Darren Aronofsky Praises Ty Simpkins For His Performance In The Whale

Judging by his performance as the precocious Harley in "Iron Man 3," Ty Simpkins has comedic chops. While it's not the highest-ranked film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one of its standout elements was the chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and the up-and-coming young actor. Simpkins has taken some time away from the camera the past few years, but it appears he hasn't lost his touch.

"Ty has a very good comedic sense," Darren Aronofsky noted while dissecting a scene with Sadie Sink for Vanity Fair. "And there's a lot of male actors that won't act silly and vulnerable like that. And he's very, very openhearted to embarrass himself, basically." Aronofsky pointed out the distinctive walk that Simpkins implements while running away from Sink's character. Moments of levity are needed for a film that explores as many dark themes as "The Whale," and finding the right actor for the fake missionary was no easy task. Though many were in the running, none of them were as close to Sink's age as the director had hoped.

"Right before we were about to start ... Mary Vernieu, our casting director, was like, 'Oh, there's this one guy, Ty Simpkins. He was a child actor, but he hadn't acted in a while' ... But he got on tape and the next day he got on a plane and joined us in New York, where we shot the film, and he was great!"