Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Companion (2025)
WhileCompanionrelies largely on another tour-de-force turn from Sophie Thatcher, Lukas Gage’s pivotal supporting role proves thatSmile 2wasted the emerging actor. Despiteall ofCompanion’s brutal deaths, the satirical sci-fi thriller is surprisingly moving at times. Sophie Thatcher’s Iris might be a robot, but she makes for a compelling protagonist, and her attempts to escape her lethally entitled owner Josh are thrilling, chilling, and darkly funny.
AfterCompanionreveals Iris is a robot, the character’s humanity ironically starts to shine through even more than before. The lack of ease she feels in social situations, her intense bond with the seemingly uncaring Josh, and the barely concealed hostility that Josh’s friend Cat has toward her are all re-contextualized and, by the time Iris is being blamed for Sergei’s death, she is the most sympathetic character inCompanion. However,Companion’s ending arguably changes thisas a supporting star ends up stealing the show.
Companion’s Patrick Proves Smile 2 Wasted Lukas Gage
Gage’s Unnerving Robotic Companion Goes Through A World of Emotions
First seen inScouts Guide to the Zombie ApocalypseandAssassination Nation, Lukas Gage rose to prominence thanks to supporting roles inEuphoria,Love, Victor,You,American Vandal, andThe White Lotus. His supporting roles inHow to Blow Up a PipelineandRoad Houseamplified his star power, but it is his role inCompanionthat proves Gage is a star in the making. Playing Eli’s outdated companion Patrick,Gage is called on to go through a major emotional journey while still never coming across as entirely human.
Patrick seems like a genuinely sweet, compassionate romantic partner, but Josh jailbreaks him, he becomes an implacable killer more akin to the T-800 than Iris.
Patrick goes from a tender, caring boyfriend to a stone-cold killer, and back as he is introduced as Eli’s companion and later jailbroken by a desperate Josh.Companion’s robots are attachedto their owner by a “Love link,” established by a pre-programmed imaginary meet cute that makes the companion believe it is uniquely emotionally bonded with this owner. In early scenes, Patrick seems like a genuinely sweet, compassionate romantic partner, and he expresses what seems like real love for Eli. When Josh jailbreaks him to hunt down Iris, he becomes an implacable killer more akin to the T-800 than Iris.
Smile 2 Gave Companion’s Lukas Gage A Smaller Role
Gage Played The Curse’s Victim Lewis In The Sequel
Gage’s role inCompaniongives the emerging star a lot to do in relatively limited screen time, as he goes from being Eli’s affectionate partner to Josh’s hitman. It is hard to believe that the unfeeling Patrick who dispassionately kills Cat is the same character as Eli’s sweet love interest, and Gage’s complex role gets even thornier when Iris reminds him of his original owner. Overwhelmed by the grief of losing Eli, Patrick goes through a flurry of emotions before finally giving up on his existence.
Although the $138 million horror hit also featured a supporting role for the actor,Smile 2’s storydidn’t give Gage anywhere near as much to do with his screen time. As the small-time drug dealer, Lewis Fregoli, Gage eschews the usual machismo of movie dealers and instead plays the character as a wheedling, surprisingly sympathetic figure. Gage’s desperate Lewis is truly unsettling in his death scene, but he barely has a chance to make an impression on viewers as his role is limited to two scenes.
7 Reasons Companion’s Reviews Are So Positive
The 2025 genre-blending psychological thriller-comedy Companion has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, earning a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93%.
The dazzling single-shot opening sequence ofSmile 2 is too busy following Kyle Gallner’s short-livedSmilesurvivor Joel to focus on Gage’s Lewis, who barely appears in the scene. The next time viewers see him, Lewis is already succumbing to the curse. This results in one of the sequel’s creepiest scenes when Lewis transforms from an eager-to-impress, sycophantic dealer into a grinning, blank, and unspeaking personification of theSmilefranchise’s demonic monster.
What’s Next For Companion’s Lukas Gage
Gage Will Soon Appear In Rosebush Pruning and Love Language
This scene is genuinely scary, but it proves thatSmile 2wasted Gage, whereasCompanionput his talents to good use. Fortunately, viewers who enjoyed his turn in director Drew Hancock’s sci-fi thriller won’t need to wait long before seeing more from the star. Although his Netflix showDead Boy Detectiveswas canceled after one season in 2024, Gage will soon appear in director Karim Aïnouz’sRosebush Pruning. This dramatic thriller, co-starring Riley Keough, Pamela Anderson, and Elle Fanning, is an adaptation of 1965’sFists in the Pocket.
After that, Gage will co-star alongside Chloe Grace Murex, Isabel May, Billie Lourd, Anthony Ramos, and Manny Jacinto in the ensemble romantic comedyLove Language. Directed byAfter Everything’s Joey Power, this rom-com boasts a buzzy cast and will hopefully provide Gage with another substantial role.Companion’s Patrick proves that, although hisSmile 2role criminally underutilized the actor, Gage is a star on the rise who viewers should watch out for going forward.
