Wes Bentley Biography, Age, Hunger Games, Movies and TV Shows

Wes Bentley Biography

Wes Bentley (Wesley Cook Bentley) is an American actor known for blockbusters and independent films. He is best known for his roles as Ricky Fitts in American Beauty (1999). This role earned him a nomination for a BAFTA Award for Supporting Actor, Seneca Crane in The Hunger Games (2012), Doyle in Interstellar (2014) and Eric in Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
He was also one of four subjects in the documentary My Big Break (2009). It covered his fame after American Beauty and also struggles with substance abuse.

Rebuilding his career, Wes starred in the premiere of Venus in Fur by David Ives in the off-Broadway production in 2010. He also has other film roles which include The Four Feathers (2002), Ghost Rider (2007), P2 (2007), and Pete’s Dragon (2016).

Wes graduated from Sylvan Hills High School in Sherwood, Arkansas in 1996. He also attended the Juilliard School’s Drama Division as part of its Group 29 (1996–2000) but then left the school after one year to pursue his acting career.

Wes Bentley Age

Wesley Cook Bentley was born on September 4, 1978 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, U.S. He is 40 years old as of 2018.

Wes Bentley

Wes Bentley Family

Bentley was raised the third of four sons of Cherie Baker and David Bentley. Bentley’s father is a minister and his mother a chaplain and ordained elder in the Arkansas Conference, both in the United Methodist denomination.
He is of Scottish, German, and English descent.

Wes Bentley Wife | Wes Bentley Brooklyn Bentley

Wes was married to actress Jennifer Quanz from 2001 to 2009. The couple separated in 2009 due to his substance abuse. He then married producer Jacqui Swedberg in 2010. Jacqui and Wes have a son born in late 2010 and a daughter, Brooklyn Bentley born in 2014.

Actor Wes Bentley

Wes has starred in several films, including the Oscar-winning film American Beauty, The Four Feathers, P2, and Ghost Rider. He has also starred in the thriller Dolan’s Cadillac which is based on the short story by Stephen King, and also There Be Dragons by director Roland Joffé. He is one of the main subjects in the documentary My Big Break, directed by Tony Zierra. It follows Bentley and three of his former roommates, Chad Lindberg, Brad Rowe and Greg Fawcett, as they pursue their dream to become successful actors in Hollywood.

Wes Bentley Ghost Rider |Wes Bentley Blackheart

He played Blackheart in the 2007 film Ghost Rider, a demonic being that was the main antagonist.

He then starred opposite Nina Arianda in the premiere of the David Ives play Venus in Fur at the Classic Stage Company in New York City in 2010.

Wes Bentley Hunger Games | Wes Bentley Hunger Games Beard

Wes had a supporting role in the blockbuster movie The Hunger Games, playing gamemaker Seneca Crane in March 2012.

He also starred with Amber Tamblyn and Vincent Piazza in the indie feature 3 Nights in the Desert in 2012. The film is directed by Gabriel Cowan and written by award-winning playwright Adam Chanzit.

Wes was selected to star in Ryan Murphy’s HBO production in June 2013, titled Open, along with Scott Speedman.

Wes Bentley AHS | Wes Bentley American Horror Story | AHS Hotel Wes Bentley

Bentley began appearing in the FX anthology series American Horror Story in 2014, where he played Edward Mordrake in Freak Show. Bentley was then promoted to main cast for the fifth season of American Horror Story, entitled Hotel, starring as Detective John Lowe. He received a Critics’ Choice Television Award nomination for the role.

In 2016, he played a supporting role in the sixth season, Roanoke.

Wes Bentley Movies and TV Shows

Wes Bentley Movies | Wes Bentley Films | Wes Bentley Film

Wes Bentley TV Shows

Wes Bentley Height

The Ghost Rider star stands at a height of 1.8 m.

Wes Bentley Addiction

In a New York Times article on February 8, 2010, Wes described his descent into drug addiction that began after his success in American Beauty. Bentley said he hid his addiction from his wife; they separated in 2006, and then he moved to an apartment where he began doing drugs full-time.

During this time Wes worked sporadically, just enough to pay his bills and buy drugs. His addiction then started to cause problems on the sets of the films P2 and Weirdsville. In 2008, he was arrested and ordered into counseling and also 12-step programs. He then relapsed, however, and “continued using heroin until he was broke”.

Wes said, he confessed to a friend, “I’m a drug addict, and an alcoholic, and I need help. I need help or I’m going to die”. He then again entered a 12-step program and, while clean since then, Bentley considers himself on the path to recovery.

Wes Bentley American Beauty

Wes Bentley Interview

“I got jealous of Matt Bomer’s pink suit” – Wes Bentley talks to GT about AHS: Hotel

Published:  12th January 2016

Source: www.gaytimes.co.uk

Your role is really intense – is it hard to leave the character at work or do you take some of it home? Well luckily I’ve done it, I’ve acted long enough and done enough dark stuff in my acting background. But I knew on this show I’d have to be particularly diligent. My kids are very young, so on the drive from the set to home I sort of empty it all out before I get back in the door and start thinking about my life and my kids. But saying that, it does come home. Dreams are mostly where it starts to enter.

The show is full of horrors, like the awfulness of losing a child in the way that your character does, for instance. Does that hit home for you? Absolutely. It’s my biggest fear. My son asks me all the time if I’m afraid of stuff like he is, because we talk about being afraid of the dark for example. And he asks me, ‘what are you afraid of, daddy?’ And I can’t tell him because my fear is of everything that has to do with him or his sister – fear of losing them. The flashback scene where my character loses his son was the easiest scene to shoot in the sense that I know what that would feel like. I panic when I don’t know where my kids are for too long.

Where do you go to research those particular emotions that you have to go through in this role? What I found, with this being a long-form narrative show, is that the characters take such prominence. For instance, John’s history, his fears and his loves start to take control. So I don’t have to pull too much off of myself, it all comes from the writing. As an actor, you can only do so much without good writing. We have great writing on the show and people who care about the characters and have funny and strange and horrific and great things to say. So you’re supported by the script.

Ryan Murphy is known for pushing boundaries – when you first signed up, did you say there were things you’d rather not do? No, I had no hesitation whatsoever because Ryan has proven himself in those departments. I love that he pushes boundaries and tries different stuff and has a sort of dark sense of humour about it. Sometimes in the writing, sometimes just when we talk, sometimes in the action – I think when all those things are done well, or done by people who have such a pedigree of success with those things, you feel safe in doing it. I feel safe with Ryan. Plus I’ve been a fan of the show for a long time, so I already knew what I was kind of stepping into.

You opened up about your own addiction a couple of years ago and now you play this guy who is struggling with similar issues. Is this an aspect you guys added into the show? Well, I certainly didn’t ask for it, but I think I had some influence on the character for sure. And I think a lot of characters in this piece are dealing with some kind of addiction or issues similar to that. But it wasn’t a focus. I talked about my children being my biggest fear. My second would be something ever happening as far as addiction is concerned. Every former addict’s fear is to have a relapse. You put everything in the world between you and it to stop it from happening.

What do you attribute the international success of American Horror Story to? My guess would be that horror is a sort of international language. There’s something about horror in film and writing, in storytelling, that speaks to any part of the world. It has nothing to do with anything political. It’s your fears, it’s all about your fears. And that reaches everybody. I’ve had a lot of positive feedback regarding the show – people are enjoying it. A few have said they liked it but it was too hard for them to carry on, or they had to skip over parts.

What did you find appealing about the show? Was there anything specific that really made you want to work on it? I like many things, gosh, the list could go on. I’ll start by saying that I think every department on the show lives up to being some of the most creative stuff that I’ve seen on television. And the writing for the characters – the pushing of boundaries with the characters, pushing the boundaries with relationships. I’m really drawn to the dark humour, they do a great job with that. Costumes, make-up, hair, cinematography, writing, props – everyone’s ready to go and you’ve got to be on your A-game. The other thing is that all the actors are so high level, you’ve got to come in and you’ve got to try to match that.

Has Lady Gaga lived up to your expectations on set? Unfortunately we’ve only had a few moments, nothing deeper. But I have watched her, and I expected her to be as talented as she is because she gives her all to her music and her showmanship – she’s a committed person when she goes for something. And that’s a big part of acting – you’ve got to commit yourself to the character and the moments, and not shy away from them. I knew she wouldn’t, and she hasn’t. She’s been a joy to watch, and she’s also a blast to hang out with on set. She’s very funny.

You’re one of the few people in the cast who doesn’t really get to wear anything flamboyant. Is that a bit of a let-down? I did get jealous of Matt Bomer’s pink suit. I don’t know what you call it, pink or salmon? Let’s say both. He sported that so well. I was like, ‘man, you look good!’ I tried to steal his jacket but he caught me. But no, it’s not in my character’s framework to wear clothes like that. I actually thought they gave him a better style than I thought he should have. But it’s cool to watch everyone wear these things and play that out.

Are you experiencing hotels in a different way now? I’ve always been a little creeped out by hotels, especially ones with that sort of Art Deco thing to them. I don’t know why, there’s just something odd about it. I’ve spent so much time in hotels in my life, and I’ve had some strange feelings, some odd nights where I would just feel very uncomfortable in my own room. And this is kind of what Ryan was aiming for – in a place you’re supposed to feel comfortable you might feel the most invaded.

Do you believe in ghosts? Ghosts? Gosh, I mean it’s hard to say, because I do believe in stuff that I don’t know about. I believe there is another layer to reality that I can’t see, but I don’t know what that is and whether it’s ghosts or different energy or what. But I do believe there’s something there beyond my perception.