Alex Shaffer
Encyclopedia
Alex Shaffer is an American
actor, best known for his role as Kyle Timmons, a troubled kid and a wrestling prodigy, in the 2011 film Win Win
.
, New Jersey and raised in Raritan Township
, the son of Gina and Michael Shaffer, a CFO
for Calvin Klein
. He appeared in the performance of Pirates of Penzance when he was a student at Reading-Fleming Middle School. He was a sophomore at Hunterdon Central High School when he was cast as a young wrestler in the movie Win Win after a classmate tipped him off about the auditions to the film that required an athlete-wrestler. Shaffer had been himself a very successful high school wrestler, winning the 2010 New Jersey State Wrestling Championship at 119 lb. as a sophomore, but his wrestling career ended when he broke his L-5 vertebra.
Shaffer’s screen debut is earning raves. Roger Ebert
described his acting "effortlessly convincing." Shaffer, whose hair was bleached for the role, "plays the reserved and withdrawn Kyle to perfection," said film critic Brandon Fibbs.As for the film director Tom McCarthy, he said: "I knew that if the kid we cast had never wrestled, he wasn’t going to be able to fake it, at least not at the level we wanted Kyle to be. The great thing about Alex is, he also evokes all the qualities of a 16-year-old kid. He just felt so real to me. We really put him through the wringer on this movie and he just kept getting better and better." In an interview with PBS he said: "You know, this monosyllabic shut-down character we all know and love so much, which is very difficult to bring to the screen actually, as you run the risk of the character being flat, but he [Alex Shaffer] found a way in his directness to be very charming".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, best known for his role as Kyle Timmons, a troubled kid and a wrestling prodigy, in the 2011 film Win Win
Win Win (film)
Win Win is a 2011 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Thomas McCarthy. Based on the story written by Joe Tiboni and Thomas McCarthy, it stars Paul Giamatti, Alex Shaffer and Amy Ryan.-Plot:...
.
Life and career
Shaffer was born in Hunterdon CountyHunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 128,349. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....
, New Jersey and raised in Raritan Township
Raritan Township, New Jersey
Raritan Township is a Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 22,185...
, the son of Gina and Michael Shaffer, a CFO
Chief financial officer
The chief financial officer or Chief financial and operating officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management...
for Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
. He appeared in the performance of Pirates of Penzance when he was a student at Reading-Fleming Middle School. He was a sophomore at Hunterdon Central High School when he was cast as a young wrestler in the movie Win Win after a classmate tipped him off about the auditions to the film that required an athlete-wrestler. Shaffer had been himself a very successful high school wrestler, winning the 2010 New Jersey State Wrestling Championship at 119 lb. as a sophomore, but his wrestling career ended when he broke his L-5 vertebra.
Shaffer’s screen debut is earning raves. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
described his acting "effortlessly convincing." Shaffer, whose hair was bleached for the role, "plays the reserved and withdrawn Kyle to perfection," said film critic Brandon Fibbs.As for the film director Tom McCarthy, he said: "I knew that if the kid we cast had never wrestled, he wasn’t going to be able to fake it, at least not at the level we wanted Kyle to be. The great thing about Alex is, he also evokes all the qualities of a 16-year-old kid. He just felt so real to me. We really put him through the wringer on this movie and he just kept getting better and better." In an interview with PBS he said: "You know, this monosyllabic shut-down character we all know and love so much, which is very difficult to bring to the screen actually, as you run the risk of the character being flat, but he [Alex Shaffer] found a way in his directness to be very charming".