7 Things You Didn't Know About 'Challengers' Star Mike Faist
The 32-year-old actor is no stranger to the entertainment industry, but with his latest role in Luca Guadagnino's Challengers, he's stepping into the spotlight as the next star you need to keep your eyes on.
Whether you know him as Art Donaldson, the Challengers tennis pro, or Connor Murphy, the troubled older brother figure in Dear Evan Hansen, there's no doubt that by now, Mike Faist is on your radar as the leading man of the moment. Renowned for his magnetic presence, whether he's on the stage or on the screen, Faist has recently emerged as one of the most critically beloved actors of today, with positive critic reviews comparing him to the likes of Adam Driver for his distinct sensitivity and artistic appeal.
Although he has no online presence and typically presents a fairly professional facade in interviews, Faist has garnered thousands of loyal supporters online. On its opening night, Challengers attracted Faist fans in droves, all of whom were eager to see their favorite enigmatic actor in a new kind of role. If you've tuned into the biggest cinematic release of the season and are eager to learn more about the actor behind one of the most charismatic Challengers characters, this one's for you. Join L'OFFICIEL as we uncover all the best details to know about Mike Faist, ranging from his dream job—aside from acting, of course—to his star sign.
Mike Faist is not a natural tennis prodigy
While his Challengers character Art is a seasoned tennis pro, Mike Faist has vocally expressed his struggle with the notoriously difficult sport and revealed that his tennis training was one of the most difficult parts of preparing for the film. "Awful. Bad, bad, and... just bad," Faist said in an interview when describing his game, although co-stars Zendaya and Josh O'Connor have remarked that Faist was the best tennis player out of the trio.
Mike Faist's dream job if acting falls through is a clown
In a recent interview while on the Challengers press tour, Mike Faist revealed that if he weren't an actor—which is already his dream job, according to him—would be a clown at children's birthday parties. Faist didn't fully flesh out his answer like co-stars Zendaya and Josh O'Connor, but simply stated, while suppressing a laugh, that he thinks he would be good at it, and that he'd like to try his hand at shaping balloon animals sometimes.
Mike Faist is a Capricorn
Born on January 5, 1992, Mike Faist is a Capricorn sun, through and through. Capricorn signs are known to be hard-working, disciplined, ambitious, and direct.
Mike Faist's first time on a true film set was for West Side Story
While Mike Faist is no stranger to the script, he got his start on the stage, acting in theatre productions everywhere from off-Broadway to the West End. Faist explained that while he acted in several indie films before his big break in West Side Story, the 2021 Steven Spielberg movie-musical was his first experience on a classic film set.
"We had four months of rehearsals leading up to filming, building up the characters and choreography and everything, and then your first day on set, they shut down half of Manhattan and they have like 500 background actors all dressed in period garb. You walk out of your trailer, turn left onto Broadway, and you're just transported back to 1957," Faist explained in an interview while on the Challengers press tour.
Prior to his time on the silver screen, Mike Faist acted on Broadway
As one of his first major theatre roles, Mike Faist played Morris Delancey in Newsies on Broadway between 2012 and 2013, before moving on to fill other acting opportunities. In 2016, Faist returned to Broadway as an original cast member of the hit musical, Dear Evan Hansen, where he played Connor Murphy—a role that earned him a Tony Award nomination. Faist stayed in the cast until 2018 when he left his longtime role to pursue on-screen acting and a role in a West End production of Brokeback Mountain.
Mike Faist has wanted to be an actor since he was a child
While many actors don't realize their passion for their craft until later in life, Mike Faist knew he wanted to pursue acting early on in life. After watching numerous old MGM films, Faist was struck by inspiration. “Gene Kelly was definitely the guy, I think, that I wanted to emulate when I was a kid,” Faist told Interview Magazine in 2017. “I forced my parents to get me into dance class; I started auditioning for community theater and children’s theater in Ohio. Those films were definitely the reason for my interest in getting into theater in general.”
Mike Faist has a pilot's license
Mike Faist learned to fly after his half-brother, an Air Force pilot, taught him. "It was really crazy and really impulsive. I was unemployed, but I had some money saved up, so I was like, 'Oh, sure, why not?' So I got my pilot’s license. That’s really it," Faist revealed in the same Interview Magazine story. "And now we bond as a family in a way."