We saw Joel Edgerton last in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), reprising his Skywalker’s guardian role from Revenge of the Sith with a heartfelt performance. Another acclaimed small-screen turn by Edgerton hit the masses last year with the limited series The Underground Railroad (2021). He’s evolved from a familiar face to an acclaimed, award-winning actor — and it all started with his big-screen projects in front of the camera.
From there, Edgerton started working behind the camera. He achieved leading-man status after his “lovable” performance in the 2016 historical drama Loving, for which he received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. As we explore Edgerton’s top five films to date, an honorable mention might be Netflix’s The King, which he co-wrote and starred in. He rightfully won an award in Australia for his supporting turn, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for Edgerton on the big screen. Here’s a closer look at his acclaimed filmography.
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5 Boy Erased (2018)
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Edgerton wrote, directed, and starred in Boy Erased, which tells the remarkable true story of Jared Eamons (played by Lucas Hedges), the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, who must overcome the fallout of being outed to his parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe). His parents struggle with reconciling their love for their son with their beliefs. Fearing a loss of family, friends, and community, Jared is pressured into attending a conversion therapy program. While there, Jared comes into conflict with its leader (Edgerton) and begins his journey to finding his own voice and accepting his true self.
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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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4 It Comes at Night (2017)
A24
It Comes at Night centers on a teenaged boy (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) as he grapples with mounting terrors in the aftermath of an unnamed infectious disease sweeping across the globe. His parents (played by Edgerton and Carmen Ejogo) hide out at a remote house deep in the woods. The dad’s paranoia fuels It Comes at Night, and we’ll watch most of this thriller through the hands covering our eyes. Though it disappointed initially at the U.S. box office, It Comes At Night was universally appreciated by critics and ultimately grossed $20 million against a $2.5 million budget. Edgerton commands the screen to perfection with a subdued-turned-intense portrayal of a family man in distress.
3 Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Columbia Pictures
Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty tells the true story of the international manhunt for Osama bin Laden. Jessica Chastain plays the CIA intelligence analyst put to the task of finding bin Laden’s whereabouts. We are given a detailed account of the hard work and dedication that goes into working for the CIA. At the same time, we also see the torture interrogation techniques that were carried out during this time. Bigelow’s direction is stellar, and we are shown the fascinating story of the hunt for bin Laden. Edgerton plays a SEAL Team leader convincingly. He looks the part and even laces some humor into this dark and thrilling film.
2 Loving (2016)
Big Beach
Jeff Nichols is a reliably superb filmmaker, and Loving is no exception. The incredible true story follows Richard Loving (Edgerton), a white construction worker in Virginia who falls in love with a local Black woman and family friend, Mildred Jeter (Ruth Negga). Upon Mildred discovering that she is pregnant, they decide to marry, but knowing that interracial marriage violates Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws, they drive to Washington, D.C. to get married in 1958.
“I think it’s important as an actor to do as much thoughtfulness and preparation ahead of time and then show up on the day and forget all about it so you can be there in the room,” Edgerton once told Collider. “That was always one of the risks of trying to create a character that was so much like Richard. The risk is that it only ever reaches an impression or mimicry. You’ve got to find a way to go beyond that. That was the trick in the first few days. There’s an inevitability to being self-conscious in drawing a character like this so let’s get over it. Let forget about it. Put it aside and allow it to live…”
1 The Gift (2015)
Roadshow Films
For his directorial debut, Edgerton wrote, produced, and co-stars in the 2015 psychological thriller The Gift, which follows married couple Simon and Robyn Callem as they are intimidated by a menacing figure from Simon’s past, played by Edgerton. They begin to receive mysterious gifts and uninvited encounters by the dangerous Gordo, an old high school classmate of Simon’s who harbors a horrifying secret. The actor-turned-director was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock, Fatal Attraction, and the 2005 French film Caché, and upon its release, The Gift was heralded by critics for Edgerton’s screenplay and direction, as well as Jason Bateman’s riveting performance.
