WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.720 Welcome to the Deep Dive. This is where we take 00:00:01.720 --> 00:00:04.719 a whole stack of sources on really fascinating 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:07.019 subjects and we just drill down, we get you the 00:00:07.019 --> 00:00:09.380 essential insights, those aha moments you need 00:00:09.380 --> 00:00:12.060 to really understand something. And our mission 00:00:12.060 --> 00:00:15.160 today... Well, it's an in -depth look at an actor's 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:17.640 career, someone whose success might feel to a 00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:20.739 lot of people like it happened overnight. But 00:00:20.739 --> 00:00:23.300 as we're going to unpack, it was built very methodically. 00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:25.640 Role by careful role. We're talking prestige 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:30.019 TV, huge movies, and some, frankly, unnerving 00:00:30.019 --> 00:00:32.140 character work over the last, what, decade or 00:00:32.140 --> 00:00:35.070 so. Easily. Yeah. We are diving deep into the 00:00:35.070 --> 00:00:39.369 world, the work, and the recent huge win for 00:00:39.369 --> 00:00:41.829 Jesse Plemons. Yeah, he really is. I mean, if 00:00:41.829 --> 00:00:43.810 you were trying to define that modern character 00:00:43.810 --> 00:00:45.929 actor archetype. This person who just elevates 00:00:45.929 --> 00:00:48.070 everything they're in. Yes, him. Plemons would 00:00:48.070 --> 00:00:50.289 be kind of the textbook example. He was born 00:00:50.289 --> 00:00:53.509 April 2nd, 1988, Dallas, Texas. And the resume 00:00:53.509 --> 00:00:56.939 he's already racked up, it's... Pretty staggering. 00:00:57.039 --> 00:00:58.920 We're talking nominations for an Academy Award, 00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:02.100 three primetime Emmys, a BAFTA nod. It's not 00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:04.319 just flashing success, right? It's consistent 00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:07.379 quality, recognized at the highest levels. Exactly. 00:01:07.540 --> 00:01:09.700 Consistent excellence. And the timing for this 00:01:09.700 --> 00:01:13.400 deep dive, it feels really critical, doesn't 00:01:13.400 --> 00:01:15.560 it? Because he just had this massive career peak. 00:01:15.700 --> 00:01:18.700 Oh, absolutely. Just now, 2024. winning the Best 00:01:18.700 --> 00:01:20.480 Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival. Well, 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:22.879 Pines of Kindness, the Yorgos Lanthimos film. 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:24.680 Right, which is, I mean, that's a huge international 00:01:24.680 --> 00:01:27.000 stamp of approval. Yeah. Artistically speaking. 00:01:27.260 --> 00:01:29.299 And that comes right after his Oscar nomination 00:01:29.299 --> 00:01:32.500 back in 2022 for The Power of the Dog. So this 00:01:32.500 --> 00:01:35.239 whole trajectory, you know, from this kid in 00:01:35.239 --> 00:01:38.780 a small Texas town to being crowned essentially 00:01:38.780 --> 00:01:41.439 the King of Cannes. That's what we're here to 00:01:41.439 --> 00:01:43.439 unpack for you. And I think what makes Plemons 00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:45.859 so distinctive. right off the bat, is this very 00:01:45.859 --> 00:01:49.340 specific style he has. It almost feels accidental 00:01:49.340 --> 00:01:51.840 sometimes. How so? Well, the sources always point 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:54.359 this out. He gets typecast a lot. Yeah. As the 00:01:54.359 --> 00:01:58.500 quiet guy. Sometimes unassuming, but often deeply 00:01:58.500 --> 00:02:01.000 unnerving. Yeah, that quiet intensity. And that 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:03.379 signature style, it's tied directly to his roots. 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:05.780 You hear the Texas accent, obviously. There's 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:08.219 this sort of grounded, almost cowboyish persona. 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:11.199 But maybe the most important part, his use of 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:14.900 pauses, chromatic pauses. He really does weaponize 00:02:14.900 --> 00:02:17.120 silence, doesn't he? He absolutely does. It's 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:20.099 like his presence just suggests all this tension 00:02:20.099 --> 00:02:22.939 boiling right on the surface, even when he seems 00:02:22.939 --> 00:02:25.159 calm. That's the key, I think, that contrast. 00:02:25.379 --> 00:02:28.199 He looks, you know, pretty normal, maybe even 00:02:28.199 --> 00:02:31.319 benign sometimes. And then, bam, absolute menace. 00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:33.400 Precisely. Okay, so let's dig into this from 00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:36.300 the start. Because that grounded thing, that 00:02:36.300 --> 00:02:38.620 stillness you mentioned, it definitely seems 00:02:38.620 --> 00:02:41.680 rooted in how he grew up. Right. So born in Dallas, 00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:43.740 like I said, but he didn't stay there long. He 00:02:43.740 --> 00:02:48.120 was raised in Mart, Texas. And Mart is, well, 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:50.300 it's a very small town, population just over 00:02:50.300 --> 00:02:52.919 2 ,000 people. It's about 20, 21 miles east of 00:02:52.919 --> 00:02:54.840 Waco. Okay. So definitely not Hollywood adjacent. 00:02:54.939 --> 00:02:57.599 Not at all. This context feels really important. 00:02:57.780 --> 00:03:00.419 He grew up in a place focused on, you know, community, 00:03:00.620 --> 00:03:04.219 high school sports, hard work. Not show business. 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:05.900 And the family background kind of backs that 00:03:05.900 --> 00:03:08.740 up too, right? Very practical, not stage parents. 00:03:08.900 --> 00:03:11.560 Totally. He's the younger of two kids. His dad, 00:03:11.780 --> 00:03:15.280 Jim Bob Plemons, was a firefighter. And interestingly, 00:03:15.500 --> 00:03:18.240 also an amateur rodeo competitor. Rodeo. Wow. 00:03:18.439 --> 00:03:22.099 Okay. Yeah. And his mom, Lisa Plemons, she was 00:03:22.099 --> 00:03:24.060 a special education trainer. So you've got this 00:03:24.060 --> 00:03:27.139 foundation of like public service on one hand 00:03:27.139 --> 00:03:29.819 and this rural competitive thing on the other. 00:03:30.810 --> 00:03:32.650 That definitely seems like it would contribute 00:03:32.650 --> 00:03:34.770 to that sort of down -to -earth quality he has 00:03:34.770 --> 00:03:37.909 on screen. It must ground him. But okay, despite 00:03:37.909 --> 00:03:40.449 all the small -town stuff, the acting bug bit 00:03:40.449 --> 00:03:43.370 really, really early. Incredibly early. His career 00:03:43.370 --> 00:03:46.310 technically kicked off in 1991. He was just three 00:03:46.310 --> 00:03:49.949 years old. Three? Doing what? A Coca -Cola commercial. 00:03:50.370 --> 00:03:53.530 Ha! Classic. Right. And by the time he was eight, 00:03:53.610 --> 00:03:56.250 he was already doing extra work, and his family 00:03:56.250 --> 00:03:58.500 was supportive enough. to start taking him out 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:01.919 to L .A. for auditions. Wow, at eight. That's 00:04:01.919 --> 00:04:03.759 commitment from everyone involved. It really 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:06.139 is. This wasn't just some after -school hobby. 00:04:06.379 --> 00:04:08.659 It was treated like a potential career path, 00:04:08.819 --> 00:04:10.939 pretty much from elementary school. That kind 00:04:10.939 --> 00:04:13.139 of early start, especially being from a small 00:04:13.139 --> 00:04:16.720 town in Texas, it must create some serious logistical 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:19.139 challenges, especially with school. And you mentioned 00:04:19.139 --> 00:04:22.220 sports earlier. Oh, yeah. The sources are clear. 00:04:22.279 --> 00:04:24.939 He was a dedicated football player, middle school, 00:04:25.019 --> 00:04:27.620 junior high, and then at Mart High School. And 00:04:27.620 --> 00:04:30.339 Texas high school football is, well, it's a religion, 00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:32.779 basically. Exactly. So he was deep in that world. 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:36.579 But the acting kept pulling him away. Eventually, 00:04:36.579 --> 00:04:39.740 the conflict just became too much. As the acting 00:04:39.740 --> 00:04:42.740 jobs picked up, especially around 2006, he had 00:04:42.740 --> 00:04:45.279 to make a call. So how did he finish school? 00:04:45.819 --> 00:04:47.839 He ended up getting his high school diploma in 00:04:47.839 --> 00:04:50.699 2007 through a distance learning program. The 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:53.160 Texas Tech University Independent School District. 00:04:53.420 --> 00:04:56.600 OK, so he essentially chose acting over the traditional 00:04:56.600 --> 00:04:59.259 high school path, left the football team, the 00:04:59.259 --> 00:05:01.800 regular classes. Yeah. Think about that focus 00:05:01.800 --> 00:05:04.939 for a teenager to consciously sacrifice that 00:05:04.939 --> 00:05:08.060 whole social experience in sports to chase acting 00:05:08.060 --> 00:05:11.120 full time. That shows serious drive. And if you 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:13.060 look at the roles he was getting back then before 00:05:13.060 --> 00:05:16.060 the really big break. It's kind of a time cap. 00:05:16.100 --> 00:05:18.839 It really is. Late 90s, early 2000s stuff. He 00:05:18.839 --> 00:05:21.459 popped up in Varsity Blues in 99. Makes sense, 00:05:21.459 --> 00:05:23.579 the football connection. Right. And all the pretty 00:05:23.579 --> 00:05:26.160 horses in 2000. But then he was also doing guest 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:28.259 spots on TV shows that were huge at the time. 00:05:28.339 --> 00:05:31.819 Like? Like Walker, Texas Ranger. Of course. Texas 00:05:31.819 --> 00:05:35.300 royalty. And, maybe the weirdest contrast, Sabrina, 00:05:35.579 --> 00:05:38.800 the Teenage Witch. Wow. Okay. Walker and Sabrina. 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:41.139 That's strange, I guess. Even back then, yeah. 00:05:42.009 --> 00:05:44.810 Texas action hero stuff. Then this stylized teen 00:05:44.810 --> 00:05:48.629 fantasy show. His first sort of prominent movie 00:05:48.629 --> 00:05:51.350 role was in a film called Children on their birthdays 00:05:51.350 --> 00:05:54.490 in 2002. And he kept plugging away with TV guest 00:05:54.490 --> 00:05:56.730 roles. Important stuff for learning the ropes, 00:05:56.870 --> 00:06:00.290 you know. Judging Amy, CSI, even Grey's Anatomy 00:06:00.290 --> 00:06:02.769 back in 2006. Right. So this wasn't an overnight 00:06:02.769 --> 00:06:05.050 thing at all. He'd put in, what, nearly 15 years 00:06:05.050 --> 00:06:07.470 of work before he landed the role that really 00:06:07.470 --> 00:06:09.389 changed things for him? Exactly. It was a long 00:06:09.389 --> 00:06:10.850 apprenticeship, learning the craft, learning 00:06:10.850 --> 00:06:13.180 how sets work. building those foundational skills. 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:15.439 That kind of long grind seems really common for 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:16.959 character actors, doesn't it? They don't just 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:19.879 explode, they build, they accumulate. Absolutely. 00:06:20.120 --> 00:06:22.560 And all those skills, all that experience was 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:24.939 about to get a major spotlight when he landed 00:06:24.939 --> 00:06:27.240 a role that ironically took him right back to 00:06:27.240 --> 00:06:29.639 Texas football. And that breakthrough, of course, 00:06:29.660 --> 00:06:31.519 was Landry Clark in Friday Night Lights. Clear 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:34.519 eyes, full hearts. Can't lose. Yeah. Yeah. So 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:37.839 2006, he's 18 years old, joins the cast of this 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:41.420 incredible NBC drama, filmed in Austin, set in 00:06:41.420 --> 00:06:44.000 fictional Dillon, Texas. He ended up doing 59 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:46.100 episodes, really became part of the fabric of 00:06:46.100 --> 00:06:47.860 that show. And Landry, especially in that first 00:06:47.860 --> 00:06:50.199 season, he was perfect. He was the comic relief, 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:52.939 right? Totally. He was the outsider. Sweet, kind 00:06:52.939 --> 00:06:55.319 of nerdy, definitely not a football player. Best 00:06:55.319 --> 00:06:58.160 friend to Matt Saracen, the quarterback. He grounded 00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:00.019 all the high stakes football drama, provided 00:07:00.019 --> 00:07:02.300 that necessary contrast to the witty commentary 00:07:02.300 --> 00:07:04.879 from the sidelines. It was such a great performance. 00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:09.860 But here's a fantastic little insight from behind 00:07:09.860 --> 00:07:12.680 the scenes that the sources mention. For you, 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:16.540 the listener, this is gold. Apparently, the running 00:07:16.540 --> 00:07:19.300 joke on the Friday Night Lights set, among the 00:07:19.300 --> 00:07:22.160 cast, the crew, everybody, was that... Jesse 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:24.480 Plemons, playing the non -athlete, could actually 00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:26.540 play football way better than most of the actors 00:07:26.540 --> 00:07:28.000 whose characters were supposed to be the stars 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:30.759 of the team. No way. That's hilarious. So he's 00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:32.439 the guy who actually knows how to play, having 00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:35.019 to pretend he doesn't. Exactly. Yeah. He had 00:07:35.019 --> 00:07:37.300 the actual high school football background. He 00:07:37.300 --> 00:07:40.079 knew the game instinctively in a way a lot of 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:41.980 the others maybe didn't. That must have been 00:07:41.980 --> 00:07:44.220 fun for him. Well, and it definitely informed 00:07:44.220 --> 00:07:46.740 his commitment later on. Because the story took 00:07:46.740 --> 00:07:48.879 a turn, right? Yeah, Landry joins the team in 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:51.019 season two, which felt kind of out of nowhere, 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:55.079 but worked. It did. And when that happened, Plemons, 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:57.839 drawing on his own playing days, insisted on 00:07:57.839 --> 00:07:59.379 doing all his own stunts during the football 00:07:59.379 --> 00:08:02.060 scenes. Okay, now that's commitment. And that 00:08:02.060 --> 00:08:03.959 leads to a pretty famous story from the set, 00:08:04.040 --> 00:08:06.839 doesn't it? About his dedication getting a little 00:08:06.839 --> 00:08:09.689 too real. It really does speak volumes. The sources 00:08:09.689 --> 00:08:12.449 detail this one scene, his first big football 00:08:12.449 --> 00:08:15.230 scene as a Panther. The direction was basically 00:08:15.230 --> 00:08:17.110 that Landry was supposed to, and I'm quoting 00:08:17.110 --> 00:08:20.129 here, get the crap beat out of him over and over 00:08:20.129 --> 00:08:23.629 and over again. Ouch. Sounds about right for 00:08:23.629 --> 00:08:26.509 Landry's first foray onto the field. So during 00:08:26.509 --> 00:08:29.209 one of these really intense takes, he gets hit 00:08:29.209 --> 00:08:31.629 hard by Taylor Kitsch, who played Tim Riggins. 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:34.399 Riggins hitting Landry. Yeah, that tracks. And 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:36.399 the hit was real enough that it split Plemmons' 00:08:36.500 --> 00:08:40.559 chin wide open. He needed 11 stitches. 11 stitches 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:44.340 for a TV show scene. Wow. Yeah. It wasn't fake 00:08:44.340 --> 00:08:46.480 blood that time. That was the actual physical 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:48.740 price of him wanting to make it look authentic, 00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:50.879 putting his body on the line. That's more than 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:53.159 just acting. That's, like you said, real commitment. 00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:55.600 But going through something like that, that intensity, 00:08:55.799 --> 00:08:58.519 it probably builds strong bonds, too. It definitely 00:08:58.519 --> 00:09:01.059 seemed to forge some lasting professional connections. 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:03.779 After Friday Night Lights wrapped up in 2011, 00:09:04.100 --> 00:09:06.059 Plemons worked with Taylor Kitsch again pretty 00:09:06.059 --> 00:09:08.539 quickly, and also with Peter Berg, the show's 00:09:08.539 --> 00:09:10.779 creator. They all did the movie Battleship together 00:09:10.779 --> 00:09:13.539 in 2012. Right, I remember that. But what's really 00:09:13.539 --> 00:09:16.399 fascinating is why Peter Berg brought Plemons 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:19.639 onto that film. Berg actually said he wrote the 00:09:19.639 --> 00:09:23.220 part for Plemons specifically as, get this, protection 00:09:23.220 --> 00:09:27.480 for Taylor Kitsch. Protection? That sounds weird. 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:31.899 What did he mean by that? A bodyguard? No, not 00:09:31.899 --> 00:09:33.919 literally. It speaks more to Plemons' effect 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:36.639 on other actors. Burt's quote was, I know that 00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:38.259 he's really good for Taylor and he makes Taylor 00:09:38.259 --> 00:09:41.440 better. Burt saw bringing Plemons in as like 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:43.940 bringing in a trusted family member. Someone 00:09:43.940 --> 00:09:46.200 who grounds the scene, supports the lead actor. 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:49.080 Wow. That's an incredible compliment from a director 00:09:49.080 --> 00:09:52.200 like Peter Burt to be seen as the guy who makes 00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:54.700 the star better. It's huge. It tells you that 00:09:54.700 --> 00:09:57.080 early on, Plemons wasn't just seen as talented, 00:09:57.120 --> 00:09:59.879 but as this vital piece of the puzzle. Someone 00:09:59.879 --> 00:10:02.740 who brings stability, enhances chemistry, lifts 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:04.659 a whole production. That's a reputation you want. 00:10:04.700 --> 00:10:06.580 The anchor. The guy who makes everyone else look 00:10:06.580 --> 00:10:09.259 good. And that reputation, that grounded presence, 00:10:09.539 --> 00:10:12.340 was about to become the perfect setup for a massive 00:10:12.340 --> 00:10:14.879 shift in his career. He's about to go from Landry 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:17.159 Clark, the lovable best friend, to something 00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:20.360 much, much darker. Yeah, the shift was incredibly 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:24.649 fast. Really effective. Right after the warmth 00:10:24.649 --> 00:10:26.470 of Friday Night Lights, he takes on probably 00:10:26.470 --> 00:10:28.730 one of the most chilling roles in recent TV history. 00:10:28.909 --> 00:10:31.710 Todd Alquist, Breaking Bad. Alquist. Joined in 00:10:31.710 --> 00:10:34.570 the final season, 2012 -2013. Started recurring 00:10:34.570 --> 00:10:36.990 in the first half, season 5A. Then got bumped 00:10:36.990 --> 00:10:38.830 up to a series regular for the final stretch, 00:10:39.009 --> 00:10:42.389 5B. And Todd, man, he is maybe the ultimate example 00:10:42.389 --> 00:10:44.549 of that Plemons signature we talked about. That 00:10:44.549 --> 00:10:47.210 quiet menace. Absolutely. He was so polite. Almost 00:10:47.210 --> 00:10:51.070 unfailingly polite. And completely calm. But 00:10:51.070 --> 00:10:54.740 underneath. Just a total sociopath. No shouting, 00:10:54.759 --> 00:10:58.039 no big dramatic villain moments, just dead eyes. 00:10:58.100 --> 00:11:01.120 A very business -like approach to horrific violence. 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:03.419 Like killing someone one minute, then casually 00:11:03.419 --> 00:11:05.600 asking about what's for dinner the next. It was 00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:08.419 terrifying. That performance just locked in his 00:11:08.419 --> 00:11:10.940 ability to play that specific kind of quiet evil. 00:11:11.100 --> 00:11:13.700 And it stuck, too. He came back to play Todd 00:11:13.700 --> 00:11:16.889 again years later. In the El Camino movie in 00:11:16.889 --> 00:11:19.230 2019. Right. But it was that initial Breaking 00:11:19.230 --> 00:11:21.649 Bad run that really blew people away. And it 00:11:21.649 --> 00:11:24.590 led to, well, it led to the nickname. Yes. The 00:11:24.590 --> 00:11:27.470 nickname, Meth Damon. OK, let's talk about that, 00:11:27.590 --> 00:11:29.710 because on one hand, it's kind of funny acknowledging 00:11:29.710 --> 00:11:32.070 the resemblance to Matt Damon. But on the other 00:11:32.070 --> 00:11:35.360 hand. He's just delivered this incredible nuanced 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:38.379 performance and suddenly he's defined by looking 00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:40.919 like another more established star. Did that 00:11:40.919 --> 00:11:43.379 bother him? He definitely talked about it. But 00:11:43.379 --> 00:11:46.299 here's the kicker, the really great deep dive 00:11:46.299 --> 00:11:49.100 detail that the sources highlight. The nickname 00:11:49.100 --> 00:11:52.100 came about purely because of the physical resemblance 00:11:52.100 --> 00:11:55.100 to Matt Damon during Breaking Bad. But the irony, 00:11:55.320 --> 00:11:57.320 Plemons had already played a younger version 00:11:57.320 --> 00:11:59.840 of Matt Damon's character way back in 2000. All 00:11:59.840 --> 00:12:02.700 the pretty horses. Exactly. when Plemons was 00:12:02.700 --> 00:12:05.799 only 12 years old. So that resemblance was actually 00:12:05.799 --> 00:12:08.360 part of his professional life long before anyone 00:12:08.360 --> 00:12:10.899 called him Meth Damon. That's wild. So a thing 00:12:10.899 --> 00:12:13.320 that got him cast as a kid becomes this slightly 00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:16.340 insulting fan nickname years later. Perfect symmetry, 00:12:16.580 --> 00:12:20.179 isn't it? And the good news is the nickname seems 00:12:20.179 --> 00:12:22.740 to have faded. Yeah. Plemons himself mentioned 00:12:22.740 --> 00:12:25.460 around 2021, he thought, that fewer and fewer 00:12:25.460 --> 00:12:28.559 people were calling him that. His own work, his 00:12:28.559 --> 00:12:31.399 own reputation finally started to overshadow 00:12:31.399 --> 00:12:34.279 the easy comparison. Which is great because that 00:12:34.279 --> 00:12:36.360 period right after Breaking Bad, it wasn't just 00:12:36.360 --> 00:12:38.600 about Todd. He immediately started working with 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:40.740 some absolute giants. Oh, yeah. It was like a 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:43.220 master class in choosing collaborators. He jumped 00:12:43.220 --> 00:12:46.659 right into the world of series auteurs, had that 00:12:46.659 --> 00:12:48.840 supporting role in Paul Thomas Anderson's The 00:12:48.840 --> 00:12:51.840 Master in 2012. Playing Philip Seymour Hoffman's 00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:54.120 son. Right. And that comparison gets made a lot 00:12:54.120 --> 00:12:56.509 by critics, actually. that Plemons has some of 00:12:56.509 --> 00:12:59.450 that same incredible lived -in character actor 00:12:59.450 --> 00:13:01.169 weight that Hoffman had. That's high praise. 00:13:01.190 --> 00:13:02.990 So he wasn't just getting gigs. He was getting 00:13:02.990 --> 00:13:05.149 roles that signaled, you know, this guy is a 00:13:05.149 --> 00:13:07.610 serious actor. Precisely. And then he got into 00:13:07.610 --> 00:13:10.269 the Spielberg orbit, appeared in Bridges' Spies 00:13:10.269 --> 00:13:13.830 in 2015, then The Post in 2017. Two Spielbergs 00:13:13.830 --> 00:13:16.039 back -to -back, basically. Mm -hmm. And then 00:13:16.039 --> 00:13:19.840 crucially, he made the Scorsese connection. Played 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:22.860 Chucky O 'Brien in The Irishman in 2019. That 00:13:22.860 --> 00:13:25.500 wary, complicated performance. These legendary 00:13:25.500 --> 00:13:28.759 directors. They obviously see something in him. 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:31.000 What do you think it is? It's that reliability, 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:34.919 I think. That understated gravitas. He can anchor 00:13:34.919 --> 00:13:38.059 huge, complex films, sometimes with very little 00:13:38.059 --> 00:13:40.259 dialogue, just with his presence. He's the perfect 00:13:40.259 --> 00:13:42.460 sort of grounded counterweight to the bigger 00:13:42.460 --> 00:13:44.340 star performances around him. He doesn't pull 00:13:44.340 --> 00:13:47.139 focus, but you always notice him. Exactly. And 00:13:47.139 --> 00:13:49.460 he wasn't just doing historical dramas or these 00:13:49.460 --> 00:13:52.840 big auteur pieces either. His range during this 00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:55.440 time was incredible. Right. He popped up everywhere. 00:13:55.700 --> 00:13:58.480 All over the map. Genre -wise, he did the dark 00:13:58.480 --> 00:14:00.899 comedy Game Night in 2018. He was so good in 00:14:00.899 --> 00:14:03.740 that, The Creepy Neighbor. Stole the show. Then 00:14:03.740 --> 00:14:05.539 you have serious stuff like playing the mobster 00:14:05.539 --> 00:14:08.620 Kevin Weeks in Black Mass in 2015. Thrillers 00:14:08.620 --> 00:14:11.720 like American Made with Tom Cruise in 2017. The 00:14:11.720 --> 00:14:14.779 Western Hostels, also in 2017. He even narrated 00:14:14.779 --> 00:14:17.539 Adam McKay's Dick Cheney movie, Vice, in 2018. 00:14:17.919 --> 00:14:20.379 It seems like the main thread is just quality. 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:23.259 He picks good projects across the board. He does. 00:14:23.340 --> 00:14:25.220 He's effective no matter what genre you put him 00:14:25.220 --> 00:14:28.620 in. Which brings us to another absolutely pivotal 00:14:28.620 --> 00:14:31.559 moment in this era, both for his career and personally. 00:14:31.779 --> 00:14:35.559 The Fargo connection. Fargo, season two, 2015. 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:38.840 He joined the cast of that brilliant FX anthology 00:14:38.840 --> 00:14:42.299 series. He played Ed Blunkwist, the sort of gentle, 00:14:42.440 --> 00:14:44.899 hapless butcher who gets swept up in some crazy 00:14:44.899 --> 00:14:48.019 stuff. Opposite Kirsten Dunst is his wife, Peggy. 00:14:48.179 --> 00:14:51.159 And that role got him his first major award nomination, 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:54.299 right? Yep. His first primetime Emmy nomination. 00:14:55.269 --> 00:14:57.350 Outstanding supporting actor in a limited series 00:14:57.350 --> 00:15:00.529 or movie. Huge career boost. Professionally, 00:15:00.529 --> 00:15:04.190 massive. But personally, maybe even bigger. Because 00:15:04.190 --> 00:15:05.990 that's where he met Kirsten Dunst. That's right. 00:15:06.070 --> 00:15:08.289 The personal and professional paths cross right 00:15:08.289 --> 00:15:10.230 there on the snowy plains of Fargo. But even 00:15:10.230 --> 00:15:12.529 as that phase was wrapping up, he squeezed in 00:15:12.529 --> 00:15:15.610 one more iconic TV performance that really showed 00:15:15.610 --> 00:15:17.990 off that unnerving side again. Oh yeah. 2017. 00:15:18.409 --> 00:15:21.580 Black Mirror. the USS Callister episode. Chilling. 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:23.940 He played Robert Daly, the main character, this 00:15:23.940 --> 00:15:26.259 sort of sad sack tech guy who becomes an absolute 00:15:26.259 --> 00:15:28.879 tyrant in his own virtual reality Star Trek world. 00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:32.139 It was universally acclaimed. Terrifying because 00:15:32.139 --> 00:15:34.620 he took that quiet menace he does so well and 00:15:34.620 --> 00:15:37.980 just ramped it up into pure sadistic megalomania. 00:15:38.019 --> 00:15:39.539 And the industry noticed that lead performance 00:15:39.539 --> 00:15:41.679 too, didn't they? They did. Got him another Emmy 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:45.220 nomination, but this time for Outstanding Lead 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:48.120 Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. That's a 00:15:48.120 --> 00:15:50.720 big step, not just supporting anymore. The industry 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:52.379 was saying, OK, this guy can carry the whole 00:15:52.379 --> 00:15:55.279 show. Exactly. It signaled he was ready for bigger, 00:15:55.340 --> 00:15:58.899 more central roles, which perfectly set the stage 00:15:58.899 --> 00:16:01.019 for the incredible run he's had more recently. 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:04.559 So the 2020s, this is where Plemons really transitions, 00:16:04.659 --> 00:16:07.440 isn't it? From being that highly respected, oh, 00:16:07.500 --> 00:16:09.539 that guy's great and everything character actor 00:16:09.539 --> 00:16:12.259 to being genuinely one of the most acclaimed 00:16:12.259 --> 00:16:15.659 leading men working today. Absolutely. He fully 00:16:15.659 --> 00:16:17.720 embraced that leading man potential with Charlie 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:19.840 Kaufman's film. I'm thinking of ending things 00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:23.320 back in 2020, which was a weird one in a good 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:27.240 way. Very Kaufman esque. Totally. Yeah. Psychological 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:31.080 drama. Super strange. Ambiguous. But Plemons 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:33.440 was fantastic and it got a ton of critical praise. 00:16:33.559 --> 00:16:36.240 It really required the audience to just sit. 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:38.799 with his performance with the silence and the 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:41.759 uncertainty got him a gotham award nomination 00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:44.200 for best actor but the real sort of mainstream 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:47.240 prestige peak the one that put him firmly on 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:50.360 the oscar map came the next year right 2021 jane 00:16:50.360 --> 00:16:52.740 campion's the power of the dog incredible film 00:16:52.740 --> 00:16:55.299 neo -western he played george burbank george 00:16:55.299 --> 00:16:59.139 yeah the quieter more melancholic brother opposite 00:16:59.139 --> 00:17:02.139 benedict cumberbatch's really volatile, intense 00:17:02.139 --> 00:17:04.859 film. It was such a subtle performance from Plemons, 00:17:04.859 --> 00:17:07.180 so much going on internally, and it earned him 00:17:07.180 --> 00:17:09.480 that Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:12.019 Actor. And the chemistry in that film, particularly 00:17:12.019 --> 00:17:14.099 between him and Kirsten Dunst, who played his 00:17:14.099 --> 00:17:16.880 wife Rose, it's just remarkable. They were already 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:18.799 a couple in real life by then, for several years. 00:17:19.019 --> 00:17:21.380 Right. And you feel that history, but it's not 00:17:21.380 --> 00:17:23.460 romantic in the film. It's the simmering tension, 00:17:23.539 --> 00:17:26.500 this kind of shared unspoken misery, almost their 00:17:26.500 --> 00:17:30.119 ability to convey that strained intimacy. It's 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:33.259 phenomenal. And that shared work led to a really 00:17:33.259 --> 00:17:36.000 iconic moment during the 2022 awards season. 00:17:36.119 --> 00:17:39.359 Oh, yeah. Both Plemons and Kirsten Dunst nominated 00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:42.779 for Oscars for the same movie, supporting actor 00:17:42.779 --> 00:17:45.039 for him, supporting actress for her. That almost 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:47.519 never happens for a couple, especially an unmarried 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:50.039 couple at the time. Extremely rare. It really 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:53.539 cemented their status as this sort of quiet, 00:17:53.819 --> 00:17:57.759 powerhouse acting couple. Speaks volumes about 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:00.180 their creative partnership. And around this time, 00:18:00.299 --> 00:18:02.140 Plemons also started to move behind the camera 00:18:02.140 --> 00:18:04.660 a bit, didn't he? Taking on more control. Yeah, 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:07.220 in 2022, he starred in a noir thriller called 00:18:07.220 --> 00:18:10.569 Windfall. Played the wealthy tech CEO character. 00:18:10.869 --> 00:18:13.250 Yeah. But importantly, he also got his first 00:18:13.250 --> 00:18:15.849 producer credit on that film. What does that 00:18:15.849 --> 00:18:18.269 signify usually when an actor starts producing? 00:18:18.589 --> 00:18:20.690 Often it's about having more say in the material. 00:18:20.890 --> 00:18:23.109 Shaping the project from the beginning, ensuring 00:18:23.109 --> 00:18:25.109 the quality, maybe finding roles that really 00:18:25.109 --> 00:18:27.250 challenge them. It's a natural step for actors 00:18:27.250 --> 00:18:29.250 who reach that level of respect. Makes sense. 00:18:29.410 --> 00:18:31.650 And meanwhile, he wasn't neglecting TV either, 00:18:31.670 --> 00:18:34.269 still picking really strong projects there. Nope. 00:18:34.329 --> 00:18:38.990 Stayed very active in prestige TV. In 2023, he 00:18:38.990 --> 00:18:41.089 starred with Elizabeth Olsen in Love and Death. 00:18:41.309 --> 00:18:45.390 The HBO Max true crime series about Candy Montgomery. 00:18:45.710 --> 00:18:47.769 Right. Another really solid performance, another 00:18:47.769 --> 00:18:50.289 Emmy nomination for him. He just keeps maintaining 00:18:50.289 --> 00:18:53.170 this incredibly high bar across both film and 00:18:53.170 --> 00:18:55.089 television. It's impressive. And then came another 00:18:55.089 --> 00:18:57.950 major reunion with a legendary director. Back 00:18:57.950 --> 00:19:00.339 with Scorsese. After The Irishman, he took a 00:19:00.339 --> 00:19:02.539 key supporting role in Killers of the Flower 00:19:02.539 --> 00:19:05.880 Moon in 2023. Playing Tom White, the FBI agent 00:19:05.880 --> 00:19:08.640 investigating the Osage murders. Exactly. And 00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:11.140 again, you see Scorsese using him as that grounding 00:19:11.140 --> 00:19:13.920 force, the steady hand of authority and justice 00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:17.279 coming into this chaotic, dark situation. When 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:20.180 Scorsese needs reliable gravitas, Plummond seems 00:19:20.180 --> 00:19:22.220 to be on the short list. OK, but the absolute 00:19:22.220 --> 00:19:24.200 peak, the thing that really prompted this whole 00:19:24.200 --> 00:19:27.589 deep dive today. It has to be Cannes 2024. Without 00:19:27.589 --> 00:19:29.890 a doubt. Winning the best actor prize at Cannes, 00:19:29.910 --> 00:19:32.650 that's massive. For kinds of kindness, the Yorgos 00:19:32.650 --> 00:19:35.009 Lanthimos film. Now, Lanthimos has a very distinct 00:19:35.009 --> 00:19:38.670 style. Oh, very distinct. Highly stylized, absurdist, 00:19:38.690 --> 00:19:41.630 often really unsettling. And he relies on this 00:19:41.630 --> 00:19:45.250 very deadpan, almost emotionless delivery from 00:19:45.250 --> 00:19:47.390 his actors. Which sounds perfect for Plemons, 00:19:47.390 --> 00:19:50.190 actually. It's tailor -made for him. He specializes 00:19:50.190 --> 00:19:52.970 in conveying complex stuff without big expressive 00:19:52.970 --> 00:19:55.750 emoting. He fits right into that Lanthimos world. 00:19:55.970 --> 00:19:57.829 And in Kinds of Kindness, it wasn't just one 00:19:57.829 --> 00:20:00.390 role, right? It's an anthology film. Correct. 00:20:00.529 --> 00:20:02.589 He played three completely different characters. 00:20:02.789 --> 00:20:06.130 Robert, Daniel, and Andrew. Each one requiring 00:20:06.130 --> 00:20:09.109 a different shade of that Lanthimos -style performance. 00:20:09.349 --> 00:20:12.029 So the Cannes win wasn't just for one great performance, 00:20:12.250 --> 00:20:14.450 but for showcasing that versatility within a 00:20:14.450 --> 00:20:17.789 single, very demanding film. Exactly. It's huge 00:20:17.789 --> 00:20:20.210 validation. He also got his first Golden Globe 00:20:20.210 --> 00:20:22.450 nomination for it. It just confirms his status 00:20:22.450 --> 00:20:24.630 now on the international stage as a master actor. 00:20:25.069 --> 00:20:27.309 And that relationship with Lanthimos is continuing, 00:20:27.509 --> 00:20:29.730 isn't it? It is. They're already set to work 00:20:29.730 --> 00:20:32.250 together again on a sci -fi comedy called Bugonia, 00:20:32.470 --> 00:20:35.789 expected in 2025. When an actor clicks with an 00:20:35.789 --> 00:20:38.289 auteur like Lanthimos, who has such a strong 00:20:38.289 --> 00:20:41.069 vision, that usually means more interesting, 00:20:41.150 --> 00:20:43.789 challenging work is coming. Absolutely. It places 00:20:43.789 --> 00:20:46.670 him right at the forefront of ambitious international 00:20:46.670 --> 00:20:49.190 filmmaking. Okay, let's shift focus slightly 00:20:49.190 --> 00:20:51.930 back to the personal side. Because underpinning 00:20:51.930 --> 00:20:54.750 this incredible career arc seems to be a very 00:20:54.750 --> 00:20:57.569 grounded personal life, particularly his relationship 00:20:57.569 --> 00:20:59.990 with Kirsten Dunst. Right. As we mentioned, they 00:20:59.990 --> 00:21:03.710 met on the set of Fargo back in 2015, started 00:21:03.710 --> 00:21:07.789 dating around March 2016, and things moved relatively 00:21:07.789 --> 00:21:10.250 quickly from there. in terms of building a family. 00:21:10.390 --> 00:21:12.490 They got engaged pretty fast, didn't they? Yeah, 00:21:12.569 --> 00:21:15.809 less than a year later, January 2017. Their first 00:21:15.809 --> 00:21:18.309 son was born in 2018 and their second son arrived 00:21:18.309 --> 00:21:21.609 in 2021. And despite being this huge Hollywood 00:21:21.609 --> 00:21:24.069 couple, especially after the dual Oscar nominations 00:21:24.069 --> 00:21:27.230 in 2022, they seem to keep things very low -key. 00:21:27.349 --> 00:21:29.529 Very low -key. They didn't actually get officially 00:21:29.529 --> 00:21:32.250 married until July 2022, and it was apparently 00:21:32.250 --> 00:21:35.410 very quiet. They seem really committed to protecting 00:21:35.410 --> 00:21:38.670 that. private family core from all the hollywood 00:21:38.670 --> 00:21:40.750 craziness it's an interesting contrast right 00:21:40.750 --> 00:21:43.269 they play these huge often emotionally draining 00:21:43.269 --> 00:21:46.349 roles but their public persona is quite reserved 00:21:46.349 --> 00:21:49.930 which makes the other big aspect of his public 00:21:49.930 --> 00:21:53.250 story even more notable the physical transformations 00:21:53.250 --> 00:21:56.529 he's undertaken for roles this gets complicated 00:21:56.529 --> 00:21:59.880 yeah let's talk about that because actors changing 00:21:59.880 --> 00:22:02.740 their bodies for roles, it's often praise, but 00:22:02.740 --> 00:22:04.900 there's a cost. There absolutely is. The first 00:22:04.900 --> 00:22:08.440 big one we know about was back in 2015 for the 00:22:08.440 --> 00:22:11.140 movie Black Mass, where he played the mobster 00:22:11.140 --> 00:22:14.099 Kevin Weeks. He deliberately gained about 45 00:22:14.099 --> 00:22:16.420 pounds for that role. Which at the time was probably 00:22:16.420 --> 00:22:19.380 seen as, you know, peak dedication, method acting 00:22:19.380 --> 00:22:21.819 almost, reshaping yourself completely for the 00:22:21.819 --> 00:22:23.880 character. Right. It gets framed as the ultimate 00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:26.720 commitment. But the physical and mental toll. 00:22:27.130 --> 00:22:29.329 That's often glossed over. Until recently, maybe, 00:22:29.410 --> 00:22:31.410 because Plemons has been quite open about it 00:22:31.410 --> 00:22:34.250 lately. He has. In 2024, it became very noticeable 00:22:34.250 --> 00:22:36.289 that he had lost a significant amount of weight. 00:22:36.529 --> 00:22:40.450 He confirmed he'd lost over 50 pounds. So a massive 00:22:40.450 --> 00:22:43.849 gain, then a massive loss. Basically two huge 00:22:43.849 --> 00:22:46.450 body transformations within less than a decade, 00:22:46.490 --> 00:22:49.269 driven by his career. Exactly. And he attributed 00:22:49.269 --> 00:22:51.970 the weight loss to intermittent fasting and focusing 00:22:51.970 --> 00:22:54.519 on whole foods. But what's really insightful 00:22:54.519 --> 00:22:56.339 here, I think, for understanding what actors 00:22:56.339 --> 00:22:59.319 go through is how he talked about that initial 00:22:59.319 --> 00:23:02.220 weight gain. Yes. He expressed real regret about 00:23:02.220 --> 00:23:04.619 it. Yeah. He said flat out that gaining the weight 00:23:04.619 --> 00:23:08.220 for Black Mass did mess me up a bit. Wow. That's 00:23:08.220 --> 00:23:11.099 quite candid. It is. He even said later he wasn't 00:23:11.099 --> 00:23:12.819 sure he'd be willing to put on that kind of weight 00:23:12.819 --> 00:23:15.779 for a role again. That's rare honesty about the 00:23:15.779 --> 00:23:18.380 downsides, the health consequences, the psychological 00:23:18.380 --> 00:23:21.299 impact of these dramatic physical shifts for 00:23:21.299 --> 00:23:24.339 work. And in today's climate, with so much talk 00:23:24.339 --> 00:23:27.099 about weight loss drugs, he even had to address 00:23:27.099 --> 00:23:29.700 that, right? He did. There was so much speculation 00:23:29.700 --> 00:23:32.019 online, especially about celebrity weight loss, 00:23:32.180 --> 00:23:35.180 that he felt the need to explicitly deny using 00:23:35.180 --> 00:23:37.619 Ozempic or similar drugs for his transformation. 00:23:37.799 --> 00:23:40.930 So the whole cycle. The deliberate gain for praise, 00:23:41.230 --> 00:23:44.029 the later regret, the significant loss, then 00:23:44.029 --> 00:23:46.690 having to fend off public speculation. It really 00:23:46.690 --> 00:23:49.250 paints a picture of the intense physical pressures 00:23:49.250 --> 00:23:51.470 actors are under. It really does. It's a very 00:23:51.470 --> 00:23:53.970 human story. Underneath the glamour of the awards 00:23:53.970 --> 00:23:56.269 and the big movie roles, the actual physical 00:23:56.269 --> 00:23:58.779 cost of embodying these characters. So looking 00:23:58.779 --> 00:24:00.660 forward, what does the future hold for Jesse 00:24:00.660 --> 00:24:03.819 Plemons? His upcoming project list seems to confirm 00:24:03.819 --> 00:24:06.220 he's absolutely at the top of the industry's 00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:07.859 wish list right now. Oh, definitely. He's got 00:24:07.859 --> 00:24:10.740 this great mix of high art projects and big commercial 00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:12.859 stuff lined up. Yeah. Shows his appeal across 00:24:12.859 --> 00:24:15.160 the board. He's sticking with prestige TV, too. 00:24:15.380 --> 00:24:17.559 Yep. He's got a supporting role playing Roger 00:24:17.559 --> 00:24:21.279 Carlson in a Netflix political thriller miniseries 00:24:21.279 --> 00:24:25.519 called Zero Day. That's coming in 2025. And nicely, 00:24:25.640 --> 00:24:28.059 it reunites him with Leslie Linka Glatter, who 00:24:28.059 --> 00:24:30.220 directed him in Love and Death. So there's that 00:24:30.220 --> 00:24:32.559 continuity. Okay. But the one that probably jumps 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:35.700 out for mainstream audiences, he's joining a 00:24:35.700 --> 00:24:38.960 massive franchise. Right. Huge news. He's been 00:24:38.960 --> 00:24:41.119 cast as Plutarch Heavensby in the next Hunger 00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:44.230 Games prequel. Sunrise on the Reaping. Slated 00:24:44.230 --> 00:24:47.750 for 2026. Wow, Plutarch Heavensby. That's a significant 00:24:47.750 --> 00:24:50.130 role previously played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, 00:24:50.170 --> 00:24:52.150 actually. Another interesting connection there. 00:24:52.190 --> 00:24:54.529 Yeah, it's a major part in a giant global franchise. 00:24:54.829 --> 00:24:57.549 It was a smart move, balancing the artistic cred 00:24:57.549 --> 00:24:59.769 from someone like Lanthimos with the massive 00:24:59.769 --> 00:25:01.869 visibility and commercial power of Hunger Games. 00:25:02.069 --> 00:25:04.910 Keeps him in both worlds. And for fans of his 00:25:04.910 --> 00:25:08.450 darker side, there's good news, too. Very good 00:25:08.450 --> 00:25:11.230 news. He's officially reprising his role as Captain 00:25:11.230 --> 00:25:14.269 Robert Daly from Black Mirror. From USS Callister. 00:25:14.329 --> 00:25:16.970 They're doing a sequel. Apparently so. It's for 00:25:16.970 --> 00:25:19.549 the upcoming seventh series of Black Mirror in 00:25:19.549 --> 00:25:22.769 an episode titled USS Callister Into Infinity, 00:25:22.990 --> 00:25:26.289 coming in 2025. That's fantastic. That original 00:25:26.289 --> 00:25:28.269 performance was so memorable. The fact they're 00:25:28.269 --> 00:25:30.549 bringing it back says a lot. It really does. 00:25:30.750 --> 00:25:32.950 And finally, just to round out the sheer quality 00:25:32.950 --> 00:25:35.569 of his collaborators, there's an upcoming film 00:25:35.569 --> 00:25:38.210 with Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu. Wow, another 00:25:38.210 --> 00:25:41.440 huge name. Birdman, The Revenant. Exactly. The 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:43.240 film's untitled, as far as we know, currently 00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:45.700 in post -production. But just look at that list 00:25:45.700 --> 00:25:48.220 he's worked with recently. Lanthimos, Scorsese, 00:25:48.319 --> 00:25:51.240 Kaufman, Campion, now Iñárritu. Yeah. If you 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:52.700 want to understand who's defining excellence 00:25:52.700 --> 00:25:54.720 in modern film acting, you have to be watching 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:57.460 Jesse Plemons. Hashtag tag outro. So wrapping 00:25:57.460 --> 00:26:00.210 up this deep dive. What we really see is this 00:26:00.210 --> 00:26:03.309 incredibly clear picture of a career built on 00:26:03.309 --> 00:26:06.509 focus and I think a lot of determination. Jesse 00:26:06.509 --> 00:26:08.529 Plemons took those Texas roots that discipline 00:26:08.529 --> 00:26:10.930 maybe learned from sports and those very early 00:26:10.930 --> 00:26:14.230 acting days and used it to become Landry Clark, 00:26:14.430 --> 00:26:16.490 the heart and soul, the comic relief of Friday 00:26:16.490 --> 00:26:18.769 Night Lights, a character people absolutely loved. 00:26:18.849 --> 00:26:21.950 Right. But that same grounding, that same foundation 00:26:21.950 --> 00:26:25.769 allowed him to make that huge, risky pivot to 00:26:25.769 --> 00:26:27.529 become someone like Todd Alquist in Breaking 00:26:27.529 --> 00:26:30.849 Bad. Establishing that unique signature, the 00:26:30.849 --> 00:26:33.269 politeness, masking something terrifying, which 00:26:33.269 --> 00:26:36.269 led to the Meth Damon nickname for a while. She 00:26:36.269 --> 00:26:38.029 transcended that. He totally transcended it. 00:26:38.029 --> 00:26:40.089 And his current position, winning Best Actor 00:26:40.089 --> 00:26:42.829 at Cannes, being the go -to guy for Scorsese, 00:26:42.829 --> 00:26:45.569 for Lanthimos, it just shows the immense value 00:26:45.569 --> 00:26:48.680 of... prioritizing really distinct, deep character 00:26:48.680 --> 00:26:51.160 work, maybe over just chasing conventional leading 00:26:51.160 --> 00:26:53.240 man roles. And connecting this all back to you, 00:26:53.259 --> 00:26:56.799 the listener. What Plemons career really underscores 00:26:56.799 --> 00:26:59.319 is the power of an actor willing to completely 00:26:59.319 --> 00:27:02.799 subvert expectations. He took that image people 00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:05.559 had of him from Friday Night Lights, soft, relatable 00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:08.240 Landry, and just flipped it on its head with 00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:11.039 Todd's dead eyed horror and then proves he could 00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:13.400 do everything in between across every genre. 00:27:13.619 --> 00:27:15.539 OK, so here's our final thought. Something for 00:27:15.539 --> 00:27:17.400 you to really chew on after listening to all 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:19.759 this. We've talked a lot about Plemons most celebrated 00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:22.519 performances, right? Yeah. And so many of them 00:27:22.519 --> 00:27:25.880 rely on subtle internal. things, that quietness, 00:27:25.900 --> 00:27:28.519 the pause, the slight shift in his eyes, the 00:27:28.519 --> 00:27:31.480 hint of the Texas accent, really nuanced stuff. 00:27:31.640 --> 00:27:34.960 Yeah, the internal work. Exactly. And yet, we 00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:36.539 also talk about how he's been praised for these 00:27:36.539 --> 00:27:39.299 massive external physical transformations, gaining 00:27:39.299 --> 00:27:42.339 45 pounds for black mass, losing over 50 pounds 00:27:42.339 --> 00:27:44.640 later, things that are incredibly visible. Right, 00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:47.519 the internal versus the external. So, the question 00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:50.640 to ponder is, what does it tell us about character 00:27:50.640 --> 00:27:53.910 acting right now? That an actor like Plemons 00:27:53.910 --> 00:27:56.750 is celebrated both for these incredibly subtle 00:27:56.750 --> 00:27:59.690 internal unnerving performances and for these 00:27:59.690 --> 00:28:03.230 huge, look at me, physical changes. Is there 00:28:03.230 --> 00:28:05.809 a tension there? What's the real cost or maybe 00:28:05.809 --> 00:28:08.309 the necessary price of embodying a character 00:28:08.309 --> 00:28:11.009 so completely today when that commitment pushes 00:28:11.009 --> 00:28:13.490 you to alter not just your inner state but your 00:28:13.490 --> 00:28:15.569 entire physical being? What does that dedication 00:28:15.569 --> 00:28:17.970 really demand? That's a great question. Something 00:28:17.970 --> 00:28:20.390 for you to think about. Until next time on The 00:28:20.390 --> 00:28:20.710 Deep Dive.