Jai Courtney

Jai Stephen Courtney (; born 15 March 1986) is an Australian actor. Born and raised in Sydney, Courtney started his career as a teenager with small roles in film and television, and studied acting at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. After early supporting roles in Hollywood projects, he gained recognition for playing Dauntless leader Eric Coulter in '' The Divergent Series'' (20142015), Kyle Reese in ''Terminator Genisys'' (2015), and supervillain Captain Boomerang in the DC Extended Universe films ''Suicide Squad'' (2016), and '' The Suicide Squad'' (2021). He received praise for his performance as a corrupt debt collector and the main antagonist '' Buffaloed'' (2019).

Courtney's other notable credits include the Hollywood films '' I, Frankenstein'' (2014), '' Unbroken'' (2014), and '' The Exception'' (2016), the Australian films ''Felony'' (2014), '' The Water Diviner'' (2014), '' Storm Boy'' (2019) and '' 100% Wolf'' (2020), and the television series '' Stateless'' (2020), '' The Terminal List'' (2022) and ''Kaleidoscope'' (2023). He also portrayed the title character in the Melbourne Theatre Company's production of ''Macbeth'' (2017), and hosted the Australian reality competition series '' The Summit'' (2023).

Early life

Courtney was born on 15 March 1986 in Sydney, New South Wales, and grew up in the suburb of Cherrybrook. His father, Chris, worked for a state-owned electricity company, and his mother, Karen, was a teacher at Galston Public School, where Courtney and his older sister were students. Courtney played Rugby and participated in drama club there. He then attended Cherrybrook Technology High School and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, graduating in 2008. While in college, Courtney took a ballet course and failed.

Career

Early work (20052013)

Courtney's first role was in a 2005 short film titled ''Boys Grammar'', which also starred Daniel Feuerriegel and Adam J. Yeend. In 2008, he played a role in the Australian series ''Packed to the Rafters'', then a guest lead in the popular '' All Saints'', the comedy feature ''To Hell & Bourke'' and several short films. In 2010, he played Varro in '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'' for 10 episodes, before starring in '' Jack Reacher'' in 2012 with Tom Cruise and in '' A Good Day to Die Hard'' with Bruce Willis as John McClane's son, Jack. In 2014, he appeared in the films '' I, Frankenstein'' and ''Felony''.

''Divergent'' and beyond (2014present)

Courtney played Eric, one of the leaders of the faction Dauntless, in the science fiction film '' Divergent'' (2014). Later that year, he starred in '' Unbroken'', playing Hugh "Cup" Cuppernell, and '' The Water Diviner'', playing Lt. Col. Hughes. Courtney reprised the role of Eric in ''Insurgent'', a sequel to ''Divergent'', which was released in March 2015. That same year, he played one of the leads, Kyle Reese, in the science fiction action film ''Terminator Genisys''. He worked on ''Insurgent'' and ''Terminator Genisys'' simultaneously. ''Terminator Genisys'' garnered unfavourable reviews and performed poorly at the box office. In his review, Dan Jolin of ''Empire'' described Courtney as "too buff and bland" for the role of Reese.

In March 2015, Courtney signed on to play Captain Boomerang in the 2016 DC Extended Universe film ''Suicide Squad''. Critics lambasted the film, with ''The Washington Post''s Michael O'Sullivan writing Courtney "barely registers" in his role. Despite this, it had a commercially successful box office run. In 2017, Courtney starred as the titular character in Melbourne Theatre Company's production of ''Macbeth''. Reviewing the play, Cameron Woodhead of ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' highlighted his "imperfect command of the verse". In 2019, Courtney played Wizz, a corrupt debt collector, in the independent crime comedy drama film '' Buffaloed'', co-starring Zoey Deutch and Judy Greer. Released to generally positive reviews from critics, Courtney's performance also garnered praise, with Sheila O'Malley of '' RogerEbert.com'' saying he plays the character "with gorgeous sinister sleaze".

Courtney next played a corrupt FBI agent in the thriller film '' Honest Thief'', which was released in October 2020. Alonso Duralde of ''TheWrap'' praised his effectiveness in the villainous role. Courtney reprised the role of Captain Boomerang in '' The Suicide Squad'', a standalone sequel to ''Suicide Squad''. The film was released in August 2021 to a positive critical reception. Courtney is set to star in the action thriller film '' Black Site'' as well as the thriller series '' The Terminal List'' and ''Kaleidoscope'' (under the working title ''Jigsaw'').

Personal life

Courtney dated Australian actress Gemma Pranita for eight years before splitting in 2013. From 2015 to 2022, he dated Adelaide-born Mecki Dent.

Courtney has a number of tattoos including a rope, a skull and a dog. His ''Suicide Squad'' co-star, Margot Robbie, has given Courtney two tattoos including an abbreviation (QLD) for Robbie's home state Queensland, after losing a State of Origin bet, as well as a tattoo that says "SKWAD" to memorialise his work in the film. A former smoker, he said in 2019 he had quit years prior. Courtney provided backing vocals on the Pinch Hitter song "All of a Sudden" from their debut album, ''When Friends Die in Accidents''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Courtney, Jai
1986 births
Living people
21st-century Australian male actors
Australian male film actors
Australian male television actors
Australian expatriate male actors in the United States
Male actors from Sydney
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts alumni