34-668: Matthias Schoenaerts ( / ˈ ʃ oʊ n ɑːr t s / SHOH -narts , Dutch: [ˈmɑtijɑs ˈsxunaːrts] ; born 8 December 1977) is a Belgian actor. He made his film debut at the age of 13 in Daens (1992), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film . He is best known for his roles as Filip in Loft (2008), Jacky Vanmarsenille in the Oscar-nominated Bullhead (2011), Ali in
68-638: A French soldier who fought under Napoleon . In 2021, Schoenaerts starred as Peter Flood in Jeremie Guez's Brothers by Blood and as Jurgen in the Flemish TV anthology Lockdown episode "Zuur" alongside Veerle Baetens . His upcoming works include Terrence Malick 's The Way of the Wind , Justin Kurzel 's Ruin alongside Margot Robbie , and David O. Russell 's Amsterdam . In 2023, He starred in
102-403: A patient. There, Dennis explains that the girl took him to an abandoned place as she claimed to know all about trains and schedules. She told she was cold so he gave her his sweater. She stroked his belly, but he told her she must not do that as it is forbidden. As she kept going on and looked at him very nicely, he pushed the girl away. She hit her head, knocking her unconscious. Dennis thought she
136-817: A small role as a member of the Dutch resistance in Paul Verhoeven 's Black Book . In 2007, he starred in Ben van Lieshout's film De Muze , and in Erik Bruyn's Nadine . In 2008, he played Bob in Pieter van Hees's horror film Left Bank , and most notably played the role of Filip in Erik Van Looy 's Loft , which became the most successful Flemish film at the Belgian box-office, earning over $ 7,075,161. In
170-460: A stage production of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 's The Little Prince opposite his father, who was also the director. His mother, Dominique, was the costume designer of the play. He started producing graffiti as a teenager under the pseudonym "Zenith", going to New York to collaborate with the Bronx group TATS CRU . Schoenaerts was close to becoming a professional association football player and
204-551: A symbol in the hardline freedom struggle of the workers. Woeste sets up a plot in which he even involves the Holy See . Daens is summoned by Pope Leo XIII and is put before a dilemma: either he stays a priest or he becomes a politician. Daens just neglects the warnings and continues both of his activities. This leads to his compulsory defrocking. Eventually, Daens convinces Belgian politicians that work conditions must improve and workers must have more rights. Thanks to this action,
238-679: A wild horse in The Mustang (2019). In 2015, he was named Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France. Schoenaerts was born in Antwerp , Flanders , the Dutch speaking region of Belgium . He is the son of actor Julien Schoenaerts (1925–2006) and Dominique Wiche (1953–2016), a costume designer, translator and French teacher. He has an older half brother, Bruno Schoenaerts (born 1953), who
272-490: Is 26 years old but has the mind of a child. He is obsessed with trains and train schedules. His mother Rita (Dottermans) is overjoyed when Dennis returns from prison after serving a sentence for the alleged rape of an underage girl. The neighborhood, however, is not happy with Dennis' homecoming, especially Barbara (Baetens). After Dennis masturbates at the playground – with his pants on – Rita and his father André (Damiaan De Schrijver) decide to keep him inside. However, when Rita
306-625: Is a lawyer. Schoenaerts is of Flemish descent through his father, although his maternal grandmother is from Liège , Wallonia , the French-speaking region of Belgium, and for the first six years of his life he lived with his maternal grandparents in Brussels. Schoenaerts grew up bilingual, speaking Dutch and French . He is also fluent in English , which he learned by watching American movies. In 1987, at nine years old, he appeared in
340-401: Is at her work, André is watching Dennis but falls asleep. In this timeframe, Dennis goes outside to see the trains but does not return. Later on the evening, the police tell them that Dennis raped a woman (Maaike Neuville). Dennis is found in a train station. Dennis is being questioned by a psychiatrist . He concludes there is no proper psychiatric institution where Dennis can be handled, so he
374-550: Is even supported by the liberal party and the socialist party. Jan, a socialist, falls in love with Nette, and both start a forbidden romance. Daens starts to doubt whether he can really change the bad circumstances. Furthermore, as he chooses the side of the poor people, he gets into a conflict with the rich directors, the Catholic party, and even the Catholic Church. Father Daens is a thorn in their side as he has become
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#1732782344418408-442: Is sent to jail, where he is beaten and harassed by the other prisoners. The guards, who despise sex offenders , do nothing to help him. Eventually, Dennis tries to kill himself. Rita contacts Thomas (Tom Van Dyck), a lawyer who coincidentally happens to be Barbara's boyfriend. A medical examination proves the girl was indeed raped by Dennis. Thomas thinks Dennis belongs in a psychiatric institution, not prison, so he tries to convince
442-1019: The BAFTA and Golden Globe -nominee Rust and Bone (2012), for which he won the César Award for Most Promising Actor , Eric Deeds in The Drop (2014), Bruno von Falk in Suite Française (2015), Gabriel Oak in Far from the Madding Crowd (2015), Hans Axgil in The Danish Girl (2015) and Uncle Vanya in Red Sparrow (2018). Schoenaerts received critical acclaim for his portrayal of an ex-soldier suffering from PTSD in Disorder (2015), and for his performance as an inmate training
476-690: The Belgian short film Death of a Shadow ( Dood van een Schaduw ), directed by Tom Van Avermaet. On 10 January 2013, the short film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film . The New York Times described Schoenaerts as "the most versatile beefcake actor of our time" in 2012. In 2013, he narrated the Flemish version of the Disneynature documentary Chimpanzee . In 2014, Schoenaerts appeared alongside Clive Owen , Billy Crudup and again Marion Cotillard in
510-794: The Dutch films The Gang of Oss ( De Bende van Oss ) and The President ( De President ). In 2011, Schoenaerts played Jacky Vanmarsenille, the lead role in Bullhead , directed by Michaël R. Roskam , which was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar. His performance in the film was well received and won him the FIPRESCI Award for best actor at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January 2012. The jury praised
544-558: The TV series Django as the title character . Schoenaerts was the face of Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring/Summer 2014. His directorial debut, Franky , is a documentary about a one-legged childhood friend of his who became an MMA fighter , Franky van Hove. The documentary is currently in post-production. On 24 August 2015, it was reported that Schoenaerts became the co-owner of the Belgian casting agency Hakuna Casting, which focuses on people of ethnic origin. The agency has collaborated on
578-685: The actor's "superb portrayal of an innocent and sensitive man trapped in a truculent body." He also won the Magritte Award for Best Actor . In 2012, he starred in Jacques Audiard 's Rust and Bone ( De rouille et d'os ) alongside Marion Cotillard . The film premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and was a critical and box office hit in France. On 22 February 2013, Matthias won the César Award for Most Promising Actor for his role in Rust and Bone . Schoenaerts produced and starred in
612-494: The casting of films like Black by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah , and Belgica by Felix Van Groeningen . Daens (film) Daens is a 1992 Belgian period drama film directed by Stijn Coninx and based on a novel by Louis Paul Boon . The film stars Jan Decleir , Gérard Desarthe, Antje de Boeck, and Michael Pas , and recounts the real-life story of Adolf Daens , a Catholic priest in Aalst who strives to improve
646-462: The directors are forced to invest in better work conditions and to assume greater responsibility in the prevention of accidents. Love Belongs to Everyone Love Belongs to Everyone (original Dutch title: Dennis van Rita , literally Dennis from Rita ) is a 2006 Flemish film directed by Hilde Van Mieghem and written by Hugo Van Laere . It stars Els Dottermans , Matthias Schoenaerts and Veerle Baetens . Dennis (Schoenaerts)
680-441: The judge. Barbara changes her mind after a quarrel with Thomas. She initially hoped Rita and her family would move or Dennis would be locked up forever, but never realized Dennis does need professional help. They try to petition the government for Dennis' release, and are able to make an appearance on a famous Belgian debate television show. Some days later, Rita gets a letter from a psychiatric institution which will accept Dennis as
714-411: The local newspaper Land Van Aelst . Daens is upset when he hears about the bad work conditions in the textile industry. Workers are abused and exploited by the rich directors only for their own profit. To gain more profit, the companies have just decided to fire all men. They are replaced by women as their wages are much lower. Children need to work day and night, falling asleep and being flattened under
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#1732782344418748-527: The mechanical looms . Industrial accidents happen continuously, and the management takes no action. A new catastrophe will soon happen: Stephane Borremans is about to fire 50% of his employees. His action is supported by Charles Woeste , a foreman of the Catholic Party fraction in the Chamber of Representatives . Daens resists and wants to stop the atrocity. Pieter helps him in his task by publishing
782-463: The misbehaviours in the textile industry in his newspaper. Daens becomes a pulpit and, later on, also a member of the Chamber of Representatives. Nette Scholliers is the eldest daughter of a Catholic family. She is just 17. As her parents have been made redundant, she is the only one who is earning some money to support her whole family. As soon as she hears about Daens's plans, she supports him. Daens
816-408: The miserable working conditions in the local factories. It received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1992. In 2008, the film's screenplay was adapted into a stage musical. It's 1890. Priest Adolf Daens returns to his hometown, the Belgian municipality Aalst, after a dispute with Bishop Antoon Stillemans . Daens moves in with his brother Pieter, publisher of
850-968: The role of Uncle Vanya opposite Jennifer Lawrence , Joel Edgerton and Jeremy Irons . He starred in the Belgian-French film Close Enemies , directed by David Oelhoffen . In 2019, Schoenaerts appeared as Captain Herder in Terrence Malick 's A Hidden Life , as Maywood in Steven Soderbergh 's The Laundromat , and as Roman Coleman, an inmate who participates in a rehabilitation program centered around training of wild horses in Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre's The Mustang . In 2020, he appeared in Gina Prince-Bythewood 's The Old Guard as Booker / Sébastien le Livre, once
884-807: The role of a gangster named Gigi. The film was Roskam and Schoenaerts' first film in Belgium since 2011's Bullhead . In the same year, Schoenaerts played Gene, Jane Fonda 's son on the Netflix film Our Souls at Night , also starring Robert Redford and directed by Ritesh Batra . He worked again with director Thomas Vinterberg in 2018's Kursk , a film about the Kursk submarine disaster of 2000 in which Schoenaerts played Russian Navy captain-lieutenant Mikhail Kalekov. In 2018, Schoenaerts co-starred in Francis Lawrence 's spy thriller Red Sparrow in
918-719: The same year, Schoenaerts starred in the mini-series The Emperor of Taste ( De smaak van De Keyser ), playing a Belgian soldier in World War II. In 2009, he starred in Dorothée Van Den Berghe's My Queen Karo , in which he played the hippie Raven in 1970s' Amsterdam . In 2010, he played the lead role in Alex Stockman's techno-thriller Pulsar , and had a cameo in Franck Richard's La Meute ( The Pack ). In 2011, Schoenaerts starred in
952-543: The same year, Schoenaerts was announced as William Clark on HBO 's miniseries Lewis and Clark , co-starring Casey Affleck as Meriwether Lewis . Production got shut down in August 2015 due to "internal and external, weather-related factors". Schoenaerts starred in Alice Winocour 's French thriller Disorder ( Maryland ), as an ex-soldier suffering from post traumatic stress disorder , for which his performance
986-482: The thriller Blood Ties , in which he played Anthony Scarfo. The film premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival . He played Eric Deeds in The Drop , his second film with Michael R. Roskam, starring opposite Tom Hardy , Noomi Rapace and James Gandolfini . In 2015, Schoenaerts appeared in seven films: The Loft , the American remake of the Belgian film Loft , in which he played the same character and which
1020-547: Was highly praised. He played Paul in Luca Guadagnino 's erotic thriller A Bigger Splash , starring opposite Tilda Swinton , Ralph Fiennes and Dakota Johnson , and played the art-dealer Hans Axgil in Tom Hooper 's The Danish Girl . A Bigger Splash and The Danish Girl made their world premieres at the 2015 Venice Film Festival , both were screened in the official competition. On 28 July 2015, Schoenaerts
1054-719: Was his first English-language film; in Saul Dibb 's Suite Française , playing the German officer Bruno von Falk opposite Michelle Williams and Kristin Scott Thomas ; in Thomas Vinterberg 's Far from the Madding Crowd as Gabriel Oak, one of Carey Mulligan 's three love interests; in Alan Rickman 's period drama A Little Chaos , as French landscape architect André Le Nôtre , opposite Kate Winslet . In
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1088-530: Was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France. In January 2016, it was announced that Schoenaerts would play a drummer who begins to lose his hearing in Darius Marder's Sound of Metal . After a couple of years in development, Schoenaerts was replaced by Riz Ahmed . In 2017, Schoenaerts reteamed with Michaël R. Roskam in the Belgian film Racer and the Jailbird ( Le Fidèle ), in
1122-832: Was named one of " Europe's Shooting Stars " by the European Film Promotion . After completing studies at The Academy of Dramatic Arts in Antwerp, he featured in several shorts and feature films. In 2002, he starred in Dorothée Van Den Berghe's Meisje ( Girl ); Tom Barman 's Any Way the Wind Blows in 2003; Rudolf Mestdagh's Ellektra and Roel Mondelaers and Raf Reyntjens's sci-fi short film A Message from Outer Space , which Schoenaerts also produced in 2004. In 2006, Schoenaerts played Dennis in Hilde Van Mieghem's Love Belongs to Everyone , and had
1156-512: Was on the books of Belgian team Beerschot AC , but gave up when he was 16 years old. In 2013, Schoenaerts stated that he was a fan of the Spanish football club FC Barcelona . At the age of 13, Schoenaerts made his film debut with a small role in the 1992 Belgian film Daens , which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film . His father starred in the film but they did not share any scenes together. In 2003, Schoenaerts
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