Jesse Plemonshas a career that has spanned decades and has seen him star in some of the biggest TV shows and films of recent memory. He began his career as a child actor and had a breakthrough with his supporting role as Landry Clarke in the NBC drama seriesFriday Night Lights(2006–2011). He then went on to star in season 5 of the hit TV showBreaking Bad, cementing his mainstream career.
Plemons went on to enjoy a career that evolved into film acting as well, appearing in films such asThe Master(2012),Bridge of Spies(both 2015),Vice(2018), andThe Irishman(2019). For his recent work in Jane Campion’sThe Power of the Dog,Plemons earned his first Oscar nomination, in the category of Best Supporting Actor. This year he has reunited withMartin Scorsese forKillers of the Flower Moonand starred alongsideElizabeth Olsen in HBO Max’sLove and Death. Here’s a look at Jesse Plemons' 10 best performances, ranked.
Updated November 17th, 2023: This article has been updated with even more Jesse Plemons performances and where you can watch each of them.
10Other People (2016)
InOtherPeople, David (Plemons) is a gay comedian struggling to make ends meetin New York City, and when his mother (Molly Shannon) gets diagnosed with cancer, he goes back home. There he spends more time with her during her disease and tries to build back bridges with his conservative father (Bradley Whitford).
What Makes It Great
Plemons makes David real and contradictory, both comedic and dramatic, shy but charming, sad but full of life. The performance has depth, and it’s painfully human, showing him at both his best and his worst while treating a theme as sad and complicated as taking care of a loved one, and not sugarcoating some of the worst moments in that kind of relationship. If all that wasn’t enough, his mother-son chemistry with Shannon is great and believable, making for a career highlight for both actors
Rent on Apple TV+
9Game Night (2018)
Game Night
Jesse Plemons proved his talents in comedy when he starred alongside Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman in Cliff Martinez’sGame Night, released in 2018. The film follows a game night which results in chaos when one member of the group is kidnapped, but everyone thinks it’s all an elaborate game. Eventually, though, they realize they’re dealing with real criminals.
Plemons plays Gary who is easily one of Plemons' funniest characters so far. Gary is the lead couple’s neighbor and is desperate to get involved in the game night tradition. But, unfortunately for him, he’s a socially inept cop, who is as weird as they come, and he’s still in love with his ex-wife, who left him some time ago. The actor plays with a comedic seriousness and clumsiness that not many can pull off. His comedic timing is excellent, proving what a versatile actor he can be.
8Black Mirror (2011-Present)
Black Mirror
Charlie Brooker’s hugely successful seriesBlack Mirrorpresents dystopian worlds that consider the damaging effects that technology could have on the world and what could happen if it progresses too far.
Jesse Plemons starred in a particularly successful episode titled “USS Callister.” The episode opened the hugely celebrated fourth season of the show, clearly taking inspiration fromStar Trek, presenting a crew onboard the eponymous USS Callister under the command of Plemons’ character, Robert Daly. As the plot progresses, we see that Robert is controlling all the crew, who are actually his co-workers, and playing a sadistic game with them. The actor transforms a character who starts as shy and awkward into someone much more creepy, egotistical, and scary.
Stream on Netflix
7Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
Judas and the Black Messiah
Jesse Plemons starred in Shaka King’sJudas and the Black Messiah, released in 2021. The film features an incredibly talented cast including Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Algee Smith, Dominique Thorne, and Martin Sheen. The film follows the real story of the betrayal of Fred Hampton (played by Daniel Kaluuya), chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party in late-1960s Chicago, by William O’Neal (played by Lakeith Stanfield) who was an FBI informant.
Plemons plays a real villain here, as the FBI agent who coerces O’Neal into becoming an informant. Over the course of the movie, he shows disdain for both O’Neal and Hampton, with some racism in there for good measure, proving the only thing the Agency really wants is control over the Black characters in the film. Plemons has never been worried about looking bad in a film, and here he sells the scumminess of his FBI agent with an ends justifies the means mentality.
Stream on Amazon Prime Video
Breaking Bad
Breaking Badran from 2008-2013 and starred Bryan Cranston as Walter White and Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman. The series centers around Walter, a chemistry teacher who develops cancer and then, of course, gets into the meth-making business as a way of paying off his medical bills.
Plemons gave an extremely memorable and well-received performance in season 5, playing Todd Alquist in an 11-episode arc. The actor played the character with a cold, sinister energy that made Todd one of the most memorable characters in the series while becoming Jesse’s (Paul) nemesis. He was so good that he came back to shoot the continuation storyEl Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.
5Friday Night Lights (2006-2011)
Friday Night Lights
Based on the book of the same name, Friday Night Lights is a sports drama series that centers around the Dillon Panthers, a high school football team in Texas. The show focuses on the small town and the community they share, tackling major social and political issues and the players' challenges as they go through an increasingly difficult season.
For some,Friday Night Lightswas the first time they saw Plemons in action. Here, he plays Landry, the geeky best friend of Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford), who, after a distressing and sad injury to the team’s quarterback (Scott Porter), becomes the new QB1.
Plemons spent the first season stealing every scene he was in, and little by little, episode to episode, became one of the most integral parts of the whole show. He ended up getting some of the best stories, and always surprising viewers with his charm, improvisation, and chemistry with everyone he did a scene with; especially Gilford and Adrianne Palicki.
4Fargo (2014-2024)
Fargowas a huge success with critics as well as audiences and has been on air since 2014. The series is inspired by the 1996 film of the same name, and each season presents new characters and a new storyline involving crime, incompetent killers, surprising twists, and unique, weird characters.
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Jesse Plemons starred in season 2alongside his now-wife, Kirsten Dunst, as an onscreen couple. Both of their performances were highly praised, making it clear why the series is so successful. The actor proved he could handle a leading role with ease, and he brings to life the show’s writing perfectly, making for a unique pathetic, yet so in love he would do anything for his wife’s character.
Stream on Hulu
3Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Killers of the Flower Moon
The latest Martin Scorsese movie,Killers of the Flower Moon, tells the story of the killings of the Osage Tribe in Oklahoma. Some of the victims include Mollie Burkart’s (Lily Gladstone) sisters, and Mollie’s husband (Leonardo DiCaprio) conspires with William Hale (Robert De Niro) to sweep them under the rug. That’s until Tom White (Plemons), part of what would become the FBI, goes to investigate what really happened.
Plemons appears in the last hour of the film and steals the show, as always. His Tom White looks unassuming and almost dumb, and yet he’s much smarter than he’s showing and understands perfectly what happened. The actor sells the character’s smarts, and how much is going on in his head, and is able to have actor battles with bothLeonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, and not only stand his guard but even win some of them, proving he’s an incredible actor and that his time has arrived.
Watch at your local cinema
2I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
I’m Thinking of Ending Thingswas directed by Charlie Kaufman and was a huge critical success. The film is a psychological thriller that follows Jessie Buckley’s unnamed character as she goes on a trip with her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons).
Critics praised the symbolism woven throughout the film, and Plemons' performance was applauded for his embodiment of depression and regret. Although Buckley is the real star of the movie, theFriday Night Lightsactor is the perfect supporting player as he plays the boyfriend with plenty of strangeness. He says more with his body and looks than with dialogue, which makes the film such a weird, unique, and interesting one.
1The Power of the Dog (2021)
The Power of the Dog
Jesse Plemons’ career elevated to new levels when he starred in 2021’sThe Power of the Dog. It’s an emotionally charged film in which he stars as George Burbank, the brother of Phil (played by Benedict Cumberbatch). Kirsten Dunst again plays the actor’s onscreen wife, Rose, and Phil becomes domineering over the pair and her son as she moves into the ranch. It’s a great piece of cinema and swept up many Academy Awards nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and, of course, Best Supporting Actor for Plemons.
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The actor plays George in a very internal and understated way, making him the straight man in everything that is happening around him, helping the other actors shine much brighter than him. Even then, Plemons is able to convey how everything is affecting George, how much he loves Rose, and a rich internal life, and why he keeps living with his brother who hates his wife, creating a unique character, like no other he’s played in the past.
