The movie adapting the iconic Nintendo franchiseThe Legend of Zeldahas found its Link, but the actor’s name may not be immediately familiar. Although he is not the title character in theZeldagames, Link is the protagonist of the franchise and generally the primary playable character.
The upcomingLegend of Zeldalive-action movieis being directed by Wes Ball (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) and is currently set to debut on August 05, 2025. As pre-production begins to ramp up in earnest, on July 16, it was officially announced thatBenjamin Evan Ainsworth will be taking on the iconic role of Link.
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth’s Movie & TV Career, Explained
He Was The Face Of A Mike Flanagan Netflix Show
The most notable project to star Benjamin Evan Ainsworth was also his breakout role. The young actor portrayedMiles Wingrave in Netflix’sThe Haunting of Bly Manor. TheMike Flanagan showwas his spiritual sequel to his well-regarded supernatural horror dramaThe Haunting of Hill House.
Bly Manoradapted the iconic 1898 Henry James novellaThe Turn of the Screw, in whichMiles is one of the most important charactersand must be portrayed by a young star capable of careful fine-tuning. In fact, just months before the series debuted in 2020, Miles had been portrayed byStranger Things' Finn Wolfhardin the movieThe Turning.
In the story, Miles is a young boy who is under the tutelage of a new governess. While Miles' actions at first seem like normal pre-pubescent misbehavior, she soon begins to suspecthe may be possessed by the ghost of the malicious former groundskeeper.
However, Miles isn’t Ainsworth’s only important role in a prominent project. Seea full rundown of his post-Bly Manorcareerbelow:
Pinocchio (voice)
Son of a Critch(2022-)
All Fun and Games(2023)
Everything’s Going to Be Great(2025)
Lester Smart
Ainsworth’s most prominent role outside ofBly Manoris undoubtedlyvoicing the title character of 2022’sPinocchio, a live-action remake of the classic 1940 Disney movie of the same name that was directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future) and starred Tom Hanks as Geppetto, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket, and Cynthia Erivo as The Blue Fairy.
However, he has also playedthe lead character of the Canadian comedy seriesSon of a Critchopposite Malcolm McDowell and appeared in the 2025 dramedy movieEverything’s Going to Be Great, which boasts a star-studded cast that includes Oscar winner Allison Janney, Oscar nominee Bryan Cranston, andAvatar: The Way of Waterstar Jack Champion.
Ainsworth will also be appearing in another star-studded movie that will most likely arrive beforeThe Legend of Zeldapremieres. That movie is Cary Joji Fukunaga’s upcoming adaptation of the Jo Nesbø crime thrillerBlood on Snow, which also stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Eva Green, Ben Mendelsohn, Emma Laird, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
