Without a doubt, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” will be the movie of the summer. But if we’re talking about movies that are buzzy and look really fun, “No Hard Feelings” is a close second. Starring Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, the light rom-com is about down-on-her-luck Maddie (Lawrence) who, out of desperation, takes a job as a date-for-hire for a wealthy but shy 19-year-old named Percy.
Looks like a blast, right? And even more of a blast is the fact that Percy is played by Jewish actor Andrew Barth Feldman.
Here are 18 things to know about Andrew Barth Feldman.
1. Andrew Barth Feldman was born on May 7, 2002 in Manhasset, New York to a Jewish family.
2. He was raised Reform!
3. He loves being a Jew from Long Island.
“Judaism has always sort of been a big part of my life, especially growing up on Long Island, it’s very much a community in my neighborhood,” he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, adding, “It’s not – there isn’t the Jewish kid. Everybody’s Jewish. So it sort of builds something to bond over, and it builds a collective thing from a very young age, and that’s really cool.”
4. Andrew saw “Beauty and the Beast” on Broadway when he was 3 years old and has loved theater ever since. He first role on stage was as Mr. Bundles in a community theater production of “Annie.”
5. This is what he looked like as a bar mitzvah boy!
6. Andrew founded a theater company for his bar mitzvah project. Yes, really! It’s called Zneefrock Productions and it was started to raise money to help people with autism get their support needs met.
7. Here’s an actual, real song he wrote for his bar mitzvah!
We’ve got to give him a hand, this song is very catchy.
8. In 2018, Andrew won the Jimmy Award (also known as a National High School Musical Theatre Award) for best actor.
9. The lead producer for “Dear Evan Hansen” on Broadway happened to be in the audience for Andrew’s performance at the Jimmy’s and knew he was perfect for the role. He was cast as Evan and made his Broadway debut on January 30, 2019!
“If I were to make my Broadway debut in any role, it’s Evan,” Andrew said at the time, continuing, “This is my favorite show since I saw it, and everyone has always said I’m right for the role. I think I agree.”
10. A major and sad life moment for Andrew was the death of his mother Barbra.
“My mom was the most loving person I’ve ever known, and the most loved person I’ve ever known,” Andrew shared in an Instagram caption, “When she passed in August of 2019, it came as a major, devastating shock to all of us. Her light in the world was lost, but lives on inside all of us.”
11. He attended Lawrence Woodmere Academy for high school and was accepted to Harvard University for the fall of 2020. However, Andrew deferred enrollment until 2021 due to the COVID pandemic.
12. He starred as Linguini in the 2020 TikTok musical adaption of “Ratatouille.”
13. He’s released a few singles! His most recent single is called “The College Breakup.”
The angst!
14. He made his television acting debut as Antoine in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.” Here he is in costume:
15. Andrew made his acting debut in the 2023 Netflix movie “A Tourist’s Guide to Love“:
16. “No Hard Feelings” was shot down the street from his childhood home and Andrew spent the duration of the shoot living out of his childhood bedroom.
“It was terrible,” he told Vanity Fair, “but also perfect for this character who is so stuck in himself and stuck in his own bubble.”
17. He had a very intimate chemistry test with “No Hard Feelings” co-star Jennifer Lawrence during the audition process.
“It was down to me and two other guys. And I was like, I’m going to have to look Jennifer Lawrence in the eyes today and say, ‘Let’s fuck.’ That’s something that I have to do,” he said in an interview.
18. You can listen to him talk about “No Hard Feelings,” here:
