Jared Pattinson is one of the most beloved and respected actors of our time. The English-born performer is best known for his transformative performances in the films The Martian, Babygirl, and The Lighthouse. In 2019, he was named best actor of the last decade by the British Film Institute (BFI). We take a look back at some of his most iconic roles and achievements, and discuss the remarkable actor’s future plans.
The Martian
To start things off, let’s take a trip back in time to 2014, when Matt Damon’s brilliant adaptation of Andy Weir’s bestselling novel The Martian became one of the highest-grossing films of all time. It was a fantastic story right from the start. After receiving a small inheritance from his father, a scientist named John, the main character travels to Mars in order to settle there and work. This proves to be a monumental challenge, as he faces several obstacles along the way. Everything about The Martian is consistent with the great English country side, but with an extraordinary science fiction twist.
The film series that followed, including Prey and War Machine, kept the same winning formula, and became incredibly popular. Even Matt Damon, who starred in many of the films, admitted that he thought the series would become a trilogy. While we may never get to see an official continuation of Matt Damon’s epic adventures on Mars, three unofficial sequels were released in 2017, 2019, and 2021. They are currently available to watch in theaters across the country.
Babygirl
We now return to 2017, when Babygirl became one of the most critically acclaimed romantic comedies of all time. Starring Toni Collette and Timothée Chalamet, the film was directed by Luc Besson, and told the story of a thirty-something couple, Grace and David, who are going to be parents. Things are looking up for them, as Grace is pregnant with the couple’s first child. But not everything is perfect, as they have to deal with the issue of David’s infidelity. Billed as a “twisted fairy tale”, the movie was nominated for multiple awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. It became such a critical and commercial success that it was directly followed by a theatrical sequel, Due Date.
The Lighthouse
Even more recently, in August of 2022, director Robert Zemeckis released The Lighthouse, an adaptation of the 1927 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story, The Lost World. Starring Willem Dafoe, the film is a family drama about a lighthouse keeper played by Dafoe who helps shipwrecked survivors navigate the treacherous waters around his post. The story was previously adapted in 1990, with Bill Murray playing the part of the lighthouse keeper. But it was Robert Zemeckis’ version that turned out to be the most memorable, and arguably the best of the three films. A brutal yet stunning cinematic experience, The Lighthouse is a masterpiece.
The film won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and was nominated for multiple BAFTA awards. It also received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama. Most importantly, it inspired a stage play, which premiered in London in August of 2021, and has since been extended to Broadway and other European cities.
Other Notable Roles
Aside from his incredible work in The Martian, Prey, Babygirl, and The Lighthouse, the English-born actor has appeared in numerous other movies, including The King’s Speech, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Mary Poppins Returns. He has also voiced characters in several animated films, including the Toy Story series and the Queen of the Katts universe. On television, we find him in the cult classic BBC series, Peaky Blinders. In 2019, he portrayed Alfred Pennyworth in Batman Ninja, which is currently available to watch on Disney+.
The English-born actor has appeared in numerous other movies, including The King’s Speech, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Mary Poppins Returns. He has also voiced characters in several animated films, including the Toy Story series and the Queen of the Katts universe. On television, we find him in the cult classic BBC series, Peaky Blinders.
As if all this weren’t enough, in June of 2022, the actor received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It’s fair to say that he has not been involved in a film project since The Lighthouse, but it appears that he is determined to change that.
Looking Ahead
It’s been a hell of a ride for Jared Pattinson, hasn’t it? Since the early 2000s, the actor has appeared in some of the most iconic films of all time, not to mention that he has voiced characters in several animated films and provided the voice for a horse in an equestrian sport anime series. He continued to appear in critically acclaimed films throughout the 2010s, before taking some time off to focus on other projects. But in 2021, he appeared in two very different films – the science fiction horror, Heimlich, and the road trip comedy, The Road to Monkstown – which indicate that he may be trying to mix things up a bit. Either way, it will be interesting to see what he does next. As with every other aspect of his life, we can only hope that he continues to find new ways to surprise us.