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Matthias Schoenaerts Molded by Parents Despite Own Doubts

Matthias Schoenaerts, the acclaimed Belgian actor, has carved out an impressive career in film despite facing self-doubt early on. Born in 1977, he…

Aayushree Chaulagain

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Matthias Schoenaerts, the acclaimed Belgian actor, has carved out an impressive career in film despite facing self-doubt early on. Born in 1977, he made a remarkable debut at just 12 years old in the Oscar-nominated movie Daens. 

However, his path to success was shaped by his parents’ unwavering support and guidance. Despite his uncertainties, his parents recognized his talent and encouraged him to follow his path. 

This article delves into his parents’ pivotal role in molding him into the acclaimed performer he is today, overcoming personal doubts through their belief in his abilities.

Who are Matthias Schoenaerts’ parents?

Schoenaerts’ father was Julien Schoenaerts (1925-2006), a renowned Flemish actor widely regarded as one of the greatest post-war actors in Flanders and the Netherlands. His impressive acting career spanned theatre, film, and television. 

Some of Julien’s notable theatre roles included Kaspar by Peter Handke, Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, and works by Sophocles and Plato.

His film/TV credits include Daens and De Leeuw van Vlaanderen. He struggled with bipolar disorder later in life.

Matthias Schoenaerts with his parents (Source: Instagram)

Similarly, Schoenaerts’ mother is Dominique Wiche (1953-2016), a costume designer, translator and French teacher. She hailed from the French-speaking Wallonia region of Belgium.

So Schoenaerts was born into a family with solid theatrical roots from his acclaimed actor father while also having exposure to the French language and culture from his mother’s side. 

Matthias Schoenarts appeared on stage with his father at the age of nine

Schoenaerts was born into a family with deep theatrical roots, so it’s no surprise he caught the acting bug early.

At just nine years old in 1987, he made his stage debut alongside his father Julien in a production of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic novella The Little Prince.

It was a family affair with Julien directing and Schoenaerts’ mother, Wiche, designing the costumes. This must have been an incredibly formative experience for young Schoenaerts, sharing the stage with his renowned actor father.

Though he downplays the role now, calling it essentially a “wallpaper part,” he went on to act with his father again just a few years later at age 12 in the 1992 film Daens

Matthias Schoenaerts refused to do what his parents did as a teenager

Despite his early exposure to acting by performing alongside his father at ages 9 and 12, Schoenaerts went through a rebellious phase in his youth where he wanted to forge his path away from his father’s legendary shadow.

He was terrified of never being able to live up to his father Julien’s towering talent and reputation, describing Julien as “a mix of Marlon Brando and Klaus Kinski” with an intense, volatile personality.

Their relationship became strained, with Schoenaerts recounting how they “fought like dogs” and even came to physical blows when he was around 13 years old.

Instead of acting, the teenage Schoenaerts immersed himself in the hip-hop culture – graffiti artistry under the tag “Zenith,” turntables, and breakdancing. 

He embraced this countercultural lifestyle as a rebellion against following his parents into the theatrical world he had come to resent as a youth.

Even today, Schoenaerts still practices artistic outlets like large mural paintings to find peace and calm himself, perhaps connecting to those graffiti roots.

Matthias Schoenaerts’ father’s influence on him

Schoenaerts admits there was a point as a reckless 21-year-old when his life was veering down a dangerous path — he had been expelled from school. He was involved in graffiti and vandalism with a questionable crowd of friends. 

However, a traumatic event involving his estranged father, Julien, proved to be the wake-up call that dramatically altered Schoenaerts’ trajectory. 

He received the devastating news that Julien had suffered a psychotic episode and lay comatose, with only 24 hours to live, according to doctors. Despite their strained relationship over the years, he was overwhelmed with emotion at his father’s bedside, regretting they may never reconcile their issues. 

Matthias Schoenaerts with his father (Source: )

Miraculously, Julien defied the odds and awoke after 72 hours, but in a vegetative state that medical experts warned may never improve. This started an eight-month journey where he and his mother became Julien’s tireless advocates and caregivers. 

Through sheer love, dedication, and stubbornness, they rehabilitated Julien, teaching him to speak, eat, and walk in what doctors called “a miracle.” For Schoenaerts, it was a transformative experience that compelled him to overhaul his lifestyle and find purpose.

Even today, he speaks reverently of his parents as the people he loved most, with whom he shared his life’s most important moments and beautiful memories. Their losses have made life excruciatingly difficult. 

But that brush with nearly losing his father too soon solidified Julien’s lasting impact. It motivated him to find the artistic path his parents had modeled while channeling their relentless determination and depth of love into his craft.

Father always encouraged him to choose his path

Despite coming from an acclaimed acting family, there was surprisingly little pressure on young Schoenaerts to follow those footsteps into the profession. 

His father, Julien, took an extremely open-minded approach, wanting his son to discover his natural talents and callings organically.  

As he reminisces, “My father was very free-spirited…He was like, ‘Let’s see where this kid ends up by nature. Let’s not try to navigate him into whatever we think might be good for him.’”

And for a long stretch, an acting career seemed an unlikely destination for Schoenaerts. He initially enrolled in film school but was expelled due to truancy and apathy, admitting, “I was lazy then.”

It wasn’t until age 21 that Schoenaerts was slowly drawn to the family business, enrolling in drama school around the same time he started booking minor acting roles on Belgian TV and films. 

Even then, his father didn’t push him toward that path. As he recognizes, “I ended up doing something I thought I never would” in terms of acting.

Despite being difficult, Matthias still finds comfort in memories

Despite the often difficult circumstances of his childhood, Schoenaerts still finds profound comfort and meaning in memories connected to his hometown of Antwerp and those he loved most. 

He vividly recounts getting his beloved chow chow puppy Brando from his mother. “My dogs were my great loves. The home situation was often difficult, and with my dogs I found security,” he reflects wistfully. 

His parents, too, manifest in his subconscious when he slumbers. “I often dream about my parents too: that reunion is so intensely beautiful and warm…Those dreams are true to life, and the awakening is rock-hard,” he says, the emptiness of waking to find them gone again piercing his heart. 

This city is his “zero,” his home, the one place he longs to plant roots in the transient life of a global film career. When his mother was ill, he treasured any moments he could spend with her here. 

Now, his new permanent apartment offers respite — inspiration on the roof terrace admiring sunsets, quiet pockets of beauty to be slowly savored as David Lynch advised.

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Who Made ‘Weapons’ Movie? Meet the Talented Zach Cregger

Zach previously directed and starred in ‘Barbarian.’

Dipesh Katuwal

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Who Made ‘Weapons’ Movie? Meet the Talented Zach Cregger

Zach Cregger’s Weapons has been haunting the dreams of many ever since the horror film was released. The movie, also labeled as a psychological and supernatural horror, was released worldwide in theatres on August 8, 2025.

As per IMDb, the official synopsis of Weapons is “When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.”

The film stars Julia Garner as Justine, Josh Brolin as Archer, Alden Ehrenreich as Paul, Cary Christopher as Alex, Jason Turner as Counselor, Benedict Wong as Marcus, and Austin Abrams as James. Additionally, child star Scarlett Sher voices the role of Narrator at the beginning of the film.

Since its release, Weapons has gained critical acclaim, both from the critics and the viewers. As of this writing, it has an IMDb rating of 7.8 out of 10 with 82,000 reviews and a Metascore of 81. Similarly, it is certified fresh by Rotten Tomatoes with a 94% critics’ score and 85% audience score.

Coming over to the box office collection, the 2025 horror-thriller made with a budget of $38 million has managed to accumulate $204.1 million worldwide. The film, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, has already earned more than its break-even target of $95 million worldwide.

With this track record, it has become the 11th horror movie to reach this major milestone post-COVID era. It’s also in the running to become the 10th highest-grossing horror movie by beating 2021’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’s $206.4 million global haul.

That said, netizens are now wondering who made Weapons movie and want to know more about the person behind it. As mentioned earlier, Weapons is directed, written, produced, and co-scored by the talented Zach Cregger.

Who is Zach Cregger?

Zach is a talented American actor, producer, director, and writer who has managed to garner the limelight through his works in several movies and TV shows.

Born in 1981, he celebrates his birthday every year on the first of March. As of this writing, he is 44 years of age. His birth name is Zachary Michael Cregger, and he was raised in Arlington, Virginia.

Speaking of Zach’s family life, the actor hasn’t shared much about them. As a result, there is almost no information about his parents. However, several media outlets have reported that he has three siblings: Sam Cregger, Jake Cregger, and Dan Cregger.

Zach Cregger at an art gallery in 2018 in New York

Zach Cregger at an art gallery in 2018 in New York (Photo: Instagram)

Besides this, there is no further information about his family life. As for his ethnicity, it is reported that he is of German, English, some Scottish, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, distant Irish, and remote French ancestry.

Is Zach Cregger gay?

Zach is a very private person when it comes to his personal life. As such, many have wondered if the actor is gay or straight. And to answer the question, it’s publicly known that Zach isn’t gay and his sexual orientation is straight.

In addition to that, the Barbarian director is currently in a blissful marital relationship with his longtime wife Sara Paxton. Sara is a fellow actress who has also garnered fame through her singing career.

Speaking more about Zach and Sara’s relationship, the couple had been together for several years before finally sharing the wedding vows in 2019. As per reports, they first met each other while working together in the 2013 film Love & Air Sex.

In the movie, Zach portrayed the character of Jeff, whereas Sara played the role of Kara. Their characters were displayed as a couple, and this on-screen romance eventually turned into a real-life romance.

Zach Cregger with his longtime girlfriend turned wife, Sara Paxton, at the premiere of 'Weapons.'

Zach Cregger with his longtime girlfriend turned wife, Sara Paxton, at the premiere of ‘Weapons’ (Photo: Reddit)

While they mostly kept their relationship private, they occasionally featured each other on their respective social media handles. In 2018, after dating for almost five years, they took a step forward and became engaged.

In the following year, in October 2019, Zach and Sara legalized their romance when they shared the wedding vows in front of their close friends and family in an intimate wedding ceremony. Since then, their bond has only gotten stronger.

As of this writing, the married couple has been together for around 13 years and has been married for more than five years. The love birds don’t seem to have any children; however, they do own a pet dog, whom they have named Auggie.

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‘Butterfly’ Star Louis Landau’s Parents and Girlfriend — All You Need to Know

Louis Landau is the youngest of his siblings.

Dipesh Katuwal

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‘Butterfly’ Star Louis Landau’s Parents and Girlfriend — All You Need to Know

Louis Landau is a talented British actor who is currently gaining praise for his amazing performance in the 2025 Amazon Prime TV series Butterfly, which was released on August 13. In the TV show, he portrays the role of Oliver.

Before Butterfly, Landau had already been involved in several other projects. He made his acting debut in 2022 via the TV show The Serpent Queen, in which he played the role of Dauphin Francois.

In the following year, he made his big screen debut playing the role of Edward in the film Surprised by Oxford. Since then, he has appeared in three TV series — Concordia, Rivals, and Wolf King.

With a rising career, many are now curious to know more about Louis Landau, including his age, family, and personal life.

Louis Landau’s Age and Parents

Landau has been quite private about his family life; as a result, there is very little information available about that aspect of his life. One of the things known is his birthday, which he celebrates every year on July 7. However, his exact age is unknown.

Louis Landau at the New York City premiere of 'Butterfly'

Louis Landau at the New York City premiere of ‘Butterfly’ (Photo: Instagram)

As for his parents, their names are unknown. However, in his interview with 1883 Magazine, the actor revealed that his parents are divorced. In the same interview, he mentioned that he has siblings and he is the youngest child.

The interviewer had asked Landau if he had always wanted to go into acting, to which he laughingly replied, “I’m the youngest child – so many actors are the youngest child! It’s always been in my nature to be performative and make people laugh.”

He then added, “I’m also a child of divorce. So many actors are, you’re desperately trying to keep your family together by being a performative little clown. It’s such a trope, but from a young age, I just loved it.”

“And to be honest with you, I could say something really wanky and pretentious about the craft or whatever, but honestly, I just love it, and I’m not good at anything else, so why question it?” he concluded his statement.

Besides this, there is no further information available about Landau’s parents or siblings. Moving on, the actor is very close to his uncle, Stevie, and aunt, Jane. On November 5, 2020, he posted a picture on Instagram where a baby Landau was sitting on the lap of his uncle.

A baby Louis Landau sitting on the lap of his uncle Stevie.

A baby Louis Landau sitting on the lap of his uncle Stevie (Photo: Instagram)

On August 5, 2019, he posted a similar picture, this time with his aunt, and shared a lovely story in the caption. He wrote, “Whenever my auntie Jane would come to Bristol, she’d take me to the zoo.”

“She never minded that I just wanted to watch the diggers building the lion enclosure instead of seeing the animals. She was very special, kind, and brilliant. I’m very lucky to have found this photo of us together,” he concluded.

Furthermore, he has also posted his father on his Instagram handle. On May 28, 2022, he took to the platform to post a picture of his father while they were in Cassis, France. “My old man,” he captioned his post.

Does Louis Landau Have a Girlfriend?

The Surprised by Oxford actor is currently in a romantic relationship with his longtime girlfriend Debbie Prawer. It’s currently unknown when and how the couple met each other; however, they officially began dating on September 27, 2021.

A collage of pictures of Louis Landau and his girlfriend Debbie Prawer

A collage of pictures of Louis Landau and his girlfriend Debbie Prawer (Photo: Instagram)

On their first dating anniversary, on September 27, 2022, he took to his Instagram handle to make his relationship public with his girlfriend by posting a collage of pictures of them. In one of them, they were kissing each other. “A year together <3,” he simply captioned the post.

Since then, Landau has occasionally posted pictures alongside his girlfriend, Prawer, on his Instagram handle. As of now, the lovebirds are still together. They have been dating for more than three years now and will mark their fourth anniversary this year on September 27.

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Does Sherman Augustus Have a Wife and Kids? Into His Love Life

Sherman Augustus will appear next in ‘Stranger Things’ season five.

Dipesh Katuwal

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Does Sherman Augustus Have a Wife and Kids? Into His Love Life

Sherman Augustus is a former NFL player turned actor who is best known for his portrayal of Nathaniel Moon in the hit AMC series Into the Badlands. He is also known for his role of Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan in the Netflix original series Stranger Things.

The American actor first debuted on Stranger Things in the second episode of the fourth season and appeared in six episodes. Similarly, he is set to reprise the character in the fifth and final season of the show.

As of this writing, the official teaser as well as the release dates of Stranger Things season 5 have been revealed. The world-renowned series will end in three parts: Volume 1 releasing on November 26, 2025, Volume 2 releasing on Christmas, and the finale on New Year’s Eve.

As such, the martial artist’s popularity has once again risen and fans are eager to know more about him, especially his personal life. So, is Sherman Augustus married to a wife? Does he have any kids? Let’s find out!

Does Sherman Augustus have a wife and kids?

As of this writing, there are no reports of the former Minnesota Vikings player tying the knots with a significant other. Augustus is quite private when it comes to his personal life and rarely shares any details about it.

Sherman Augustus as Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan in 'Stranger Things' Season 4

Sherman Augustus as Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan in ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 (Photo: X)

As a result, there is little to no information on whether Augustus is married to a wife or not. It’s quite possible that he might have a partner; however, it’s also possible that he is yet to share the wedding vows.

Nonetheless, there is one thing certain about his personal life and it is that he once had a partner, with whom he shares a child. Yes, that’s right! The 66-year-old actor is a proud father of a daughter.

That said, like Augustus’ personal life, there are almost no details available about his daughter, except that she is engaged to her boyfriend. As mentioned earlier, the reason why there are no details is because The Wright Turn star prefers to keep things under the wraps.

The only time he ever mentioned about having a child is on his Instagram post of July 30, 2024. In that post, he shared a couple of pictures, with the first one possibly being with his daughter and his future son-in-law.

The revelation actually came via the caption, where Augustus wrote, “A great Comicon weekend, and thank you everyone who stop by and supported. Great things are coming for DoD. Thank you so much to my daughter and future son-in-law, and cap’s team!”

Sherman Augustus reportedly with his daughter and his future son-in-law

Sherman Augustus reportedly with his daughter and his future son-in-law (Photo: Instagram)

Besides this, he didn’t provide any further information, and since then, he hasn’t posted anything about his daughter on his social media handles. Likewise, it’s unknown who is the mother of Augustus’ daughter.

Furthermore, considering Augustus has a daughter, it’s might also be possible that he is still together with the mother of his child, and they are married. However, nothing can be said until there are further evidence to back things up.

Sherman Augustus’ Career — From NFL to Hollywood

Born on January 10, 1959, Augustus was raised in the city of Los Angeles, California. While he was still young, he used to have severe asthma that made him afraid to leave home, so his parents enrolled him in flag football to help him overcome his illness and conquer his fears.

He kept on playing the game, all the way through high school and college, until he was drafted into the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers (now the Los Angeles Chargers) in 1984. He later went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings as well.

During his interview with Medium, he mentioned that while he achieved his dream, it started to feel repetitive and he felt that he needed a change. One day, after having a knee surgery that sidelined him, he decided to switch careers.

As he already knew some people in the acting industry through his family connections, he got in contact with a familiar talent agent through which he began in commercials while he started to attend acting classes and learn the way of the business.

In 1988, Augustus made his big-screen debut in Dennis Hopper’s Colors. Following his debut, he went on to play small roles in a couple of movies and TV shows, including When No One Would Listen, The Nanny, Chicago Hope, and Rumpelstiltskin.

As time passed, the 6 feet 1 inch tall actor continued to appear in many movies and TV shows. He found a new fame when he went on to portray the role of Nathaniel Moon in the AMC series Into the Badlands.

Later on, he got cast as Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan in the Netflix’s Stranger Things. As of now, he has 64 acting credits in his IMDb profile and has four upcoming projects lined up, with one of them being the DC Universe television series Lanterns.

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