Have you ever rewatched a show or film from years ago and thought- what happened to that actor?
Now, if they made it big and had a great career in Hollywood or the TV industry, then this question is moot.
But, it’s fascinating to wonder what happened to the actors who were perhaps a one-hit wonder. So where does the story of the guy who played Rodrick in Diary of a Wimpy Kid fall?
Born November 13, 1991, in Toronto, Ontario, Devon Bostick played Rodrick Heffley in the first three Diary of a Wimpy Kid films in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Since then, he has starred in CW’s The 100 (2014) as Jasper Jordan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2019) as Alan, and Oppenheimer (2023) as physicist Seth Neddermeyer, among others.
What Happened To The Diary of a Wimpy Kid films?
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a cult-classic book that probably every kid has read once or tried to steal from their Scholastic book fair.
The first film adaptation arrived in 2010 with the cast of Zachary Gordon as Greg, Devon Bostick as Rodrick, and Steve Zahn as the dad Frank.
The movie did well and made $75 million on a $15 million budget. As expected, two more films followed– Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011) and Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012).
However, after the third film, the cast was changed even though the film brought in $77 million on a $22 million budget. Why? Because it was clear that the cast was aging out of their roles.
Many thought it would be the end of the film franchise. But that didn’t happen. Instead, in 2017, a fourth film was made called- Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul.
Based primarily on the ninth book, the film would soft reboot the franchise by introducing a new cast. So Devon Bostick was replaced by Charlie Wright, who now played Rodrick.
When this news was announced in 2016, fans of the books and the movies were upset. As expected, when the film was released, it didn’t do well at the box office or with critics, making only $40 million on a $22 million budget and getting a miserable 17% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Fans expressed frustration over the lame gags, and Wright’s portrayal of Rodrick was mixed, too. Since then, the books haven’t been adapted into live-action films again.
What’s The Career Trajectory of The Actor Who Played Rodrick In Diary of a Wimpy Kid?
To many readers of Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and watchers of the first three films in the franchise, Devon Bostick (born November 13, 1991) will always be the notorious older brother, Rodrick Heffley.
But what happened to him after he was done with these movies? It has been more than a decade since Devon starred in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid films, and he has done much since then.
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies didn’t launch Bostick’s career in the film industry. He was already acting before them. Not many also know that he was in the famous SAW IV (2007).
But as fate would have it, his scenes as Derek were removed. After starring in the Wimpy Kid franchise, his first film was Dead Before Dawn 3D (2012). He played the role of Casper Galloway.
This Canadian horror comedy was about characters from different walks of life coming together to fight beings called zemons– part zombie, part demon.
After this, Bostick played a role in the famous CW show The 100 (2014-2017). He portrayed the character of Jasper Jordan on the show for four seasons.
Jordan took his own life in the 11th episode of the fourth season of the series after struggling with alcoholism and depression.
So since the Wimpy Kid movies ended, Devon, hailing from Toronto, Ontario, has notched up an impressive array of projects. Another one on the list is The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, where in 2019, he portrayed Alan, a friend of Abe Weissman.
But his role was recurring and only across 3 three episodes. In 2023, he appeared in Netflix’s Arnold Schwarzenegger-led FUBAR series, where he played Oscar, the son of Arnold’s character Luke Brunner.
That’s not all. Arguably, his most significant and perhaps most prestigious role yet was in Christopher Nolan’s bank-breaking and critically acclaimed film Oppenheimer (2023). He played Seth Neddermeyer, a physicist.
Overall, he has 37 films and 32 TV credits. So, he has done quite well and is still working in the industry.
Do you remember Devon Bostick from any other film or TV show you watched? Have you watched the first three Diary of a Wimpy Kid films?
Let us know where you remembered seeing him.
