Benjamin Evan Ainsworth was 8 years old when The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild dropped in March 2017. No Switch, no Hyrule. Just a kid watching YouTube playthroughs while the rest of the world lost their minds over Link's first open-world adventure. Fast forward to today, and that same kid is the one putting on the green tunic for Nintendo and Sony's live-action Zelda film.
From playthrough viewer to the hero of time
Ainsworth, born in 2008, was candid about his relationship with the game that arguably defines modern Zelda. "I remember vividly when Breath of the Wild came out, and it might show my age, but I remember being quite young at the time when it came out, and so I didn't have a Switch at the time," he said in a recent interview. "And so, I was watching gamers play it, and watching playthroughs, essentially."
Here's the thing: that's actually a pretty relatable origin story for a generation of younger players. Breath of the Wild launched alongside the original Nintendo Switch, and not every kid had one on day one. Watching others play it online was a legitimate way to experience the game's sprawling world before getting hands-on time yourself.
What most players miss in this detail is just how young Ainsworth actually is relative to the franchise's history. He was born three years after Twilight Princess came out. The original Legend of Zelda predates him by more than two decades.
40 years of Hyrule, and a lot of catching up to do
Ainsworth didn't just get the role and call it a day. He went back through the franchise's full history to prepare, which is no small task given Zelda spans over 40 years of games, timelines, and wildly different art directions.
"Upon being fortunate enough to play this role, such an iconic character, going back and realizing the 40 years of legacy and history, and the varied tones, the varied stories, the varied renditions and vocal performances of this character as well," he explained. "Yeah, I'm a big fan, and just really excited, because it was an awesome thing to shoot. New Zealand is a wonderful place."
Filming took place in New Zealand, which tracks given the country's reputation as a destination for large-scale fantasy productions. Ainsworth also confirmed he can't say much more about the film itself beyond his enthusiasm for the project.
Why this actually matters for the film
The age gap between Ainsworth and Breath of the Wild's launch is a fun detail, but it points to something more meaningful for the production. Nintendo is clearly not casting based on who grew up with the franchise as a teenager. They're casting for the right look and performance, which is how it should be for a character who has existed across dozens of games with no single canonical age.
Ainsworth is best known internationally for his role as Aegon Targaryen in House of the Dragon, where he plays a young royal navigating a world of political violence and shifting loyalties. That kind of experience with large-scale fantasy productions is probably more relevant to a Zelda film than whether he speedran Breath of the Wild in 2017.
The production has been tightly guarded. Beyond the New Zealand filming location and the two lead castings, Nintendo has kept the story details locked down. What is clear is that the studio is treating this with the same level of care they gave the Super Mario Bros. Movie, with Shigeru Miyamoto involved as a producer.
If you want to get ahead of the film and explore what made Breath of the Wild the gold standard for open-world design, the Breath of the Wild strategy guides cover everything from shrine locations to the toughest combat encounters in Hyrule. For a broader look at what's worth playing across the franchise before May 2027, the full gaming guides hub is a solid starting point.
