Despite the ongoing conversations around “Nepo babies,” actors like Lewis Pullman are proof that takes excellence to stay on top. He doesn’t just share a last name with veteran American actor Bill Pullman; Lewis is the actor’s first child and son. Lewis has shown his passion for acting isn’t merely an extension of that of his father.
Lewis Pullman’s acting career may only have begun in 2017, but he has starred in several notable movies. With most of his acting credits in film and their successes, Pullman’s total box-office earnings have surpassed many actors who began before him. Excluding productions where he played minor roles like The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023), these are Lewis Pullman’s best roles in movies and television.
The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)
Lewis Pullman played the son, Luke, in Johannes Roberts‘ slasher The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018). Created as a sequel to The Strangers (2008), the film was a commercial success. It cast Christina Hendricks and Martin Henderson as parents of Pullman’s character, with Bailee Madison playing Kinsey, the sister. While not the main protagonist in the film, Pullman’s character survives the horror to the film’s end.
Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)
Drew Goddard‘s neo-noir mystery thriller Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) comprises an ensemble cast. Along with Lewis Pullman, the star-studded ensemble cast includes Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cynthia Erivo, and Cailee Spaeny. Pullman was cast as Miles Miller, a heroin addict who’s the owner of the El Royale hotel. While each ensemble cast character is at the hotel for different reasons, fate brings them together. In the end, secrets are revealed, murders are committed, and an ex-convict willingly shares his recovered loot with a soul singer.
Them That Follow (2019)
Although the critical reception for Them That Follow (2019) was mostly mixed and average, each cast performance received special praise. While the direction and story were subjected to criticism, the portrayal of each character helped push the movie’s plot. Lewis Pullman was cast as Garret, a devoted member of a remote community Pentecostal church in Appalachia. He’s favored to marry Mara Childs (Alice Englert), the daughter of the Pentecostal church pastor, Lemuel Childs (Walton Goggins). Things go awry with the revelation that Mara is pregnant with a former church member, August “Augie” Slaughter (Thomas Mann), child.
Catch-22 (2019)
Lewis Pullman made his television debut in 2019 with the Hulu miniseries Catch-22. The six-episode miniseries is a satirical dark comedy adapted from Joseph Heller‘s famous 1961 war novel, Catch-22. Lewis Pullman was cast to portray Major Major Major Major. Like Heller’s novel, Major Major Major is promoted to a Major by an IBM machine, making him quickly outrank his other classmates. This leads them to resent him. Catch-22 received positive reviews and nominations at the Golden Globe Awards, Critics’ Choice Television Awards, and the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Outer Range (2022)
Lewis Pullman is part of Prime Video’s science fiction neo-Western series Outer Range. With the first season premiering on April 15, 2022, the steaming platform renewed the show’s second season in October 2022. Pullman plays the younger son of Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin), Rhett Abbott. Set in Wyoming, Outer Range follows Royal Abbott, a rancher, fighting to protect his family and land from invaders.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Unarguably, Top Gun: Maverick (2022) is Lewis Pullman’s biggest and highest-grossing movie of his career. The 2022 movie was a sequel to the 1986 Top Gun. Maverick grossed over $1.4 billion with a $170–177 million budget. Pullman was cast as Phoenix’s F/A-18F WSO and mission candidate, LT Robert “Bob” Floyd. The film became the second highest-grossing movie of 2022 and also earned numerous award nominations.
Press Play (2022)
After his stellar performance in Top Gun: Maverick, Lewis Pullman thrilled fans with yet another amazing performance. Released on June 24, 2022, Press Play is a science fiction romantic drama. It follows Laura’s (Clara Rugaard) commitment to travel in time to save her love, Harrison (Pullman), from dying. With her travels altering possible future timelines, she struggles to let go of the only true love she has ever known.
The Starling Girl (2023)
The Starling Girl (2023) is Lewis Pullman’s first coming-of-age drama on the list. He plays the youth pastor of a fundamentalist Christian community in Kentucky, who recently returned from missionary work. However, The Starling Girl, also Laurel Parmet‘s directorial debut, centers around the 17-year-old Jem Starling (Eliza Scanlen). Conformed to the religious traditions she has upheld all her life, Jem soon begins questioning things as she struggles to find her place in the world. Despite having someone interested in courting her, Lewis Pullman’s character’s presence in the community only helps complicate her struggles.
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