Szeto's team likely frames his career as a steady climb — not every actor needs to be a leading man, and building a solid body of work in Hollywood is the real achievement. The 'nice guy' label becomes versatility.
Insiders note Szeto's relatively quiet decade since his breakout supporting role. While co-stars like Hailee Steinfeld ascended to A-list status, Szeto has remained largely out of the spotlight — which some in the industry view as a missed opportunity.
Szeto was 30 years old when filming 'The Edge of Seventeen' in 2016. The film also starred Woody Harrelson and Hailee Steinfeld, with Szeto playing the awkward character crushing on Steinfeld's protagonist.
Szeto represents a fascinating Hollywood archetype: the talented supporting player who never quite got the breakout moment. Whether he's content with that trajectory or hungry for more will determine what comes next.
Remember Erwin? That was Hayden Szeto — the Canadian actor who played Hailee Steinfeld's persistent, well-meaning crush in the 2016 coming-of-age comedy 'The Edge of Seventeen.' Now TMZ is asking the question that's been bubbling under the surface for a decade: memba him? Szeto was thirty years old when he stepped onto the set of what would become one of the more critically acclaimed teen films of the decade.
His character Erwin wasn't the lead — that belonged to Steinfeld's Nadine, a gloriously flawed teenage protagonist navigating grief, friendship, and the universal humiliation of high school. But Szeto brought something essential to the role: an earnestness that made viewers root for him even when they knew his romantic pursuits were doomed. The film itself was a star-making machine for its lead actress while also featuring established industry veteran Woody Harrelson in a supporting role.
Szeto found himself sandwiched between rising stardom and seasoned professionalism — a unique position that could have launched him into bigger opportunities if the pieces had fallen differently. Here's where things get interesting from an entertainment perspective, though. While Hailee Steinfeld went on to dominate music charts, award shows, and blockbuster franchises, Szeto's trajectory has been considerably more modest.
This isn't necessarily a failure — Hollywood is brutal, and supporting actors often find themselves squeezed out of the industry's relentless spotlight. TMZ's 'then and now' coverage suggests they're mining for drama here, and honestly? They might be onto something.
There's an uncomfortable truth buried in Szeto's story: talent doesn't guarantee success, timing matters enormously, and sometimes being the 'nice guy' in a movie means you're forever waiting for your own close-up. Whether Szeto is satisfied with his place in the Hollywood ecosystem or quietly seething about missed chances remains to be seen — but you can bet someone's keeping score.
