Acting Up: Ryder Allen
Welcome to ACTING UP, the place where we celebrate standout performances in TV, streaming, and film. Other than spotlighting exceptional work from recent projects, this feature also shines a light on how certain actors got where they are today. Have a peek and then check out these notable performances to help hone your craft.
The Snapshot:
Ryder Allen plays a kid from a troubled home who forms an unlikely bond with an ex-con in the heartwarming Apple TV+ film drama, Palmer. (Premiered on January 29th.)
The Performer:
Ryder Allen
The Film:
Palmer
The Performance:
Ask any casting director: Casting a child — who’s still mired in early childhood — in a leading role isn’t an easy thing to do. When you pull them out of school to stand in front of a camera for weeks (or months) on end, give them long days and put pressure on them to deliver lines on cue, things can get a bit dicey. Sometimes you have to settle for mediocrity at the expense of authenticity.
That’s why when a performance like Ryder Allen’s in Palmer comes along, you can’t help but be blown away by how the seven-year-old actor played a non-gender-conforming lover of dolls and fairy princesses — much to the chagrin of a few unaccepting souls in his character’s milieu.
Looking a smidge like a young Corey Feldman, Allen plays Sam, the son of a drug-addicted mother (played tragically well by Juno Temple) who gets taken in by his neighbor Eddie Palmer (Justin Timberlake), rather reluctantly at first. You see, “Palmer” (that’s what Sam chooses to call him) is an ex-con trying to fit back in while on parole in the small Louisiana town where he grew up. It’s a part of America that might be considered a bit less accepting than the rest.
But when Sam’s mother essentially disappears indefinitely on one of her drug vacations, Palmer invites Sam to stay with him temporarily, and their bond just grows from there. At first, Palmer is confused by Sam’s life choices and tries to break down his perception of gender norms based on his own old-world perspective. “Boys don’t play with dolls,” Palmer tells Sam, to which he confidently responds without hesitation, “Well, I’m a boy and I do.” Tissues, here we come.
As the film plays out — and as Sam continues to just be who he is, Palmer’s mind opens little by little as our collective heart melts at maybe a faster clip. One scene has Palmer taking Sam to a high-school football game where Palmer and his friends take in the game action, as Sam spends time mimicking the cheerleader moves. In another scene, a boy picks on Sam at school for “acting like a girl,” knocking him to the ground. Palmer, who works as a custodian at the school, races outside to intervene, telling the kid, “You touch that boy again, I’m gonna break your arm.”
It’s right around here when we realize Allen’s performance is as impressive as it is important. The young actor is a natural in a role that reminds all of us of the underdog, how kids get targeted and the life of the kid who is “different.” By the time Sam is dressing as a fairy princess for Halloween, you can’t help but be won over by a character who probably speaks for many kids currently living a similar life, who feel too reluctant, scared or confused to truly own it.
For those, maybe this film — and Allen’s breakthrough performance — will help.
The Career:
Originally from Los Angeles, the now eight-year-old Allen got the acting bug early on as his slightly older sister Gemma Allen began her acting career. He was just age five, as the story goes in this Variety piece, when Allen was approached by his parents to see if he wanted to give it a go. It didn’t take much convincing — and soon after he booked his only other acting credit to date, playing a young Erik Menendez in Law and Order: True Crime (2017) that same year.
Just a few years later, Allen found himself auditioning and landing the role of Sam. Because of his mere seven years on the planet at the time, Allen had no idea who Justin Timberlake was when he got Palmer. That’s when he reportedly started playing Timberlake’s music on repeat.
Now, with Palmer streaming on Apple TV+ for all to appreciate Allen’s groundbreaking performance, Allen’s first feature film role is officially in the books and bound to lead to other opportunities for the talented young actor, who clearly has a knack for the craft, to say the least.
If you doubt it, tell me how many other seven-year-olds can nail a southern accent with this much screen time. Go on, I’ll wait…
When asked what drew him to the role of Sam in the Variety piece, Allen called him an “amazing person… who knows that by giving somebody a hug, that can be the highlight of their day. Just the act of love can be so powerful.” Pretty precocious.
In terms of recognition, Allen’s already been nominated for Best Young Actor/Actress by the Broadcast Film Critics Association award in 2021 for the role of Sam. More to come? We’ll see.
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Gregg Rosenzweig has been a writer, creative director and managing editor for various entertainment clients, ad agencies and digital media companies over the past 20 years. He is also a partner in the talent management/production company, The Rosenzweig Group.
