The Umbrella Academy [1] features a group of unlikely superheroes as they try to stop the apocalypse not once, but twice. Growing up, the Hargreeves siblings [2] were forced by their adoptive father to hone their skills, only for their family to fall apart and become estranged. Because of this, we often see flashbacks of the group as teenagers in order to understand how things have gotten so bad between them. This got me thinking . . . who are these young actors? Because the casting is truly top notch. It's almost as if the Netflix casting office had a Number Five of their own to go back into the past and handpick them all. If you're like me and want to know what else you can see this talented group in, keep on reading.
Cameron Brodeur, aka Young Luther on The Umbrella Academy
Outside of The Umbrella Academy [4], Canadian actor Cameron Brodeur has had starring roles on Helix and Amélie et Compagnie. In 2019, he had a small role in the WWII film Midway as Sully Brown. There's no word on what his next role will be but from his Instagram, you can tell he had an amazing time filming The Umbrella Academy [5].
Blake Talabis, aka Young Diego on The Umbrella Academy
Blake Talabis's acting résumé isn't all that long; prior to The Umbrella Academy [6] he'd only appeared on The Next Step and had a part on Condor. However, it looks like he's currently part of a dance troupe [7]. And based on Diego's knife and fighting skills, it makes sense that a young Diego would have smooth moves.
Eden Cupid, aka Young Allison on The Umbrella Academy
Eden Cupid has previously been seen as Amelia Harding on the sci-fi drama Falling Water and as part of the cast of Detention Adventure. Similar to Allison in season two, the young actress is also an activist, using her Instagram as a platform [8] to speak about important causes including March For Our Lives and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Dante Albidone, aka Young Klaus on The Umbrella Academy
While The Umbrella Academy [9] is Dante Albidone's first big TV role, it's not his first acting role. In 2014, he played Karate Kid #5 in the martial arts movie Tapped Out. He then went on to play Jason in Boys vs. Girls, which follows what happens when a camp goes co-ed for the first time.
Aidan Gallagher, aka Number Five on The Umbrella Academy
Unlike the rest of the group on this list, Aidan Gallagher technically plays the younger and mentally-older version of himself. His older physical self is played by Sean Sullivan, who we get to see more of during season two. Gallagher is probably best-known for his role as Nicky on Nickelodeon's Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn. Based on his performance on The Umbrella Academy [10] it's hard to believe he's not had anything but a few one-off appearances on random shows prior to landing the Netflix show.
Ethan Hwang, aka Young Ben on The Umbrella Academy
At this point, Ethan Hwang could probably make a name for himself playing younger versions of other characters. Hwang was previously on the show 2nd Generation as young Ticoon and you can next see him as Shuang (age 14) in The Swan. Hwang also has a good rapport with the older version [11] of Ben, Justin H. Min, on Twitter. You really ought to check out his tweets [12]: they're hilarious.
TJ McGibbon , aka Young Vanya on The Umbrella Academy
You've likely seen TJ McGibbon before as her résumé is the most varied out of all her onscreen siblings. She's had roles on Lucky 7 as Emma, Warehouse 13 as 1999 Claudia, Odd Squad as the voice of Mathroom, and Super Why! as the voice of Red Riding Hood. The Umbrella Academy [13] isn't her first superhero role either: she played Magneto's daughter Nina in X-Men: Apocalypse.
