Lukas Gage

In Companion (2025), Lukas Gage’s Patrick is sweet and slightly absent, an agreeable presence who seems only partly engaged with the people around him. Gage lets that distraction qualify the sweetness, without making Patrick merely blank. We warmed to him because his affability offered some relief in a film so intent on being nasty. It is the small adjustment that interests us: a pleasant character made a little less easy to read.

The early prominent parts in Euphoria (2019) and The White Lotus (2021) were followed by further television work in You (2023). Gage has frequently been cast as flawed or provocative queer characters, and has shown a willingness to risk being disliked. Of his explicit scene in The White Lotus, he said: “I thought: I don’t have too much to do in the show so I’d better put my mark on it big.” That willingness is useful, though we are more interested in what he does when a scene offers less opportunity to be noticed.

Drew Hancock uses that quieter side well in Companion. Alongside Gage, Harvey Guillén plays Eli with warmth and the apprehension of someone who suspects courage may shortly be required. Both performances are reasons to see Hancock’s first film as director, even when the script starts repeating its point about men like Josh.

His horror work also includes Lewis in Smile 2 (2024), directed by Parker Finn, while Voicemails for Isabelle (2026) casts him as Arthur. The former wears out its scares; the latter struggles to make its romance acceptable despite the charm of its leads. Gage is worth following without assuming that every title around him will reward the attention. Start with Companion, and allow for a script that repeats itself.