Julian Dennison

Julian Dennison (born 16 October 2002) is a New Zealand actor. He starred in the 2013 film Shopping, for which he won the English Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actor. He is known for his roles as Ricky Baker in Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), the highest-grossing New Zealand film in history, as Russell "Firefist" Collins in Deadpool 2 (2018), and as Belsnickel in The Christmas Chronicles 2. He also played Josh Valentine in Godzilla vs. Kong in 2021 and had a leading role in the film Uproar (2023).
== Life and career ==
Dennison was born and raised in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. He is the third of a family of four children, and has a twin brother named Christian. Julian is of Māori descent and is a member of the Ngāti Hauā iwi (tribe), part of the Tainui tribal confederation. He attended Naenae Primary School, where he first auditioned, and got his first part in the 2013 film Shopping, He was then cast in the Australian film Paper Planes (2015). He later attended Hutt International Boys' School in Upper Hutt.
Dennison continued with acting and was given a role in an advertisement for the NZ Transport Agency to discourage driving under the influence of drugs. The public service announcement, which became an internet sensation in New Zealand and Australia, was directed by Taika Waititi, who later asked Dennison to star in his film Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) without the need to audition. The film went on to become New Zealand's highest-grossing film to date, and was critically acclaimed.
Dennison played Russell Collins / Firefist in the 2018 film Deadpool 2. He was cast because of his Wilderpeople performance, and the friendship of Waititi with Deadpools filmmakers. In 2020, Dennison co-starred in The Christmas Chronicles 2, portraying Belsnickel and also voicing his elf form, and in 2021, he had a large supporting role in the monster sequel Godzilla vs. Kong. In 2023, he was cast in the A24 film Y2K.
Dennison played the main role in the film Uproar in 2023. His performance was praised by The Age, for its "admirable restraint". In an interview for The Post, Dennison stated that his lead role in Uproar was when "I felt like I was finding my voice." In January 2024, Dennison was announced to play Fishlegs Ingerman in the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon.
== Filmography ==
===Film===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
2013	Shopping 	Solomon 	
2015	Paper Planes 	Kevin 	
2016	Hunt for the Wilderpeople 	Ricky Baker 	
2016	Chronesthesia 	Beni 	Love and Time Travel
2018	Deadpool 2 	Russell Collins / Firefist	
2018	Lynx Australia: Find Your Aussie Magic	Humphrey 	Short
2018	Once Upon a Deadpool 	Firefist 	
2020	The Christmas Chronicles 2 	Belsnickel 	
2021	Godzilla vs. Kong 	Josh Valentine 	
2023	Uproar 	Josh Waaka 	
2024	Y2K 	Danny 	
2025	How to Train Your Dragon 	Fishlegs Ingerman 	Filming
===Television===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
2016 	Funny Girls 	Himself 	
2019–present	The Strange Chores 	Pierce (voice)	Season One only
2024 	Star Wars: The Bad Batch	Deke, Stak 	Episode: "Paths Unknown"
=== Music Video ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
2016	Summer Wonderland	Himself	
== External links ==
== References ==
Category:Living people
Category:2002 births
Category:Actors
Category:New Zealand male actors
Category:Male child actors
Category:New Zealand male child actors