Devon Edward Sawa (born September 7, 1978) is a Canadian actor. He began acting when he was a teenager and appeared in several films in the 1990s including Little Giants, Casper, Now and Then, Wild America, Idle Hands, and Final Destination. He also portrayed the title character of the Eminem music video "Stan" and starred as Owen Elliot in The CW action spy drama series Nikita. In addition, he has played several roles in the USA Network & Syfy horror series Chucky.

Early life

Sawa was born on September 7, 1978, in Vancouver, the son of Joyce and Edward Sawa, a mechanic. He has two older siblings. His father was Polish, and his mother is "a little bit of fucking everything".

Career

Sawa began his career in 1992 at age 14 as a children's action toy spokesman. He made his film debut in Little Giants in 1994 and received wide recognition for playing the title role as a human boy in Casper the following year. In Now and Then (1995), Sawa played the town bully, Scott Wormer. He subsequently appeared in the films Wild America (1997), Idle Hands (1999), and Final Destination (2000). In 2000, Sawa played the title character of the Eminem music video "Stan". He later did voice acting, voicing Flash Thompson in Spider-Man: The New Animated Series. Sawa continued to work steadily in the 2000s by appearing in several independent films, including Extreme Dating, Shooting Gallery, Devil's Den, Creature Of Darkness, Endure, 388 Arletta Avenue, The Philly Kid, and A Resurrection. In 2010, Sawa portrayed Owen Elliott on The CW action drama series Nikita. In July 2012, he was promoted to series regular in the third season of Nikita; the show ended after four seasons in 2013. In 2016, Sawa played the lead role in Punk's Dead, a sequel to SLC Punk! by the same director. In 2017, he portrayed the role of Nico Jackson in Somewhere Between; the show ended after one season. In 2019, Sawa appeared as Lester Clark Jr. in Escape Plan: The Extractors. He also starred in the thriller The Fanatic, where he played Hunter Dunbar, an actor who is stalked by a character named Moose. The movie was directed by Limp Bizkit vocalist Fred Durst. Sawa later starred in the films Hunter Hunter (2020) and Black Friday (2021).

Personal life

Sawa married Canadian producer Dawni Sahanovitch in 2013. They have two children together, a son born in 2014 and a daughter born in 2016. Sawa has described himself as being irreligious, an atheist, and supportive of religious freedoms. In June 2022, Sawa gave a lengthy interview to The Independent, where he said that he sought out roles in which the character smoked marijuana to help get away from his teen heartthrob status which began with Casper. Sawa also said that between 2004 and 2009, he "drank a lot" until going sober after meeting his wife in Vancouver.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music video

Awards