Jacob Tremblay's transformation from beloved child star to terrorist role in Unabomber as actor, 19, returns to the spotlight with gritty new movie

Film fans will no doubt recognise Jacob Tremblay from his days as a beloved child star in the likes of Room, Good Boys and Wonder.After carving out a successful career at a young age, it seems he has also nailed the not-so-easy transition from child star to adult actor as he has now landed a lead role in a gritty new Netflix film.Now 19, Jacob has taken on the tough task of starring as terrorist Theodore Kaczynski in Unabomber.It's a bold departure from his former projects and marks a concerted effort from the star to not be pigeonholed into certain roles just because he acted as a child. The psychological crime drama follows the life of a young Kaczynski from impressing as a teenage Harvard math prodigy to becoming one of America's most elusive bombers.Jacob recently said in an interview that it has been a 'pivotal' film in his life after rising to fame when he was just seven.He mused: 'It's such a mature role and it's really challenging acting-wise. Getting to do a film like this really puts me in a good spot as a dramatic actor.' Jacob Tremblay has had an incredible transformation from being a beloved child star to taking on the lead role of terrorist Theodore Kaczynski in gritty new Netflix film Unabomber Film fans will no doubt recognise Jacob most from his days as a child star in films like Room which he starred in alongside Brie Larson Now 19, Jacob has taken on the tough task of starring as terrorist Kaczynski in Netflix's UnabomberJacob was born in 2006 in Vancouver and immediately seemed destined to a future as an actor – following in the footsteps of both his sisters Erica and Emma who also worked in the industry.After starring in a series of adverts as a toddler, at the age of seven he then made his film debut in The Smurfs 2 in 2013 before soon after taking on the role for which he is best known.He landed the part of Jack Newsome in the critically acclaimed drama film Room which he starred in with Brie Larson when he was just eight.The film follows Brie's character Joy who gives birth to Jack in captivity after being kidnapped. They then escape to freedom.And it turned out to probably be the most defining role of his life. He won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer for the film and became the youngest nominee for the Actor Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. Further recognition came soon after for Jacob due to his roles as a child with Treacher Collins Syndrome in the drama Wonder (2017) and a naive sixth grader in the comedy Good Boys (2019).Soon after starring as August Pullman in Wonder his high school class actually went on a field trip to watch it – after studying the book it is based on by R.J. Palacio.He has previously shared that he was excited yet nervous to see how his classmates would react to the film – which he starred in with Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. Jacob was born in 2006 in Vancouver and immediately seemed destined to a future as an actor – following in the footsteps of both his sisters Erica and Emma who also worked in the industry (seen in 2018) After starring in a series of adverts as a toddler, at the age of seven he then made his film debut in The Smurfs 2 in 2013 He landed the part of Jack Newsome in the critically acclaimed drama film Room which he starred in with Brie when he was just eight Further recognition came soon after for Jacob due to his roles as a child with Treacher Collins Syndrome in the drama Wonder (2017) which he starred in alongside Julia Roberts and Owen WilsonHis other acting credits include the comedy series The Last Man on Earth, the horror flick Before I Wake, psychological thriller Shut In (alongside Naomi Watts), the drama The Book of Henry, and the 2019 comedy Good Boys.He also had a cameo as one of the victims in the terrifying slasher movie Doctor Sleep, which was a sequel to The Shining. Director Mike Flanagan later admitted that he had a difficult time portraying the murder of a child in the film, calling it 'one of the hardest scenes he's ever had to work on in a movie'.However, he couldn't stop praising Jacob's performance, telling the Los Angeles Times: 'The problem is that Jacob Tremblay is so damn good.'It's just Jacob's face, holy crap does he sell it. His performance is horrifying to the point that Rebecca [Ferguson] was speechless trying to act with him. She was crying while trying to do the scene with him. It traumatized us.'In addition, Jacob voiced Robin in DC's animated series Harley Quinn and the titular character in Disney Pixar's Luca. He also portrayed a young Justin Bieber in the pop star's Lonely music video. A defining moment then came in 2023 when he was 16 – and stepped out at the red carpet after starring in the live-action remake The Little Mermaid. At the time he left film fans stunned with his grown-up appearance after voicing Flounder in the project.In an interview with the Vancouver Sun this month, Jacob explained how he has remained grounded despite his young fame at an earlier age – which often leads some celebrities down the wrong path.He said: 'I think a lot of it has to do with the people that I was able to surround myself with.'I'm really close with my team. I always had my parents (Jason and Christina) really close to me. Just having really trustworthy people in my life really made a difference.'My parents really did a good job at making sure that, when I came home, I just had a normal life growing up, and spent time with my friends and went around on our bikes.'I really just had the best of both worlds. I always say this: It's kind of feels like Hannah Montana in a way. I have a lot to thank them for.' Now Jacob takes on his biggest challenge yet – playing terrorist Kaczynski in Unabomber where he stars alongside Russell Crowe. Jacob accepts the award for best young actor for Room during the 21st annual Critics' Choice Awards in 2016 A defining moment then came in 2023 when he was 16 - and stepped out at the red carpet after starring in the live-action remake The Little MermaidUnabomber flips back and forth from Kaczynski's time attending the famed university and the manhunt that became one of the longest and most expensive in FBI history.In the film Russell plays the Harvard academic who subjects a young Kaczynski to controversial, high-stress psychological experiments. Jacob recently told Interview Magazine that it was 'amazing' working with Russell.He said: I looked up to the dude and that has a parallel with the film that we worked on because Kaczynski really looks up to this professor. 'So I could use that dynamic of looking up to this guy because I watched so many of his films. He was really supportive and I learned so much from just watching him work.'Amid the huge Netflix release it is all go for Jacob as his next film to open is the stop-motion animated movie Wildwood.He will also soon star in The Skeleton Tree and The Night House as he continues to prove that his successful child star roles really were just the start of what it looks like will be a long acting career.