Julian Dennison

Julian Bailey Dennison (born 26 October 2002) is a New Zealand actor. He starred in the 2013 film Shopping for which he won the Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in that year. He is known for his roles as Ricky Baker in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, the highest-grossing New Zealand film in history, Russell "Firefist" Collins in Deadpool 2 (2018), and Belsnickel in The Christmas Chronicles 2. He also played Josh Valentine in Godzilla vs. Kong 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 Rusty Collins (formerly 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 of Josh Waaka 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.

On 19 January 2026, Dennison married Christian Baledrokadroka in a private ceremony.

Filmography Film

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 (voice) Episode: "Paths Unknown"