Joey Magidson
I’m a big Dylan O’Brien fan, having been on the ground floor of championing his work since 2012 and The First Time, one of his initial appearances on the big screen. So, it’s with great pride that I’ve seen the industry really take to him, first last year with Twinless, and now this year with Send Help. There’s also mild shame in that I haven’t gotten to Send Help yet. Still, I can do my part by highlighting his career, through another one of my top ten rankings, much like I did a few days ago with his co-star Rachel McAdams here.
When I’ve previously interviewed him, here, here and here, I’ve spoken about him and my affection for his work like so:
Dylan O’Brien will always have a special place in my heart, for a pretty unique reason. You see, one of his first films, The First Time, was actually the movie that I got my first true pull quote from. A quote of mine was in the Village Voice, and ever since then, I’ve kept my eye out for his work.
Last year, he blew me away in Twinless (reviewed here), where I had the following to say about his work:
Dylan O’Brien has never been better than he is here. He makes Roman and Rocky completely distinct, yet clearly brothers. It’s the best role of his career so far, bar none. The sweet simplicity of Roman, as well as the vibrance of Rocky, are terrifically depicted. O’Brien is a talented actor, yet he’s never gotten to showcase his talents like this. He’s incredible.
Below, you can see how O’Brien currently stacks up for me (minus Send Help…for now). Twinless is almost certainly his best performance, though I go to bat for his supporting turn in Saturday Night as next in line. There’s also, of course, The First Time, alongside the likes of Anniversary, Not Okay, The Outfit, and more. Considering how early it still is in his career, there’s some real bangers in here. This list will change over the years, too, and that’s very exciting.
Here now is my ranking of the best performances from Dylan O’Brien so far. Behold:
Courtesy of Nick Wall / Focus Features
10. The Maze Runner
9. Ponyboi
8. Deepwater Horizon
7. The Outfit
6. Love and Monsters
5. The First Time
4. Anniversary
3. Not Okay
1. Twinless
What are your favorite Dylan O’Brien performances? Let us know!
People get mad at me for this take, but I fully stand by it: if the Academy had to nominate someone for Best Lead Actor this year for his portrayal of twin brothers… it should have been Dylan O’Brien in Twinless.
I’m higher on Sinners and Michael B. Jordan than you, but I also would absolutely have made room for Dylan O’Brien in the lineup.
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