Name: Alex Wolff

Age: 21

Hometown: born in Los Angeles and raised in New York City.

Now lives: in a duplex in the East Village and, on occasion, his parents’ apartment near Washington Square Park.

Claim to fame: Despite his young age, Mr. Wolff is already a seasoned actor and a first-time director. He appeared opposite Toni Collette in the horror film “Hereditary” and stars in the upcoming sequel to “Jumanji.” His directorial debut, “The Cat and the Moon,” which he also wrote, acted in and composed music for, comes out on Oct. 25. “I do my best when I am backed against a wall,” he said.

Big break: He can thank his mother, Polly Draper (who is perhaps best known for her role on “Thirtysomething”) for his ambition. Ms. Draper was (deep breath) the creator, executive producer, writer and director of “The Naked Brothers Band,” a late-aughts musical-comedy movie and series on Nickelodeon.

She cast her two sons — Mr. Wolff was 8 at the time, and Nat was 11 — as the show’s tween-idol stars. “I’ve said this joke eight million times, but I’ve basically been on camera since the sonogram,” he said.

Latest project: The first draft of the “The Cat and the Moon,” which is loosely inspired by Mr. Wolff’s own life in New York City, was written when he was a freshman at the Professional Children’s School in Manhattan. In a full-circle moment, several scenes were filmed at his alma mater. “I still can’t believe I was able to charm my teachers into letting me shoot there,” he said.

Next thing: In addition to “Jumanji: The Next Level” and “The Cat and the Moon,” he also stars in “Castle in the Ground,” a film about the opioid crisis. All three films were shown at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. “By my sixth press day, I was like, ‘Dude, I have to get out of here,’” he said.

The festival did have its starry moments. “Chris Evans grabbed me by the shoulders, patted my chest like a proud uncle, and said, “Dude! ‘Hereditary!’ I loved you in that,’” Mr. Wolff said. “Then he gave me one more Captain America chest pat and disappeared into the fog of the party. My mom erupted in giggles.”

Chaos is a ladder: Switching from directing to acting proved dizzying. “It can give you vertigo, especially when you have an emotional scene,” he said. “But I enjoy the chaos.”