Ever since appearing on the world's radar on NBC's Friday Night Lights, actor Jesse Plemons has brought his unique charm to a variety of (mostly) supporting roles, working with some of the biggest directors and most stacked ensembles around, and building a solid resume of work.
Most recently, Plemons took on the male lead in I'm Thinking of Ending Things, the newest mind-bender from Charlie Kaufman, in which he gave a typically off-kilter performance. Plemons just has one of those faces and a demeanor that is exclusive to him and incredibly magnetic to behold in the right role. Here are the 10 best roles the young actor has taken on, as ranked by IMDb user scores.
10 Other People (6.8)
One of the few times in his career when he was given the lead role in a feature film, Plemons makes the absolute most of the opportunity in this 2016 dramedy. He plays a down-on-his-luck writer who returns home to care for his ailing mother and work out some long-standing personal issues with his father.
The film's comedy works well with its more tragic elements inherent to the story, and the scenes between Plemons and Molly Shannon, who plays his mother, are dynamite. Plemons rarely gets to use this side of his acting chops, which is a shame because he can clearly knock the material out of the park.
9 I'm Thinking Of Ending Things (6.8)
Though this most recent addition is a critical darling, the audience reception has been a bit more divided, with some heralding it as a masterpiece and others criticizing its meandering narrative and perceived lack of answers. At the end of the day, it's a Charlie Kaufman movie, so all of this is par for the course.
No matter one's feelings on the script, the performances in the film are undeniably great. Plemons is particularly good, channeling his inner awkward loner into a nuanced depiction of depression and regret.
8 Game Night (6.9)
Game Night is a surprisingly fresh comedic murder mystery that features one of Jesse Plemons' funniest characters. He plays a socially inept bachelor cop who crosses paths with the film's leads, his neighbors who neglected to invite him to their titular game night.
Plemons plays the character straight, making it all the funnier once all the film's pieces begin to come into place and his role is truly revealed. Plemons doesn't do comedy as much as he could, and Game Night is proof of his great comedic timing.
7 American Made (7.2)
Although Doug Liman's caper is mostly Tom Cruise's show, the supporting cast contributes an invaluable amount to the film's charm and entertainment value. Plemons stars in a supporting turn as a sheriff in Arkansas who has a legal run-in with Crusie's drug-running pilot after catching him with a briefcase of dirty money.
The role is right in Plemons' wheelhouse, as he blends authority with his signature oddness. The film was successful with critics and audiences, giving Plemons another notch in his cinematic belt.
6 The Master (7.2)
Plemons got the opportunity to rub shoulders with the likes of giants like Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and of course, writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson with this critical stunner from 2012. Loosely based on the founding of Scientology, Anderson's film is an intimate epic about broken people falling beneath the wing of a charismatic religious leader.
Plemons has a small role as the son of Hoffman's leader, who becomes disillusioned with his father's movement. It is a testament to his skill that Plemons holds his own and looks natural amongst such a talented ensemble.
5 The Irishman (7.9)
Martin Scorsese's enormous film about the life of a hitman who crossed paths with Jimmy Hoffa is an achievement. The sheer scope and maintained intensity of the film is combined with a maturity that only comes from a filmmaker as skilled and storied as Scorsese.
Again, Plemons is given a spot in the cast alongside some of the greatest living thespians, including Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. Plemons plays the foster son of Pacino's Hoffa in a role that allows him a conduit for the scary puppy dog demeanor that defined some of his earlier television roles.
4 "USS Callister"- Black Mirror (8.3)
Plemons plays a relentless villain in this installment of the anthology phenomenon series. The season four opener is a bleak riff on the science fiction shows of the 60s, namely Star Trek, in a way that only writer Charlie Brooker can do.
Plemons plays a lonely weirdo who moonlights as a sadistic starship commander in an elaborate virtual reality program. What starts as a fun homage quickly sours into a deeply unsettling discourse on the notions of uploaded consciousness. All of the scenes of the episode taking place within the virtual world are a true testament to how malicious Plemons can make his characters.
3 Friday Night Lights (8.6)
One of the best family dramas of the 2000s, NBC's Friday Night Lights told the large ensemble-based storyline of a small Texas town and their high school football team. Utilizing a mosaic-like structure, the series balanced rural melodrama with genuine character arcs throughout the entirety of its five seasons.
The series also launched the careers of many members of its large cast, like Kyle Chandler, Taylor Kitsch, and of course, Jesse Plemons. Plemons was a regular cast for the first four seasons as an awkward but well-intentioned player.
2 Fargo (8.9)
The FX anthology series, Fargo, has garnered a massive amount of critical love and a loyal fanbase. Season 2 might just be one of the best installments, as it follows a couple getting in over their heads after killing the son of a local crime boss in a hit-and-run.
Plemons plays opposite his real-life wife Kirsten Dunst in a performance that is certain to be one of the most remembered of his small-screen appearances. Once again proving he can handle a leading role, Plemons' off-center tendencies are a perfect fit for the show's particular brand of writing.
1 Breaking Bad (9.5)
There will never be another show like it. Though Plemons has become a commodity in ensemble and indie films over the past decade, his best and most recognizable performance thus far is as the deplorable sociopath Todd Alquist in 11 episodes of the landmark series.
In a series packed to the gills with depraved characters, Todd is by far the coldest and scariest. Plemons plays the character with such a mix of politeness and brutal honesty that it would take an entirely separate list to rank his atrocities. Plemons returned to the role for El Camino, and once again, was a standout in the cast.
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