Hannah Love Lanier Is ‘Road House’s Surprise Breakout Star

Most people probably watched the Road House remake—which is now streaming on Amazon Prime—for the epic fight scenes between star Jake Gyllenhaal and real-life UFC fighter Conor McGregor. But there was a surprise breakout star too: Child actor Hannah Love Lanier.

Directed by Doug Liman, with a script by Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry, this 2024 Road House offers a spin on the 1989 Patrick Swayze movie. Gyllenhaal stars as Dalton, a former UFC fighter hired as a bouncer at a bar in the Florida Keys. The bar, named only The Road House, has been dealing with some rowdy customers as of late. But they are no match for Dalton, a man who politely inquires about his victims’ health insurance situation before he ruthlessly beats them up. Yet we know that deep down, Dalton is a good guy. How do we know that? Because he befriends an adorable tween girl on his way into town. Classic!

Said adorable tween girl, named Charlie, is played by Lanier, a 16-year-old actor who’s been working since 2019. In Road House, Charlie greets Dalton by asking if he noticed “Fred” on his drive into a town—a tree that grows in the middle of the road that she’s fond of. Charlie loans Dalton a book on local trees, which he dutifully read. He’s charmed by this quirky teen, as well as her kind-hearted dad, Stephen (played by The Leftovers actor Kevin Carroll). Father and daughter run a local bookstore together, and quickly become allies to Dalton. Of course, they are also the reason he loses his shit on the bad guys in the end. You don’t come between a UFC fighter and his adorable, surrogate daughter figure!

In an interview for the Road House production notes, Lanier said that her character was just as charmed by Dalton as he was by Charlie. “Charlie is strong-willed, very independent and can be a bit feisty,” Lanier said. “She takes an immediate liking to Dalton because he listens to her and doesn’t treat her like a little kid, even though she technically is. And I think her sense of innocence and adolescent strength also brings out a totally different side of him.”

Road House is Lanier’s feature film debut, but she’s been in a few series, including a role as Kate in the Paramount+ drama series Special Ops: Lioness and an appearance on Issa Rae’s HBO series A Black Lady Sketch Show. We have a feeling she has a bright career ahead of her.