes
2019	Drunk History	Ptolemy XIII	Episode: "Bad Blood"
2021	Generation	Chester	Main cast; 16 episodes

Theater

Year	Title	Role	Venue	Notes
2017	Yen	Bobbie	Lucille Lortel Theatre	Off-Broadway
2019	The Mother	Nicolas	Atlantic Theater Company	Off-Broadway

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2022	The Quarry	Ryan Erzahler	Voice, motion capture, and likeness

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2017	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play	Yen	Nominated
2017	Lucille Lortel Awards	Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play	Yen	Nominated
2021	Black Reel Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy Series	Generation	Nominated	^[21]
2021	Pena de Prata	Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series		Nominated	^[22]
2022	The Queerties	Favorite TV Performance		Nominated	^[23]
2023	New York Game Awards	Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game	The Quarry	Nominated	^[24]
2024	Variety & Golden Globe's Breakthrough Artist Awards	Breakthrough Award	I Saw the TV Glow / The American Society of Magical Negroes	Honoree	^[25]
	Astra Midseason Movie Awards	Best Actor	I Saw the TV Glow	Nominated	^[26]
	Gotham Awards	Outstanding Lead Performance		Nominated	^[27]
	Film Independent Spirit Awards	Best Lead Performance		Pending	^[28]
	Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards	Best Lead Performance		Nominated	^[29]
	Dorian Awards	Film Performance of the Year		Pending	^[30]

References

^ "Justice Smith - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
^ Hsiao, Cassandra (March 29, 2015). "Meet Justice Smith who plays Radar in John Green's 'Paper Towns' Movie + Trailer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
^ McHenry, Jackson (March 12, 2019). "Justice Smith on Acting With Isabelle Huppert and Detective Pikachu". Vulture.
^ ^a ^b ^c Ramos, Dino-Ray (July 23, 2015). "Who Plays Radar In 'Paper Towns'? Justice Smith Is A Rising Star with a Killer Next Role in the new juristic world". Bustle. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
^ Sneider, Jeff; Ge, Linda (October 9, 2014). "John Green's 'Paper Towns' Adding Austin Abrams, Halston Sage, Justice Smith (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
^ Jung, E. Alex (September 1, 2016). "Justice Smith Almost Lost Himself in The Get Down". Vulture. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
^ Friedlander, Whitney (April 9, 2015). "Baz Luhrmann's Netflix Series Finds Its Leads". Variety (magazine). Retrieved August 3, 2015.
^ "Justice Smith". Forbes. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
^ Brantley, Ben (February 1, 2017). "Review: 'Yen' Is a Den of Family Dysfunction". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
^ N'Duka, Amanda (July 7, 2017). "Maria Bello, Debby Ryan, 'Spider-Man: Homecoming's Jacob Batalon & More Join 'Every Day' From MGM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
^ Kit, Borys (December 1, 2016). "'Jurassic World 2' Casts 'Get Down' Star Justice Smith (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (November 17, 2017). "The Get Down's Justice Smith Stars in Legendary's Live-Action Pokémon film". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
^ Hipes, Patrick (July 23, 2018). "'All The Bright Places' Movie Ramps Up With Justice Smith To Star With Elle Fanning, Brett Haley Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
^ George, Doug (May 13, 2020). "Oak Parker stages Zoom plays as COVID-19 benefits, casting Florence Pugh and more young Hollywood actors". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
^ Salfiti, Jad (June 25, 2020). "Young Hollywood actors perform online for charity". BBC News. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
^ Tangcay, Jazz (June 6, 2020). "Justice Smith Comes Out as Queer, Voices Support for Black Queer and Trans Lives". Variety. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
^ Azzopardi, Chris (April 7, 2021). Justice Smith on Nicholas Ashe: 'We're no longer together, but it really opened me up as a person'. Pride Source. Retrieved August 27, 2023 – via YouTube.
^ Street, Mikelle (August 9, 2022). "Why I started a digital shrine to Justice Smith and Nic Ashe's relationship". Xtra Magazine. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
^ Smith, Justice [@standup4justice] (May 20, 2022). "thank you @calvinklein for giving me the opportunity to celebrate this amazing person and all that he is @nckash ! i choose you every time king ♥️" – via Instagram.
^ Thompson, Avery (August 6, 2019). "Detective Pikachu Star Justice Smith Reveals He's Been A 'Huge Pokemon Fan' Since He Was Little Kid". Hollywood Life. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
^ "PLENTY OF "LOVE" IN THE HEART OF THE COUNTRY!". Black Reel Awards. June 17, 2021. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
^ "Pena de Prata 2021: A 2ª Edição". Isso é Veludo? (in Brazilian Portuguese). December 4, 2021. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
^ "TV Performance / The QUEERTIES 2022 / Winners". Queerty. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
^ Bankhurst, Adam (January 17, 2023). "New York Game Awards 2023: Elden Ring Wins Two Awards as Phil Spencer Is Honored". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
^ Earl, William (January 11, 2024). "Variety and the Golden Globe Awards Announce Party at Sundance Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
^ Neglia, Matt (July 3, 2024). "The 2024 Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) Midseason Astra Award Winners". Next Best Picture. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
^ Goldsmith, Jill (October 29, 2024). "Gotham Awards Nominations: 'Anora' Leads Pack, 'Challengers' & 'Nickel Boys' Among Group Up For Best Feature". Deadline. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
^ D'Alessandro, Alex (December 4, 2024). "Film Independent Spirit Awards 40th Edition Best Feature Nominees Include 'Anora', 'I Saw The TV Glow', 'Nickel Boys', 'Sing Sing' & 'The Substance'". Deadline. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
^ Neglia, Matt (December 10, 2024). "The 2024 Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
^ Pedersen, Erik (January 17, 2025). "Dorian Awards Nominations: 'I Saw The TV Glow' & 'The Substance' Lead Field". Deadline. Retrieved January 19, 2025.

External links

[1] "Justice Smith - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved January 28, 2025.

[2] Hsiao, Cassandra (March 29, 2015). "Meet Justice Smith who plays Radar in John Green's 'Paper Towns' Movie + Trailer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 28, 2025.

[3] McHenry, Jackson (March 12, 2019). "Justice Smith on Acting With Isabelle Huppert and Detective Pikachu". Vulture.

[July2015Bustle-4] Ramos, Dino-Ray (July 23, 2015). "Who Plays Radar In 'Paper Towns'? Justice Smith Is A Rising Star with a Killer Next Role in the new juristic world". Bustle. Retrieved August 3, 2015.

[5] Sneider, Jeff; Ge, Linda (October 9, 2014). "John Green's 'Paper Towns' Adding Austin Abrams, Halston Sage, Justice Smith (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved August 3, 2015.

[6] Jung, E. Alex (September 1, 2016). "Justice Smith Almost Lost Himself in The Get Down". Vulture. Retrieved February 10, 2021.

[7] Friedlander, Whitney (April 9, 2015). "Baz Luhrmann's Netflix Series Finds Its Leads". Variety (magazine). Retrieved August 3, 2015.

[8] "Justice Smith". Forbes. Retrieved November 12, 2018.

[9] Brantley, Ben (February 1, 2017). "Review: 'Yen' Is a Den of Family Dysfunction". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 28, 2025.

[10] N'Duka, Amanda (July 7, 2017). "Maria Bello, Debby Ryan, 'Spider-Man: Homecoming's Jacob Batalon & More Join 'Every Day' From MGM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 7, 2017.

[11] Kit, Borys (December 1, 2016). "'Jurassic World 2' Casts 'Get Down' Star Justice Smith (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 2, 2019.

[12] Pineda, Rafael Antonio (November 17, 2017). "The Get Down's Justice Smith Stars in Legendary's Live-Action Pokémon film". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 17, 2017.

[13] Hipes, Patrick (July 23, 2018). "'All The Bright Places' Movie Ramps Up With Justice Smith To Star With Elle Fanning, Brett Haley Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 16, 2018.

[14] George, Doug (May 13, 2020). "Oak Parker stages Zoom plays as COVID-19 benefits, casting Florence Pugh and more young Hollywood actors". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.

[15] Salfiti, Jad (June 25, 2020). "Young Hollywood actors perform online for charity". BBC News. Retrieved August 23, 2021.

[16] Tangcay, Jazz (June 6, 2020). "Justice Smith Comes Out as Queer, Voices Support for Black Queer and Trans Lives". Variety. Retrieved June 6, 2020.

[17] Azzopardi, Chris (April 7, 2021). Justice Smith on Nicholas Ashe: 'We're no longer together, but it really opened me up as a person'. Pride Source. Retrieved August 27, 2023 – via YouTube.

[Xtra_2022-08-09-18] Street, Mikelle (August 9, 2022). "Why I started a digital shrine to Justice Smith and Nic Ashe's relationship". Xtra Magazine. Retrieved August 27, 2023.

[Instagram_2022-05-20-19] Smith, Justice [@standup4justice] (May 20, 2022). "thank you @calvinklein for giving me the opportunity to celebrate this amazing person and all that he is @nckash ! i choose you every time king ♥️" – via Instagram.

[20] Thompson, Avery (August 6, 2019). "Detective Pikachu Star Justice Smith Reveals He's Been A 'Huge Pokemon Fan' Since He Was Little Kid". Hollywood Life. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.

[21] "PLENTY OF "LOVE" IN THE HEART OF THE COUNTRY!". Black Reel Awards. June 17, 2021. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.

[22] "Pena de Prata 2021: A 2ª Edição". Isso é Veludo? (in Brazilian Portuguese). December 4, 2021. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2024.

[23] "TV Performance / The QUEERTIES 2022 / Winners". Queerty. Retrieved January 28, 2025.

[2023_IGN_Winners-24] Bankhurst, Adam (January 17, 2023). "New York Game Awards 2023: Elden Ring Wins Two Awards as Phil Spencer Is Honored". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.

[25] Earl, William (January 11, 2024). "Variety and the Golden Globe Awards Announce Party at Sundance Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved January 12, 2024.

[26] Neglia, Matt (July 3, 2024). "The 2024 Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) Midseason Astra Award Winners". Next Best Picture. Retrieved July 3, 2024.

[27] Goldsmith, Jill (October 29, 2024). "Gotham Awards Nominations: 'Anora' Leads Pack, 'Challengers' & 'Nickel Boys' Among Group Up For Best Feature". Deadline. Retrieved October 29, 2024.

[28] D'Alessandro, Alex (December 4, 2024). "Film Independent Spirit Awards 40th Edition Best Feature Nominees Include 'Anora', 'I Saw The TV Glow', 'Nickel Boys', 'Sing Sing' & 'The Substance'". Deadline. Retrieved December 4, 2024.

[29] Neglia, Matt (December 10, 2024). "The 2024 Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved December 12, 2024.

[30] Pedersen, Erik (January 17, 2025). "Dorian Awards Nominations: 'I Saw The TV Glow' & 'The Substance' Lead Field". Deadline. Retrieved January 19, 2025.

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