First-time nominee Louis McCartney makes his Tony Awards debut

Louis McCartney attended his first-ever Tony Awards on June 9 as a first-time nominee for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his performance in Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by brodie (@brodie.r_)

The 21-year-old made his debut on Broadway, portraying Henry Creel in the official Netflix prequel to the sci-fi series Stranger Things.

Although the award ended up going to Cole Escola, who plays the lead in Oh, Mary!, Stranger Things: The First Shadow received three awards in other categories: Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Play, and Best Sound Design of a Play.

In a previous interview with Hot Press, McCartney talked about his heritage and career and those who have come before him:

“There are so many great Irish stories about working-class actors who’ve come up through the ranks and made their golden path through their talent, dedication and ambition. Anthony Boyle would be somebody that I look up to and someone that I almost aspire to be.”

Other winners of the night included Darren Criss, who won Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance in Maybe Happy Ending; Michael Arden, winning Best Director for Maybe Happy Ending; and Nicole Scherzinger, winning Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her role in Sunset Boulevard.

All the 2025 Tony Award winners can be found here.