Mike Faist
{{Short description|American actor (born 1992)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mike Faist
| image = Mike Faist 2024 (cropped-J1).jpg
| caption = Faist in 2024
| birth_name = Michael David Faist
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1992|01|05}}
| birth_place = Gahanna, Ohio, U.S.
| alma_mater = American Musical and Dramatic Academy
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 2011{{endash}}present
}}
Michael David Faist ({{IPAc-en|f|aɪ|s|t}};One of examples in which he pronounces his own name. {{Cite web|title=Disney On Broadway YouTube channel - Meet the Newsies: Morris Delancey (Mike Faist) Apr 6, 2012|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3efJfC-GMEs|access-date=February 19, 2022|website=www.youtube.com| date=April 5, 2012 |archive-date=June 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230613232210/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3efJfC-GMEs|url-status=live}} born January 5, 1992){{Cite web|title=Mike Faist – Broadway Cast & Staff {{!}} IBDB|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/mike-faist-491590|access-date=September 18, 2021|website=www.ibdb.com|archive-date=September 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929125007/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/mike-faist-491590|url-status=live}} is an American actor. He is the recipient of a Grammy and a Daytime Emmy Award, with nominations for a Tony and a British Academy Film Award.
An alumnus of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Faist began his acting career in 2011 in Disney's Newsies, appearing in its Broadway production (2012–2013). He continued to appear in several independent films, television series and starring in Off-Broadway productions before his breakthrough role in the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen (2015–2018), for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
In 2021, Faist starred in the series Panic and had his first major film part as Riff, the leader of the Jets, in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, for which he received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He has since played Jack Twist in a West End theatre production of Brokeback Mountain (2023) and starred in the romantic sports film Challengers (2024).
Early life and education
Michael David Faist was born on January 5, 1992, in Gahanna, Ohio,{{cite web|url=http://www.dispatch.com/content/blogs/theatre-talk/2012/08/gahanna-native-in-broadways-newsies.html|title=Newsies the Musical: Gahanna native Mike Faist having fun in his Broadway debut in the Disney hit|work=The Columbus Dispatch|date=August 27, 2012|accessdate=May 3, 2017|archive-date=July 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729053053/http://www.dispatch.com/content/blogs/theatre-talk/2012/08/gahanna-native-in-broadways-newsies.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://montrealtheatrehub.com/2017/11/15/montreal-master-class-with-tony-award-nominee-mike-faist-set-for-november-27th/|title=Montreal master class with Tony Award nominee Mike Faist set for November 27th|work=Montreal Theatre Hub|last=Fitzgibbon|first=Camila|date=November 17, 2017|accessdate=May 25, 2018|archive-date=May 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526041344/http://montrealtheatrehub.com/2017/11/15/montreal-master-class-with-tony-award-nominee-mike-faist-set-for-november-27th/|url-status=dead}} and was adopted by his parents, Julia and Kurt Faist. The family owns a real estate business.{{cite web|url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/discovery-mike-faist|title=Discovery: Mike Faist|work=Interview|last=Powers|first=Annie|date=March 31, 2017|accessdate=May 25, 2018|archive-date=May 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525205010/https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/discovery-mike-faist|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=May 31, 2017|title=Mike Faist|url=https://www.omdkc.com/mike-faist/|access-date=September 18, 2021|website=DKC/O&M|language=en-US|archive-date=June 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614111911/https://www.omdkc.com/mike-faist/|url-status=live}} As a child, Faist realized he wanted to pursue a career in the performing arts. He was enticed by dancing after seeing Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire in old MGM films, especially Kelly in Singin' in the Rain. "Just the way he performed and moved, he was able to tell a story through movement," Faist said. At the age of 5, he pressured his parents to enroll him in dance classes and began auditioning for community theater and children's theater. In a Columbus Children's Theatre production of The Wizard of Oz, he played one of the Lollipop Guild, later joining the cast of Oliver! and Alice in Wonderland.
Faist fell in love with acting while attending The Academy of Performing Arts (TAPA) company in Columbus, Ohio, and while at Gahanna Lincoln High School he acted in several productions, such as Danny Zuko in Grease and Simon in Jesus Christ Superstar. At the age of 17, Faist met his birth mother and her family, who are mostly pilots by profession. The eldest of his two half-brothers taught him how to fly. Faist has since then obtained his pilot's license.
In 2009, he graduated from high school a year early and moved to New York to pursue a stage career.{{cite web|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/hamiltons-jordan-fisher-and-dear-evan-hansens-mike-faist-interview-volume-2|title=Hamilton's Jordan Fisher and Dear Evan Hansen's Mike Faist Talk Starting Out, Making Music, and Taking a Stance|work=Teen Vogue|last=Marsh|first=Ariana|date=May 24, 2017|accessdate=May 25, 2018|archive-date=May 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508224950/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/hamiltons-jordan-fisher-and-dear-evan-hansens-mike-faist-interview-volume-2|url-status=live}} He enrolled in the American Musical and Dramatic Academy but dropped out after two semesters.{{cite web|url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/bio/Mike-Faist/|title=Mike Faist Biography on BroadwayWorld.com|work=Broadway World|accessdate=May 3, 2017|archive-date=November 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125162439/https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/bio/Mike-Faist/|url-status=live}} While auditioning for Off-Broadway plays, he began selling tickets in Times Square. On his first job as a professional actor in the play White Christmas, he was collecting food stamps, earning $150 per week, and living in the back of a McDonald's parking lot.
Career
=2011–2014: Early work=
Faist began his acting career in 2011, originating the role of Morris Delancey, a bully and publisher Joseph Pulitzer's henchman, in the regional premiere of Newsies at the Paper Mill Playhouse. When the musical transferred to Broadway, he understudied the lead role of Jack Kelly, a newsboy who leads his colleagues in a strike against the publisher, in addition to his other roles. Faist had to alternately play the roles in quick succession during the opening number. "You have to really make sure you're warmed up vocally and physically and you're mentally prepared," Faist said of the demands of his dual role, but added, "It's not hard to have fun in Newsies, about the uprising of children, a new generation coming in to take over the old." Newsies opened to critical acclaim and was nominated for Best Musical at the 66th Tony Awards.{{cite news| url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/the-2012-tony-awards-nominations/| title='Once' Leads the 2012 Tony Awards Nominations| last=Healy| first=Patrick| date=May 1, 2012| work=The New York Times| access-date=May 1, 2012| archive-date=May 4, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504183755/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/the-2012-tony-awards-nominations/| url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://theater.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/theater/reviews/newsies-the-musical-review.html|title=Newsboy Strike? Sing All About It|last=Rooney|first=David|date=September 27, 2011|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 28, 2022|archive-date=June 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616182225/http://theater.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/theater/reviews/newsies-the-musical-review.html|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|last=Geiger|first=Thom|date=September 27, 2011|title=Newsies: The Musical|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2011/09/27/newsies-musical|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=April 28, 2022|archive-date=November 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111201819/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20364394_20531864,00.html|url-status=live}} In 2012, he made his feature film debut in the coming-of-age drama The Unspeakable Act. The independent film received positive reviews.[http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-unspeakable-act The Unspeakable Act] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428102025/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-unspeakable-act |date=April 28, 2022 }} at Metacritic.
Faist went on to star as Rhys Thurston in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's play Appropriate Off-Broadway in 2014, which drew critical acclaim from chief theater critic Ben Brantley of The New York Times.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/theater/in-appropriate-branden-jacobs-jenkins-subverts-tradition.html|title=A Squabbling Family Kept in the Dark|work=The New York Times|first=Ben|last=Brantley|date=16 March 2014|accessdate=28 April 2022|archive-date=April 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428102020/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/theater/in-appropriate-branden-jacobs-jenkins-subverts-tradition.html|url-status=live}} In 2015, he appeared as Skip in the short film Yellow, a psychiatric ward patient in Touched with Fire, and Gordie Joiner in The Grief of Others which received critical and generally positive reviews.{{Cite web|last=Seitz|first=Matt Zoller|title=The Grief of Others movie review (2018)|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-grief-of-others-2018|access-date=September 18, 2021|website=rogerebert.com|language=en|archive-date=July 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729205125/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-grief-of-others-2018|url-status=live}} He was also cast in an unaired pilot of the series Eye Candy as Olsen and co-starred as tutor Aleksei Belyaev opposite Peter Dinklage in an Off-Broadway production of A Month in the Country.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jan/30/a-month-in-the-country-review-taylor-schilling|title=A Month in the Country review: Taylor Schilling stars in pleasant but anemic play|work=The Guardian|first=Alexis|last=Soloski|date=20 January 2015|accessdate=28 April 2022}}
=2015–2020: Theatre breakthrough=
In August 2015, he originated the role of Connor Murphy in the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen, playing the role of the drug addict from the workshop till its Broadway transfer in 2016. The musical received critical acclaim and earned Faist a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-tony-awards-nominees-winners-list-2017-story.html|title=2017 Tony Awards: The complete list of winners and nominees|date=June 11, 2017|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=February 27, 2019|archive-date=February 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228070014/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-tony-awards-nominees-winners-list-2017-story.html|url-status=live}} Along with his cast members, he also won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program for their performance of You Will Be Found on The Today Show. Of his process for developing his character, a suicidal high school student, Faist said that he "read stories by real survivors on a website, livethroughthis.org. I realized that there seems to be a general lack of self-love and empathy in our society. I hope that when people see the show, they'll say, 'Oh, I am loved. I'm exactly who I am, and I am enough'."{{Cite web|last=Grant|first=Stacey|title=Dear Evan Hansen Star Opens Up About Skipping Social Media — And The Autograph Line|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/3002027/mike-faist-dear-evan-hansen-interview/|access-date=September 19, 2021|website=MTV News|language=en|archive-date=September 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919061554/http://www.mtv.com/news/3002027/mike-faist-dear-evan-hansen-interview/|url-status=dead}} Along with cast members Ben Levi Ross and Mallory Bechtel, Faist lent his voice for the audiobook version of Val Emmich's Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel, a book adaptation of the musical released in October 2018.{{Cite web|title=Mike Faist, Ben Levi Ross & Mallory Bechtel to Voice Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel Audiobook|url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/193546/mike-faist-ben-levi-ross-mallory-bechtel-to-voice-dear-evan-hansen-the-novel-audiobook/|access-date=September 19, 2021|website=Broadway.com|language=en|archive-date=September 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919063335/https://www.broadway.com/buzz/193546/mike-faist-ben-levi-ross-mallory-bechtel-to-voice-dear-evan-hansen-the-novel-audiobook/|url-status=live}}
The two following years, Faist continued to feature in small independent films the likes of Our Time, I Can I Will I Did and Active Adults.{{Cite web|last=Mikesell|first=Terry|title=Gahanna native Faist identified emotionally with lead character's dilemma|url=https://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20171207/gahanna-native-faist-identified-emotionally-with-lead-characters-dilemma|access-date=September 19, 2021|website=The Columbus Dispatch|language=en|archive-date=September 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919064825/https://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20171207/gahanna-native-faist-identified-emotionally-with-lead-characters-dilemma|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|date=September 13, 2018|title=Movie Review: I Can, I Will, I Did|url=https://tkdlifemagazine.com/2018/09/13/movie-review-i-can-i-will-i-did/|access-date=September 19, 2021|website=Tae Kwon Do Life Magazine|language=en-US|archive-date=August 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805033939/https://tkdlifemagazine.com/2018/09/13/movie-review-i-can-i-will-i-did/|url-status=live}} He also appeared in crime procedural dramas Law & Order Special Victims Unit in a 2017 episode as Glenn Lawrence. In October 2017, he taught Improv and acting exercises in a Broadway Musical Theatre Workshop and also held a Master Class for audition technique and song interpretation.{{Cite web|title=Musical Theatre Workshop with Mike Faist (Ages 14-19) -SOLD OUT – Broadway Workshop|url=https://www.broadwayworkshop.com/program/musical-theatre-workshop-with-mike-faist/|access-date=September 18, 2021|language=en-US}} He taught the same class in Montreal that November.
In 2018, he appeared in an episode of Deception and starred in the Second Stage Theater production of Days of Rage as Spence, a conflicted and passionate young man torn between causes and women.{{Cite web|last=Evans|first=Suzy|date=October 25, 2018|title=Steven Levenson and Mike Faist on Teaming Up Again for 'Days of Rage'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/steven-levenson-mike-faist-teaming-up-again-days-rage-1154813/|access-date=September 19, 2021|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US|archive-date=September 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919064715/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/steven-levenson-mike-faist-teaming-up-again-days-rage-1154813/|url-status=live}} He also appeared in the horror-fantasy film Wildling opposite Bel Powley. It premiered at South by Southwest to mixed reviews.{{cite web|url=https://metacritic.com/movie/wildling|title=Wildling Reviews|work=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=May 1, 2018|archive-date=May 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501075713/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/wildling|url-status=live}} In 2020, he played a starring role as Arthur in the small independent drama The Atlantic City Story.{{Cite web|last=Verma|first=Shikhar|date=January 20, 2021|title=The Atlantic City Story [2020]: 'IFFI' Review - A muted character-drama about understanding the aimlessness of existence|url=https://www.highonfilms.com/the-atlantic-city-story-2020-iffi-review/|access-date=September 20, 2021|website=High On Films|language=en-US|archive-date=December 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203125413/https://www.highonfilms.com/the-atlantic-city-story-2020-iffi-review/|url-status=live}}
=2021–present: Screen breakthrough =
In 2021, Faist co-starred as Dodge Mason in the Amazon's teen drama thriller Panic.{{Cite web|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=August 28, 2018|title='Panic': Olivia Welch, Mike Faist & Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut To Star In Amazon YA Pilot|url=https://deadline.com/2018/08/panic-olivia-welch-mike-faist-ashlei-sharpe-chestnut-cast-amazon-ya-pilot-1202453762/|access-date=September 18, 2021|website=Deadline Hollywood|language=en-US|archive-date=December 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215182943/https://deadline.com/2018/08/panic-olivia-welch-mike-faist-ashlei-sharpe-chestnut-cast-amazon-ya-pilot-1202453762/|url-status=live}} The New York Times spoke of Faist, describing him as tall and lanky, making quite a striking figure in the series, "With a slender charisma and a bone structure that seems to have been sculpted with a scythe, the actor could easily have embarked on Panic. But his sensitivity is closer to that of leading men as atypical as Adam Driver, and he modernizes a potentially versatile piece."{{Cite news|last=Vincentelli|first=Elisabeth|date=May 27, 2021|title=Mike Faist Isn't Sure About This Whole Acting Thing|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/27/arts/television/mike-faist-panic-west-side-story.html|access-date=September 18, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918080428/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/27/arts/television/mike-faist-panic-west-side-story.html|url-status=live}} Despite receiving positive reviews from critics, the series was canceled after one season.{{cite Rotten Tomatoes|title=Panic|id=panic|type=tv|season=1|access-date=July 1, 2021}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|title='Panic' YA Drama Canceled By Amazon After One Season|url=https://deadline.com/2021/08/panic-canceled-amazon-one-season-ya-1234810654/|work=Deadline Hollywood|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=August 6, 2021|accessdate=August 6, 2021|archive-date=August 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806223222/https://deadline.com/2021/08/panic-canceled-amazon-one-season-ya-1234810654/|url-status=live}} Faist received a nomination for his work by the Critics Choice Association in the category Best Actor in an Action Series at the 2nd Critics' Choice Super Awards.{{Cite web|title=Nominations Announced for the 2nd Annual Critics Choice Super Awards|url=http://www.criticschoice.com/2022/02/nominations-announced-for-the-2nd-annual-critics-choice-super-awards/|access-date=February 22, 2022|website=Critics Choice Association|archive-date=February 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223033652/http://www.criticschoice.com/2022/02/nominations-announced-for-the-2nd-annual-critics-choice-super-awards/|url-status=dead}}
Later that year, he had his first major movie role in Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of West Side Story as Riff, Tony's best friend and leader of the Jets gang.{{Cite web|title=Mike Faist to Bring 'Cool' Factor to Steven Spielberg's West Side Story Film as Riff|url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/195492/mike-faist-to-bring-cool-factor-to-steven-spielbergs-west-side-story-film-as-riff/|access-date=September 18, 2021|website=Broadway.com|language=en|archive-date=September 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918084909/https://www.broadway.com/buzz/195492/mike-faist-to-bring-cool-factor-to-steven-spielbergs-west-side-story-film-as-riff/|url-status=live}} The film was a critical success and some critics deemed it superior to the 1961 film.{{Cite web|last=Murphy|first=J. Kim|date=November 30, 2021|title='West Side Story' First Reactions Praise the Classic Musical's Reimagining as 'Spectacular' and 'Top-Tier Spielberg'|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/west-side-story-first-reactions-praise-steven-spielberg-1235121757/|access-date=December 14, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US|archive-date=November 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130073552/https://variety.com/2021/film/news/west-side-story-first-reactions-praise-steven-spielberg-1235121757/|url-status=live}} His performance earned universal praise from critics.{{Cite web|last=Eng|first=Joyce|date=January 27, 2022|title=Oscar spotlight: Why 'West Side Story's' Mike Faist deserves to go all the way|url=https://www.goldderby.com/article/2022/mike-faist-west-side-story-oscar-spotlight/|access-date=January 31, 2022|website=Gold Derby|language=en|archive-date=January 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130200002/https://www.goldderby.com/article/2022/mike-faist-west-side-story-oscar-spotlight/|url-status=live}} The Washington Post regards his magnetic performance as West Side Story
Faist made his West End debut in the stage adaptation of Brokeback Mountain as Jack Twist, opposite Lucas Hedges as Ennis Del Mar, in May 2023.{{cite web |last=Bamigboye |first=Baz |date=20 March 2023 |title='Brokeback Mountain' Adapted For West End Stage; Mike Faist And Lucas Hedges To Star |url=https://deadline.com/2023/03/brokeback-mountain-west-end-mike-faist-and-lucas-hedges-to-star-1235304376/ |accessdate=20 March 2023 |archive-date=March 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320125126/https://deadline.com/2023/03/brokeback-mountain-west-end-mike-faist-and-lucas-hedges-to-star-1235304376/ |url-status=live }} The production received mixed reviews but Faist earned acclaim with Arifa Akbar of The Guardian writing, "[the two leads] chemistry comes alive as boyish romance, with play fighting and suddenly grabbing ardour...both actors are compelling, Faist especially so as the ebullient Jack".{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/may/19/brokeback-mountain-review-sohoplace-london|title= Brokeback Mountain review – perfectly pitched staging of the heartbreaking love story|website= The Guardian|date= May 19, 2023|accessdate= September 6, 2023|last1= Akbar|first1= Arifa}} Faist portrayed photographer Danny Lyon in Jeff Nichols' The Bikeriders opposite Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy.{{cite web | url=https://www.latestly.com/socially/entertainment/mike-faist-joins-austin-butler-jodie-comer-tom-hardy-norman-reedus-boyd-holbrook-and-latest-tweet-by-film-updates-4288805.html/amp | title=Mike Faist Joins Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, Norman Reedus, Boyd Holbrook and ... - Latest Tweet by Film Updates | 🎥 LatestLY | date=October 4, 2022 | access-date=November 21, 2022 | archive-date=October 17, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017213639/https://www.latestly.com/socially/entertainment/mike-faist-joins-austin-butler-jodie-comer-tom-hardy-norman-reedus-boyd-holbrook-and-latest-tweet-by-film-updates-4288805.html/amp | url-status=live }} Faist practiced photography and spent a weekend with Lyon, in addition to studying Lyon's personal audio recordings and other material.{{Cite web |last=Davids |first=Brian |date=June 21, 2024 |title=Mike Faist Explains How Zendaya's Cameras Led Him to 'The Bikeriders' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/the-bikeriders-mike-faist-zendaya-1235929463/ |access-date= |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} The film premiered at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival to positive reviews. Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter noted that despite Faist's "charismatic screen presence, [he] was somewhat wasted here".{{cite web |last=Linden |first=Sheri |date=September 2, 2023 |title='The Bikeriders' Review: Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy Stir the Surface of Jeff Nichols' Gorgeous, Violent Love Letter to Outsiders |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-bikeriders-review-jodie-comer-tom-hardy-jeff-nichols-1235578612/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905105759/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-bikeriders-review-jodie-comer-tom-hardy-jeff-nichols-1235578612/ |archive-date=September 5, 2023 |accessdate=September 6, 2023 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}
Faist starred with Zendaya and Josh O'Connor in Luca Guadagnino's romantic drama Challengers as Art, a famed tennis player facing his rival.{{Cite web|last=Kit|first=Borys|date=February 11, 2022|title=Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist Starring in Luca Guadagnino's Romantic Drama 'Challengers'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/zendaya-josh-oconnor-mike-faist-luca-guadagnino-challengers-1235091887/|access-date=February 11, 2022|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US|archive-date=February 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211194641/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/zendaya-josh-oconnor-mike-faist-luca-guadagnino-challengers-1235091887/|url-status=live}} He gained 30 pounds for the role and practiced tennis.{{Cite web |last=Tangcay |first=Jazz |date=2024-04-26 |title='Challengers': Mike Faist Had to Eat Up to 10,000 Calories a Day and Gain 30 Pounds to Transform Into a Tennis Star |url=https://variety.com/2024/artisans/news/challengers-mike-faist-tennis-training-10000-calories-30-pounds-1235974287/ |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=Variety}} The film was originally set to premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival but was delayed by the studio to 2024 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.{{cite web|url= https://www.thewrap.com/zendaya-challengers-pushed-to-2024-amid-actors-strike-scraps-venice-debut/|title= Zendaya-Led 'Challengers' Pushed to 2024 Amid Actors' Strike, Scraps Venice Debut|website= TheWrap|date= July 21, 2023|accessdate= September 6, 2023|archive-date= September 6, 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230906181607/https://www.thewrap.com/zendaya-challengers-pushed-to-2024-amid-actors-strike-scraps-venice-debut/|url-status= live}} The film received positive reviews from critics.{{Cite web |last=McPherson |first=Chris |date=2024-04-28 |title='Challengers' Serves Up a Smash Hit at the Global Box Office.]. |url=https://collider.com/challengers-global-box-office-25-million/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Collider |language=en |archive-date=April 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430021857/https://collider.com/challengers-global-box-office-25-million/ |url-status=live }}
He was set to star alongside Colin Farrell in The DC Universe film Sgt. Rock until the film is apparently put on halt during pre-production.
=Work as a writer=
Faist writes short stories and has stated that it is important for an actor to write in order to understand scripts. He helped to establish a playwright's festival, the Ohio Artists Gathering, which he described as "a one-week theater festival bringing artists from New York and LA and integrating them with local actors, writers, and directors." The first festival was held in Columbus, Ohio in 2018.{{Cite web |last=Sanford |first=Richard |date=August 28, 2018 |title=Gahanna Native and Tony Nominee Mike Faist Brings Inaugural Ohio Artists Gathering to Short North Stage |url=https://www.columbusunderground.com/gahanna-native-and-tony-nominee-mike-faist-brings-inaugural-ohio-artists-gathering-to-short-north-stage-rs1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918074149/https://www.columbusunderground.com/gahanna-native-and-tony-nominee-mike-faist-brings-inaugural-ohio-artists-gathering-to-short-north-stage-rs1/ |archive-date=September 18, 2021 |access-date=September 18, 2021 |website=Columbus Underground |language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Ades|first=Richard|title=Mike Faist Brings Broadway to Columbus|url=https://www.columbusmonthly.com/lifestyle/20180807/mike-faist-brings-broadway-to-columbus|access-date=September 19, 2021|website=Columbus Monthly|language=en|archive-date=September 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919062207/https://www.columbusmonthly.com/lifestyle/20180807/mike-faist-brings-broadway-to-columbus|url-status=live}} His Bikeriders director Jeff Nichols shared in an interview that Faist was writing a screenplay and might want to become a filmmaker himself.{{Cite podcast |url=https://open.spotify.com/show/0vH5OxklI7wiUIo00aqn7X |title=The Bikeriders: Regisseur Jeff Nichols im Interview und wie gut wird Alien: Romulus? |website=CinePie |date=20 June 2024 |time=37:32 |host= |last=Burkhardt |first=Eugen |last2=Sondermann |first2=Selina}}
Filmography
=Films=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2012
| Tony | |
| rowspan="3" | 2015
| Yellow | Skip | Short film |
| Touched with Fire
| Additional Psych Ward Patient | |
| The Grief of Others
| Gordie Joiner | |
| 2016
| Our Time | Benny | |
| rowspan="2" | 2017
| I Can I Will I Did | Ben | |
| Active Adults
| Teenage Boy | |
| 2018
| Wildling | Lawrence | |
| 2020
| Arthur | |
| 2021
| Riff | |
| 2022
| Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game | |
| 2023
| |
| 2024
| Art Donaldson | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2012
| Himself | Guest Performance/Ensemble |
| 2015
| Olsen | Episode: "Unaired Original Pilot" |
| 2017
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Glenn Lawrence | Episode: "Complicated" |
| 2018
| Deception{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/sunday-final-ratings-march-25-2018/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327210934/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/sunday-final-ratings-march-25-2018/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 27, 2018|title='NCIS: LA' and 'Bob's Burgers' adjust up, 'Instinct,' 'Simpsons' and 'Deception' down: Sunday final ratings|last=Porter|first=Rick|work=TV by the Numbers|date=March 27, 2018|accessdate=March 27, 2018}} | Ben "Mekka" Evans | Episode: "Masking" |
| 2021
| Panic | Dodge Mason | Main role |
| {{TableTBA}}
| East of Eden † | Charles Trask | Post-production |
=Theatre=
| class="wikitable"
! Year(s) ! Title ! Role ! Location ! Notes |
| 2011
| rowspan="2"| Newsies | rowspan="2"| Morris Delancey | Regional |
| 2012–13
| Broadway |
| rowspan=2|2014
| Rhys Thurston |
| Alice by Heart
| White Rabbit/Alfred Hallam/March Hare | Workshop |
| rowspan="2"| 2015
| Aleksei Belyaev | Off-Broadway |
| rowspan=3|Dear Evan Hansen
| rowspan=3|Connor Murphy | Regional |
| 2016
| Off-Broadway |
| 2016–18
| Broadway |
| 2018
| Days of Rage | Spence | Second Stage Theater | Off-Broadway |
| 2023
| West End |
Soundtrack
| class="wikitable" width="100%"
! Year ! style="width:12em;"| Song ! style="width:11em;"| Show/film title ! Album title ! Notes |
| rowspan="2"| 2017
| "Sincerely, Me" | rowspan="2"| Dear Evan Hansen | rowspan="2"| Dear Evan Hansen | with Ben Platt and Will Roland |
| "Disappear"
| with Ben Platt, Kristolyn Lloyd, Will Roland, and Jennifer Laura Thompson |
| rowspan="3"| 2021
| "Jet Song" | rowspan="3"| West Side Story | rowspan="3"| West Side Story (Soundtrack) | |
| "Tonight Quintet"
| with David Alvarez, Ariana DeBose, Ansel Elgort, and Rachel Zegler |
| "Cool"
| with Ansel Elgort |
=Cast album=
Awards and nominations
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name}}
- {{IBDB name}}
{{Trophée Chopard}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faist, Mike}}
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male musical theatre actors
Category:American male stage actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners
Category:Male actors from Ohio
Category:People from Franklin County, Ohio