Regardless of playing an unshaven New York City fringe thespian desiring to break into the off-Broadway scene (THE HEIGHTS) or a manipulative filmmaker intervening between the reunion between a mother and a daughter (HAPPY ENDINGS); Bradford deftly handles his roles with virtuous integrity making characters come to life in a realistic and relatable manner.
Apparently a charmer from day one, at eight months of age, the raffish, versatile, dark-haired, 26-year-old actor landed his first professional gig as a baby model in a Q-Tip commercial.
Born and raised in Norwalk, Connecticut, and educated as a film student at NYC's Columbia University, the puppy-dog eyed Bradford, while steadily acting throughout his formative years, teens and now in his twenties; attracted critical attention for his innate talent at a considerably young age.
With his stellar leading performance in Steven Soderbergh's 1993 acclaimed feature film, KING OF THE HILL, critics first caught on to Bradford's capabilities. They again praised his portrayal of Joey Pardella ,the lead character in the 1995 computer caper, HACKERS; followed up by his take on Balthasar in Baz Lurhmann's 1996 updated version of ROMEO & JULIET; and his adaptation of Billy Willis, as the adopted son of former war hero turned heavy drinking writer Bill Willis (Kris Kristofferson) in the poignant 1998 coming of age story, A SOLDIER'S DAUGHTER NEVER CRYS.
From that point forward, though Bradford continued to star in a number of high school oriented dramas involving mass slashings and organized competitions, it was not until 2002 with the release of CLOCKSTOPPERS and SWIMFAN, that Bradford was able to capture more mainstream recognition. While both films centered upon the lives of high school teenagers; Bradford came off as both likeable and believable, two qualities not always embodied by characters depicted in adolescent-centric films.
At present, within a couple of Indie films in theatres across the country; via his unfettered portrayal of aspiring, yet conflicted actor Alec in THE HEIGHTS, a film depicting a 24-hour time span in the lives of several intertwined New Yorkers; and the agenda-heavy blackmailing filmmaker Nick in HAPPY ENDINGS, the ensemble cast film which takes a bemusing look at love and life; Bradford has begun to demonstrate an impressive knack for realistically defining the characters he plays.
What perhaps is so extraordinary about Bradford is his intellectual, yet unselfish representation of the roles he seems to seamlessly inhabit. Rather than over dramatize or grandstand his performances, for someone of his age, Bradford possesses a keen ability to downplay his acting in order for the essence of his characters' motivations and underpinnings to come forth. And as a result of taking the moral high ground in his acting, Bradford allows the story and characters to take center stage.
Perhaps it is these fine qualities which interested the likes of the inimitable director Clint Eastwood who recently cast Bradford in his forthcoming film entitled, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. Presently in pre-production, Eastwood's latest project is a WWII drama recounting the stories of the six men credited with raising the United States' flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima. And what a dynamic role model Eastwood makes for Bradford, who interestingly, has expressed an interest in also trying his hand at directing at some point in the future.
All we know for sure is that Bradford, who has acted since the age of four, is more than likely to continue to do so for a long time to come. And in doing so, we believe he will certainly persist in engaging audiences and entreating critics with his earnest performances and unconventional film choices.
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A capsulized profile on an emerging talent, i.e., actor/director in the film world and a snippet as to why he or she is destined to soon become a household name.
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| Nancy Simon |
A Chicago-based freelance writer and film enthusiast, Nancy has an insatiable curiousity and knack for picking out talented, promising individuals.
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