Bryce Hodgson

Bryce Hodgson (born February 22, 1989) is a Canadian actor, playwright and filmmaker, best known for portraying Ben Segal in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series and Don E. in the television series iZombie.^[1]

Background

Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, he began his career as a child actor, with various supporting roles in film and television including recurring supporting parts as Ben in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series and Artie Maddicks in X-Men.^[2] After becoming disillusioned and burnt out, he went through a brief rebellious phase in the city's punk rock scene before getting involved in youth community theatre, studying under Kate Twa at the city's Lyric Theatre.^[2]

Theatre career

In 2010 he was one of the founders of the Vancouver-based Little Bastards theatre company, where his colleagues included filmmaker Anthony Shim.^[3]

In 2014 he performed in New York City in an Off-Broadway stage adaptation of Deliverance.^[4] With Danny Blackburn, he also composed original music for the production, receiving a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Music in a Play in 2015.^[5]

He was later one of the founders of Blood Pact Theatre.^[6] The company debuted in September 2016 with Kill Your Parents in Viking, Alberta, a play co-written by Hodgson and Charlie Kerr.^[7] The company followed up in 2018 with After Wrestling, another play co-written by Hodgson and Kerr,^[8] and No Clowns Allowed, a play written by Hodgson's colleague Bri Proke.^[9]

In 2019 the company acquired its own theatre venue, Grand Canyon, in The Junction neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario,^[6] launching the space with Hodgson's play Dock Mother God Society.^[2]

Filmmaking

Blackbear, his first short film as a director, premiered at the 2022 Fantasia Film Festival, where it received an honorable mention from the international short film award jury.^[10]

In fall 2023 he began production on his feature directorial debut, Thanks to the Hard Work of the Elephants.^[11] The film will receive a private industry screening at the 78th Locarno Film Festival in August 2025,^[12] with its public premiere scheduled for the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival.^[13]