Introduction to the cast of Second Best

Opening at Riverside Studios on 24 January 2025, Second Best is a playful yet poignant comedy that explores questions of success and failure, fathers and sons, and life’s ‘what ifs’. Based on the bestselling novel by David Foenkinos, it tells the story of Martin Hill, who at the tender age of ten narrowly missed out on the screen role of a lifetime - Harry Potter. Now approaching fatherhood, Martin reflects on that pivotal moment in his life and the struggles he faced in trying to move beyond it. Second Best is unusual in that it has a cast of one. Marking the stage debut of acclaimed screen actor Asa Butterfield, on whose shoulders the entire narrative rests, it is hotly anticipated by London audiences. Let’s take a look at Butterfield’s career to date.

Asa Butterfield - Martin Hill

Born in Islington in 1997, Asa Butterfield is already a veteran of the silver screen. He began acting at the age of seven at the Young Actors Theatre, and his career began when he was eight after a talent spotter saw him there. He appeared in a handful of minor TV and film roles before being cast as Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas at the age of 10. Coincidentally, the film was produced by David Heyman - the very man who persuades Butterfield’s character Martin Hill to audition for Harry Potter in Second Best. Unlike the fictional Martin, Butterfield beat hundreds of other boys to win the role of Bruno, displaying a charming innocence that won him acclaim.

A burgeoning career

In 2008, Butterfield played Mordred in the BBC series, Merlin. His next big screen role was Norman Green in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, a performance for which he received positive reviews. From here, Butterfield’s career accelerated. At age 13, he played the title role in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, followed by the part of Andrew ‘Ender’ Wiggin in Ender’s Game. For this he received a British Independent Film Award nomination. Later he portrayed Jacob Portman in Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Gardner Elliot in The Space Between Us and Sebastian in The House of Tomorrow.

A Netflix sensation

In 2018 Butterfield was cast as Otis Milburn in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education. Released in January 2019, both the series and Butterfield received critical acclaim. Butterfield won the Artist of Distinction award at Newport Beach Film Festival for the role in 2020, followed by the Outstanding Comedy Actor accolade at the 2022 National Comedy Awards. 

See Asa Butterfield in Second Best

Londoners searching for ‘plays near me’ can book their seats for the Second Best play with KX Tickets. Selling out fast due to its limited run, which ends on 22 February 2025, this heartfelt comedy is sure to delight Butterfield’s fans as well as anyone who has ever wondered whether the road not taken is really as glittering as it seems. Search ‘theatres near me’ to find out more about the location and facilities at Riverside Studios.