AMDA Graduate Luke Tennie’s Recipe for Success

AMDA Graduate Luke Tennie, star of Shrinking, says he’s “always cookin’” when it comes to his ever-expanding career. Between gearing up for Season 3 of the hit Apple TV+ comedy series with Harrison Ford and Jason Segel, becoming a new father, and premiering film projects Nickel Boys and Jade, Luke has a lot on his plate and is hungry for more.

In Shrinking, Luke’s character Sean is a veteran struggling with PTSD and a patient of Jimmy (Jason Segel), a grieving therapist with unconventional methods.

Luke describes himself to Gold Derby as “one of the happiest dudes I’ve ever met,” but he did not step into the role of Sean lightly. When it came time to nail his audition, he called on fellow AMDA graduate Esteban Dager to run lines and workshop his performance. Luke says he and Esteban “are quite literally in this together,” and help each other with most of their auditions. 

Luke Tennie in Shrinking, now streaming on Apple TV+.

All 12 episodes of Shrinking Season 2 are now available to stream on Apple TV+.

“It’s like winning the lottery…twice,” Luke says about returning for Season 2. “It’s my first ever Season 2 of a series and it felt great to finally get the chance to continue a character arc after a year. Sean’s really fulfilling to play and the cast is a dream.”

Luke portrays Sean not by changing his appearance or voice, but by changing his mentality – to respect his character’s service as a veteran and fully empathize with the anger and issues he struggles with. This change of perspective to understand someone different from yourself, and working on a show about mental health, has impacted Luke off-screen. Luke sympathizes with individuals whose circumstances differ from his own and recognizes the importance of bringing people together.

Luke also brings his other talents to the screen, as Luke and his character have something special in common: cooking. Luke began creating elaborate meals during the pandemic, and while many of us abandoned our sourdough starters long ago, he never stopped. Once Luke was cast as Sean, the show’s writers incorporated his real-life love for cooking into his character.

Without giving any plot spoilers, cooking plays a big role in Sean’s arc in Season 2. Luke’s dream dish for Season 3? “We’ve seen Po’boys. In Season 2, we got a cake. So in Season 3, I'm hoping for my favorite dish: STEAK. Ribeye. Some mashed potatoes. Maybe some broccoli rabe on the side.”

Jessica Williams, Ted McGinley, Luke Tennie and Christa Miller in Shrinking, now streaming on Apple TV+.

Luke is cooking for three these days, following the birth of his daughter earlier this year. Like any great recipe, balance makes all the ingredients come together. “I’ve learned fatherhood is my favorite job, which is wild to say because I work on Shrinking. But it is, and balancing it seems to involve making a bunch of time and space for things. The truth is, we’ve been figuring it all out day by day.”

You can also catch Luke in two new films that hit close to home for him.

Luke plays Griff in Nickel Boys, adapted from Colson Whitehead’s historical-fiction novel about the friendship between two African American young men while they attend a brutal reform school in Florida.

“Nickel Boys is an absolute honor to be a part of.” Luke says. He imagined a version of his life where he had to attend this school while growing up in Florida, which fueled his inspiration to be in this powerful film. “I had never heard of the school the novel is based on until I got the audition for Nickel Boys. That school shut down when I was in high school. So yeah, that could have been me.”

Nickel Boys is now playing a limited run in theatres and heralded by Variety as one of the “biggest awards films this year.”

Luke wore many hats to create the short film Jade with other members of the AMDA community. Luke and fellow AMDA graduate Noam Shapiro worked together as Co-Writers, Co-Executive Producers, and Co-Stars for the short film, with faculty member Robert Manning Jr. as Director and graduate Serena Ryen as Assistant Director.

Both films are earning accolades on the film festival circuit.

Luke has some other new projects with fellow AMDA alumni on the menu. Luke and Noam are reuniting to develop Jade into a TV show, and Luke is also collaborating with Luke Dimyan on a new show.

Luke brings his work ethic and authenticity to every project, whether he’s cookin’ up one of his trademark dishes or a new screen project for all to enjoy.

Images courtesy of Apple TV+. For editorial purposes only.