With a career spanning over 30 years, Sam Rockwell has established himself as an actor who can disappear into any role. The size of the part never matters, because Rockwell makes five minutes on screen so memorable that it feels like he’s the lead star of the movie.
Possessing an effortless charm that adds layers to his dramatic roles and likability to his comedic turns, Rockwell is the actor who elevates any part that he chooses to play. Whether it was as an out-of-control convict in The Green Mile, or as the President of the United States in Vice, Rockwell steals every scene he’s in. Ahead of his latest films, Wild Horse Nine and Ray Gunn, the following films showcase Rockwell’s skills and serve as a reminder that he’s one of the most exciting actors working today.
10
‘The Best of Enemies’ (2019)
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/best-of-enemies-sam-rockwell-taraji-p-henson-1.jpeg?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1" />
Image via STX Entertainment</figure>
In The Best of Enemies, Rockwell plays C.P. Ellis, the president of the Ku Klux Klan in 1970s Durham, North Carolina. When the local black school burns down, community organizer Ann Atwater (Taraji P. Henson) and C.P. are forced to work together to establish a peaceful transition into desegregation. Although the two first find it impossible to coexist, they begin to connect, leading to C.P. questioning his values.
Rockwell is no stranger to playing characters with deplorable beliefs, but at least in The Best of Enemies his character is allowed a redemptive journey. Based on the book The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South by Osha Gray Davidson, the film sheds light on a lesser-known true story about the lessons learned through desegregation. The Best of Enemies will hit familiar notes of other like-minded movies, but feels fresh based on the strength of the performances from Rockwell and Henson, who work off of one another’s energy in both moments of anger and understanding.
9
‘Vice’ (2018)
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/vice-sam-rockwell-george-w-bush-1.jpeg?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1" />
Image via Annapurna Pictures</figure>
Rockwell took the highest office when he appeared as President George W. Bush in the Adam McKay satire, Vice. Following the life and controversies of former Vice President Dick Cheney, (Christian Bale) Vice is a comedy of the darkest nature with biting political commentary. The biographical depiction of Cheney shows his rise to power within the White House, made possible by Bush’s invitation to be his running mate.
Rockwell might not be the obvious choice to play President Bush, but with the aid of only a little makeup, he transforms into the former Commander in Chief. The film’s core focus is on former Vice President Cheney, but that didn’t prevent Rockwell from catching critics’ attention with his affable portrayal of Bush. Vice would go on to receive multiple Academy Award nominations, including a Best Supporting Actor nod for Rockwell.
8
‘Frost/Nixon’ (2008)
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/matthew-macfadyen-sam-rockwell-and-michael-sheen-in-frost-nixon-1.jpg?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1" />
Image via Universal Pictures</figure>
Earlier in his career, Rockwell played a part in another controversial politician’s career in the Ron Howard-directed Frost/Nixon. The film, an adaptation of the stage play of the same name by Peter Morgan, tells the story of a series of taped one-on-one interviews between British journalist David Frost (Michael Sheen) and disgraced president Richard Nixon (Frank Langella).
While the film is primarily carried on the strength of Langella and Sheen’s performances in their title roles, Rockwell received strong critical praise for his supporting performance as the strong-willed Jim Reston Jr. As an investigator who assists Frost in his preparation for the interviews, Rockwell brings a ferocious intensity as a professor with passionate feelings about Nixon’s administration and the crimes he feels the former President wasn’t held accountable for. Frost/Nixon gave Rockwell a chance to shine in a large production, and he didn’t waste the opportunity.
7
‘Jojo Rabbit’ (2019)
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/jojo-rabbit-sam-rockwell-captain-kay-1.jpeg?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1" />
Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures</figure>
The offbeat satirical comedy Jojo Rabbit follows a 10-year-old boy, Johannes “Jojo” Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), who is a loyal member of a Hitler Youth group during the collapse of the Nazi forces. The lonely Jojo spends his time playing with his imaginary friend Hitler (Taika Waititi) and his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), who harbors secret resentment toward the Nazi party. As Jojo tries to prove himself to the local armed forces, he discovers Rosie is hiding a young woman, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), from the Nazis.
Rockwell is incredibly funny as the apathetic leader of the Nazi youth, Captain Klenzendorf. Rockwell’s embodiment of a soldier disillusioned with both the war and the side he’s fighting on is somehow as nuanced in its sorrow as it is broad in its comedy. Klenzendorf isn’t in much of Jojo Rabbit, but as is usually the case with Rockwell, the time he’s on-screen is electric. His affection for Jojo leads to a few emotionally heartbreaking scenes as Klenzendorf makes his last moments ones to protect his young friend.
- You show up for the small stuff nobody is watching.
- You joke through fear rather than letting it stop you.
- You take the loss personally, every time.
- Tom Holland was introduced mid-fight in Civil War in 2016, with no origin story needed.
- No Way Home passed 1.9 billion dollars and became the biggest release of the pandemic era.
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrived in 2026, his fourth solo outing in the MCU.
- You work the problem legally first and physically second.
- You hold a line you have genuinely wanted to cross.
- You take the cases nobody else will touch.
- Charlie Cox’s 2015 series opened with a one-take hallway fight that reset the bar for
TV action. - Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin crossed into Hawkeye and Echo before the two reunited
on screen. - Daredevil: Born Again brought the pair back, and a second season followed in 2026.
- You solve it with the thing you built last night.
- You would rather be useful than liked.
- You have a contingency for the contingency.
- The 2008 film launched the entire MCU on a casting choice the studio considered a real risk.
- Much of Robert Downey Jr.’s dialogue was improvised, the closing line included.
- Announcing himself at that press conference threw out the secret-identity rulebook for a
decade of films.
- You finish what you start, with no appetite for ceremony.
- You keep your circle small and your mission smaller.
- You accept being the villain in somebody else’s telling.
- Jon Bernthal arrived in Daredevil’s second season in 2016 and earned a two-season show
of his own. - The character was created in 1974 by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru, as a
Spider-Man antagonist. - Bernthal returned in Born Again, with a Disney+ special following on from it.
- You go first, and loudly.
- You take the lesson, eventually.
- You are the morale of the room as much as its muscle.
- Chris Hemsworth nearly missed the part. His brother Liam got further in the process at
first. - Taika Waititi’s Ragnarok reinvented the character through heavy on-set improvisation.
- Hemsworth has headlined four Thor films, from 2011 through to 2022.
- You say the unpopular thing in the room where it costs you.
- You hold the plan together when it starts coming apart.
- You get back up. That is the whole trick.
- Chris Evans turned the role down more than once before finally taking it.
- The Winter Soldier recast the series as a political thriller and is still held up as its
best. - Anthony Mackie took over the shield and led Brave New World in 2025.
6
‘Lawn Dogs’ (1997)
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/devon-mischa-barton-with-trent-sam-rockwell-in-lawn-dogs-2.jpg?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1" />
Image via Strand Releasing</figure>
One of Rockwell’s earliest roles that drew acclaim was his performance in the indie drama Lawn Dogs. The gated community of Camelot Gardens may look pristine from the outside, but the disaffected families that live in its suburban grounds are far from happy. When a member of the community, ten-year-old Devon (Mischa Barton), befriends a groundskeeper, Trent (Rockwell), their innocent friendship sends the wrong message to the wrong people.
Lawn Dogs gave Rockwell one of his first larger roles, and he delivers an understated performance in his interactions with the persistent attempts at friendship by the young Devon. The film approaches scenes within Camelot Gardens in a dreamlike presentation that carries an undertone of menace for every interaction Devon has. The surreal structure of Lawn Dogs might not be for everyone, but fans of Rockwell who haven’t seen it should make the time.
5
‘The Way, Way Back’ (2013)
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/the-way-way-back-sam-rockwell.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" />
Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures</figure>
A coming-of-age story gives Rockwell one of his most charming roles in the dramedy The Way, Way Back. The film follows Duncan (Liam James), a 14-year-old boy who is forced into a summer vacation with his mother Pam (Toni Collette) and her volatile boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell). With his mother wrapped up in her relationship, Duncan explores their vacation spot and meets Owen (Rockwell), a man who works at the local water park. The two develop a bond, and Owen offers him a summer job to help at the park.
Rockwell channels his best Bill Murray in Meatballs while providing mentorship to a boy he can tell needs a friend. Rockwell’s relaxed charisma is on full display for every scene in The Way, Way Back, and his natural comic timing makes it surprising that he didn’t do more traditional comedies. Everyone in the cast does a great job in this rewatchable gem, but Rockwell will be the reason viewers come back to The Way, Way Back for a second or third watch.
4
‘Moon’ (2009)
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/moon-2009.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" />
Image via Sony Pictures Classics</figure>
One of the movies Rockwell fans commonly point to as their favorite is the slow-burn sci-fi drama Moon. Sam Bell (Rockwell) is close to finishing up his three-year contract as the sole operator of a space station, but he begins to suspect his situation may be more dire than he assumed. As Sam pulls on the thread of his own existence, he finds that what he knew to be the truth was all an elaborate lie.
Without including any spoilers for Moon, the film is a wholly original mystery that continues to develop with satisfying reveals. A movie starring one person can be daunting to watch, but Rockwell is compelling throughout the runtime, and the film doesn’t lag thanks to his performance. Even if viewers guess some of the plot twists in advance, it doesn’t take away from Sam’s emotional fallout from the discoveries.
3
‘The Green Mile’ (1999)
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/green-mile-sam-rockwell-1.jpeg?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1" />
Image via Warner Bros.</figure>
The lonely last stop before execution is the setting for the supernatural drama The Green Mile. Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) oversees the normally mundane death row in a 1930s prison, but that all changes with the arrival of a kind and gentle inmate named John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan). Coffey was convicted of the brutal murder of two young girls, but the crime doesn’t match the sweet-natured disposition of the man awaiting execution. As Paul learns the truth behind the crimes, he’ll find his life forever changed.
Even though he has a small role in The Green Mile, Rockwell commands the screen for every second as the wild and feral prisoner William “Wild Bill” Wharton. Wild Bill is the polar opposite of Coffey, continually disruptive and violent without any remorse for the crimes that landed him on death row. Even though Rockwell exudes charm naturally, he brings none to one of his most chaotic characters.
2
‘Confessions of a Dangerous Mind’ (2002)
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/sam-rockwell-in-confessions-of-a-dangerous-mind-scene.jpg?q=70&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1" />
Image via Miramax</figure>
An underrated classic that doesn’t get the attention it deserves, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was an early opportunity to show what Rockwell looked like as a leading man. Based on the autobiography of the same name, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind tells the life story of game show producer Chuck Barris (Rockwell). According to Barris, he allegedly worked as a spy and government assassin while creating some of television’s most popular shows, like The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game.
The part of Chuck Barris made its way around Hollywood with multiple names attached, but it was when George Clooney took over as director that he lobbied for Rockwell to play the eccentric producer. Although the studio was skeptical of casting the then-unknown Rockwell, he would eventually secure the part of Barris and receive critical acclaim for his dynamic and energetic portrayal. This is an absolute must-watch for any fans of Rockwell.
1
‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ (2017)
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/three-billboards-outside-ebbing-missouri_kdaplv.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" />
Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures</figure>
A grieving mother will not be ignored in the award-winning drama, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The film follows Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand), a frustrated and heartbroken mother to a daughter who was raped and murdered by an unknown assailant. Fed up with the ineptitude of the local police, Mildred posts messages about her daughter’s case on billboards near town to demand attention. As the presence of the billboards brings negative attention to her, she relentlessly pursues the truth.
As one of the police officers opposing Mildred’s billboard, Jason Dixon is one of Rockwell’s crowning achievements. As the movie goes on, the boorish exterior of Dixon is continually pulled away in small pieces, revealing a man who is struggling to hide his own pain and disappointment until he has no choice but to look within. Rockwell’s role as the violent and stubborn Officer Dixon would win him his first and only (so far) Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
A mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter’s murder when they fail to catch the culprit.
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
