The Actor

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2:19

The Actor

R

Mar 2025

1h 38m

Drama

Comedy

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Based on the novel Memory by Donald E. Westlake, The Actor finds Paul Cole (André Holland) stranded in a mysterious small town with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Without a sense of identity or purpose, he starts from scratch and begins courting a local costume designer Edna (Gemma Chan). As bits and pieces of his past slowly emerge, he attempts to find his way home, but time is slippery, appearances can't be trusted, and it's unclear which of his identities is real.

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Critics Consensus

Blending classical storytelling with a bold, experimental style, The Actor offers an intellectually rich exploration of identity and memory for those open to its enigmatic, artful rhythm.

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Peter Rainer

FilmWeek (LAist)

The theatricality of this movie... worked pretty well.

May 13, 2025

Full Review

Zachary Barnes

Wall Street Journal

While Mr. Holland is a clear talent with a screen presence at once natural and vivid, his character is passive to the point of emptiness.

Mar 15, 2025

Full Review

Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

An undeniably haunting piece of work, a story that’s out of place and time in a world that’s like our own but not quite. Rod Serling would have dug it.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 14, 2025

Full Review

John Serba

Decider

It’s easy to appreciate The Actor’s ambition – on paper. In reality, the film never finds its rhythm or dramatic momentum.

Sep 2, 2025

Full Review

John Stark

Mac the Movie Guy

Andre Holland is The Actor, and Duke Johnson is The Director, and these two come together to create the cinematic equivalent of a Jackson Pollock painting. You might not get it, but some people will be blown away by it. Art is in the eye of the beholder.

Rated: 77/100

Aug 7, 2025

Full Review

Maxance Vincent

Film Speak

As a technical exercise and demonstration of Holland’s acting prowess, The Actor more than shines. As a surreal thriller, it has the striking images but none of the execution to warrant Lynchian comparisons.

Rated: B-

Jul 11, 2025

Full Review

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Kay J

A quirky, moody, dreamlike cinematography.. that was sooo good…

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/21/25

Full Review

SAW

Beautifully directed and acted. It’s a great spin on noir films. I thought the movie had great charm. Andre Holland gives another great performance.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

Full Review

Gregg P

A great film homaging the Hollywood movies of old.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/15/25

Full Review

Corey J

Beautifully shot and stylized, tremendously acted, and with a very interesting plot, The Actor had potential but failed to captivate. It played like an extended episode of the Twilight Zone but a pretty empty one. The drama and tension of the situation never built. Rather it was displayed with mumbled and confused looks. We never actually know anything about the main character. While that was intentional to bring the audience into his shoes as he is suffering with memory loss, it also prevented me from caring about what happened to him, especially when the only nuggets we do get don't make him very sympathetic.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/04/25

Full Review

Kyle M

Casual discovery won’t be able to guarantee toleration over its fogged plotting. The sole intrigue gradually forms pessimistic curiosity in the amnesiac void’s suggestive ambiguity through personified motifs, which were performed with mutual wonder and uncertainty that wanes the other, to effortlessly persuade repeated viewings with lesser interest to re-experience its mixed existential nature. (B)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/20/25

Full Review

Cliff M

Poor acting from the lead and his roommate. The lead feels really stiff; he can do surprised, disgusted, and strong emotions, but he's pretty bad at doing the subtle stuff. The roommate is overacting and doesn’t come across as a fun, nice, or cool guy, even though I think he's supposed to. I shut it off after the first half hour.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/09/25

Full Review

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The Actor: Trailer 1

2:19

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Synopsis

Based on the novel Memory by Donald E. Westlake, The Actor finds Paul Cole (André Holland) stranded in a mysterious small town with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Without a sense of identity or purpose, he starts from scratch and begins courting a local costume designer Edna (Gemma Chan). As bits and pieces of his past slowly emerge, he attempts to find his way home, but time is slippery, appearances can't be trusted, and it's unclear which of his identities is real.

Director: Duke Johnson
Producer: Duke Johnson, Ken Kao, Abigail Spencer, Paul Young
Screenwriter: Duke Johnson, Steve Cooney
Distributor: NEON
Production Co: Waypoint Entertainment, Three Point Capital (TPC), Proton Cinema
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 14, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2025
Box Office (Gross USA): $39.2K
Runtime: 1h 38m

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