Butterfield started acting aged seven at the
Young Actors Theatre Islington. Later, he secured minor roles in the 2006 television drama
After Thomas and the 2007 film
Son of Rambow. In 2008, he had a guest role playing Donny in the television series
Ashes to Ashes. In that same year, aged ten, Butterfield played the lead role in
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Director
Mark Herman said that they came across Butterfield early on in the audition process. He was on the first audition tape he received and he was the third hopeful he met in person. Herman thought Butterfield's performance was outstanding, but only decided to cast him after auditioning hundreds of other boys, "so no stone was left unturned". Herman and producer
David Heyman were looking for someone who was able to portray the main character's innocence, so they asked each of the children what they knew about the Holocaust. Butterfield's knowledge was slim and it was purposely kept that way throughout filming so it would be easier for him to convey his character's innocence. The final scenes of the film were shot at the end of the production period to prepare both him and
Jack Scanlon for the dramatic ending of the film. Butterfield beat hundreds of boys to the role and also successfully passed the auditions for a role in
Mr. Nobody for which he auditioned at the same time. He elected not to pursue the latter role. He starred as Norman Green in
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010). The film, and his performance, both received positive reviews. At age 13, Butterfield played the main and titular character in
Martin Scorsese's
Hugo, adapted from the novel
The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
Hugo was released on 23 November 2011, and achieved critical success. Butterfield played the title role of
Andrew "Ender" Wiggin in the
film adaptation of the
Orson Scott Card novel ''
Ender's Game''. The film was released in 2013. After the shooting of ''Ender's Game
, Butterfield was cast in coming of age British drama X+Y'' as Nathan Ellis, a mathematical savant on the autism spectrum selected to compete in an internationally renowned mathematics competition. The film premiered on 5 September 2014 at the
Toronto International Film Festival. Butterfield's performance received widespread critical acclaim and saw him nominated for the
BIFA for Best Actor. In 2015, Butterfield appeared in a film adaptation of
Ten Thousand Saints. In 2016, he portrayed Jacob Portman in ''
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
He also starred as Gardner Elliot in the film The Space Between Us and as Sebastian in The House of Tomorrow in 2017. In 2018, Butterfield was cast in the main role of Otis Milburn on the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education''. The series was released on 11 January 2019 to critical acclaim. The second season was released on 17 January 2020, the third on 17 September 2021, and the fourth and final season on 21 September 2023. In July 2024, he was cast as
Adam in the upcoming comedy film
Carnival: At the End of Days. Butterfield portrays Solomon in the film
Our Hero, Balthazar, which received acclaim in early reviews ahead of its wide release. Butterfield was specifically praised for his performance by
The Austin Chronicle and
The Hollywood Reporter. == Other ventures ==