Posterized: Jack O'Connell
Friday, May 13, 2016 at 1:00PM 
In a curveball for "Posterized" which usually looks at major movie stars, let's talk about the 25 year old rising star, Jack O'Connell whose fame is entirely dwarfed by his co-stars (Julia Roberts & George Clooney) and his director (Jodie Foster) in this weekend's big release, Money Monster.
Though he's recently headlined a $100 million hit (Angelina Jolie's Unbroken), and two critically lauded indies (prison drama Starred Up & the wrenching nail-biter '71) he isn't exactly a household name. (I met him once at a party for Unbroken and while Angelina Jolie and some of his co-stars were holding court with well wishers he was keeping a low everyman profile near the bar -- you definitely wouldn't have recognized that he was the star of the picture -- but was friendly and humble about that big opportunity and showcase when approached.)
Cut to May 2016. With his new film opening, will people even know he's "that guy from Unbroken" when they catch him as the desperate threat crashing Clooney's finance show in the new thriller (see the trailer)? (Given how long O'Connell has been working overseas, breaking through as so many young Brits have on the television show Skins, perhaps it's a whole different fame ball game in the UK? UK readers will have to tell us.)
But in the meantime, tell us: how many of his pictures have you seen? All the posters are after the jump...
O'Connell photos via British GQ
If you've seen any of his films, what do you think of him as an actor?
I myself have only seen his few most recent but will head to Money Monster tomorrow. I'm impressed thus far. (Note to self: See Eden since it's also an early excursion for Michael Fassbender.)
Reader Comments (22)
I don't know if you want to see Eden Lake, Nathaniel -- it's kind of torture-porny. If you click here you can see Michael Fassbender in swimming trunks though, which is the film's true highlight.
I've seen 6 of the 14 movies -- '71 is easily my favorite. Jack's great, I hope he can line up some real showcases for what he can do because I want to watch what he can do. (I have very little desire to see Money Monster though.)
The Money Monster ads say something like "from Julia Roberts and George Clooney and director Jodie Foster," so they aren't helping him become a household name or even reminding anyone that he was in Unbroken. I think this is a mistake since a lot of people saw Unbroken but may not even realize he's in this one. Personally, I have only seen him in Skins.
I watched eden lake many years ago not knowing what the movie is about and came out feeling extremely sick! And I disn't even know Michael Fassbender and Jack O'Connell were in it. It was a pretty good film but extremely sick!
I would say he probably isn't any more of a household name here in the UK than he is in the US. None of his films really have any kind of following, apart from 'This Is England' but he's barely in that (and wasn't in the TV series which arguably took on a greater public life than the film did).
I've seen 4 of the films (and intend to see both '71' and 'Money Monster' when I get a chance) and although I enjoyed them, I don't know if I really rate him as an actor. He seems to just have a one-note 'intense tough guy' vibe to him to the extent that it seems like he's just playing himself. I can't see him switching it up and playing a comedy character like Taron Egerton did in 'Eddie The Eagle' (Egerton and O'Connell seem to be from the same school of acting to me).
None. Money Master is a meh 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. Another flop for George and Julia.
Just Unbroken myself, and the book was much, much better.
I don't get the feeling from his persona he's a fan of the gloss of Hollywood.
It's nice to see more Skins alumni getting great work. If only someone would throw Hannah Murray something good.
The four prior to Money Monster, This is England, and Harry Brown - though I honestly couldn't tell you who he plays or how much he's in Harry Brown. If I ever rewatch it, it'll no doubt be one of those, "wow, look at x before they were famous!" situations.
My favorite is Starred Up but he was very good in '71 and Unbroken (even if the movie as mediocre) and his abs were very enticing in the 300 sequel.
I've seen This Is England, Eden Lake, Starred Up and '71. I think he's very talented, but I'm far more obsessed with other Brits.
I'm so not seeing Money Monster. Ugh. Looks dull.
I've seen This is England which is a great film but I don't remember him in that one. I've seen Unbroken and it's... eh.... Boring and uninteresting. I'm sure the book was much better.
I've seen four, with his performance in Starred Up being his best (although the dialouge, mostly British slang, was hard tofollow).
And I'll shout-out This is England as a terrific coming-of-age film that everyone should see.
Of the three I've seen (Starred Up, 71 and Unbroken), his best film is 71 and his best performance is in Starred Up.
Very promising actor based on the three I've seen!
I wouldn't have nominated him for any of those three but Starred Up and 71 both may have made my top 10 list - so he has great taste in projects IMO (not including the awful looking Money Monster of course) and is talented to boot.
I became a fan of his ever since Starred Up yet when I looked back at his previous work, I realized that he was the villain in Eden Lake which was another terrific performance and I couldn't believe it was the same actor. The kid's such a natural talent. He was the main reason I saw Money Monster which was pretty good, but he was fantastic. I
Let's see... I've seen This is England, United, Starred Up, '71, 300, and Unbroken. So six. Not bad! I'm a big fan of his. But I do hope he switches it up to something less... intense.
Gosh, I'd totally forgotten about UNBROKEN. With good reason, too.
THIS IS ENGLAND was my no. 1 of its year, so, yeah, I kinda like it. I don't know if I remember him from it, though. Nor do I remember him in HARRY BROWN, but that movie is garbage. I assume he plays a punk. He is great in STARRED UP, a very good film. A lot of his other movies I've never heard of. What on earth is THE SOMNAMBULISTS?
I've only seen War Horse, and turns out that's not even him.
Horse is gorgeous, though.
I've only seen a few - '71, Starred Up, This is England, Unbroken, and Harry Brown!
Guess I have some catching up to do...
I thought he was "best of the year" level in Starred Up so I'm a fan. I've also seen Unbroken and '71. His persona is pretty gruff, but I think he manages to infuse some heart into all of his performances. He reminds me a bit of a young Tom Hardy except that unlike with Hardy, he makes it look effortless.
I've only seen him in '71 and in Money Monster. I was impressed from '71, and I'm more impressed with him in Money Monster. Maybe he'll get typecast as the intense guy, and that may be okay, not everyone is a chameleon -- heck, George, Julia, and Jodie are not either, and yet they managed to have very successful careers. I really enjoyed Money Monster and I kind of understand why the ads make it look so generic (to appeal to the G.A., I guess). Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised as a lover of old school, movie star led, non-Oscary entertainment.
I've seen 71, Starred Up, and Unbroken. I've also seen Eden Lake, this is England, and Harry Brown but didn't know he was in any of them. I watched Eden lake a few years ago to see an early Fassbender movie. It's good, but as many in here have pointed out, it can also be kinda disturbing. One of the horror movies that sticks with you awhile after you seen it, in a good way.
"Eden Lake" is one of the most terrifying films ever. I'd rank it along "A Serbian Film", for example, on one of the few films that knows what true, realistic horror is. Nothing more horrible than human life itself. And yes, I love "Eden Lake" and "A Serbian Film" as masterpieces I don't feel the need to watch again and that sometimes I feel the need to unwatch.