James Michael Bennett (born February 9, 1996) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as a child actor in Daddy Day Care, Hostage, The Amityville Horror, Poseidon, Evan Almighty, Orphan, Shorts, and as young James T. Kirk in the 2009 film Star Trek. He also starred on the ABC series No Ordinary Family as JJ Powell, a teenager gifted with vast intelligence after a plane crash.

Life and career

Bennett was born on February 9, 1996, in Seal Beach, California, and lives with his parents and sister in Huntington Beach, California, where the family ran a hard rock–themed crêpe restaurant. Bennett also plays guitar and sings on his official YouTube channel. He also wrote and performed the song "Summer Never Ends", which can be heard at the end of Shorts. Bennett appeared in nearly 30 television advertisements, as well as in episodes of the television series The Guardian and Strong Medicine, before being cast in the role of "Tony", the boy who wants to be the Flash, in the Eddie Murphy comedy Daddy Day Care. He had smaller roles in the films Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Arthur Hailey's Detective, and also appeared in Judging Amy, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Everwood, and lent his voice to characters in the animated films The Polar Express, The Jungle Book 2, Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo, Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie and I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown. He has been nominated for Young Artist Awards five times. In August 2011, Bennett released his debut single "Over Again" and the accompanying music video.

Personal life

Sexual assault allegations against Asia Argento

According to documents obtained by The New York Times, a $380,000 settlement was made between Bennett and actress Asia Argento after Bennett claimed that Argento sexually assaulted him in a California hotel room in 2013, when he was 17 and Argento was 37. Bennett said that after the encounter he began to feel "extremely confused, mortified, and disgusted". Bennett's lawyer wrote that in the years after the incident, Bennett was so traumatized that his job performance, income, and mental health declined. They first met when Bennett played Argento's son in the 2004 film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things when Bennett was seven years old. He notified Argento that he intended to sue in November 2017, shortly after she went public with rape accusations against Harvey Weinstein. Argento countered that Bennett "sexually attacked" her, and that her partner Anthony Bourdain had arranged to pay $380,000 as part of the settlement. Following Argento's denials, a photograph of her topless in bed with Bennett was published, as well as her alleged admission of sex with him in text messages to model Rain Dove. In the screenshots, Argento reputedly stated: "I had sex with him it felt weird. I didn't know he was a minor until the shakedown letter." Dove confirmed in a statement that they had provided the texts to police in response to Argento's apparent admission to "sexual engagement with a minor ... which is an illegal act that can qualify as statutory rape," as well as "receiving continued nude images without reporting/blocking the account/written rejection/or action." In a letter published online in September 2018, Argento's attorney admitted there was a sexual encounter, but claimed Bennett "sexually attacked" Argento. As of September 2018, Bennett and his lawyer Gordon Sattro were working with a Los Angeles County Sheriff's investigation regarding the claims of sexual assault against Argento.

Filmography

Awards and nominations