Honestly, if you look at the trajectory of Brenton Thwaites’ career, it feels like a fever dream of "almost" and "actually." One minute he’s the fresh-faced prince in a Disney blockbuster, and the next, he’s a gritty, blood-soaked vigilante in a DC series that basically redefined how dark a Robin could get.
He's an enigma.
Most actors find a lane and stay in it. Not this guy. He jumped from the sun-drenched sets of Australian soaps straight into the deep end of Hollywood’s "Next Big Thing" machine. It’s 2026, and looking back, the sheer variety of Brenton Thwaites movies and tv shows is enough to give anyone whiplash. From fighting ghost pirates with Johnny Depp to surviving a literal zombie apocalypse alongside Daisy Ridley, he's done it all, yet he still feels like a well-kept secret for those who aren’t chronically online.
The Australian Soap to Hollywood Pipeline
It all started back in 2011. Like every other Aussie actor you’ve ever loved—think Hemsworth or Margot Robbie—Thwaites cut his teeth on Home and Away. He played Stu Henderson. He wasn't there long, just about 57 episodes, but it was enough to prove he had that specific leading-man charisma that Americans go crazy for.
Before that? SLiDE. It was this Fox8 teen drama where he played Luke Gallagher. It’s kind of a cult classic now if you’re into Brisbane-based coming-of-age stories. He was young, 22-ish, and clearly just figuring out how to be a "cool kid" on screen. You could tell he was going places.
Then came the jump.
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He didn’t just move to LA; he landed Blue Lagoon: The Awakening. Yeah, the Lifetime movie. It’s easy to poke fun at it, but let’s be real: it put him on the map. He played Dean McMullen, the stranded teenager with perfectly tousled hair. It was exactly the kind of role that makes casting directors take notice, even if the script is, well, a Lifetime script.
The Big Budget Era: Pirates, Princesses, and Gods
2014 was his "make or break" year. I'm talking six films in twelve months. It was insane. He was Prince Phillip in Maleficent, which meant sharing scenes with Angelina Jolie. Think about that for a second. Most actors work decades for that kind of exposure.
But it wasn't all fairy tales. He did The Giver. This was supposed to be the next Hunger Games or Divergent. He played Jonas, starring alongside Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges. Oh, and Taylor Swift was in it too. It was a massive swing that didn't quite hit the home run everyone expected, but it proved Thwaites could carry a heavy, philosophical sci-fi story.
Why Henry Turner Changed Everything
Then came Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Stepping into the shoes of Orlando Bloom’s onscreen son, Henry Turner, was a huge deal. He was essentially the "new" Will Turner.
Working on that set was no joke. Thwaites has mentioned in interviews how intimidating it was being the "newbie" on a franchise that had been around since he was 13. He’s told stories about Johnny Depp playing guitar between takes and the grueling stunt work on the high seas (or at least, the Australian coast where they filmed). It was a $230 million production. That’s a lot of pressure for a guy who was doing Aussie soaps just a few years prior.
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The Nightwing Evolution: Titans and Beyond
If you ask most fans today what they know him for, it’s Titans.
Playing Dick Grayson was a masterstroke. For four seasons (2018–2023), he took a character everyone thought they knew—Robin—and made him incredibly complicated. He wasn't the "Holy Smokes, Batman!" version. He was a guy who hated his mentor, struggled with his own violent urges, and eventually found his identity as Nightwing.
The finale, "Titans Forever," which aired back in May 2023, was a bittersweet goodbye. Seeing him finally kiss Starfire (Anna Diop) and lead the team was the payoff fans had waited years for. It’s arguably his most consistent and nuanced work to date. He lived in that skin for a long time.
Recent Projects and 2026 Moves
Lately, he’s been leaning back into his roots and picking more interesting, grounded projects. If you haven't seen We Bury the Dead yet, you need to. It just hit North American theaters in early January 2026 after a huge SXSW run.
It’s a zombie survival thriller by Zak Hilditch. Thwaites plays Clay, acting opposite Daisy Ridley’s Ava. It’s grim. It’s emotional. It’s a far cry from the glossy Prince Phillip days. It feels like he’s in a "reinvention" phase where he cares more about the grit of the story than the size of the paycheck.
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He’s also working on Two Years Later for Paramount+. It’s a romantic drama series filmed in Brisbane about a pre-COVID flirtation that gets derailed by the pandemic. It’s relatable, kind of funny, and lets him use his actual accent for once.
Every Brenton Thwaites Movie and Show You Should Care About
If you’re trying to catch up on his filmography, don’t just watch the big ones. Some of the indie stuff is where the real acting happens.
- The Signal (2014): A weird, trippy sci-fi movie. He plays a hacker. It’s one of those "what did I just watch?" films that stays with you.
- Son of a Gun (2014): He’s JR, a young criminal mentored by Ewan McGregor. It’s a gritty heist movie that doesn't get enough love.
- Oculus (2013): Before Mike Flanagan was the "Haunting of Hill House" guy, he directed this. Brenton plays a guy convinced a mirror killed his parents. It’s genuinely terrifying.
- Office Uprising (2018): This is a total 180. It’s a horror-comedy about an energy drink that turns office workers into zombies. It’s ridiculous, and he’s clearly having a blast.
- I Met a Girl (2020): A really heart-wrenching drama where he plays a musician with schizophrenia. It’s probably his most underrated performance.
What's Next?
So, what should you do if you're a fan? Keep an eye on the Australian indie scene. Thwaites seems to be gravitating back toward home. He’s currently attached to The Token Groomsman, which is in pre-production.
If you want to see him at his best, start with Titans for the action and I Met a Girl for the heart. He’s one of the few actors who managed to survive the "Young Hollywood" hype of the 2010s and come out the other side as a legitimate, seasoned performer.
Go check out We Bury the Dead while it’s still in theaters this month. It’s the most "human" he’s looked on screen in years, and it’s a great reminder that he’s more than just a pretty face in a cape or a crown.
Watch the Titans series finale on Max to see the conclusion of his Dick Grayson arc, then transition into his newer, more experimental Australian film work to get a full picture of his range.