The new film Ten Thousand Saints may feature some of Hollywood's most talented teenage actors, like rising stars Hailee Steinfeld and Asa Butterfield, but make no mistake — this is no kid's movie. The film centers on Butterfield's Jude, a character who leads a troubled life after his parents split up, and even more so years later when, spoiler alert, his best friend Teddy dies of a drug overdose and his friend Eliza (Steinfeld) ends up pregnant with Teddy's child. Pretty heavy stuff for actors whom we're used to seeing in more kid-friendly fare. The role of Teddy is especially difficult, since he has to depict a high schooler who dies after a night of partying, which has got to be a frightening prospect for any young actor. So who's the brave guy who plays Teddy in Ten Thousand Saints ?
Teddy is portrayed by Avan Jogia, and the role signifies a bit of a change of course for the actor. Although it's not his first adult part, as he's had runs on the Syfy Battlestar Galactica spinoff Caprica and the Spike mini-series Tut, it's probably the most adult role in Joqia's career so far given the context. The part is even more jarring when you consider that it's coming from a guy who was a borderline teen idol, appearing in shows on teen mainstay networks Nickelodeon, ABC Family, and the CW (only the Disney Channel and MTV appear to be missing from his résumé). So to celebrate Jogia's arrival to adulthood, here's a nostalgic look back at his teenage endeavors.
Aliens In America
Jogia's first recurring TV gig was on this short-lived CW series about a Muslim Pakistani foreign exchanged student sent to live with a Midwestern Christian family. Jogia appeared in three episodes.
Gym Teacher: The Movie
This Nickelodeon TV movie was the first of Jogia's many collaborations with the network, and co-starred accomplished comedic actors Christopher Meloni and Amy Sedaris.
Spectacular!
Jogia's next Nick TV movie centered on a wannabe rock star who joins the school choir and saves the day. Victoria Justice co-stars, and she and Jogia would go on to spend years working together on Justice's sitcom (see below).
Victorious
This show was Jogia's big break, as he appeared in all of the series' 57 episodes as Beck Oliver, the boyfriend of Jade West (Elizabeth Gillies).
iCarly
Jogia also appeared in Nick's other big show of the era, but only in one episode: the crossover episode with Victorious. Naturally.
Rags
Returning to a Nick TV movie one last time, Jogia plays a rockstar who's dating fellow rockstar Kadee Worth (Keke Palmer). In an interesting career choice, Kadee's father is played by Isaiah Mustafa, better known as the Old Spice Guy.
Twisted
Marking Jogia's exit from teen media, Twisted is also decidedly more grown up than the actor's work on Nickelodeon. Jogia plays the lead, Danny Desai, who is under suspicion of murdering a fellow student from his school. The ABC Family probably series hewed a little too closely to the themes of the network's hit series Pretty Little Liars, and ended up lasting just 20 episodes.
Safe to say Ten Thousand Saints marks a big — and great — change for the talented Joqia.
Images: CBS Corporartion/Time Warner; Viacom, Disney-ABC Television Group
