Gavin Leatherwood is moving into an important new chapter of his acting career. After gaining widespread attention as Nicholas Scratch in Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the actor has steadily expanded his résumé with television appearances, feature films and other creative work. Now, a new movie role is putting him back in the spotlight.
In 2026, Leatherwood joined the cast of It Happened One Summer, the upcoming film adaptation of Tessa Bailey’s bestselling novel. He plays Fox Thornton, a fisherman and friend of Brendan Taggart, played by Tyler Hoechlin. The film also stars Nina Dobrev and Virginia Gardner, with Peter Hutchings directing. Production has been underway in New York.
The project could become an important step for Leatherwood because it arrives after several years of moving beyond the role that first made him widely recognizable. From supernatural television to contemporary comedy-drama and feature films, his career has gradually developed into something broader than Sabrina alone.
Who Is Gavin Leatherwood?
Gavin Leatherwood is an American actor known primarily for his work in television and film. He was born on June 7, 1994, in Hawaii and became widely recognized after being cast as Nicholas Scratch in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. IMDb currently lists the series among his best-known credits, alongside The Sex Lives of College Girls and It’s What’s Inside.
Leatherwood has built his career by taking on different kinds of projects rather than remaining attached to one genre. His credits include television dramas, streaming comedies, thriller films and other screen projects. That variety has become increasingly important as he moves further away from his breakthrough role.
For longtime viewers, Nicholas Scratch may still be the character most strongly associated with his name. However, his more recent filmography shows a performer trying to establish a wider identity in the entertainment industry.
How Gavin Leatherwood Started His Acting Career
Before his major breakthrough, Leatherwood appeared in smaller television and screen roles. His early credits included projects such as NCIS and grown-ish, giving him opportunities to develop his experience before moving into larger parts.
Those early appearances may not have attracted the same level of attention as Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, but they were part of the gradual process that helped him build a professional acting résumé. For many performers, these smaller opportunities provide valuable experience before a major casting opportunity changes their visibility.
That opportunity arrived in 2018 when Leatherwood joined Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The role introduced him to a much larger streaming audience and became the foundation for the next stage of his career.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Changed His Career
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina became the defining early project of Gavin Leatherwood’s career. The Netflix series premiered in 2018 and ran through 2020, with Leatherwood playing Nicholas Scratch. IMDb credits him in 32 episodes of the series.
The show gave Leatherwood sustained exposure rather than a single guest appearance. As Nicholas Scratch, he became part of the supernatural world surrounding Sabrina Spellman, played by Kiernan Shipka.
The success and visibility of the series meant that Leatherwood quickly became familiar to a large international streaming audience. For an actor still building his résumé, that kind of recurring role can have a major impact on future opportunities.
Why Nicholas Scratch Remains His Most Recognizable Role
Nicholas Scratch remains one of Leatherwood’s most recognizable characters because Sabrina was the project that introduced him to many viewers. The role also gave him the chance to remain part of a continuing storyline instead of appearing only briefly.
That recognition can be both an advantage and a challenge. A popular television role can create a loyal fan base, but actors often need to demonstrate that they can play characters who are very different from the one that made them famous.
Leatherwood’s career after Sabrina suggests that he has been taking that challenge seriously. His subsequent projects moved into contemporary settings and feature-film storytelling, allowing him to show a broader range.
What Happened After Sabrina?
Following Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Leatherwood continued working across different projects. One of his notable follow-up credits was The Sex Lives of College Girls, where he played Nico Murray.
IMDb lists Leatherwood as Nico Murray in nine episodes of the series. The role was a significant change from Nicholas Scratch because it placed him in a contemporary college comedy-drama rather than a supernatural fantasy series.
That difference was useful for his career. It gave audiences an opportunity to see him outside the world of Sabrina and helped demonstrate that his acting work could extend into other types of stories.
Gavin Leatherwood in The Sex Lives of College Girls
The Sex Lives of College Girls gave Leatherwood another connection to a major streaming production. The series was created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble and follows students navigating college, friendship and personal challenges.
Leatherwood’s character, Nico Murray, belongs to a much more grounded environment than Nicholas Scratch. That made the project an interesting contrast with his previous television work.
Although his appearance in the series was much different from Sabrina, it helped add another recognizable streaming credit to his résumé. It also reinforced a pattern that has continued throughout his career: taking roles that allow him to move between genres instead of repeating the same type of character.
His Transition Into Feature Films
Gavin Leatherwood has also been building a presence in feature films. In 2024, he appeared in It’s What’s Inside, a science-fiction thriller directed by Greg Jardin. He played Dennis in the ensemble film. IMDb lists the movie among his best-known credits.
The film was another useful step because it moved Leatherwood further into feature-film territory. Rather than depending entirely on television, he was becoming part of a broader mix of screen projects.
He also appeared in Singing in My Sleep in 2025, playing Jack. IMDb lists the film among his recent acting credits.
Together, these projects show a gradual transition. Leatherwood is not abandoning television, but his film work is becoming an increasingly important part of his professional identity.
Gavin Leatherwood Has Also Explored Music
Acting is not the only creative area associated with Gavin Leatherwood. He has also explored music, giving his career another dimension outside traditional screen acting.
His music work has included a debut single released in 2021, as well as music-related credits connected to his broader entertainment career. His ability to work across acting and music reflects the multi-platform nature of modern entertainment.
For Leatherwood, music appears to be another creative outlet rather than a replacement for acting. His main professional identity remains closely connected to screen work, but the additional experience gives him another way to express himself creatively.
Gavin Leatherwood’s New Role in 2026
The biggest current development in Leatherwood’s career is his casting in It Happened One Summer. In 2026, he joined the film as Fox Thornton while production was underway in New York.
The film is based on Tessa Bailey’s bestselling novel of the same name and is being directed by Peter Hutchings. Nina Dobrev stars as Piper Bellinger, while Tyler Hoechlin plays Brendan Taggart. Virginia Gardner is also part of the cast.
This is an interesting opportunity for Leatherwood because the project combines a recognizable source novel with an established cast. It also places him in a feature film that already has an audience familiar with the original story.
Who Does Gavin Leatherwood Play in It Happened One Summer?
Gavin Leatherwood plays Fox Thornton in It Happened One Summer. Current industry reports describe Fox as Brendan Taggart’s best friend and a fellow fisherman.
The character is very different from Nicholas Scratch. Instead of a supernatural setting, Fox belongs to the coastal world of the movie and is part of the story surrounding Piper Bellinger’s unexpected change in circumstances.
That difference is one of the most interesting aspects of the casting. Fans who know Leatherwood primarily from Sabrina will get to see him in a completely different kind of production.
Why This Role Could Be Important for His Career
The new role could matter because it combines several factors that are useful for an actor looking to expand. First, It Happened One Summer is based on an established bestselling novel. Second, the project has recognizable stars and an experienced director. Third, the source material has already developed a strong online following.
Variety has described the book as a New York Times bestseller and viral BookTok hit, while other industry reports have highlighted the popularity of the original novel.
That existing awareness could help the film attract viewers who already know the story. For Leatherwood, appearing in a project with an established audience may provide an opportunity to reach people who did not discover him through Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Of course, the success of a movie depends on many factors, including the finished film, marketing, distribution and audience response. The casting alone does not guarantee a career breakthrough. Still, the project represents a meaningful opportunity at an important point in Leatherwood’s career.
The BookTok Effect Behind the Movie
The connection to BookTok is one of the most interesting parts of It Happened One Summer. Tessa Bailey’s novel became widely discussed online, helping the book reach a large audience before the movie adaptation entered production.
That matters in the current entertainment landscape because popular books can bring an existing community of readers to a screen adaptation. Social media discussions can create awareness long before a movie reaches audiences.
For Gavin Leatherwood, that means his new role has the potential to introduce him to viewers who may have never watched Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. His casting links his name to a different entertainment audience built around contemporary romance and book adaptations.
How His Career Has Evolved Since Sabrina
Looking at Leatherwood’s career from 2018 to 2026 shows a gradual expansion. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina established him as a recognizable television actor, while The Sex Lives of College Girls demonstrated that he could work in a contemporary comedy-drama.
His film credits then added another layer. It’s What’s Inside gave him a role in an ensemble thriller, while Singing in My Sleep continued his work in feature films.
Now, It Happened One Summer gives him another opportunity to work on a high-profile feature adaptation.
The important point is that none of these projects needs to replace Sabrina. Instead, each one adds another part to his professional résumé.
What Makes Gavin Leatherwood’s Career Stand Out?
The most interesting thing about Leatherwood’s career is its variety. He has worked in supernatural television, contemporary streaming comedy-drama, feature films and music.
That variety can be valuable for an actor because it prevents one role from becoming the entire story. While Nicholas Scratch remains an important part of his identity, the projects that followed have helped create a more diverse career.
His latest role continues that pattern. Fox Thornton is another character that looks different from the roles audiences may already associate with him.
That gives Leatherwood an opportunity to show that his career can continue developing rather than remaining tied to one successful series.
What Other Projects Are Ahead?
Leatherwood’s current professional slate extends beyond It Happened One Summer. IMDb currently lists upcoming projects including Still Yours, Fade to Black and Until Dawn 2. The database lists Still Yours and Fade to Black as upcoming screen projects, while Until Dawn 2 includes Leatherwood in a voice and motion-capture role.
Because film and television schedules can change, those projects should be viewed as part of his current listed slate rather than assuming every release date is fixed.
Even so, the number of projects attached to his name suggests that Leatherwood is maintaining momentum. His career is no longer dependent on one completed television series.
Why Fans Are Watching Gavin Leatherwood’s Next Chapter
For fans who discovered Gavin Leatherwood through Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the upcoming movie provides a chance to see him in a different environment.
That is part of what makes his current career stage interesting. He has already proven that he can become strongly associated with a popular television character. Now the challenge is building recognition across multiple roles.
It Happened One Summer could help with that because it combines an established book audience, a recognizable cast and a different genre from the supernatural drama that made him famous.
Whether the film becomes a major success remains to be seen, but the role gives Leatherwood another opportunity to broaden his audience.
The Bigger Picture for His Acting Career
Gavin Leatherwood’s career illustrates how an actor can gradually move from a breakout streaming role toward a broader collection of projects. His journey has not depended on one immediate transformation. Instead, each project has added something different.
Nicholas Scratch gave him visibility. Nico Murray allowed him to explore a contemporary setting. Feature films gave him additional experience outside television. His music work added another creative dimension.
Now Fox Thornton represents another step.
If It Happened One Summer connects with audiences, the project could become one of the more important credits of Leatherwood’s post-Sabrina career. Even if it does not become a defining hit, the role still gives him valuable experience in a major feature adaptation.
Key Takeaways
- Gavin Leatherwood is an American actor known for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Sex Lives of College Girls and It’s What’s Inside.
- His breakout role was Nicholas Scratch in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, where he appeared in 32 episodes.
- He later played Nico Murray in The Sex Lives of College Girls.
- His recent film work includes It’s What’s Inside and Singing in My Sleep.
- In 2026, Leatherwood joined It Happened One Summer as Fox Thornton.
- The film is based on Tessa Bailey’s bestselling novel and features Nina Dobrev, Tyler Hoechlin and Virginia Gardner.
- The project gives Leatherwood an opportunity to reach audiences beyond his Sabrina fan base.
- His current listed projects suggest that his acting career continues to expand across film and television.
Conclusion
Gavin Leatherwood has reached a point where his career is becoming much bigger than the role that first made him famous. Nicholas Scratch remains a major part of his acting history, but his work since Chilling Adventures of Sabrina shows a clear effort to explore different characters, genres and formats.
His latest opportunity, It Happened One Summer, could be particularly valuable. Playing Fox Thornton puts him inside a feature adaptation with a recognizable cast and an established audience from Tessa Bailey’s bestselling novel. Production has already moved forward, making the project one of the most important current developments in his career.
For fans searching for Gavin Leatherwood news in 2026, the bigger story is not simply one new movie. It is the direction of his career. After establishing himself through streaming television, he is continuing to build a wider film résumé and take on roles that look increasingly different from Nicholas Scratch.
That makes this next chapter worth watching. It Happened One Summer may become a major milestone, but regardless of how the movie performs, Gavin Leatherwood has already shown that his career is continuing to move forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Gavin Leatherwood?
Gavin Leatherwood is an American actor known for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Sex Lives of College Girls and It’s What’s Inside.
What role did Gavin Leatherwood play in Sabrina?
He played Nicholas Scratch in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Who does Gavin Leatherwood play in It Happened One Summer?
He plays Fox Thornton in the film adaptation of Tessa Bailey’s novel.
What is It Happened One Summer about?
The film follows Piper Bellinger as she adjusts to a very different life after leaving her familiar Los Angeles world for a coastal community.
Is Gavin Leatherwood still acting?
Yes. His current filmography includes recent work and several listed upcoming projects, including It Happened One Summer.
