British heartthrob Ben Lloyd-Hughes has shown numerous times that he embodies charm and acting brilliance — ranging across the many roles he has portrayed so far. Born and raised in London, he carries the appealing style of the city with him every time he appears on screen.
After finishing his acting training as a young man, he’s been landing role after role that sharpens his skills in various genres, from period drama to dystopian. He has quite a list of movies and TV shows he’s starred in, some as early as 2005 in the TV show Love Soup. He continued to star in a few more TV shows after that, such as A Touch of Frost (2006) and Skins (2007).
Ben Lloyd-Hughes is an actor with limitless charm and quite the range that surprises the fans in one appearance after another. Now well into his career, he has made some impact on screen thanks to his impressive performances over the years. Here are some of his best performances.
8 A Serial Killer's Guide to Life (2019) as Chuck Knoah
A horror and comedy film released in 2019, A Serial Killer's Guide to Life follows a young woman, Lou (Katie Brayden), who's desperate to improve her life by immersing herself in self-help resources and gurus, quickly becoming obsessed with one in particular, named Chuck Knoah (Ben Lloyd-Hughes).
Lou, continuing her knowledge, meets a self-help guru wannabe, Val (Poppy Roe), who then takes her on a journey to meet her author idol — murdering people along the way. The duo go on a killing spree together in the name of finding a better life.
What Makes It Great
Ben's character Chuck Knoah finds himself facing the consequences of his own hollow advice. His obsessive fan goes through a lot to meet him face to face — and when she does, he's understandably flabbergasted. His supporting role in the movie shows a darkly compelling side of humanity, when his believable yet narcissistic words as a "life coach" echo with the wrong people, and he pays the price.
Rent on Apple TV+
7 The Stranger in Our Bed (2022) as Tom
The 2022 thriller film The Stranger in Our Bed stars Ben Lloyd-Hughes and Emily Berrington, following the mysterious and twisting secrets of their unhappy marriage. Lloyd-Hughes plays Tom, Charlotte’s husband (and Berrington's real life husband), a wealthy CEO with big ambition and a cold personality.
As she gets lonely and feels unwanted, Charlotte cheats on him — prompting him and his mother to bully her out of their lives. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The man she’s been cheating with, Ewan (Bart Edwards), suddenly goes missing, and she has to juggle solving the mystery and finding her way out of the painful marriage.
What Makes It Great
In this movie, there’s always this layer of coldness between the husband and wife, and both actors manage to deliver this crucial detail to the audience, made even more impressive by the fact that the actors are happily married in real life. Tom delivers an imposing performance as an emotionally abusive husband, and someone with a clear and mysterious motivation that makes him focused. Thanks to the actors, the movie is thrilling and engaging — especially with Tom’s coldness and slight madness in his eyes.
Rent on Apple TV+
6 The King’s Daughter (2022) as Jean-Michel Lintillac
The King’s Daughter is an adventure-fantasy film about Louis XIV (Pierce Brosnan), the powerful monarch who was called The Sun King and was obsessed with immortality. He is informed that he may be able to achieve immortality by killing a mermaid during an eclipse. He instructs his people to find the mermaid, while he summons his rebellious daughter Marie-Josèphe (Kaya Scodelario) from the convent where she was living. His focus is now divided, as he tries to reign in his daughter and achieve his goal while racing against time.
Played by Lloyd-Hughes, Jean-Michel Lintillac comes into the picture as the son of a very sick yet wealthy baron, meaning Lintillac is close to inheriting a fortune and a great title. King Louis takes advantage of this discovery and instructs his defiant daughter to marry Lintillac, so she can live a comfortable life. However, both Marie and Jean-Michel are on the same team — they both desire for the captured mermaid to be released, and they decide to work together against the king.
What Makes It Great
Ben’s performance in The King’s Daughter is like a fresh breath of air. Among the greedy and wrongfully powerful men and powerless women, he stands for what’s right and fights until the end. The actor pulls just enough cards for his character to make an impact, which is much needed after the complicated story gets twisted in its own tale.
Rent on Apple TV+
5 Industry (2020) as Greg Grayson
A show centered around young people’s experiences in entering the corporate world and their realization of capitalistic society, Industry tells a funny, sometimes dark and political story of five young men and women who are all ambitious and intelligent, trying to secure a prestigious job title at a London investment bank, Pierpoint & Co. It is highly underrated, and the best TV show you're not watching right now.
What Makes It Great
Ben Lloyd-Hughes appeared in the show’s season one as Grey Grayson, a co-worker at Pierpoint & Co. who criticizes capitalism just as much as the next person. His character has a lot of great lines throughout his appearance, including his rant about Nike and social justice. Lloyd-Hughes embodies the classic young spirit of intelligence and passion regarding the society they live in, which is well translated to his character, Grey.
Stream on Prime Video
4 Malevolent (2018) as Jackson
Ben Lloyd-Hughes stars alongside Florence Pugh as Jackson and Angela, respectively, in the horror film Malevolent, where they run a fake ghost-busting operation. They go to their clients’ houses, pretend to cleanse the place, and claim every negative energy is out. In an enormous amount of debt to some dangerous people, Jackson is desperate to make money, which is the driving force to their scams.
They think they have hit jackpot when a client with an old foster home comes along, but they soon realize that they’re very wrong. The house unleashes deadly forces that make the duo terrified, disturbed, yet also intrigued that the supernatural may indeed be real.
What Makes It Great
Jackson is an all-around lousy person to be around; he is an unbeliever who never takes anything seriously, which frustrates Angela. Lloyd-Hughes plays well off Florence Pugh, who delivers an excellent performance, and her frustration towards Jackson is equally reciprocated as he gets more uneasy with the situation. Their dynamic is fun to watch, between a cynic and someone becoming a believer, despite the frustrations they encounter along the way.
Stream on Netflix
3 Me Before You (2016) as Rupert
The tragic love story under a heartbreaking situation, Me Before You, shows the power of love and powerful loss, and all that entails. Lou (Emilia Clarke) is a bubbly caretaker hired to care for and lift Will’s (Sam Claflin) cynical spirits as he navigates life after becoming paralyzed.
Ben Lloyd-Hughes’ character Rupert is an additional pain to Will’s life — Rupert is Will’s ex-friend who is getting married to Will’s ex-girlfriend. Rupert starts dating Will’s girlfriend after Will’s accident that left him paralyzed, a tragic turn of events as astonishing as it is sadly common.
What Makes It Great
Lloyd-Hughes' character isn’t a major one, but his presence is enough to rub salt in Will's emotional wound. The tension heightens when Lou takes Will to the wedding, showing, in a way, who the real loser is. The versatile Lloyd-Hughes manages to play endearing characters often, but seeing him make the audience hate him is, conversely, what makes audiences love him too.
Rent on Apple TV+
2 Sanditon (2022 - 2023) as Alexander Colbourne
A British historical drama set in the Regency era, Sanditon is all about the seaside town life and its passionate residents. The show’s heroine Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) is trying to build a good life for herself in the town. But a small town always has rumors and secrets lurking around. Charlotte goes about her life as she tries to find a partner to share her life with.
Then enters the charming Alexander Colbourne. He sweeps a heartbroken Charlotte off her feet. No one can blame her, though, for Alexander Colbourne is a passionate and thoughtful man who goes against the grain of society.
What Makes It Great
Ben Lloyd-Hughes is the perfect choice for this character. His charm and mature characteristics are similar to that of Alexander. He is both complicated and simple — adding more to the mystery of Alexander Colbourne as the audience and Charlotte discover more about him together.
Stream on PBS Masterpiece
1 Divergent (2014) as Will
Divergent is a dystopian movie based on a book series, and takes place in the ruined world of post-apocalypse Chicago, where people are divided into five factions: Abnegation (the selfless), Candor (the honest), Amity (the peaceful), Erudite (the intelligent), and Dauntless (the brave). Starring Shailene Woodley as Tris and Theo James as Four, the teenagers navigate their faction change after they take a test and decide where they want to belong.
Ben Lloyd-Hughes’s character Will is an Erudite-turned-Dauntless, who trains alongside Tris as they work hard to stay in the brave and difficult faction. It’s apparent that Will’s intelligence is still in his blood — he uses his brain to work his way into and stay in Dauntless. He’s undoubtedly brave and sweet, making friends with the other newly joined initiates.
What Makes It Great
Lloyd-Hughes portrays Will’s character so well that he becomes instantly lovable, and gives off positivity in every scene. He has everything — he's brave, kind, charming, and intelligent, making it all more painful when his story comes to a tragic end.
Rent on Apple TV+
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