Biography of Jaeden Martell
Jaeden Martell (formerly Lieberher) is an American actor known for his roles in the films "St. Vincent," "The Confirmation," and the horror movie "It," where he played the lead role of young Bill Denbrough. Currently, he is credited under his mother's maiden name, Martell.Childhood and Family
Jaden Wesley Lieberher was born on January 4, 2003, in Philadelphia. His parents are housewife Angela Martell and the famous British chef Wes Lieberher. Jaden is the eldest of four children: he has two brothers and a sister.Lieberher is one-quarter Korean – he inherited Asian genes from his mother's side, while his father's ancestry includes Germans, English, Scots, Irish, French-Canadians, and Belgians. In 2011, when Jaden was 8 years old, he moved to Los Angeles with his mother. Later, Lieberher admitted that he never expected such a move would lead him into the world of cinema.
Acting Career
Soon after moving to Los Angeles, Jaeden, although he had no formal acting training, began appearing in commercials. In 2013, the young actor was invited to star in George Bessudo's short film "Grief," which told the story of a young couple coping with the death of their only son. Jaeden's second film experience was much more significant – he landed the lead role in the comedy "St. Vincent." The film's plot revolves around a boy whose parents have just divorced, finding a true friend and mentor in a war veteran living next door. Working on this project allowed Jaeden to meet well-known actors Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, and Bill Murray, who played the elderly veteran. Shortly before the film's premiere, Lieberher made his first talk show appearance as a guest on "The Ellen Show." Participating in the film, which received many positive reviews, was a turning point in the young actor's career – he caught the attention of many renowned directors. That same year, Jaeden starred in the romantic comedy "Playing It Cool," portraying the main character at the age of 6. Chris Evans played the main character as an adult.In 2015, Lieberher took part in voicing an episode of the tenth season of the animated series "American Dad!" and starred in the comedy "Aloha," which featured many well-known Hollywood actors: Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, John Krasinski, Alec Baldwin, and Bill Murray, whom Jaeden had the honor of working with the year before. In 2015, Jaeden was also cast as Johnny Masters in the series "Masters of Sex." The boy played the son of the main characters of the series – gynecologist Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen) and his ex-wife Libby Masters (Caitlin FitzGerald). Lieberher's character appears in seasons 3 and 4, totaling 11 episodes.
In 2016, the actor starred in the lead role in the short fantasy film "Framed: The Adventures of Zion Man" by director Brenda Lee Lau. In March 2016, the comedy "The Confirmation" premiered, in which a divorced father (Clive Owen) and his eight-year-old son (Jaeden Lieberher) spend a few weekends together that threaten to be the most unusual and fun in their lives. The following month, audiences saw Jaeden in Jeff Nichols' fantasy thriller "Midnight Special," starring Michael Shannon, Kirsten Dunst, and Adam Driver. In June 2017, "The Book of Henry" premiered, in which Lieberher played one of the lead roles – an eleven-year-old boy named Henry, a true genius who understands many complex things and offers great help to his single mother (Naomi Watts) and brother Peter (Jacob Tremblay).
In September 2017, the horror film "It," based on the novel by Stephen King, was released in theaters. In the horror story, a group of schoolchildren battles a demon clown terrorizing all the children in a small American town (Bill Skarsgård). In the film, Lieberher played Bill Denbrough, the leader of "The Losers' Club," a brave teenager ready to do anything to save his younger brother Georgie from the monster's clutches.
Bill's best friends were played by Sophia Lillis, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Finn Wolfhard, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, and Chosen Jacobs. Jaeden became good friends with all six and admitted that he hadn't enjoyed filming as much as he did on "It" before. To prepare for the role of Bill, Jaeden had to learn to stutter. He watched videos on YouTube that explained the nature of stuttering and videos of children who stutter. For two weeks, he spoke with his family only with a stutter, and then he practiced with a speech therapist.My favorite scene is the quarry scene. We weren’t allowed to jump into the water from the height ourselves; stunt doubles did that, but we enjoyed watching them. That day we just fooled around by the lake instead of working.
In 2017, the young actor worked on the film "The True Adventures of Wolfboy" by director Martin Krejčí, which, in addition to Lieberher, stars Chloë Sevigny, John Turturro, and Chris Messina. After the success of "It," Jaeden starred in two films, but both failed at the box office. A new surge of popularity began with the release of "It Chapter Two," where the actor had significantly less screen time. However, Lieberher's castmates included James McAvoy as adult Bill, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader.
In 2019, Jaeden's parents divorced. He stayed with his mother and, in a sign of support, took her surname – Martell. Under this surname, he appeared in the detective film "Knives Out," where he played the spoiled grandson of a well-known writer who does not hide his right-wing views. The next high-profile project featuring him is the miniseries "Defending Jacob," where the young actor transformed into Jacob Barber, the son of a district attorney suspected of murdering a classmate. Despite numerous pieces of evidence, the boy declares himself innocent. His father sides with him and tries to prove his innocence. Jaeden's on-screen parents were played by Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery. The series premiered in 2020. In 2020, he starred alongside Susan Sarandon in the drama "Tunnels," which deals with the psychological aftermath of school "Columbines."
In 2022, Jaeden played the lead role in the Netflix musical comedy "Metal Lords" – a shy young man named Kevin, trying to become a rock legend. The actor discussed the similarities and differences between him and Kevin in an interview:
That same year, he could be seen in the lead role in another Netflix project – the horror film "Mr. Harrigan's Phone."We're both malleable as people, and I don't know if that's always a bad thing. When I enter certain social situations, I can definitely change. I'm not saying I lack integrity, but I think, simply as an actor, I can learn from people, whether it's their humor or how they interact with others. I'm always watching, learning, and adapting, and I think Kevin does that subconsciously... I think I'm a bit more assertive. Kevin, on the other hand, is very sweet, and he lets people push him around. Whereas I'm definitely an introvert and shy, but I have an edge, and I don't like to put up with people's nonsense.
Jaden Martell's Personal Life
Jaden is quite good at skateboarding, supports the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team, and is into skiing.Of course, after the premiere of "It," there were rumors about a relationship between Jaden and Sophia Lillis, and the audience immediately dubbed them "the cutest couple of the year." However, that's not the case – they are just good friends. In 2018, Jaden started dating actress Lilia Buckingham.
Jaeden Martell Now
In March 2024, the post-apocalyptic horror film "Arcadian," starring Jaeden Martell and Nicolas Cage as the lead roles, was released. They play a father and son who take refuge on a farm while fleeing from mysterious monsters.Jaeden Martell: latest news and articles
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