Who is Luke Evans and why does he look so familiar?

If you’re a cinephile, you’ll have noticed a familiar face who’s appeared more frequently in recent films like psychological horror movie Ma. He’s none other than Luke Evans, that guy who looks a lot like Orlando Bloom, but isn’t! He’s popped up as protagonists and antagonists in films, showing us just how versatile he is when it comes to roles. And he’s believable both as a villain and a hero, even though he’s always showing us a fair amount of angst.

So who is Luke Evans and where have we seen him? Here’s the lowdown on Hollywood’s next big thing – and after reading this, you’ll be up to speed on this familiar face.

1. He won a scholarship to London Studio Centre when he was 18

Luke Evans and his classmates at London Studio Centre. Credit: Luke Evans’ Twitter

The Welsh actor got his acting training at London Studio Centre, a theatre school. It’s clear from the picture above that Evans has always wanted to go the acting route, while some of his classmates were more dance-inclined. But what made him stand out was that he received a scholarship to study at London Studio Centre – at the tender age of 18. Before that, he left school to pursue his dreams and study singing under the tutelage of singing coach Louise Ryan.

Luke Evans graduated from London Studio Centre in 2000, where he embarked on an exciting and illustrious theatre career.

2. He started as a theatre actor

In the early years of his career, Evans was based in London’s West End. He put his singing abilities to good use in musicals like La Cava (just listen to him belt out “I Stayed Behind”) and starred in many popular productions like Miss Saigon, Rent, and Taboo. As a fledgling stage actor, he did pretty well to be scoring roles in so many different theatre productions.

Luke Evans starred in Avenue Q. Credit: Twitter

And yes – he also starred in West End’s production of Avenue Q – the R-rated, raunchy Muppet-ish show. So Evans isn’t just a talented singer and actor – he’s also got puppetry skills too!

3. Got his first film role at the age of 30 as a god

Luke Evans as Apollo in Clash of the Titans. Credit: Twitter

Luke Evans got his first film role at the age of 30 (although if we’re to be honest, he looks much older than 30 in the picture above). But this being Luke Evans, playing a normal human being wasn’t enough. He played a god in the mythological epic Clash of the Titans (2010) – a shining, shimmering, splendid golden god, Apollo.

In his role as god of the Sun, Luke Evans appeared in an ensemble scene with the rest of the Greek gods. Only three gods spoke during that scene though – Zeus (played by Ralph Fiennes), Poseidon, and Apollo – but it was a weighty and powerful scene. This role paved the way for other, meatier roles in blockbuster films.

Sadly, he didn’t return to reprise his role in the sequel, Wrath of the Titans (2012). That movie saw Freddy Drabble playing Apollo instead. But Luke Evans did play another god – Zeus, king of the gods – in Immortals (2011). From god of the Sun to the king of the gods, that’s a pretty huge promotion in terms of godhood!

4. Shot to fame as the villainous Owen Shaw in Fast and Furious 6 (2013)

Luke Evans as Owen Shaw in Fast and Furious 6. Credit: Tumblr

But Evans truly shot to fame when he appeared as the bad guy of the sixth Fast and Furious film. In Fast and Furious 6, Evans plays the calm, cruel Owen Shaw, who’s trying to assemble the components for the Nightshade device so that he can sell it to the highest bidder. Jason Statham had also been considered for the role of Owen Shaw, but he eventually went on to play Owen Shaw’s brother, Deckard Shaw (who appears in the upcoming Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw film).

5. And also appeared as Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug later in 2013

Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Credit: One Wiki To Rule Them All

2013 was a good year for Luke Evans. Fast and Furious 6 wasn’t the only huge franchise film that he appeared in – Evans also popped up as the heroic Bard the Bowman (referred to as Bard the Bargeman) in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. As you can tell from his name, Bard was an archer – and he was responsible for landing the killing blow on the vicious red dragon Smaug in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

Evans’ appearance in The Hobbit films did confuse some people – because there was a lookalike who also played an archer in those movies, Orlando Bloom (in his classic role of Legolas Greenleaf). However, Bard outshone him by being the one to finally fell Smaug.

So after playing a villain (Owen Shaw) and a hero (Bard), what’s next for Luke Evans?

Ma. Credit: Golden Village Cinemas

He’ll be starring in horror movie Ma, a sick and twisted film about a middle-aged woman who befriends several teenagers, only to stalk them afterwards. Evans plays Ben Hawkins, the parent of one of the teenagers that crazy middle-aged Sue Ann ‘Ma’ Ellington (Octavia Spencer) terrorises in the film. It’s a distinctively different role from the usual hero and villain characters that he plays, but don’t worry – Evans does a fair bit of angsting in this one.

The question is – does Ma terrorise Luke Evans in Ma? You’ve got to watch this incredibly disturbing film to find out for yourself.

Octavia Spencer as Sue Ann in ‘Ma’. Credit; Golden Village Cinemas

Credit: Coming Soon, Twitter, Luke Evans’ Twitter, Twitter, Tumblr, One Wiki To Rule Them All, Golden Village Cinemas

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