Skateboarder-turned-actor Isiah Hilt has taken his lumps riding the deck.
“I broke both my feet, and I broke my femur [skateboarding],” Hilt tells Deadline. “The doctor told me I broke my wrist. This was new news to me because I didn’t know… I had like a little fracture somewhere on my wrist.”
Those knocks are nothing compared to what he has faced away from the cement skate parks.
“I ran away from home when I was 12 years old. I been in 7 group homes, 1 foster home and 11 high schools,” Hilt writes in an Instagram post. “My adult hood unfortunately started at 12. no mom or dad. life [h]as been a big struggle and still is but I’d say I turned out alright.”
‘Street Smart‘
G-BASE/New Dimension Pictures
Hilt makes his acting debut in the drama Street Smart, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, which just held its world premiere at the Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas. Hilt co-stars with Yara Shahidi, Isabelle Fuhrman, Michael Cimino, and Sally Struthers in a story that “follows a group of young homeless adults in the iconic Southern California beach town of Venice.”
Hilt describes it as “a beautiful film based off the street life [in] Venice. It’s like a homeless Breakfast Club kind of vibe. I play the lead role, Drex, which I’m like the alpha of my crew, which is similar to my real life, actually.”
He adds, “A lot of my real story is in the movie too, which is crazy… from me talking about my dad being in prison to the things that my mom did to me, all of that was true. It was deeper than just filming. It was like a therapy session for me. I got to get out a lot of emotion that I’ve been holding in for so long, whether it was the happy screaming, to the sad, to the angry, to the real just depressed and feeling like ugh, like I just needed a hug. I got to get all that [out] while I was filming Street Smart.”
L-R Actor Isiah Hilt, producer Nathalie Marciano, actor Kaitlyn Kemp, actor Bevin Bru, actor Sally Struthers, and director Catherine Hardwicke attend the ‘Street Smart’ world premiere at the Bentonville Film Festival on June 18, 2026 in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Jason Davis/Getty Images for Bentonville Film Festival
Hardwicke (Twilight, Thirteen) shot part of her 2005 skateboarder-themed drama Lords of Dogtown – starring Heath Ledger and Emile Hirsch — in Venice Beach. She headed back there for Street Smart.
“We definitely shot at Venice Beach for the whole three months,” Hilt said, “and it was amazing.”
Isiah Hilt attends the Bentonville Film Festival awards ceremony on June 20, 2026 in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Jason Davis/Getty Images for Bentonville Film Festival
The Street Smart premiere marked Hilt’s first visit to Bentonville. “It’s my first time in Arkansas, period,” he said. “I’m an LA city boy, so I seen a lot of grass when I touched down and I was like, whoa. It’s dope. It’s new, it’s quiet, it seemed like.”
Bentonville is known for its elaborate mountain bike trails. While in town, Hilt took advantage of those amenities, risking the kind of injuries he’s sustained on the skateboard.
“I did go on this bike trail today at OZ Trails Park. It’s like they have a whole ski lift that takes you up and it’s a lot of different trails of jumps and everything,” he shared. “I stayed on the green beginner slope, and I almost flew off the mountain at one point and I caught myself. I have a cut like here on my leg right now from that. But yeah, I knew my limits.”
