Over a decade after the release of the original Jumanji, Dwayne Johnson spearheaded a reboot that struck box office gold. In some ways, the success of the franchise may be due to how it subtly pays homage to the beloved Robin Williams classic.At the same time, fans can’t get enough of Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black playing teens trapped in adult bodies. Yet the actual teen stars in the film have been getting a lot of attention too.Among them is Alex Wolff who plays Spencer, the character who transforms into Johnson inside the Jumanji game. He is, arguably, the central character in the franchise, and today, it’s almost impossible to imagine another Jumanji film without him.That said, it is worth noting that Wolff is not exactly a Hollywood newcomer. And his role in the Jumanji franchise has only added to his impressive net worth.
Who Was Alex Wolff Before 'Jumanji'?
Even before Wolff even got cast on Jumanji, there was already a lot of buzz surrounding the actor. Truth be told, Wolff has been getting some attention since getting cast in Nickelodeon’s The Naked Brothers Band alongside his brother Nat.
When the show ended, Wolff kept busy with various Hollywood projects including the 2016 sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. Not long after, the actor delivered a standout performance as Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the 2016 Mark Wahlberg project Patriots Day.
As it turns out, Wolff didn’t have any idea that this was the role that he was trying out for when he first auditioned. “They just described him as a 19-year-old kid, hip-hop influenced, cocky and desperately trying to please his brother as a radical Islamist,” he told The Wrap.
“I was like, I can totally take this on. When I looked up the name, it was the Boston Marathon bomber.”
And once he learned about the character’s real identity, Wolff (and even his family) had some hesitation about playing the role. “My first thought was, ‘No way, I’m not going to do this,’ even though I’m ‘right for it,’” he explained. “There was a lot of hesitation, but I ended up thinking about, first of all, being part of history and telling a story.”
Alex Wolff Had Notable Roles After ‘Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle’
After doing his first Jumanji film, Wolff went on to gain critical praise for his performance in the horror drama Hereditary. In the story, Wolff plays a young man whose family is reeling from the loss of his grandmother. As their grief intensifies, the film eventually leads to one of the most twisted endings in cinematic history.
For the actor, working on the film was incredibly intense, to say the least. “It felt like a very, very, very upsetting movie to make. Ari Aster is a brilliant director and I think that’s what makes the movie more scary – we’re really being put through the wringer emotionally,” Wolff told i-D Magazine. “It was really exciting, but it took its emotional toll. At times, it was just grueling and miserable to be totally honest.”
Around the same time, Wolff explored filmmaking himself, writing and directing the music drama The Cat and the Moon, which won some rave reviews from both the critics and viewers. After appearing in his second Jumanji film, Wolff starred alongside Nicolas Cage in the critically acclaimed mystery thriller Pig he played a young man running a truffle business in Portland.
“I fell in love with the character,” Wolff told AnOther. “Someone who’s imperfect and just as superficial and shallow on the surface as he is deep and vulnerable and lost on the inside.”
Cage played a truffle hunter who buys from Wolff. After working together, Wolff told Variety, “We’re beyond buds. It really feels like we’re family at this point.”
Later, Wolff gained a lot of praise for his work on the 2021 film Old. It’s the latest film from acclaimed horror director M. Night Shyamalan.
What Is Alex Wolff's Net Worth Today?
He may have only started acting professionally in the early 2000s but estimates already put Wolff’s net worth at $3 million today. While it is unclear how much the actor received for his work in the first Jumanji film, it clearly wasn't as much as Jack Black's take-home pay.
It is likely, though, that Wolff managed to negotiate a higher fee when he agreed to reprise his role in the sequel, along with fellow supporting actors Madison Iseman, Ser’Darius Blain, and Morgan Turner.
And while it is unclear if another Jumanji film would soon be in the works, it is worth pointing out that Wolff’s growing portfolio of films puts him in a better negotiating position for a possible third installment. One of his more recent films, Pig, even generated a lot of Oscar buzz but unfortunately, it was snubbed.
At the same time, it’s safe to say that Wolff is keen on pursuing more filmmaking projects following the modest success of The Cat and the Moon. In fact, the actor may just be inclined to launch his own production company sometime soon, giving him a completely new revenue stream.
As for the future projects, fans can expect to see Wolff alongside John Malkovich and Scoot McNairy in the upcoming drama The Line. The actor will star alongside Kiersey Clemons and Ken Marino in the upcoming thriller Susie Searches.
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