Joe Alwyn

Joseph Matthew Alwyn (born 21 February 1991) is an English actor. Alwyn made his feature film debut as the titular character in Ang Lee's 2016 war drama Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk and has since played roles in films such as The Favourite, Boy Erased (2018), Mary Queen of Scots (2018), Harriet (2019), Catherine Called Birdy (2022), The Brutalist (2024), and Hamnet (2025), as well as the BBC and Hulu drama series Conversations with Friends (2022).

Born in Kent and raised in North London, Alwyn developed an interest in acting during his teenage years. He acted in student productions at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and obtained BA degrees in English literature and drama, and acting, from the University of Bristol (2012), and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (2015), respectively.

Alwyn worked with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift on ten of her songs released from 2020 to 2022, including "Exile" and "Betty" from Swift's eighth studio album, Folklore, which won the Album of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. He won a Trophée Chopard at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and appeared on the 2022 Time 100 Next list of rising stars.

Early life and education Joseph Matthew Alwyn was born on 21 February 1991 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. Raised in North London, Alwyn is the son of a psychotherapist mother and a documentary filmmaker father. He is the great-grandson of composers William Alwyn and Olive Alwyn . His great uncle was priest and peace activist Bruce Kent.

Alwyn was privately educated at the City of London School. Alwyn knew he wanted to be an actor. He auditioned for a small role in Love Actually, but was not cast. While studying for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English literature and drama at the University of Bristol, After graduating in 2012, he applied to four drama schools, and was accepted by the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, where he completed a BA degree in acting. Alwyn was cast in the lead role of Taiwanese director Ang Lee's 2016 war drama film, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, which is a film adaptation of the 2012 novel of the same name by American writer Ben Fountain. Lee stated that he selected Alwyn because of his "ability to communicate the book's paradox of war with just his facial expressions". Alwyn came to the United States for the first time after passing the film's auditions. He stated that he didn't "exactly fit" the casting requirements of the role, which were "a 19-year-old U.S. Army grunt"; Alwyn said he had long blond hair and was "a lot skinnier" when he auditioned. In reviews of the film, critics praised Alwyn's performance for its naturalism.

Alwyn appeared in a number of 2018 films. He played a supporting role as the British nobleman Samuel Masham in the period black comedy film The Favourite, directed by Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. The film garnered 10 nominations at the 91st Academy Awards. Lauren McCarthy of W magazine praised Alwyn's physical humour and silly acting style in the film, in contrast to his "boy-next-door-meets-movie-star-hearthrob looks". He played a supporting role in Chris Weitz's historical drama Operation Finale, and a minor role in Joel Edgerton's Boy Erased—a biographical drama film based on a 2016 memoir by American LGBT+ activist Garrard Conley. Alwyn won the Trophée Chopard alongside Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2019, Alwyn played a slave owner in Harriet, a biographical drama about Harriet Tubman. He appeared as Bob Cratchit in the dark fantasy television miniseries A Christmas Carol, based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella of the same name. In 2021, he had a minor role in drama film The Souvenir Part II, and played a 1960s industrialist in the film adaptation of Jojo Moyes' 2008 romantic novel, The Last Letter from Your Lover.

In 2022, Alwyn starred in the drama series Conversations with Friends—a Hulu adaptation of the 2017 novel of the same name by Irish author Sally Rooney. Alwyn was paired with Margaret Qualley in the romantic thriller film Stars at Noon, directed by French filmmaker Claire Denis, and played the titular character's uncle in Catherine Called Birdy, a medieval comedy film directed by Lena Dunham, based on the 1994 children's novel of the same name; both the films were met with generally positive reviews, with the former premiering at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and winning the Grand Prix.

In late 2022, Eimear McBride wrote and directed A Very Short Film About Longing. The film was screened at the 2023 BFI London Film Festival. It starred Alwyn, Natalia Kostrzewa and Lashay Anderson and was soundtracked by Tindersticks. In 2024, Alwyn played a supporting role in Kinds of Kindness, an anthology film directed by Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. He also co-starred as Harry Lee Van Buren in Brady Corbet’s epic The Brutalist, earning acclaim for his portrayal of the entitled son.

In 2025, Alwyn made his professional stage debut as Heath in a modern adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s ‘‘The Lady from the Sea’’ at the Bridge Theatre in London, appearing opposite Alicia Vikander and Andrew Lincoln. He received a nomination for Best Supporting Performer in a Play at the 2026 WhatsOnStage Awards for his performance. Later that year he appeared as Bartholomew in Chloé Zhao's Hamnet, a period drama based on Maggie O’Farrell’s novel. The film received widespread critical acclaim and earned eight nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, including for Best Picture, with co-star Jessie Buckley winning Best Actress. He also starred as Laertes in the modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘‘Hamlet’’ opposite Riz Ahmed in the title role.

Music While in a relationship with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, Alwyn contributed to the production of ten of her songs released from 2020 to 2022. Alwyn stated that "it came about from messing around on a piano, and singing badly," and then "being overheard by Swift, and being, like, 'Let's see what happens if we get to the end of it together'". He is credited as co-producer of the songs "Exile", "Betty", "My Tears Ricochet", "August", "This Is Me Trying" and "Illicit Affairs" on Swift's eighth studio album, Folklore (2020); and was also co-writer of "Exile" and "Betty", under the pseudonym William Bowery. "Exile" reached the top 10 of the charts in various countries, including number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number eight on the UK Singles Chart.

At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021, Folklore won the Album of the Year, earning Alwyn his first Grammy Award for his producing credit on the record. Credited as Bowery, Alwyn also co-wrote "Champagne Problems", "Coney Island" and the title track on Swift's second 2020 album, Evermore. In April 2022, Alwyn revealed to The Wall Street Journal that the name "William Bowery" was derived from the first name of his great-grandfather William Alwyn, who was a music composer, and the last name in honour of the New York City neighbourhood Bowery, where he had spent "a lot of time" when he first arrived in the U.S. On Swift's tenth studio album, Midnights (2022), he is credited as co-writer of "Sweet Nothing", again as Bowery.

Personal life Alwyn keeps his personal life private, which he described as a "knee-jerk response to the culture we live in". GQ labelled him a "notoriously low-key actor". Alwyn was in a relationship with the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from 2016 to 2023. He has been in a relationship with the American actress Sarah Pidgeon since 2026.

Advocacy Since the outbreak of the 2023 Gaza war, Alwyn has used his platform, particularly on Instagram, to raise awareness for the Palestinian cause and support charities, including Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC). He signed the Artists4Ceasefire letter addressed to then U.S. President Joe Biden and sported the collective's pin at various public events. Alwyn was one of the initial signatories of the Film Workers for Palestine boycott pledge, published in September 2025, pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions "that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people".

In response to the April 2025 Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ruling on the definition of woman in the Equality Act and subsequent EHRC guidance, Alwyn was one of over 400 film and television professionals to sign an open letter pledging "solidarity with the trans, non-binary and intersex communities" and condemning both actions.

Work +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

Year Title Role NotesRef. 2016 Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Billy Lynn 2019 Harriet Gideon Brodess 2020 Miss Americana Himself Documentary 2021 The Souvenir Part II Max 2024 Kinds of Kindness Collectibles appraiser 1 / Jerry / Joseph 2025 Hamnet Bartholomew Hathaway Hamlet Laertes 2027 Post-production TBA Post-production TBA pre-production

Television Year Title Role NotesRef.2019 A Christmas Carol Bob Cratchit Miniseries; 3 episodes 2022 Conversations with Friends Nick Conway Main role; 12 episodes TBA TBA TBA Jim Prideaux

Theatre +YearTitleRoleRef.2025The Lady from the SeaHeath

Discography +YearAlbumSongCreditRef.2020"Exile"Co-writer "My Tears Ricochet"Co-producer"August""This Is Me Trying""Illicit Affairs""Betty"Co-writer; co-producer"Champagne Problems"Co-writer "Coney Island""Evermore"2022"Sweet Nothing"

Accolades

Footnotes