Sebastian Stan is an actor born into a Romanian family, who has slowly but steadily built his acting career up. Stan moved around as a child from Romania, to Vienna, to New York where he started taking his acting seriously and later even studied abroad in London. Most of us know his name from the global MCU franchise, but Stan has been around in the film industry since 1997 with small appearances.
Stan doesn’t shy away from taking various indie roles, nor does he confide himself to one preferable genre. From playing a gay man, to depicting a life of a prince to portraying Bucky Barnes (whom we all love), he’s done it all. His new spy movie The 355 is out now and TV series Pam & Tommy is nearing its release. While patiently waiting, here’s a list of 8 of Stan’s performances that are worth checking out.
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8 Monday (2020)
Stan’s upcoming project Pam & Tommy naturally asks for some nudity and he’s no stranger to such concept. Playing the adventurous Mickey in a drama movie called Monday has certainly prepared him for endeavours of this sort. Although we’re not here to talk about his nudity, its importance holds a deeper meaning given he struggles with body dysmorphia. After the release of Monday, the hateful comments went on to criticize his figure, instead of focusing on the authentic performance he’d given. Many decisions in the movie make you want to bang your head against the wall, but it humanizes the characters. Stan plays Mickey’s Peter Pan syndrome with the right amount of nuance and charm.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 The Devil All The Time (2020)
Big names such as Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson and Bill Skarsgård accompany Stan on an all-timer list for this crime movie’s casting. Stan, in particular, plays a character of Lee Bodecker, a crooked town sheriff who suffers with alcoholism. We can’t mention this project without Stan’s good-heartedness. After finding out that Netflix wasn’t paying some of the crew members enough, he went out of his own pocket to add to their earnings. The Devil All the Time discusses heavy topics such as sexual abuse or pedophilia and is targeted for fortified audiences. Stan’s character kills for power to get into higher postions. He manages to give us a real treat with his intense performance.
6 The Last Full Measure (2019)
Playing Pentagon investigator Scott Huffman, gave Stan a chance to broaden his horizons and play someone who’s not a bad guy or dies in the end, but is loved and cherished by his family. He plays a true, wonderful man who goes through an emotionally powerful journey to help get veteran Pitsenbarger awarded the Medal of Honor. The Last Full Measure is based on a true story and you can’t help but get immersed in it. You can clearly see how Stan enjoys being in someone else’s shoes while acting in a relatable manner. He always gives his all to the characters he plays in the moment to help bring the story to life.
5 The Kings (2009)
We always see Stan playing someone of importance and this time it’s no different. He got to play a gay Prince of Gilboa Jack Benjamin in NBC’s TV series The Kings. He showed some phenomenal acting in scenes such as when he gets scolded by his father. The way he’s able to express so many emotions with just his eyes is one of his strongest assets. Throughout the TV series he’s forced to hide his sexual orientation due to his royal status. Thanks to Stan’s amazing performance, you can feel the character’s suffering even through the screen.
4 Political Animals (2012)
Even though we love to see Stan portraying happy characters, there’s something about his emotionally broken ones that just make you feel for him. The character of TJ Hammond in Political Animals struggles with alcohol and drug abuse and is once again someone LGBTQ. The lack of support from his parents pushes the character over the edge over and over again. Stan knocks it out of the park with the acting and you can’t help but want a happy ending for him. Right when Stan’s character started getting better, the show got cancelled after its first season.
3 The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021)
You already know the jazz; of course we can’t forget about his most popular role ever. When Bucky Barnes made his first appearance in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, Stan immediately did more with the role that he had been given. Arguably, it has been like that until MCU finally announced he’d be getting his own TV show along with the Falcon. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan balance off of each other so perfectly, that the action-packed series with loads of humor, becomes immediately rewatchable. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier gives us an inside look on how Bucky deals with his PTSD and own supressed emotions.
2 I, Tonya (2017)
I, Tonya is the movie that allowed Stan to move past Marvel and try out something new. He entered this new territory by playing Jeff Gilooly, Tonya Harding’s abusive ex-husband. It’s amazing how Stan’s able to disappear into the movie; his apperance and voice are indistinguishable from his real self. His talent allows him to play the character of a toxic man flawlessly. Stan and Margot Robbie (Tonya) play off of each other’s emotions extremely well. The intensity of the performances was so strong that the actors had to check up on each other after some takes.
1 Destroyer (2018)
Stan’s performance of Chris in Destroyer is arguably one of his most underrated ones. Indie roles, such as the one he had in I,Tonya, led him to try other challenging projects that would help him grow as an actor. Stan and Nicole Kidman help carry the sad storyline, of a police detective who tries reconnecting with people from her past case, above and beyond. Stan, specifically, does an excellent job at depicting a loyal and a caring character, who loves his partner a little bit too much.
