Poster Boy

Hollywood’s most promising new leading man, HERO FIENNES TIFFIN, has acting in his blood and a built-in fan base.

- Mallory Rice

Hero Fiennes Tiffin—smelling faintly of cigarette smoke and gently stirring his half-finished cocktail—has been talking about love and relationships for nearly half an hour when he finally drops the bomb. “Interestingly enough,” he begins, a little reticently, “I’ve never had, like, a proper relationship. I haven’t had a girl I would call my girlfriend.”

It’s a surprising revelation coming from the 21-year old British actor, who is, frankly, quite adept at doing the kinds of things guys who get lots of girlfriends do. To sit across from him is to bear witness to a montage of heartthrob behaviors—he’s running his fingers through his hair, flashing a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it dimply smile, licking his lips before sailing into a particularly impassioned point. Oh, and there’s also the fact that his steamy portrayal of Hardin Scott in the upcoming One Direction fan fiction–to–film adaptation After, his first leading role, seems, well, practiced.

For many teenagers on the internet, Hardin represents the ultimate Bad Boyfriend. Inspired by 1D singer Harry Styles, the character first made an appearance in a 2,500-plus-page saga published to the storytelling platform Wattpad, where it has since racked up more than 1.5 billion reads. When Gallery Books released it as a five-part book series, it became a bona fide literary phenomenon. Suffice it to say, there are more than a few girls who plan to see Fiennes Tiffin’s new movie on opening night next month.