Patrick Wilson has a career that most would be envious of and has acted in a variety of roles which span a multitude of genres. No matter if he is acting in a horror, musical, superhero or drama film, he easily embodies his role and brings a flare to his performances. His movies with James Wan, of which there are many, have produced some of the most successful and terrifying horror films of recent years, from The Conjuring franchise to the Insidious movie series, the latter of which is expected to shoot its fifth movie later this year.
Most recently, Wilson can be seen in Roland Emmerich’s disaster epic Moonfall. As well as conquering the big screen, of course, Wilson has starred in some of the most successful TV series, such as Fargo and Angels in America. He has shown time and time again that his success spans multiple genres, and he can bring life to any character thrown his way. Here’s a look at his Patrick Wilson’s best performances, ranked.
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9 Aquaman
Aquaman was a collaboration between Patrick Wilson and James Wan, which is based on the DC comic of the same name. Jason Momoa is the titular character, Arthur Curry, who is also known as Aquaman. Wilson plays his half-brother, Orm Marius, the King of Atlantis. His role in the movie is to return to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis in order to settle the people who live there, who are gearing up to go to war with the people on the surface. Wilson and Momoa have good chemistry together, and it’s an example of how well Wilson succeeds in a variety of different roles, easily excelling as a superhero.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 Insidious
James Wan and Patrick Wilson collaborated for another successful horror film with 2010’s Insidious, which took the horror genre in new directions, blending a classic haunted house story with a genuinely moving family dynamic. Wilson starred as Josh Lambert, the father of the Lambert family. He stars alongside Rose Byrne and Ty Simpkins, and the story focuses on Dalton (Ty Simpkins) who is haunted by malevolent forces. It’s a chilling horror film that stands in a league of its own and produced several successful sequels.
7 Moonfall
Patrick Wilson continued to star in big-budget films with 2022’s sci-fi feature directed by Roland Emmerich, Moonfall. The film depicts a world which stands on the brink of annihilation after a force knocks the moon from orbit and sends it hurling towards earth. Wilson stars as Brian harper who has to help Jocinda (Halle Berry) on a mission to save earth. The film has received mixed reviews, however, Wilson delivers a strong performance.
6 Hard Candy
Hard Candy was directed by David Slade and released in 2006. It follows a 14-year-old (Elliott Page) who extracts revenge on someone she has found out to be a pedophile and murderer. It’s a high-intensity film which is difficult to watch at times, but both actors deliver strong performances dealing with a difficult subject matter.
5 The Phantom of the Opera
The classic musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber was brought to life on the big screen in 2004 by director Joel Schumacher. The film follows Christine (Emmy Rossum) who sings Opera and is reunited with her childhood sweetheart, Raoul (Patrick Wilson). Gerard Butler plays the phantom who becomes enchanted by Christine. The three of them have a strong chemistry and seeing Wilson in a musical role is very different to his usual acting style. However, he succeeds in playing his character in a way that captivates the audience.
4 Watchmen
2009’s Watchmen was directed by Zack Snyder and is based on the DC comic of the same name. The movie follows a group of superheroes in an alternate history of the 1980s when America was engaged in a Cold War with Russia. A group of these retired heroes come out of retirement to solve the case of a murder of one of their own. Patrick Wilson plays Nite Owl II and gives a strong performance, even though the movie received mixed reviews.
3 Little Children
In 2006’s Little Children, Patrick Wilson stars alongside Kate Winslet in the Todd Field-directed psychological drama. The story follows these characters’ lives and how their relationships have fallen apart with both of their significant others. After they meet, they are attracted to each other and begin an affair which quickly becomes complicated. Both deliver excellent performances, and Wilson succeeds in a dramatic role focused on human emotions and relationship problems.
2 Fargo
Fargo is a TV series which premiered on FX in 2014 and exists in the same universe as the 1996 black comedy film of the same name. Patrick Wilson stars in season two which follows the lives of a young couple Peggy (Kirsten Dunst) and Ed Blumquist (Jesse Plemons) as they attempt to cover up the hit-and-run and homicide of Rye Gerhardt (Kieran Culkin). Wilson is Lou Solverson, the younger version of the character played by Keith Carradine in season 1. He gives a strong performance in an excellent series and proves his talent extends to TV acting as well.
1 The Conjuring
Arguably, James Wan and Patrick Wilson’s best collaboration was 2013’s The Conjuring. This marked the beginning of a wildly successful franchise resulting in multiple spin-offs, and ultimately becoming the highest grossing horror franchise of all time. Patrick Wilson stars alongside Vera Farmiga as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as they investigate the haunting of the Perron Family. The film was unlike anything that had been released previously at the time of release, and Wilson gives a stellar performance and his chemistry with Farmiga is undeniable.
