The big casting news for John Green's adaptation of Paper Towns was that Cara Delevingne would be starring, but playing opposite her is someone who deserves as much attention: Nat Wolff. The up-and-comer is rising quickly, having had a role in another Green adaptation — maybe you've heard of it? — The Fault in Our Stars. But that film isn't the only reason Wolff's star is rising; find out why you need to know who he is and where you've probably already seen him.
In this year's smash hit drama, Wolff may not have been either of the leads, but he still stole scenes from Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley. Wolff played Isaac, the best friend to Gus and then Hazel, and not only would you remember him because he wore dark glasses the whole time — a result of losing his eyes to cancer — he also had some great lines and scenes (remember when he got dumped?).
Perhaps you caught Wolff in 2013's Admission, where he shared the screen with Tina Fey and Paul Rudd (he played a kid who's possibly the son Fey's character gave up). It takes a strong actor to get your attention from those two, and Wolff did it.
The Fault in Our Stars was directed by Josh Boone, who also wrote and directed this cute 2012 romantic comedy. It revolves around a family — consisting of Wolff, Lily Collins, Greg Kinnear, and Jennifer Connelly — where each member is having his or her own romantic drama. Wolff showed range as the son, Rusty, and clearly became a favorite of Boone.
Wolff is also gaining indie cred; he costarred in this year's film festival offering Palo Alto alongside Emma Roberts and James Franco (who wrote the book the film is based on). But don't look for him to play more bad-boy characters too soon — he told us he didn't want to play "assh*les" anymore when we chatted with him at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Were you a Nickelodeon kid in the late 2000s? Because you might remember that Wolff and his little brother Alex were the stars of The Naked Brothers Band, which was created by their mother, Polly Draper.
Along with Paper Towns, Wolff also has a role in the Robert De Niro/Anne Hathaway-starring The Intern, which is due for release next year. He'll also be reteaming with director Boone yet again for the remake of The Stand. Keep your eye on him — this kid's going places.