# Scott Haze
**Scott Haze** is an American actor, writer, and director who emerged from the Los Angeles theater scene and became known for intense performances in independent films, most notably his portrayal of Lester Ballard in [James Franco](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-franco)'s 2013 adaptation of [Cormac McCarthy](https://www.edgepedia.org/cormac-mccarthy)'s *Child of God*.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze) Born in Dallas, Texas, he trained at the Stella Adler Conservatory and Playhouse West and began his screen acting career in 2004 with minor roles in short and independent films.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Born in Dallas, Texas; trained at the Stella Adler Conservatory and Playhouse West[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze) |
| Breakthrough role | Lester Ballard in *Child of God* (2013), James Franco's adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel; premiered at the Venice International Film Festival[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze) • [2](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/576454e629687fb39bd1f977/t/657a09713e72f42b39f5c60a/1702496625212/THESEEDINGfinalnotes.pdf) |
| Recognition | Variety's 10 Actors to Watch (2013); New York Times breakout performer of 2014[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze) • [3](https://media.focusonthefamily.com/mully/pdf/mully-press-kit.pdf) |
| Theater work | Founder, owner, and artistic director of the Sherry Theater in North Hollywood, named after his mother[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020278/otherworks/) • [3](https://media.focusonthefamily.com/mully/pdf/mully-press-kit.pdf) |
| Directing | *Mully* (2015), a documentary about Reverend Charles Mulli's humanitarian work in Africa; director, screenwriter, and producer[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze) |
| Studio films | Roland Treece in *Venom* (2018); Rainn Delacourt in *Jurassic World: Dominion* (2022)[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020278/) |
| Recent work | Chris in *Sound of Freedom* (2023); Elias Janney in *Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1* (2024)[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020278/) |
## Training and theater work
Haze entered acting through a dare. A varsity basketball player at a boarding school in Virginia, he auditioned for a school play after his girlfriend told him he could not do it, and was cast in two roles, one of them a maid.[6](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/07/scott-haze-james-franco) • [7](https://utpmag.com/project/scott-haze) He has said he realized he was "probably not going to be the next Michael Jordan" and turned to acting instead.[6](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/07/scott-haze-james-franco)
**The Sherry Theater.** In 2006 Haze envisioned, built, and founded the Sherry Theater in North Hollywood, California, naming it after his mother, and served as its owner, founder, and artistic director.[3](https://media.focusonthefamily.com/mully/pdf/mully-press-kit.pdf) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020278/otherworks/) He produced dramatic plays there, including several of his own works: the play *Devil's Night*, which premiered at the Sherry and for which he served as director, writer, and actor playing the rap artist Andre "AO" O'Brien, and *Angel Asylum*, which premiered there on September 29, 2011.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020278/otherworks/) • [3](https://media.focusonthefamily.com/mully/pdf/mully-press-kit.pdf) In 2011 he also created the comedy series *The Vanya Show* on YouTube, about a self-obsessed Russian actress trying to make her name in Hollywood.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze)
## Collaboration with James Franco
Haze met James Franco after a show at the Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre in Hollywood, where Franco approached him to say he loved his performance.[6](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/07/scott-haze-james-franco) The two became close friends and frequent collaborators, with Franco casting Haze in several of his most ambitious projects, including adaptations of [William Faulkner](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-faulkner)'s *As I Lay Dying* (2013), in which Haze played Skeet MacGowan, and *The Sound and the Fury* (2014), in which he played Jason Compson IV.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze) • [8](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-478153/filmografia/) In 2014, while working on a play at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Haze and Franco joined David Van Asselt, the theater's artistic director, to create Rattlestick West, a bi-coastal collective; Haze served as its artistic director.[3](https://media.focusonthefamily.com/mully/pdf/mully-press-kit.pdf)
**Child of God.** Haze's breakthrough came as Lester Ballard in *Child of God* (2013), Franco's adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel about a feral young man at odds with society, a character inspired by the serial killer [Ed Gein](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-gein).[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze) • [7](https://utpmag.com/project/scott-haze) The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival.[2](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/576454e629687fb39bd1f977/t/657a09713e72f42b39f5c60a/1702496625212/THESEEDINGfinalnotes.pdf) His preparation drew wide attention: he spent three months living in isolation in the caves of Tennessee, eating one fish and one apple a day, with no outside contact except an iPod of Eminem music.[7](https://utpmag.com/project/scott-haze) The performance earned him a place on Variety's 10 Actors to Watch list for 2013, a program that had earlier spotlighted actors including [Adrien Brody](https://www.edgepedia.org/adrien-brody), Jennifer Lawrence, and [Christoph Waltz](https://www.edgepedia.org/christoph-waltz), and he was named a breakout performer of 2014 by The New York Times.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020278/) • [2](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/576454e629687fb39bd1f977/t/657a09713e72f42b39f5c60a/1702496625212/THESEEDINGfinalnotes.pdf) • [3](https://media.focusonthefamily.com/mully/pdf/mully-press-kit.pdf)
## Film career
After *Child of God*, Haze took supporting roles in studio and independent productions. He played Levi in [Jeff Nichols](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-nichols)' science fiction thriller *[Midnight Special](https://www.edgepedia.org/midnight-special-film)* (2016), Clayton Whitted in *[Only the Brave](https://www.edgepedia.org/only-the-brave-2017-film)* (2017), and Michael Emory in *Thank You for Your Service* (2017).[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/person/scott-haze/) In franchise films he played Security Chief Roland Treece in *Venom* (2018) and Rainn Delacourt in *Jurassic World: Dominion* (2022).[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020278/)
His best-reviewed work of the 2020s includes Billy in *Minari* (2020), Curry in the Western *Old Henry* (2021), and Thomas Graham in *What Josiah Saw* (2021), on which he also served as executive producer.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze) On Rotten Tomatoes, *Minari* is his highest-rated film at 98 percent and *[Future World](https://www.edgepedia.org/future-world-film)* (2018) his lowest at 0 percent.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze) He played Chris in *Sound of Freedom* (2023) and Wyndham Stone in Barnaby Clay's thriller *The Seeding* (2023), which premiered in the Midnight Section at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020278/) • [2](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/576454e629687fb39bd1f977/t/657a09713e72f42b39f5c60a/1702496625212/THESEEDINGfinalnotes.pdf) In 2024 he appeared as Elias Janney in [Kevin Costner](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-costner)'s *Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1* and as Finney in *Red Right Hand*.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020278/)
## Work as a filmmaker
Haze moved behind the camera with two 2015 documentaries: *Ghosts & Goblins*, about the amateur wrestler Leroy Kemp, and *Mully*, about the Reverend Charles Mulli and his humanitarian efforts in Africa, on which he served as director, screenwriter, and producer.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze)
## Birth date
Sources disagree on Haze's birth date. Rotten Tomatoes and MovieMeter list June 28, 1993,[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze) • [10](https://www.moviemeter.com/celebrities/87954/scott-haze) while AuteurGraph, Movie-List, and Nerdspin list June 28, 1983,[11](https://auteurgraph.com/person/scott-haze) • [12](https://www.movie-list.com/actors/scott-haze) and IMDb lists December 30 without a year.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020278/)
## References
1. [Scott Haze Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_haze)
2. [The Seeding final press notes, Magnet Releasing / XYZ Films](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/576454e629687fb39bd1f977/t/657a09713e72f42b39f5c60a/1702496625212/THESEEDINGfinalnotes.pdf)
3. [Mully press kit, Focus on the Family](https://media.focusonthefamily.com/mully/pdf/mully-press-kit.pdf)
4. [Scott Haze, Other works, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020278/otherworks/)
5. [Scott Haze, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2020278/)
6. [Actor Scott Haze on His Working Relationship with James Franco, Vanity Fair (2014)](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/07/scott-haze-james-franco)
7. [Scott Haze, Un-Titled Project magazine](https://utpmag.com/project/scott-haze)
8. [Scott Haze filmography, SensaCine](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-478153/filmografia/)
9. [Scott Haze, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/scott-haze/)
10. [Scott Haze, MovieMeter](https://www.moviemeter.com/celebrities/87954/scott-haze)
11. [Scott Haze, AuteurGraph](https://auteurgraph.com/person/scott-haze)
12. [Scott Haze movies, Movie-List](https://www.movie-list.com/actors/scott-haze)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames H to Ha*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license