“I didn’t think I was gonna carry on doing it”: Asa Butterfield Reveals Plans to Leave Acting Way Before Sex Education Fame
Robert Young
Updated on April 03, 2026
Renowned for starring in the Netflix comedy-drama, Sex Education, Asa Butterfield started his acting career at an early age. After taking on some minor roles on the silver screen, the actor initially gained recognition with the 2008 historical drama The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. However, despite enjoying being in front of the camera, he did not want to continue acting at the time.
The 26-year-old British actor got candid about his initial reservations about continuing acting during a recent interview with NME, as he shared what he truly aspired to be at the time.
Asa Butterfield Was Hesitant to Pursue An Acting Career
During a recent interview with NME, Asa Butterfield reflected on his initial years working as an actor. Rising to fame with the lead role in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, he has since starred in several acclaimed shows and movies.
Despite his success, Butterfield was initially skeptical about continuing to act. “For the first few years I was acting, I didn’t think I was gonna carry on doing it,” he told NME, explaining that although he loved being on camera, he was not quite sure about “what acting was?”
Instead, he wanted to be an archeologist and “dig up dinosaurs.” It was not until Martin Scorsese’s 2011 film Hugo that he fell in love with acting and filmmaking. He has shared working with the acclaimed filmmaker helped him have a better understanding of the craft.
After this, he started taking acting more seriously and working with his acting coach to enhance his skills. Butterfield has since starred in notable projects like Ender’s Game, Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, Journey’s End, and the popular Netflix series Sex Education.
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Asa Butterfield Reflected on His Collaboration With Martin Scorsese
Asa Butterfield had the opportunity to work alongside one of the most acclaimed filmmakers Martin Scorsese in the 2011 film Hugo. Based on Brian Selznick’s 2007 book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the film follows a young orphan involved in a mystery linked to his late father’s automaton.
The film received high acclaim and won five Oscars at the 84th Academy Awards. Reflecting on his collaboration with Scorsese, Butterfield shared, “I’ve been really lucky with the people I’ve been able to work with and it is mad when you say it out loud.”
Further in the conversation, he also emphasized the magnitude of working with such notable figures as a kid. “If I’d worked with Marty now, I’d have been bricking myself before coming on to set,” he said, noting that he did not feel nervous as a 13-year-old on the set of Hugo.
Hugo is available on Prime Video.
