“There’s a reason that you look at his filmography and there aren’t twenty-five movies and TV shows that he’s worked on,” Lost and Watchmen creator Damon Lindelof once told Esquire about his star of The Leftovers, Justin Theroux. “It isn’t for a lack of opportunity. It’s because he’s very selective about what he chooses to do. When we were casting Lost, he was definitely on the Jack list. He wasn’t interested.”
Theroux’s film career includes work both in front of and behind the camera as writer, director, and actor. He has written on several high-profile films such as Iron Man 2 (2010), the laugh-out-loud, celebrity-stuffed Tropic Thunder (2008), and Rock of Ages (2012). He also used to be married Jennifer Aniston. But before all that, Theroux gained recognition for his work with director David Lynch in Mulholland Drive (2001) and the thriller film Inland Empire (2006). Since then, he has also appeared in notable films such as Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003), The Girl on the Train (2016), and The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018). As we await season 2 of his acclaimed Apple TV+ series The Mosquito Coast (see below for details), here’s a closer look at the versatile actor’s groundbreaking work on screen — thus far.
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5 American Psycho (2000)
Lions Gate Films
We all know this one — Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) works by day as an ultra handsome executive, and by night lives life as a frightful serial killer. It’s so mind-blowing to see the transformation from day to night of Bateman. It reflects just how comfortable he was, dedicated and flawlessly shifting personas being two different people, yet Bale plays it perfectly by maintaining the same amount of smarm and arrogance throughout. In a scene-stealing performance, Theroux plays one Bateman’s quirky business associates. His “bro” chemistry with Bale with relentlessly fun to watch throughout American Psycho.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
4 The Mosquito Coast (2021-)
Fremantle
Based on his uncle Paul’s acclaimed novel of the same name, Justin Theroux’s The Mosquito Coast follows an idealistic inventor who’s disgusted with the corruption of the industrial world and decides to uproot his family to Latin America. Later, when the U.S. government tries to catch them, they take a dangerous quest through Mexico to flee the U.S. government and find safety. The Mosquito Coast is also loosely adapted from the 1986 film that starred Harrison Ford. The first season of the series consists of seven episodes and concluded in June 2021. That same month, the series was renewed for a second season.
3 Mulholland Drive (2001)
StudioCanal
In a career full of celebrated films, Mulholland Drive remains Lynch’s most singular achievement, and one that gains new meaning with each viewing. The film follows aspiring actress Betty Elms (frequent Lynch collaborator Naomi Watts) who befriends amnesiac Rita (Laura Harring), a beautiful woman who had survived a brutal murder attempt and car accident. Along the way, the two are drawn into a web of mysteries, secrets, and questionable realities. Mulholland Drive succeeds because of how balanced and varied it is. In a darkly comedic starring role, Theroux plays a filmmaker in distress who gets in fistfights and on-set quarrels throughout this labrynth of a film. His face-off against Billy Ray Cyrus’ clueless loverboy persona is just one standout from Lynch’s finest film to date.
2 Maniac (2018)
Paramount Television
Sporting a not-so-convincing wig to hide his character’s not-so-appealing baldness, Theroux hilariously mocks his “stud,” movie-star looks in Netflix’s Maniac, with each episode directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. The miniseries featured Jonah Hill and Emma Stone in leading roles and was a critical success. The story involves the tale of two strangers who meet each other through a series of orchestrated experiments and must find their way out of their situation together. Stone plays Annie, one of the participants in the trail, and Emmy-winner Julia Garner (Ozark) portrays her younger sister. Theroux’s bizarre, sexually tense scenes with both Sonoya Mizuno’s chain-smoking, oddball character and Sally Field as his mom are reasons enough to check out this underrated gem.
1 The Leftovers (2014-2017)
HBO
Theroux was rightfully nominated for a Critics Choice TV Award for his phenomenal portrayal of Kevin Garvey in HBO’s The Leftovers (2014–2017), which was showrunner Damon Lindelof’s follow-up to the massive success of Lost and certainly shared some things with its predecessor. Like Lost, The Leftovers begins in the aftermath of a disaster, albeit with fewer palm trees and commercial breaks to lighten things up. This time, Lindelof works with novelist Tom Perotta, dropping us into the grim landscape of Mapleton, New York. Three years before the beginning of the show, the planet lost 2% of its population — in an event known as “The Departure.” Theroux’s layered performances gets better with each of the three seasons. By the end, we can’t help but weep with him as he reunites with the love of his life, Nora — an equally compelling character played by Carrie Coon.
