20 Great Acting Roles by Skateboarders

Skateboarding has had an enormous presence in popular culture since luminaries of the discipline like Tony Alva and Jay Adams began piloting plywood decks with urethane wheels over the death boxes of empty backyard pools in the 1970s. The rebellious Zephyr team, based in Santa Monica, California (“Dogtown”), created a cultural crossover, and Hollywood followed the trend with ’70s films like Skateboard (starring teeny-bopper Leif Garrett) and Freewheelin’ (starring seminal skater and later-documentarian Stacy Peralta, a member of the original Zephyr team).

Skateboarding’s popularity comes in waves, with fallow stretches that follow — most notably the collapse of skateboarding’s popularity in the early-80s. That led to a mid-’80s rebound, when Tony Hawk and the Bones Brigade (examined in Peralta’s incredible documentary The Bones Brigade) again made skateboarding a trend. That led to neon-radical ’80s feature films like Thrashin’ (starring young skater Josh Brolin) and Gleaming the Cube (where skateboard innovator Mike McGill donned a bleached wig to double for Christian Slater).

After another early-’90s dip in popularity, visionary director Larry Clarke helped revive skateboarding‘s presence in film with his controversial 1995 indie, Kids. 22-years-later year, skater-turned-film star Jonah Hill would romanticize this period and Clarke’s influence with his feature directorial debut, Mid90s.

All these films have depended on a crucial component — the ability of young skateboarders to transition into careers as actors. Some, like Leo Fitzpatrick and Jason Lee, have proven to have serious chops and subsequently went on to big-time acting careers. Others, like Justin Pierce and Harold Hunter, have slipped through the cracks of sudden fame and met early ends — before a greater audience could truly appreciate their acting talent. The following are 20 great acting roles by skaters.

20 Ryder McLaughlin – North Hollywood (2021)

North Hollywood was the brainchild of director Mikey Alfred, whose skate company/studio produced the film. Alfred was also a producer on Jonah Hill’s film Mid90s, but struck off on his own, after being rap syndicate Odd Future’s personal videographer then working with Hill. For his first feature directorial effort, Alfred used actor Ryder McLaughlin as Michael, who already had a few credits to his name and stood out as an exceptional skater.

McLaughlin’s Chemistry with Vince Vaughan Drives the Movie

North Hollywood managed to wrangle Vince Vaughan into the role of Michael’s dad, Oliver, and the two typify the relationship of many parents towards their kids when they become aspirant pro skaters. The film won exceptional RT ratings, and featured future Skater-of-the-Year Tyshawn Jones and recently deceased Angus Cloud of Euphoria fame. McLaughlin was exceptional in the role, mainly because his actual skating looked so good on camera. Stream on Prime Video.

19 Na-Kel Smith – mid90s (2018)

Na-Kel Smith is a jack-of-all-trades, rising into the zeitgeist as a pro skater, talented actor, and notable hip-hop frontman. Jonah Hill recognized the young skateboarder’s presence, casting him as Ray in mid90s, the film’s most ambitious skater and most-engaging role. Ray provides a positive influence for Stevie, the film’s protagonist, as a skater willing to abandon the skate world’s disaffection with “trying hard” — and go against his friends’ aversion to the pursuit of achievement.

Don’t Expect to See Na-Kel in Many Films Despite His Acting Talent

“Nak” remains a heavy presence on social media, in musical collaborations with talents like Earl Sweatshirt, and in skateboarding, still honing a deft touch with heavy skate clips. As famous for his style as his skating skills, he may be better-suited to being a pro skater than the trappings of acting fame, with mid90s remaining as his sole feature-film role. Regardless, Na-Kel is a creative force as soon as he walks into a room, and half-a-million Instagram followers should keep him afloat — unless he dares to further explore his acting talent. Stream on Max.

18 Justin Pierce – Kids (1995)

Justin Pierce may have been too raw, too authentic to ever have a real career in Hollywood. His talent was indisputable as Casper in Larry Clarke’s cautionary tale, Kids. Pierce was deeply embedded in New York City’s ‘Downtown Kid’ scene, making him a natural selection to star in Kids when director Larry Clarke discovered him in Washington Square Park. Casper was the most-engaging male character in the film — but also the most devious — a fact that showed the film’s authenticity as a semi-documentary of this drug-and-alcohol-fueled teenage NYC scene. The result was one of the most controversial films ever released.

Justin Pierce Was Emerging, He Ended His Life

Pierce got cast in another interesting role in First Time Felon, as a young delinquent sent to a prison camp. He Bic’d his head for the exceptional role, and it seemed to hint at a forthcoming career in indies. Still, his most-unforgettable role remained as Casper, the “dopest ghost in town.” Pierce met a tragic end soon after his brief foray into indie roles — some say due to the pressures of fame — when he took his own life in Las Vegas, Nevada in the summer of 2000. He was 25 years old.

17 Austin Amelio – The Walking Dead

Above all else, Austin Amelio has a great “look”. It locates him somewhere between ‘Middle-American’ and post-hipster intellectual — a space that pretty much no other actor occupies. That has boded well for roles in super-high-profile shows like The Walking Dead. Turns out, Amelio is adept at the ‘shredding of the board,’ as well.

The Man Is Seriously Good at Skating

Amelio might have the most skating skills of any actor in Hollywood today, with an athletic frame that helps him unload effed-up stunts on the concrete landscape. Amelio’s ceiling as an actor is super-high, as well, and 10 years down the line he may top a list like this. Stream on Netflix.

Related: The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Posts Highest Rotten Tomatoes Score of All the Spin-Offs

16 Chad Muska – Entourage

Chad Muska definitely didn’t have any training as an actor, but his enormous presence led to a believable role as a surf bully on Entourage. “The Muska”, known for negotiating death-defying tricks while his Ghetto Blaster plays his self-made beats nearby, perfectly fits the model set by surf bullies Warchild and Tone (Anthony Kiedis) in Point Break. On the hit HBO show Entourage, Muska aggressively navigates a drop-top Chrysler on PCH to scare the bejeesus out of Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Drama (Kevin Dillon). On Entourage, Muska had truly transcended from skateboarding to a pop culture phenomenon.

Why Chad Muska Didn’t Need Acting to be a Legend

At one point in the late-’90s, Chad Muska dominated skateboarding with top-notch skating, an outsized persona, and enormous cred as a homeless-runaway-turned-cultural-phenom. Even today, Chad Muska has an enormous social media following as an artist and chicken farmer. Yes… chicken farmer.

Entourage

Release Date

July 18, 2004

Cast

Kevin Connolly , Adrian Grenier , Kevin Dillon , Jerry Ferrara , Jeremy Piven , Debi Mazar , Perrey Reeves , Rex Lee , Rhys Coiro , Gary Cole , Emmanuelle Chriqui , Scott Caan

Seasons

8

15 Steve Berra – Felicity

Steve Berra met all the common trappings of a Hollywood career — experimenting with Scientology, celebrity romance (he married Juliette Lewis), and getting hit by a bus on a JJ Abrams show. Ok, maybe that last one wasn’t so common. Yes, Berra’s Felicity character, Todd Mulcahy, met his maker in pretty abrupt fashion, when, mid-conversation with Felicity Porter (Keri Russell), Todd steps into the street and into one of television’s biggest surprise deaths of all time — getting truck’d by a bus. Or was it bus’d by a truck? Anyways, it had to have hurt.

Berra Never Became a Movie Star, but Returned to Skateboarding with the Berrics

Despite never achieving the success of his Hollywood buddies like Leonardo DiCaprio (who has?), Berra had a commendable acting career. He later returned to the skate industry by co-founding the Berrics website and skate park with legendary colleague Eric Koston (the brand name is a portmanteau of their names). Berra has cornered the market in skate media, and makes regular appearances on camera for Berrics events, like the vaunted “Battle of the Berrics.” Stream on Hulu.

Felicity

Release Date

September 29, 1998

Seasons

4

14 Evan Mock – Gossip Girl

Evan Mock zagged, stylistically, from skateboarding’s norms, when he exploded on the Los Angeles scene after a Hawaiian upbringing. When singer Frank Ocean posted a video of Mock skating, he went viral, and his unique look caught the attention of casting directors. That led to a role on the Gossip Girl reboot as Akeno “Aki” Menzies.

Despite Early Acting Promise, Mock Has Shied Away from Further Roles

Mock has remained mainly in the fashion and skateboarding world since his semi-iconic role, which inspired many a young skater to dye their hair pink and dangly earrings — not a far cry from the near-raver style of early-’90s skateboarders. Stream on Max.

Gossip Girl

Release Date

September 19, 2007

Seasons

6

Studio

The CW

13 Rachelle Vinberg – Skate Kitchen (2018)

Rachelle Vinberg led a cast of female skaters in Skate Kitchen, a pioneering film for being the first to show skate life from the perspective of young women. What the film lacked in story, it made up for in heart, creating a narrative around a group of aspiring NYC skaters that was the polar opposite of Kids. The 2018 film was barely a blip on the popular radar, but that didn’t matter, as it asserted the position of young female skaters in the brave new world of 21st century skateboarding.

Why Skate Kitchen Has Staying Power

Skate Kitchen is one of the few moments where the inherent “coolness” of skating was challenged by another ethos — one that showed that skateboarding can be enjoyed by any group of kids. The youth and vitality of the film trumps any concerns about it eschewing the core philosophy of skating, or skating’s supposed connection to machismo. Rent on Apple TV.

Skate Kitchen

Release Date

August 10, 2018

Runtime

100

Tagline

A Film By Crystal Moselle

12 Rick McCrank – Machotaildrop (2009)

Maybe the most-talented skater to ever hail from Canada, Rick McCrank also had a unique comfort in front of a camera, that could be seen in the side sketches and candid moments of skating videos like Menikmati. McCrank’s lanky look and goofy personality lent itself well to film crossovers, in uber-weird skate-indies Harvey Spannos and Machotaildrop, which saw him play to his strengths as an aspirant amateur skater.

McCrank Also Impressed in His Documentary Series Abandoned

Atop his skateboard in Abandoned, McCrank traveled across North America exploring abandoned locales with experts to explain their significance. We wouldn’t rule out the possibility of seeing McCrank in another fictional film role, but he certainly has a knack for hosting a series — perhaps a better lane for him going forward.

11 Sunny Suljic – mid90s (2018)

Discovered at Stoner Skate Plaza, an LA skate mecca, by mid90s director Jonah Hill, young Sunny Suljic had to actually pretend to be worse at skating to play Stevie, as explained by Suljic on Chris Roberts’ amazing skate podcast, The Nine Club.

Using that device, the audience could live vicariously through Stevie’s experience of landing his first tricks in his driveway — the spark that’s ignited many a skate career. Hill captured that youthful exuberance masterfully with a colorful story about the commonly disaffected existence of a young skater, after Suljic proved to be an exceptional young skater who already had acting credits under his belt.

Suljic Had Two Standout Roles in mid90s and The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Though he’s largely returned to the confines of Instagram as an exceptional young skater, Suljic still has impressive roles in mid90s and The Killing of a Sacred Deer under his belt. Whether that translates to an acting career as an adult has yet to be seen. Stream on Max.

10 Josh Brolin – Thrashin’ (1986)

Hot. Reckless. Totally insane. The tag line on the neon pink poster of Thrashin’ gave you all the primer you needed for your introduction to Corey Webster’s (Josh Brolin) glorious entrance to the Los Angeles skateboarding scene. A small-town Ohio kid, Webster didn’t let being a polished, ”pretty-boy” get in the way of challenging the Daggers crew to a literal match of skateboarding supremacy, skate-jousting with the local crusty punks in a dirty ditch duel for the ages.

Between Goonies and Skate Skills, Brolin was a No-Brainer as Corey Webster

Brolin actually had some experience as a skateboarder (unlike Christian Slater), and put it to good use, as he didn’t require the same uber-awkward stunt double cuts that Slater did in Gleaming the Cube. You may be wondering… hasn’t Brolin had better roles than Corey Webster? Such a suggestion is blasphemous to any fan of skateboarding’s glorious/dubious presence in ’80s movies. Frankly… how dare you? Stream on Prime Video.

Related: Josh Brolin Breaks Silence on Possible Thanos Return to MCU

9 Harold Hunter – Kids (1995)

Harold Hunter typified the approach of most ’90s pro skaters to pursuing fame, after shooting to prominence with his eponymous character in Kids. By all accounts, Hunter was essentially playing himself in the film — and when his hilarious character opened up acting opportunities to Hunter, he only dabbled, returning to his career as one of the Zoo York team’s marquee skaters. Hunter would take small roles in six more films before a drug-related death in 2006.

Despite a Tragic End, Harold Hunter’s Legacy Is Strong

How many people do you know with their own holiday? Probably not many — but Hunter has one! Harold Hunter Day is celebrated in New York City every July 11th, with skaters migrating from the East Village’s Tompkins Square Park to the LES skate park. Hunter’s time as one of New York City’s greatest skaters made a huge impression on the skate community, and it didn’t hurt that he got the biggest laughs in Kids, as much a document of his young life as it was a standout character.

8 Paul Rodriguez – The Garcias

A super-fresh Valley kid with a famous dad — who transcended his pops by becoming one of the most technical skaters ever to scoot, Paul Rodriguez has a gift for two things: super smooth tricks and an affable persona that works on camera. That led to some early roles when he blew up as a pro skater, eventually settling into a family sitcom on The Garcias. Alas, the show didn’t last long — but Rodriguez could still follow in his dad’s footsteps, though his vibe is a little more Freddie Prinze Jr. than A Million to Juan.

Rodriguez Remains a Heavy Presence in Skating

While his sitcom fame was short-lived, Rodriguez remains a vital influence in skateboarding through his team, Primitive, and on social media and YouTube appearances related to skateboarding. His Nike shoes remain some of their SB label’s bestsellers, and he’s still laying down heavy tricks at the age of 39.

7 Tony Alva – Skateboard (1978)

Tony Alva was more of a force of nature than pro skateboarder in the 1970s, helping to innovate skateboarding’s first move to the vertical walls of backyard pools. His rock star personae lent itself well to television appearances, and Alva eventually got cast as Tony Bluetile in the film Skateboard. Opposite teen phenom Leif Garrett, Alva let his skating do most of the acting.

Skateboard: The Movie Inspired a Generation

Street-skating sensei Eric Dressen has cited the influence of the film, speaking about Alva’s enormous influence on The Nine Club podcast. Skateboard predated skate videos, making it one of the only ways ’70s skaters could see bowl skating and slalom in action. Until then, most kids relied on the still images from skate magazines. The effect of seeing Alva in living color sent ripples through youth culture, elevating the skateboard from toy to lifestyle.

6 Mike Vallely – The Hangover Part III (2013)

Mike Vallely was one of street skateboarding’s early innovators, joining the Bones Brigade in the ’80s when he began to pioneer new techniques on the street, using his hardcore East Coast style. Vallely was known for his “street plants” (hand-standing skate maneuvers that essentially combined breakdancing with freestyle skateboarding). With his fight-loving personae and closely shaved head, it wasn’t a reach when Vallely later became the singer of hardcore band Black Flag.

Vallely’s Notoriety Led to Some Unexpectedly Great Roles

A raft of filmmakers who grew up watching Powell-Peralta’s legendary ’80s videos were acutely aware of Vallely’s presence on camera, and director Todd Phillips cast this skateboarding brute as the scary-but-tender Nico in The Hangover. Nico gets expanded in The Hangover Part III, garnering some of the movie’s biggest laughs despite the heavyweights he was acting opposite. Rent on Apple TV.

5 Spike Jonze – Three Kings (1999)

Spike Jonze was a devoted skater and BMX rider in the ’80s, meeting Jackass producer Jeff Tremaine in their native Maryland before matriculating to California, where he got his start as a director. Spike Jonze’s early skate videos put him on the map, most notably Blind Skateboard’s Video Days (which featured Jason Lee).

That led to unforgettable videos for Sonic Youth, Bjork, The Pharcyde, Weezer — then Beastie Boys’ unforgettable “Sabotage” video. Only a few short years later, he was directing Being John Malkovich, and acting opposite George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube in Three Kings.

Spike Jonze Continues His Involvement in Skating via Girl Skateboards

Jonze, born Adam Spiegel, was a founder of uber-popular skate brand Girl Skateboards, which rose to prominence in the late-’90s for being an all-star team of street skaters. Some of Jonze’s most amazing directorial works have been the short films he’s made for Girl’s skate videos like Mouse and Yeah Right! Rent on Apple TV.

4 Tony Hawk – Gleaming the Cube (1989)

When the Birdman cometh… beware. During his initial rise to fame in the mid-’80s, Tony Hawk appeared in everything from soft drink commercials to feature films. He’s gone on to rifle off stunts and acting performances in over 50 films. The most memorable remains his role as Buddy in Gleaming the Cube, a pizza delivery guy who moonlights as a pool skater. Hawk pilots his delivery truck in the film’s key stunt scene.

Hawk Has Been a Regular in TV and Film Ever Since

Whether on the X-Games, in Super Bowl commercials, or acting cameos on shows like Ballers, Hawk is fairly ubiquitous on screen these days. The 2022 release of his Max documentary, Until the Wheels Fall Off, granted a deep dive into Hawk’s enormous multimedia persona and reinforced his status as the skate GOAT. Stream on Prime Video.

3 Leo Fitzpatrick – The Wire

Like Justin Pierce, Leo Fitzpatrick was discovered by Larry Clark as part of Washington Square Park’s ’90s skate crew. Despite skating’s Cali roots, Manhattan has remained central to skateboarding’s heart and cultural development, with Tompkins Square Park replacing Washington Square Park as New York’s skate hub since Leo played Telly nearly 30 years ago. The same film that launched Chloë Sevigny and Rosario Dawson helped Fitzpatrick to secure further roles in arthouse films like Todd Solondz’s Storytelling and Clark’s second film, Bully.

Fitzpatrick Reached New Dramatic Heights on The Wire

Within the framework of David Simon’s HBO crime saga The Wire, Fitzpatrick shined as Johnny Weeks, a drug addict forced to criminal ends to support his habit. He formed an acting kinship with series regular Andre Royo, one of the subplots that helped make the series an all-timer for HBO. Wire standout James Ransone has also kept a steady foot in the skate scene through his friendship with Fitzpatrick and skate impresario Jason Dill. Stream on Max.

The Wire

Release Date

June 2, 2002

Seasons

5

2 Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Since Jonah Hill was doing his directorial thing with mid90s, opting not to act in his own film, we’ll go with the former skateboarder’s role in The Wolf of Wall Street as his most memorable. Yes, Hill received his lone Oscar nomination for Moneyball, but may never have garnered greater laughs than in his role as Donnie Azoff in Scorsese’s pump-and-dump Ponzi saga. Having grown up skateboarding in West LA in the ’90s, Hill felt an urge to step away from acting and use skating as the context for his own coming-of-age film.

Oscar Noms and mid90s Helped Hill Become a Skate Legend

Leave it to Kids star Leo Fitzpatrick to contextualize Hill’s skate film, saying, “I really liked mid90s. I thought that was a good representation of how I grew up. I didn’t grow up like the character in Kids. I grew up like the kids in Mid90s.” Hill is more frequently found atop a surfboard these days, but his childhood love of skating led to maybe his greatest work, creatively-speaking. Stream on Paramount+.

1 Jason Lee – Mallrats (1995)

If we’re ranking skateboarders-turned-actors on the basis of both their skate influence and acting ability, it’s hard to rank anyone higher than Jason Lee. Lee was enormously influential from the late-’80s to the mid-’90s in skating, collaborating with director Spike Jonze on the film Video Days for his sponsor, Blind Skateboards. Video Days is often cited as the most influential skate video ever made, thanks in large part to Jonze and Lee’s amazing sketches between the boundary-pushing tricks.

When Jonze got early directing gigs on music videos, Lee got exposed to set life skating in videos like Sonic Youth’s “100%”. He began auditioning in LA, and was eventually cast in a major role in Kevin Smith’s Mallrats, perfectly slotting into Smith’s enormously sarcastic tone of dialogue.

Eventually, Lee Got His Own Network Series with My Name is Earl

Mallrats remains Lee’s most-endearing role, and despite the film not doing well at the gate, it raised Lee’s profile enough that it eventually led to other memorable roles in Mumford and Almost Famous. Eventually, Lee had a four-season run starring in My Name is Earl, while continuing his side career as a photographer.

Mallrats

Release Date

October 20, 1995

Runtime

94