Lewis Pullman, whose father is critically acclaimed actor Bill Pullman, has started to carve out his own path to Hollywood success. Pullman has showcased his acting range in various projects, from independent works to blockbuster mega-hits, and has developed his own unique acting style. His career is just starting to blossom, and while having a famous father in the industry doesn’t hurt, Pullman’s acting ability and dedication are what have brought him into starring roles.
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He started his acting career back in 2013, acting in a series of short films before landing a role in the feature-length production, The Ballad of Lefty Brown. Since then, Pullman has racked up films, including a breakout performance in Bad Times at the El Royale and in the box-office smash hit Top Gun: Maverick, marking him as one of the best young actors of his generation. In every role he plays, he brings a commitment and quiet charisma that mirrors his father, Bill Pullman’s best film roles in a career that keeps going from strength to strength.
10 Salem’s Lot (2024)
As Ben Mears
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32 7.4/10 Salem’s Lot (2024) RHorrorThrillerMystery
Salem’s Lot is a 2024 remake of the movie of the same name released in 1979. The latest adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 novel stars Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, and Bill Camp, with Gary Dauberman writing and directing the Max original film. The plot revolves around a writer who discovers a vampire in his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot upon returning home for inspiration.
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*Availability in US Director Gary Dauberman Release Date September 25, 2024 Studio(s) New Line Cinema , Atomic Monster , Vertigo Entertainment Distributor(s) HBO Max Writers Gary Dauberman , Stephen King Cast Lewis Pullman , Alfre Woodard , Makenzie Leigh , Bill Camp , Spencer Treat Clark , Pilou Asbæk , John Benjamin Hickey , William Sadler , Jordan Preston Carter , Nicholas Crovetti , Cade Woodward , Kellan Rhude , Debra Christofferson , Rebecca Gibel , Mike Bash , Fedna Jacquet , Avery Bederman Runtime 113 Minutes Main Genre Horror Expand
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Based on the 1975 novel of the same name by Stephen King, Pullman stars in the leading role of Ben Mears. Mears is a young writer who is struggling to find inspiration, so he returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot in order to rediscover himself and his passion for writing. Set in the ominous small town, everything isn’t quite what it seems, as his hometown is now plagued with the undead, and Vampires are in control of the area, dragging Mears into a web of murder, sacrifices, and paranormal terror.
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Related Salem’s Lot Interview: Lewis Pullman & Makenzie Davis Compare Stephen King Movies
Salem’s Lot stars Lewis Pullman & Makenzie Davis share how they got into character for the Stephen King adaptation and which movies pair well with it.
Though it received fairly hit-and-miss reviews, Salem’s Lot was praised for Pullman’s impressive performance of a haunted man caught in a treacherous situation. The horror narrative provides many opportunities for Pullman to show his intensity and psychological dilemmas, which helped elevate the film to more than just a basic adaption. The film went on to become a streaming hit and will become a more appreciated film in Pullman’s catalog in years to come.
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9 Them That Follow (2019)
As Garret
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Them That Follow RHorrorDocumentary Where to Watch
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*Availability in US Director Britt Poulton , Dan Madison Savage Release Date August 2, 2019 Writers Britt Poulton , Dan Madison Savage Cast Kaitlyn Dever , Olivia Colman , Walton Goggins , Thomas Mann , Lewis Pullman , Alice Englert Runtime 98 minutes Main Genre Horror Expand
In this American mystery horror drama, the story follows a remote Pentecostal community in rural Appalachia and the Pentecostal Pastor’s daughter, Maria. Maria is pregnant with the baby of her former lover and must keep this a secret from her family and the entire community. Pullman portrays the role of a young parishioner who is courting Maria for marriage, much to her father’s joy, who doesn’t know that Maria’s secretly with child from an illicit affair.
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Praised for its visceral storytelling and deep character studies, Them That Follow helped Pullman further break out of his father’s shadow and show he is capable of commanding more screen presence. His role is integral to all that goes on in the film, and he weaves seamlessly between the ensemble cast with palpable chemistry with both Maria and the rest of the group. His portrayal is both deeply vulnerable and complex, showing the internal struggle of a man caught in a difficult and hard-to-navigate situation.
8 Pink Skies Ahead (2020)
As Ben
In Kelly Oxford’s directorial debut, Pink Skies Ahead is a comedy-drama coming-of-age film about a young woman called Winona (Jessica Barden). Winona has a less-than-perfect relationship with her parents and is developing symptoms that her doctor believes are related to an anxiety disorder. Pullman plays Ben, the love interest who comes into Winona’s life when things have been looking down and provides an outlet for some of her emotions, but things continue to remain unstable and turbulent.
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Though not a leading role like Pullman is starting to become known for, it is another fantastic supporting performance that glues the film’s narrative together. Pullman’s chemistry with Barden makes for an engaging watch, and he brings a quiet charm and intrigue to a role that could have been relegated to a generic love interest. He is allowed to show his range with some funny, awkward moments, like taking Winona to his roommate’s mother’s party, and he provides a maturity and steadiness that allows the lead to bounce off.
7 Press Play (2022)
As Harrison
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Press Play PG-13Romance Sci-FiDrama
Press Play follows Laura, who discovers a mixtape that allows her to travel back in time. Starring Clara Rugaard and Lewis Pullman, the film blends elements of romance and drama as Laura attempts to alter past events to save her boyfriend. Directed by Greg Björkman and featuring music as a central theme, Press Play explores the complexities of love and fate through its time-bending premise.
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*Availability in US Director Greg Bjorkman Release Date June 24, 2022 Writers James Bachelor , Greg Bjorkman Cast Greg Bjorkman , Lewis Pullman , Christina Chang , Lyrica Okano , Danny Glover , Matt Walsh , Clara Rugaard Runtime 85 minutes
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In another romantic drama, this time with a science fiction twist, Press Play sees Pullman star as Harrison, the love interest of the lead, Chloe (Clara Rugaard). It is a time travel-based love story, where after Harrison passes away in a hit-and-run, an old cassette mixtape can transport Chloe back in time to her time with Harrison. It is a bittersweet tale that has an imaginative story and is well-executed throughout.
Once again, Pullman is able to showcase an undeniable chemistry with Rugaard, as the two seem to share a genuine connection. The story is nuanced and emotional, and Pullman strikes all the right chords with his portrayal, giving a confident, believable performance that is tinged with emotion and sadness. Pullman continues to display skills in multiple genres and is able to give acclaimed performances in unique narratives.
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6 The Starling Girl (2023)
As Owen Taylor
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The Starling Girl Not Yet RatedDrama
The Starling Girl is a drama film starring Eliza Scanlen as Jem Starling, a seventeen-year-old girl living in a staunchly Christian community in Kentucky. Struggling to find her place in her conservative community, her world changes when charismatic youth pastor Owen comes to their church, who helps her break out of her shell and begin embracing who she is.
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*Availability in US Director Laurel Parmet Release Date January 21, 2023 Writers Laurel Parmet Cast Eliza Scanlen , Lewis Pullman , Jimmi Simpson , Austin Abrams , Wrenn Schmidt , Kyle Secor Runtime 116 minutes Main Genre Drama Expand
In the coming-of-age drama The Starling Girl, the story follows Jem (Eliza Scanlen), a 17-year-old in a fundamentalist Christian community in rural Kentucky. At an age ready for ‘courtship,’ she dismisses a younger suitor and instead enters into an illicit affair with the Pastor’s oldest son (Pullman), who is married to another woman in the congregation. Pullman’s character, Owen, is torn between his new teenage lover and his wife and religion, with whom he has seemingly grown distant.
Related Lewis Pullman On Filling In Blanks For His Character In The Starling Girl
The Starling Girl actor Lewis Pullman describes his rehearsal process, his complex dynamic with Eliza Scanlen’s Jem, and his hopes for Top Gun 3.
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Pullman and Scanlen both received rave reviews for their portrayal of a naive younger girl entering a relationship with an older married man. It is a complex narrative about religion, sexuality, and patriarchy, and Pullman mirrors the layered work in his own performance, providing an accurate depiction of a man torn between two lives and grappling with his own inner demons. The Starling Girl is another breakout role for Pullman, who shows he can hold his own in a complicated drama.
5 Bad Times At The El Royale (2018)
As Miles Miller
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6.7/10 Bad Times at the El Royale RMysteryThriller
Drew Goddard’s Bad Times at the El Royale is a noir thriller film that follows an ensemble cast of six strangers who all find themselves spending the night at a border hotel known as the El Royale – each harboring a dark secret that will unfold to the viewers and each other as the night progresses. As the strangers’ stories begin to intersect, the Lake Tahoe Hotel’s own dark secrets will make their efforts to bury the past a bit more complicated than they’d hoped.
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*Availability in US Director Drew Goddard Release Date October 4, 2018 Studio(s) 20th Century Distributor(s) 20th Century Writers Drew Goddard Cast Nick Offerman , Cailee Spaeny , Jeff Bridges , Cynthia Erivo , Jon Hamm , Dakota Johnson , Lewis Pullman , Chris Hemsworth Runtime 142 Minutes Main Genre Crime Expand
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Bad Times at the El Royale is a neo-noir thriller set in a hotel located along the California-Nevada border that follows the lives of six strangers and a hotel employee whose lives become intermingled on this fateful night. The film features an ensemble cast with actors like Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson, and Jon Hamm. Pullman portrays the hotel manager addicted to heroin, who interacts with all the guests and gets embroiled in the intense and gripping narrative.
Writer and director Drew Goddard wrote the spec script and has compiled a list of songs to accompany each moment he envisioned. He told any studios who were interested in buying the script only to do so if they could afford to buy the licenses for each and every song he needed to complete his vision.
Even in a star-studded cast with some genuine Hollywood A-listers, Pullman is able to steal some of the spotlight in a more subdued role. As the hotel manager, he admits to being forced to secretly record sexual encounters and provide the footage to his superiors. Pullman nails the quiet and intense nature of someone who is just trying to do their job but is forced to reveal hidden trauma and issues the deeper he gets pulled into the situation. It is a stand-out performance and a fantastic film in his young career.
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4 Outer Range (2022–Present)
As Rhett Abbott
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Outer Range DramaMysteryThriller
Created for Amazon Prime Video, Outer Range is a Sci-Fi and Western television series that began in 2022. The series was created by Brian Watkins and stars both Imogen Poots and Josh Brolin. The premise sees a Wyoming rancher trying to care for his farm and keep his land safe when a strange void shows up in one of his pastures.
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*Availability in US Cast Shaun Sipos , Lewis Pullman , Isabel Arraiza , Imogen Poots , Tom Pelphrey , Noah Reid , Lili Taylor , Tamara Podemski , Olive Abercrombie , Josh Brolin Release Date April 15, 2022 Seasons 1
Amazon Prime Video’s Outer Range is a sci-fi neo-Western series about the life of Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin), a rancher in Wyoming who is fighting for his land and for his family’s future. When a mysterious female drifter arrives in town who has a connection to his ranch, strange things start to happen, with his daughter-in-law disappearing, a black void appearing in the land, and a rival family trying to steal their land.
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|
The 10 Best Lewis Pullman Films On This List: |
IMDb Rating: |
|---|---|
|
Salem’s Lot (2024) |
5.6/10 |
|
Them That Follow (2019) |
5.4/10 |
|
Pink Skies Ahead (2020) |
6.2/10 |
|
Press Play (2022) |
6.1/10 |
|
The Starling Girl (2023) |
6.7/10 |
|
Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) |
7.1/10 |
|
Outer Range (2022-Present) |
7.1/10 |
|
Catch 22 (2019) |
7.7/10 |
|
Lessons in Chemistry (2023) |
8.2/10 |
|
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) |
8.2/10 |
Pullman plays Rhett Abbott, the youngest of the two sons of the Abbott family, who has a rugged intensity and charisma to him. Rhett develops a love interest in the story with a local bank teller, Maria, and also aids in all the family’s dilemmas, including his brother’s murder of a rival family’s uncle. Pullman plays the complex character with ease; whether in scenes of romance or graphic violence, he is able to convey the tensions and emotions needed at the right moments.
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3 Catch-22 (2019)
As Major Major Major Major
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Catch-22 (2019) TV-MAWarComedy
Based on Joseph Heller’s seminal novel, Catch-22 is a dark comedy war-drama series. Set during World War II, it follows Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier who contends with the rule that holds him back from continuing his risky combat missions, while wrestling with the conundrum that the Catch-22 rule presents.
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*Availability in US Cast Christopher Abbott , Kyle Chandler , George Clooney , Hugh Laurie , Giancarlo Giannini Release Date May 17, 2019 Seasons 1 Writers Luke Davies , David Michôd Directors George Clooney , Grant Heslov , Ellen Kuras Main Genre Comedy Creator(s) Luke Davies , David Michôd Expand
Based on Joseph Heller’s classic 1961 novel of the same name, Catch-22 follows the story of John Yossarian (Christopher Abbott), a US Army Air Force bombardier during World War II. The series, like the book, focuses on the ridiculousness and absurdities of the war effort and the ‘Catch-22s’ of flying some of the most dangerous missions and wishing to avoid any conflict in the future. With a star-studded ensemble cast and brilliant source material, it is a series that has garnered a lot of critical acclaim.
Catch-22
is the bureaucratic rule in which pilots are seemingly trapped in an endless dilemma: to be relieved of flying dangerous bombing missions on the grounds of insanity, you must request to be relived, but the very fact that you are rational enough to ask to stop flying means you aren’t insane. Thus, you can not be relieved and must fly.
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As one of the main characters in Catch-22, Pullman stars as the infamously named Major Major Major Major, named as a joke by his father and then quickly promoted to Major by seniors with a similar sense of humor. Pullman’s role provides a lot of the comic relief in the series, though it is often seen as a comedy, there are also many serious and depressing moments throughout. His comedic timing and dark humor help sprinkle in the ironic nature of the series and add a captivating flair to a brilliant series.
2 Lessons In Chemistry (2023)
As Dr. Calvin Evans
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Lessons In Chemistry TV-MADrama
Based on the novel by Bonnie Garmus, Lessons in Chemistry is set in the 1960s and follows Elizabeth Zott, whose dream of being a scientist because society demands a woman remain at home and not work. When Elizabeth finds herself pregnant, alone, and fired from her lab, she accepts a job as a host on a TV cooking show. She sets out to teach a nation of overlooked homemakers — and the men suddenly listening — about food and chemistry.
Cast Brie Larson , Lewis Pullman , Aja Naomi King , Stephanie Koenig , Patrick Walker , Thomas Mann , Kevin Sussman , Beau Bridges Release Date October 13, 2023 Seasons 1 Writers Lee Eisenberg , Susannah Grant Directors Sarah Adina Smith Showrunner Lee Eisenberg Main Genre Drama Expand
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Based on the 2022 novel of the same name by Bonnie Garmus, Lessons in Chemistry stars Brie Larson as chemist Elizabeth Zott. After being limited at her job as a lab technician, Zott starts her own feminist cooking show that teaches women about scientific topics. Pullman plays Dr. Calvin Evans, the star researcher at the institute who helps Zott transfer into a better department so she can conduct her research in a more conducive environment, before the two become romantically involved.
As the main love interest in the series, Pullman gives one of the most impactful performances of his career. His character provides a poignant perspective in an era with outdated social norms. Although he passes away before the third episode, his story continues and is integral to the rest of the season. Even though his time on the show is relatively short, he still gives a tour de force performance as a compelling and grounded presence. His energetic delivery and the love story he shares with Larson are genuinely heartfelt, helping to make it one of the best series in recent memory.
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1 Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
As Lt. Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd
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9.3/10 Top Gun: Maverick PG-13ActionDramaWar
Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 original film starring Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a top-tier pilot in the Navy. Thirty years after the original film’s events, Maverick is asked to head up a section of the TOP GUN program to embark on a dangerous mission. Things become personal when the program includes the son of Maverick’s late friend, forcing him to confront his past.
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*Availability in US Director Joseph Kosinski Release Date May 27, 2022 Writers Ashley Miller , Justin Marks , Peter Craig , Zack Stentz Cast Tom Cruise , Miles Teller , Jennifer Connelly , Val Kilmer , Jay Ellis , Jon Hamm , Bashir Salahuddin , Charles Parnell , Lewis Pullman , Glen Powell , Monica Barbaro , Ed Harris Runtime 130 Minutes Main Genre Action Expand
In Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the 1986 cult classic film Top Gun, Pullman plays Lt. Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd, an essential member of Maverick’s flight squad. The story follows Maverick as he deals with issues from his past while helping train a group of new Top Gun recruits for a dangerous, one-of-a-kind mission that requires the best pilots in the Air Force. It is a fast-paced, action-packed film that has been praised for its realistic flight sequences and technical details.
Related “As Good As It Gets”: Top Gun Maverick’s “Tough” Target Maneuvering Training Gets High Remarks From Real Pilot
A Marines Corps fighter pilot rates the flying maneuvers of the training scenes in Top Gun: Maverick, giving some of them near perfect scores.
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Lt. Bob Floyd is portrayed masterfully by Pullman as the more sensible, mature, and grounded pilot of the crew. He adds a relatability and authentic quality to the intense scenes, and his chemistry with the rest of the cast is superb. The high-octane and blink-or-you’ll-miss-it action sequences need that more introspective and quiet presence that helps balance out the film. Top Gun: Maverick is definitely the jewel in Lewis Pullman’s career so far, both in terms of performance and success, with it being nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and grossing almost $1.5 billion.