Especially by now, audiences all over the world are well aware of the gigantic success that is the Jumanji reboot. Executive produced by Dwayne Johnson who stars as the game character Dr. Smolder Bravestone, the film reboot has since led to a sequel in 2019. Overall, the two films have reportedly made nearly $1.8 billion at the box office.
The recent Jumanji films have introduced fans to several Hollywood rising stars. Among them is an actor who portrayed the role of Gamer in the first film.
Audiences would later realize that the character’s real name is Alex and that his grown-up version is played by Colin Hanks. As for the younger Alex, he disappears from the story completely, which is why fans have been wondering what he’s been up to since.
Who Played Gamer In ‘Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle’?
Like characters from the original Jumanji, like the kid who was turned into a monkey, "Gamer" also stuck around Hollywood.
The actor behind Gamer/younger Alex is Mason Guccione. The Texas native had been interested in acting even as a young boy. “In middle school, we had to take a P.E. and a Fine Arts elective to graduate each year. I chose theatre arts because my arts and crafts are absent,” he told The Muze. “Every year, they do an end of the year school play, and we did Dear, Santa.” Guccione played the Grinch, and he was hooked.
As he got older, Guccione started auditioning for professional acting gigs. Being a completely unknown in Hollywood at that time, he tried for whatever was available, even creating audition tapes like a skinny boxer commercial and a chewing gum ad.
Around the same time though, Hollywood started taking notice of the actor. Soon enough, he booked roles in B-films such as TheNeighbor, Night of the Wild, and later on, The Hammer. Guccione landed some minor roles in TV shows such as Nashville and Preacher. Interestingly, he played a “Gamer Kid” in Preacher.
Soon after, Guccione found himself joining the cast of the Jumanji reboot. “It was a dream come true,” the actor said of the casting. “I grew up watching the first Jumanji every night with my dad. Robin Williams was a huge inspiration to me from that movie and created my imagination and childhood.”
Here’s What Mason Guccione Has Been Up To Since ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’
Since appearing in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Guccione has gone on to book several other roles. For starters, he reunited with Jumanji co-star Kevin Hart for the comedy Night School that also stars Tiffany Haddish and Rob RIggle. Hart serves as one of the writers and producers in the film, so it stands to reason that the comedian had a hand in Guccione’s casting.
Later, Guccione played the role of Al Capone’s illegitimate son Tony in Josh Trank’s biopic Capone. The film boasts of a cast that was led by Tom Hardy, who played the mobster himself, and Linda Cardellini who played Capone’s wife, Mae.
And while Guccione didn’t have as much screen time, the discovery of his character’s existence weighed heavily among the Capone family in the film. “So, I feel like Fonse as a father figure — and preserving that for her son — is important. And that’s why the arrival of the mystery child, as it is, is something that is hard for her to stomach,” Cardellini told The Hollywood Reporter. “But, at the same time, she’s very generous about it in the end.”
That said, it remains unclear if Guccione’s character is based on a real-life person. Over the years, it’s been reported that Capone had mistresses. However, it doesn’t seem like he fathered a child outside of marriage. On the other hand, at least one man has publicly claimed to have familial ties to the notorious American gangster.
Soon after, Guccione joined the cast of the controversial Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. On the show, the actor played Cyrus’ (Bryce Cass) friend Toby. He was first introduced during the show’s second season and remained a recurring presence until its fourth and final season.
Following his time on 13 Reasons Why, Guccione joined the cast of the family film Think Like a Dog. Written and directed by Hollywood veteran Gil Junger, the movie is headlined by Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, and Gabriel Bateman.
Guccione is certainly one actor with such a bright future ahead. At the moment, he doesn’t appear to have any projects in the works. However, Guccione has some idea about what he wants to do next. For starters, there’s one particular A-lister that the actor has been wanting to do a film with. “Benedict Cumberbatch,” Guccione revealed. “I have loved his work for a while, but ever since I saw his Smaug Behind the scenes action on The Hobbit, I knew I had to work with him.”
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