Ever since he portrayed the then-Prince of Wales Charles III within the third season of The Crown, Josh O’Connor has been within the highlight as one of the proficient and promising actors within the business. Because the SceenRant Exlclusive picture for his new film, Disclosure Day, reveals, he is been solid reverse Emily Blunt in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming 2026 movie.
Steven Spielberg is the most recent in an impressively lengthy line of well-known administrators that O’Connor has labored with, the newest occasion being Rian Johnson, for his 2025 film, Knives Out 3. Josh O’Connor additionally has a superb Rotten Tomatoes streak spanning a decade, throughout which, all of his movies have been accepted by critics, incomes him robust essential acclaim.
Regardless of no Golden Globe nominations, the 2026 Oscars are anticipated to nonetheless be large for O’Connor, who has delivered one in all his greatest performances this yr. The truth is, his two largest movies of 2025 share an attention-grabbing facet that places his performances in them at reverse ends whereas demonstrating his vary, as he seamlessly jumps out and in of roles.
Josh O’Connor Is One Of 2025’s Most Prolific Actors
Pedro Pascal fatigue could have been invented by social media to take care of seeing him in all places, however by way of film appearances, no different actor in Hollywood has had an even bigger yr than Josh O’Connor. Beginning off together with his Sundance 2025 film, Rebuilding, O’Connor has led a powerful variety of films this yr, all of which had been beloved by critics.
Then got here The Historical past of Sound, which premiered on the 2025 Cannes Movie Pageant, the place it competed for the Palme d’Or award. There isn’t a stronger proof to show that 2025 has been the most important yr in Josh O’Connor’s profession than the truth that he is starred in two Palme d’Or contenders this yr, the second being Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind.
As if being the lead actor in three critically acclaimed movies wasn’t sufficient, O’Connor then starred because the main man in Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Lifeless Man: A Knives Out Thriller. It has turn into one in all Netflix’s hottest films this yr, and would possibly lead its Oscars marketing campaign alongside Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and the record-breaking film, KPop Demon Hunters.
Wake Up Lifeless Man Is A Trendy And Gothic Homicide Thriller
Wake Up Lifeless Man is without doubt one of the greatest threequels in latest reminiscence, because it brings the Knives Out franchise again to its roots with a homicide thriller that’s paying homage to Agatha Christie’s work in each setting and narrative construction. A curious host of characters with various levels of motivation as suspects is portrayed completely by the ensemble solid.
To make it much more engrossing, Wake Up Lifeless Man‘s setting is a gothic suburb in America, the place an air of distrust shortly spreads within the wake of a homicide. It is also completely suited to inexplicable Biblical miracles that make individuals query their senses. The sinister ambiance of the place is right for a detective to analyze an ideal homicide.
The Mastermind Is A Gradual And Quiet Thriller
Alternatively, The Mastermind is a slow-boil crime thriller the place you observe the occasions by means of the attitude of a felony, performed by Josh O’Connor, who as an alternative performs the harmless man who contacts the detective in Wake Up Lifeless Man. O’Connor is the titular mastermind in Kelly Reichardt’s film, whose life steadily unravels after he leads a poorly-planned theft.
The Mastermind is bathed in mild and has a dreamy ambiance of meticulousness. We watch O’Connor’s character perform mundane duties in nice element, and regardless of the suspense of his actions’ penalties catching up with him, we by no means really feel rushed. It’s a affected person character research that’s invested in exploring the gloomy sense of loneliness that plagues the protagonist.
Josh O’Connor’s Efficiency Elevates Each Films
A film like The Mastermind is unimaginable to make with out a robust main efficiency. O’Connor occupies many of the movie’s screentime, and his character’s nonchalant, informal, and pathetic persona is compelling largely because of the actor’s dedication to the bit. Regardless of his aloof nature, you turn into invested in his life as a result of O’Connor’s composed efficiency intrigues you as a curious viewer.
In distinction, Wake Up Lifeless Man: A Knives Out Thriller could be very reliant on you figuring out its characters completely. It is within the intricate particulars of their personalities that you simply discover the hints which assist you to sustain with Benoit Blanc as he makes an attempt to unravel this unimaginable crime. Josh O’Connor’s expressive efficiency thus pulls you in with its dramatic theatricality.
The Mastermind Ought to Be Extra Widespread
Whereas being a Netflix film harm Wake Up Lifeless Man‘s probabilities on the field workplace, it grew to become an in a single day hit on streaming. It might turn into the brand new golden commonplace in thriller filmmaking, very like Knives Out was. Sadly, The Mastermind, regardless of its excessive Rotten Tomatoes rating of 90%, hasn’t turn into as well-liked. It is stayed underrated, like each Kelly Reichardt movie.
Reichardt’s witty nod to the unfavorable penalties of apathy and neutrality in a second of political strife is commendable. The ’70s setting of her story is each inviting and dreamy, but it surely serves to remind us how staying aloof leads individuals astray. It is also a incredible portrait of loneliness, which additionally makes it really feel like a revisionist noir crime film.