Ricki and the Flash has a lot of familiar faces (Meryl Streep, to start), but if you're not so sure about how you know a few of the actors you see on-screen, don't worry: you're not alone. Especially when it comes to the movie's kids (or, rather, Ricki's adult children); there are three, and although you might be able to identify the one that's Streep's actual child, Mamie Gummer, or Winter Soldier Sebastian Stan, the third might be a bit harder. The actor who plays Adam in Ricki and the Flash is much less familiar, although he certainly makes a memorable appearance in the film.
The actor behind Adam is Nick Westrate, and he's hard to trace for a reason: the star has mostly made a name for himself on the stage in New York City, starring in productions both on- and off- Broadway, rather than films. He also barely appears in the trailer for Ricki and the Flash, though he does contribute to one of its most memorable moments, when (spoiler!) Ricki and her family have a show-down during a supposed "reunion" dinner. So how, exactly, did Westrate land such a lucrative gig as Ricki's son? Well, it probably helps that the actor is a graduate of Juilliard and an award winning theater actor.
Westrate, 31, may be new to the big screen, but he's certainly not new to performing. In 2011, he was awarded the Actors' Equity St. Clair Bayfield Award for his performance as Berowne in Shakespeare's Love's Labor's Lost. In 2012, he took home a Special Drama Desk Award for his work. Westrate has appeared in a long list of off-Broadway shows and earned rave reviews for his performance in Harvey Fierstein's Broadway play, Casa Valentina , in which he played a cross-dresser, Michael, who escaped to the Catskills in the 1960s to explore his feminine side, Gloria.
"I learned a new kind of confidence from Gloria — you have to be pretty brave to present yourself as she does. I have also learned: Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize," Westrate said of the role to BroadwayBox.com.
Westrate has also had a few small television roles, including guest appearances in Person of Interest and Blue Bloods, but most recently he became a fan favorite in AMC's Turn: Washington's Spies, playing reluctant spy Robert Townsend.
Off screen and stage, Westrate is slowly building up a presence on Twitter, where he has revealed a few details about himself, such as:
He's A Huge Fan Of Turn
The actor is constantly re-tweeting fans and sharing love for his show.
He Hates The MTA
Who doesn't need to vent subway frustrations every once in awhile? Westrate angrily tweets to New York City's MTA about the subway on occasion, even though we all know how pointless such an endeavor is and always will be.
He's A Feminist
The actor showed off his feminist side when he got just as angry about that awful Jeremy Renner/Black Widow interview as you were, tweeting simply, "Jeremy Renner. Vile."
Westrate doesn't have any film or television projects in the works, according to IMDB, but he will soon appear in The Playwrights Real's production of A Delicate Ship off-Broadway. Ricki and the Flash hits theaters on Friday, Aug. 7 — be sure to catch him in it.
Images: TriStar Pictures
