Richie Merritt

Richie Merritt is an American actor from Baltimore, Maryland, born April 26, 2001 (TMDB), whose entire public profile rests — almost entirely — on a single extraordinary casting story. He was spotted by a scout outside his high school principal's office, which is either the most cinematic origin story in recent memory or a reminder that Hollywood still occasionally stumbles onto real talent in the most unlikely places (Perplexity). That discovery landed him the lead in *White Boy Rick* (2018), a biographical crime drama directed by Yann Demange and starring Matthew McConaughey, where Merritt played Richard Wershe Jr. — the real-life teenager who became the youngest FBI informant in U.S. history before a drug conviction sent him away for life (Wikipedia).

What's striking is how polarizing his debut turned out to be. Some critics called him 'excellent' and credited him with a 'career-making debut' opposite McConaughey; others found his performance occasionally bland, struggling to hold the screen in a film that demands a lot from its center (Perplexity). Both reads feel honest, actually. He's a first-time actor thrown into a prestige production — that's a lot to ask. Hard to say if a more seasoned performer would've changed the film's reception, but Merritt's raw presence gives *White Boy Rick* something no amount of polish could manufacture.

Beyond that debut, Merritt has appeared in the TV series *Euphoria* and the film *Clean*, though as of 2026 his broader filmography remains sparsely documented (Perplexity). Not a household name. Not yet, anyway.