Mar 21, 2019
Actor Spotlight: 11-year-old Multi-Award Winning Actor Alexander Davis
Canadian actor Alexander Davis may be young, but the breadth of roles he’s taken on to date have proven him to be one of the most talented young actors out there today, and we needn’t look further than the number of awards he’s earned over the years for proof.
From being the voice of Brownie and Checkers on the hit PBS series “Super Why” and taking on the lead role of Randy Parker in the live theatre performance of “A Christmas Story” at the Neptune Theatre, which earned him a Young Artist Award, to his recent role as a young John Buultjens in the feature film “Ride,” Davis skill in tapping into a wide range of roles and bringing them to life on both the stage and screen is worth taking notice.
Alexander Davis says, “I am 11 years old and I have been acting for 6 years, and I’m looking forward to acting for many more.”
With the film “Ride,” which also stars Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges (“2 Fast 2 Furious,” “Hustle and Flow,” “Crash”), Shane Graham (“Boyhood”) and Sasha Alexander (“Shameless,” “Rizzoli & Isles”), slated for release later this year, and starring roles in the upcoming films “Lying Together” and the British funded film “Egg Soldier,” as well as several other projects in the works, there is no doubt that Davis will continue acting for years to come.
Davis has clearly found his place in the world as an actor, and he’ll be the first one to tell you that he loves his work.
“When I was 7 years old, I did a theater run of ‘A Christmas Story.’ I performed eight shows every week and when I was done, I didn’t want the work to stop. I love acting so much that I just wanted to work everyday. Well, one day off per week would be okay I guess,” admits Davis.
Since beginning his career several years ago Davis has continued to earn international praise for his performances. In 2014 he earned his first Young Artist Award nomination for his role in the film “Senior Drivers,” followed by his Young Artist Award win for his performance in “A Christmas Story,” which earned him a Joey Award that year as well. In 2016 Davis was honored once again, this time with a Young Entertainer Award nomination for his supporting role as Young Brackenreid in the award-winning series “Murdoch Mysteries.”
2018 was another year full of some big wins for Davis as well. Last year his performance as Pip Parker in the dark comedy film “Re: Possessed Homes,” which premiered at the Nashville Film Festival and also stars Natalie Lisinska from “Orphan Black” and Zoe Begley from “American Gothic,” earned Davis the Joey Award for Best Supporting or Principal Actor in a Short Film. He also earned the Joey Award for Best Actor in the Principal or Supporting Role in a Feature Film 8–9 Years category for his striking performance in “Ride.”
Considering the years and dedication that he’s put into his craft, it only makes sense that Alexander Davis is taking on more challenging roles, and “Ride” is arguably one of the most challenging to date considering the nature of his character.
Centering on the life of BMX pro rider John Buultjens, “Ride” takes viewers inside Buultjens tumultuous upbringing, which included being raised by an alcoholic father and white supremacist family and spending years in a juvenile detention center before eventually being adopted by an interracial family. Davis comes into the film as a young John Buultjens during his dramatic years as a juvenile delinquent.
“John was afraid that the role was going to damage me in some way like it had for him when he was a child. I let John know that I was an actor and could get into my role on screen, but that unlike him living the situation 24/7, I was able to go back to my hotel and eat ice cream,” explains Davis. “My biggest challenge though was a stunt in a jail scene where I had to headbutt a bigger kid on the nose. It was tough to reach the right height that I needed to make it look real, but we eventually got it.”
As always, Davis nailed his mark, and he has the Joey Award to prove it. Aside from his 2018 Joey Award wins for “Re: Possessed Homes” and “Ride,” he was also nominated for an additional Joey Award for his performance in a principal role on the hit series “NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service.”
With such a diverse range of projects already under his belt, some may wonder what leads young Davis to chose one role over another.
He explains, “I love a great script that makes the audience think and feel emotions. That’s why I love stories like ‘Ride.’ So often, people judge someone by what they do, instead of realizing that there is a story behind it. I hope to make the world a better place to live in through the power of films.”
