With a decade-long acting career, Mike Faist has a growing list of credits in movies and TV shows. The American actor has always loved performing since he was a child. In awe of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire’s performances in the 1952 musical romantic comedy Singin’ in the Rain, Faist had his parents enroll him in dance classes at age 5.
Over two decades later, Mike Faist is one of the fastest-rising actors in Hollywood. The 2020s have been a success for Faist as he has had more memorable roles in movies and TV shows. Appreciating his acting career growth, these are the top 5 Mike Faist roles in movies and TV shows.
Panic
Mike Faist had his television debut in 2012 as a guest performer on Dancing with the Stars season 15. For the rest of the 2010s, he only appeared as a guest in single episodes of TV shows such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2017) and Deception (2018). In 2021, Mike Faist landed his first major role on television, playing Dodge Mason on the short-lived Amazon Prime Video’s teen drama Panic. With the show revolving around High School graduates, a 29-year-old Mike Faist convincingly portrayed a teenager.
In Panic, a group of High School graduates compete in a local annual Panic competition to win a cash prize of $50,000. Each participant had their personal stories and reasons for wanting the cash prize. For Panic’s protagonist, Heather Nill (Olivia Welch), she needs the money as tuition for college and to escape the town. Mike Faist’s character is a new guy who arrives in the town to participate in the Panic game. With Panic’s critical review being mixed and average, the show was canceled after the first season.
West Side Story
Steven Spielberg’s 2021 musical romantic drama West Side Story was Mike Faist’s breakout role on the big screen. Although a movie adaptation of the original 1957 stage musical was made in 1961, Spielberg based his movie on the play. West Side Story centered around the rivalry of two Manhattan’s Upper West Side gangs, the Jets (a gang of white youths) and Sharks (a gang of Puerto Rican youths).
Against the backdrop of its violence is the unwavering love of Tony and Maria, two lovers with ties to both rival gangs. Mike Faist played Riff, the leader of the Jets gang. Also starring alongside Faist to breathe life into the character were Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Rita Moreno, Brian d’Arcy James, and Corey Stoll. Although a commercial failure, West Side Story is still regarded as one of the best musical films of all time.
Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game
In Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game, Mike Faist portrayed his first historical figure in his career. Faist was cast as Roger Sharpe in the Bragg brothers’ biographical comedy-drama. The movie was based on real-life events, depicting GQ’s journalist Roger Sharpe’s heroic 1976 petition that helped overturn New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball. Besides having a career as a journalist, Sharpe was considered a “pinball wizard” for his skill at playing the game. Although the movie didn’t get enough publicity, it received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences who have watched it. Mike Faist delivered an exceptionally phenomenal performance as Roger Sharpe.
The Bikeriders
Mike Faist has been on a roll since the start of the 2020s, appearing in a movie every year since 2021. Faist portrayed his American photographer and filmmaker Danny Lyon in Jeff Nichols’ 2023 drama The Bikeriders. Although an entirely fictional story, The Bikeriders is based on the real-life Danny Lyon’s 1967 photo book about the Chicago-based motorcycle gang Outlaws MC.
Although not a major role in the film, Faist’s Danny Lyon is crucial to the story and is shown as a journalist allowed to cover the rise of the motorcycle gang. The Bikeriders premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023. However, due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, The Bikeriders is scheduled for a theatrical release on June 21, 2024. The movie stars Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, and Michael Shannon.
Challengers (2024)
In his first romantic, lover boy role, Mike Faist plays pro tennis player and husband Art Donaldson in Challengers. It is one of his biggest movie roles, co-starring alongside Zendaya and Josh O’Connor. The movie follows the love triangle between Faist’s character and that of Zendaya and O’Connor. Faist plays Zendaya’s husband in Challengers, with Zendaya playing a former teen tennis prodigy-turned-coach because of a career-ending injury. Challengers is currently one of Mike Faist’s highest-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes. If you enjoyed reading about these Mike Faist movies and TV shows, read 7 must-watch Donald Glover roles in movies & TV shows.
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