Bridger Zadina (born March 23, 1994) is an American model and actor from northern Wisconsin. He is known for roles on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Bosch, and Better Things. He also starred in the 2014 movie Sins of Our Youth.
Bridger Zadina | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 23, 1994 |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
Early life
editZadina was born on March 23, 1994,[1] and grew up the town of Poplar, Wisconsin. His parents raised llamas. As a boy, he worked in theatre, appearing in plays at the Duluth Playhouse.[2] His parents are Simon and Marcy Zadina and his brother is named Carson. At eleven years old, he became a national champion llama exhibitor.[3] He also worked as a model for the department store chain Target. He attended Northwestern Middle School in Poplar until he moved to California.[3][4]
Career
editIn 2006, Zadina went to Minneapolis to audition for a talent search conducted by the ProScout talent agency.[2] He was one of 300 children auditioning. He signed with an agent after the auditions,[2] and moved to Los Angeles with his mother and began auditioning for shows; in his spare time he worked with an acting coach.[3] He moved to Los Angeles in 2006 and had his first role in a nationally televised show called Stand by Me Alone.[3]
In 2009, he guest starred as a transgender teen on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the episode "Transitions".[5][6] When he learned that he would be playing a transgender teen he reportedly told the executive producer Neal Baer, "Wow, what am I going to tell my friends?"[5] He was selected for the role after auditioning with almost 200 other boys. The role called for Bridger to cry and he said that he was able to cry on screen by thinking of his horse and pet llama back in Wisconsin.[4] In 2010, he appeared in Numbers as Jim Mazzola Junior.[1]
At 17 years old, Zadina landed a role in the 2011 film Terri.[2] In 2013, he starred alongside Lucas Till, Joel Courtney, and Ally Sheedy in the movie Sins of Our Youth.[7] The Los Angeles Times criticized the movie, saying the plot in which teen drinking and guns lead to death was not surprising. In the movie Zadina plays one of four teen boys who drink alcohol and play with guns, killing a child.[8]
In 2015, he was cast in the western Kill or Be Killed as an outlaw ventriloquist.[9] In 2016, he starred in the FX show Better Things. He played the part of Harvey and had to take piano lessons for the part.[10] In 2017, he played a drug user in the movie Ripped. The Los Angeles Times panned the film calling it an "eye roller".[11] Also in 2017, he landed a recurring role on the television show Bosch.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Poplar teenager to star on CBS series tonight". Park Rapids Enterprise. March 12, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Kerr, Euan (August 2, 2011). "Teen goes from small town Wisconsin to Hollywood". MPR News. Minnesota Public Radio. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Former Poplar resident pursues career as child actor". Duluth News Tribune. March 3, 2008. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ a b "From the north woods to Hollywood". Duluth News Tribune. February 15, 2009. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ a b O'Connor, Mickey (February 17, 2009). "SVU Preview: Hormones, Strip Clubs and Transgendered Kids!". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "Bridger Zadina". Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay Times. July 5, 2009. p. 176. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ McNary, Dave (August 8, 2013). "Lucas Till, Joel Courtney, Ally Sheedy Join 'Sins of Our Youth'". Variety. Archived from the original on June 21, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ Myers, Kimber (December 15, 2016). "Review: 'Sins of Our Youth' lacks emotional heft to tackle gun violence". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ Coffel, Chris (March 9, 2016). "[DVD Review] 'Kill or Be Killed' Is a Bloody Fun Western". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "Better Things: How Bridger Zadina Prepped for a Makeout Scene". EW.com. October 28, 2016. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ Goldstein, Gary (June 23, 2017). "Stoners Face New, Unfunny World". Los Angeles Times. pp. E7. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 10, 2017). "'The Machine': Bridger Zadina, Olly Rix, Malachi Kirby & Indira Varma Cast In Syfy AI Pilot". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2024.