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The Actor

Play trailer 2:19 Poster for The Actor R Released Mar 14 1h 38m Drama Comedy Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 31 Reviews 87% 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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The Actor

Critics Reviews

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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 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 Michael Nordine Movie Brief Hearing the movie’s plot summary might not be much more interesting than hearing someone recount a dream they had, but actually experiencing it will make you want to stay asleep a while longer. May 16, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 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 DANBABA T I'm short of words for this master piece,the story line the scenes,I just can't enough of it.This is my perfect movie type. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/03/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Actor

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Movie Info

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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