Sam Rechner
Birth placeSydney, Australia
OccupationActor
Education
Notable worksThe Fabelmans

Sam Rechner is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing Logan Hall in Steven Spielberg's film The Fabelmans (2022) and Ben Brown in Scream 7 (2026).

Early life

Rechner is from Sydney. He attended Knox Grammar School in Wahroonga, New South Wales where he was a keen rugby union player.[1][2]

Career

Rechner made his feature film debut in the Jane Seymour led Australian drama Ruby's Choice.[3]

Reichner was 21 years old when he was cast as Logan Hall in Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans' in June 2021. This was the actor's first gig as a professional actor. The character is based on a student who levied anti-Semitic bullying towards Spielberg during his high school years in real life.[4][5][6] Rechner auditioned remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic via a zoom interview with Spielberg. To leave Australia at the time he had to apply for special exemption, and this only came through the day before he was flying to the United States to work on the film.[7] It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022 and was released in theaters in November 2022. The scene involving Logan confronting the protagonist Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) over the way the latter portrayed him in the "Ditch Day" film and the two of them ultimately coming to an understanding was selected by Slant Magazine and Polygon as among the best movie scenes of 2022.[8][9]

In July 2023, Rechner was cast on the second season of the Netflix teen drama series Heartbreak High as Rowan Callaghan.[10] It was released on 11 April 2024.[11]

In December 2023, the actor was awarded GQ's Man of the Year award for "Breakthrough Actor of the Year" with the award presented by fellow Heartbreak High co-star Josh Heuston who had won the same award the previous year.[12]

In November 2024, Rechner was announced as a cast member in independent drama And Out Comes The Wolf, based on the Rancid 1995 album of the same name.[13] In December 2024, it was announced that Rechner would appear in Scream 7.[14]

Personal life

He is the nephew of Australian television presenters Peter Overton and Jessica Rowe.[15][16] He has a twin brother who studies at university in Sydney. Nicole Kidman is a friend of his family.[17] Rechner attended the 95th Academy Awards in 2023 with Kidman and her husband Keith Urban.[18][19]

Filmography

Key
†Denotes works that have not yet been released
YearTitleRoleNotes
2021Ruby's ChoiceJack
2022The FabelmansLogan Hall
2024Heartbreak HighRowan CallaghanSeason 2; Main role
2025And Out Comes The Wolf
2026Scream 7Ben Brown[20]
TBAFilming

References

  1. ^ "Two Knox Students Selected on Australian Schools Rugby Team". Knox Grammar School. July 11, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "Oakhill College v Knox Grammar". nsw.rugby. April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  3. ^ "Sam Rechner joins Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans". Cinema Express. June 19, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  4. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 18, 2021). "Steven Spielberg Amblin Pic Based On His Childhood Adds Australian Actor Sam Rechner". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  5. ^ Lang, Brent (June 18, 2021). "Steven Spielberg's Semi-Autobiographical Film Casts Sam Rechner in Key Role". Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  6. ^ Moran, Jonothan (December 18, 2022). "Sydney actor Sam Rechner stars alongside Michelle Williams and Paul Dano in new Spielberg film". DailyTelegraph.com.au. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  7. ^ Sarkari, Karishma (December 25, 2022). "How Aussie newcomer Sam Rechner almost lost his role in Steven Spielberg's new movie: 'I shouldn't have been there'". Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  8. ^ "The Best Film Scenes of 2022". Slant. December 12, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  9. ^ Volk, Pete (December 27, 2022). "The best movie scenes of 2022". Polygon. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Slatter, Sean (2023-07-07). "Sam Rechner, Kartanya Maynard enter the fray for 'Heartbreak High' season two". IF Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  11. ^ Mitchell, Rebecca (2024-04-11). "Sound The Bells—'Heartbreak High' Season 2 Is Back". ELLE. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  12. ^ Ward, Genevieve (December 6, 2023). "Sam Rechner is GQ's Breakthrough Actor of the Year for 2023". GQ. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  13. ^ Kit, Borys (November 14, 2024). "East Bay Punk Music Drama 'Out Come the Wolves,' Inspired By Rancid Album, Finds Cast (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  14. ^ Grobar, Matt (December 13, 2024). "Sam Rechner Joins 'Scream 7'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived December 13, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  15. ^ Moran, Jonathon (December 22, 2022). "Sydney actor Sam Rechner stars alongside Michelle Williams and Paul Dano in new Spielberg film". Dailytelegraph.com.au
  16. ^ Thomas, Mia (March 14, 2023). "Who is Jessica Rowe and Peter Overton's star-studded nephew Sam Rechner?". Nowtolove.com.au. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  17. ^ Hornery, Andrew (March 18, 2023). "No help from Kidman required as Hollywood beckons for rising star". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  18. ^ "Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban on why they're accompanying Sam Rechner at the Oscars". ctv.ca. March 14, 2023. Archived from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  19. ^ Anil, Abhishek (March 14, 2023). "Nicole Kidman shares spotlight with 'friend's son' on Oscars red carpet in heartwarming gesture". Meaww.com. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  20. ^ Squires, John (January 7, 2025). "Kevin Williamson Confirms That Filming on 'Scream 7' Has Begun". Bloody Disgusting. Archived January 8, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 8, 2025.