Disney's A Wrinkle in Time was already a sensation before even hitting theaters thanks to its incredible cast. The film stars 14-year-old Storm Reid as protagonist Meg Murry; Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling as her three supernatural guides; and Chris Pine and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as her scientists parents. Other big stars like Zach Galifianakis and Michael Peña also have significant roles, but there's another lesser known actor in the film who is getting a lot of buzz for his performance as Calvin in A Wrinkle in Time, Levi Miller.
The role of Calvin is portrayed by the 15-year-old Australian actor. In the film, as well as in the classic 1962 novel of the same name upon which the movie is based, Calvin is a close friend of Meg who becomes swept up in her interdimensional adventure after her father goes missing. The role is certainly a big one for Miller, but it's not actually the first time the young actor has had a high profile role in a major film. Although he's only a teenager, Miller has already had a number of big roles, including one based on an extremely famous book character.
Miller portrayed Peter Pan in the 2015 Warner Bros. film Pan, which acted as a prequel to the original Peter Pan story by author J.M. Barrie. The film gave a new origin to the characters of Pan and Captain Hook, who was portrayed by Hugh Jackman in the film, but unfortunately audiences didn't turn out to see how it went. The movie suffered a massive financial loss for the studio, according to estimates by The Hollywood Reporter at the time, and wasn't a hit with critics either, but one bright spot of the film was the then-unknown Miller's strong performance in the title role. Thankfully, producers apparently noticed, and Miller has continued to lock up big roles since starring in Pan.
In 2016, Miller starred in a radically different style of film when he appeared in the Christmas-themed horror movie Better Watch Out alongside The Visit star Olivia DeJonge. In the movie, Miller's character, Luke, sadistically tortures his babysitter (DeJonge) and reveals himself to be a murderer in a twisted and unexpected take on home invasion thrillers. The movie was highly regarded by critics, and boasts an 86 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
After his performance in Better Watch Out, Miller starred in the 2016 Australian family film Red Dog: True Blue, which served as a prequel to the 2011 film Red Dog. Both movies are based on the novel Red Dog by Louis de Bernières, which in turn was inspired by the exploits of the actual "Red Dog," a pooch known for his various travels across the continent in the 1970s. Then, in 2017, Miller took on the lead role of yet another book character, portraying Charlie Bucktin in the dramatic film Jasper Jones. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Craig Silvey, and tells the story of Bucktin and his socially ostracized classmate, Jasper Jones, investigating the mysterious death of a local girl. The coming of age film deals with themes of child abuse and racism, and was lauded by critics, giving Miller another solid credit on his young résumé.
Levi Miller's role as Calvin in A Wrinkle in Time alongside a number of big name actors may seem somewhat random, but the young actor has spent the last few years putting together an impressive list of performances, so there should be no doubt that he can hold his own alongside the likes of Oprah and the rest of them.
