The lead actor of ***Waves*** (2019) is **Kelvin Harrison Jr.**, who plays Tyler Williams. Because the film is famously split into two halves, you may also be thinking of **Taylor Russell**, who plays his sister Emily and takes over as the lead for the second half of the movie.
Below is a breakdown of their most notable films and roles to help you identify where you’ve seen them:
### **Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Tyler)**
Harrison Jr. is a prolific actor known for playing complex, high-pressure roles. You likely recognize him from one of these:
* ***Luce* (2019):** Released the same year as *Waves*, he played the titular character, a star high school athlete and valedictorian whose life is scrutinized by a teacher (Octavia Spencer) after a disturbing essay.
* ***Chevalier* (2022):** He starred as the lead, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the 18th-century Black French violin virtuoso and composer.
* ***Elvis* (2022):** He played the legendary blues musician **B.B. King**.
* ***The Trial of the Chicago 7* (2020):** He portrayed Black Panther Party chairman **Fred Hampton**.
* ***Cyrano* (2021):** He played **Christian**, the handsome soldier who competes for Roxanne's heart alongside Peter Dinklage.
* ***It Comes at Night* (2017):** A psychological horror film also directed by Trey Edward Shults (the director of *Waves*). He played **Travis**, the teenage son of Joel Edgerton's character.
* ***The High Note* (2020):** He played **David Cliff**, an aspiring singer-songwriter and the love interest of Dakota Johnson’s character.
* ***Monster* (2018):** He played the lead role of **Steve Harmon**, a talented teen film student from Harlem who is charged with felony murder.
* ***Assassination Nation* (2018):** He played **Mason**, one of the high school students in a town that descends into chaos after a massive data hack.
---
### **Taylor Russell (Emily)**
If it wasn't Kelvin you recognized, it was almost certainly Taylor Russell, whose career exploded shortly after *Waves*:
* ***Bones and All* (2022):** She starred as **Maren** (the lead) alongside Timothée Chalamet in this cannibal romance-drama.
* ***Escape Room* (2019) & *Escape Room: Tournament of Champions* (2021):** She played the lead protagonist, **Zoey Davis**, in these high-stakes horror-thrillers.
* ***Lost in Space* (2018–2021):** She played **Judy Robinson** in the popular Netflix sci-fi series.
---
### **Other Notable Lead Cast Members**
* **Sterling K. Brown (Ronald, the father):** Best known for playing **Randall Pearson** on ***This Is Us***, N'Jobu in ***Black Panther***, and more recently, Cliff in ***American Fiction***.
* **Alexa Demie (Alexis, the girlfriend):** She is most famous for her role as **Maddy Perez** in the HBO series ***Euphoria***.
* **Lucas Hedges (Luke):** Known for his Oscar-nominated role in ***Manchester by the Sea***, as well as ***Lady Bird***, ***Boy Erased***, and ***Honey Boy***.
(Note: This summary was generated by Gemini 3.0 Flash + Search)