Ellar Coltrane, the former child actor who starred in the hit movie “Boyhood,” has moved on from Hollywood.
The popular film, which took 12 years to make, followed Coltrane, who played Mason Evans Jr from ages six to 18, who grows up in Texas with divorced parents as well as his sister. It also starred Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, and director Richard Linklater’s real-life daughter, Lorelai Linklater.
But after the release of the 2014 film, Coltrane transitioned out of acting. Instead, he pursued a very different career.
In an interview with Variety, Coltrane revealed that he now lives “in the middle of nowhere,” where he is a volunteer fireman and does EMT training.
“I’ve moved on,” he says regarding his acting career.
However, he explained that he has taken part in a few independent films.”
“I’ve acted in a couple of short films,” Coltrane explained. “One called ‘El Fantasma,’ which we filmed in Mexico City, where I play Lee Harvey Oswald, that’s really cool. And then I did a film in El Paso two years ago, a short film called ‘So, Who Was It This Time?’ I’ve become kind of integrated with the independent film community in El Paso, which is really wonderful.
“I’m really inspired by the energy there and what my friends are up to. It reminds me of Austin 20 years ago. Really, in my life I’ve moved on. I do manual labor, and I’m a volunteer firefighter, and I’m working on my EMT license right now. But being back in Austin at the AFS event, interacting with film people again, I am missing being on set, missing collaborating.”
The film, which is celebrating its 12th anniversary, representing the 12 years it took to film, is playing in more than 100 theaters across the U.S. and in Canada.
This story was originally published by Parade on Aug 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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