Cory Michael Smith makes bluntness count without needing much screen time. His supporting work for Todd Haynes gives us the clearest reason to seek him out: a precise actor who can unsettle a film’s careful manners.
Fi1m perspective
In May December (2023), Cory Michael Smith plays Georgie, Gracie’s son from her first marriage, and says what the others have learned to avoid. He has only a couple of scenes; the bluntness makes each count. We felt relieved when he spoke plainly, because everyone around him had become so practised at not doing so. Todd Haynes gets something valuable from Smith here: the ability to disrupt a scene without needing to dominate the film. It is supporting work we would happily watch again.
Gotham (2014–2019) gave him a more conspicuous part as Edward Nygma, moving from quirky to menacing across a long television run. The quieter association with Haynes began with Tommy Tucker in Carol (2015) and continued through Wonderstruck (2017) before May December. Carol is carried by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, and we would not pretend it tells us as much about Smith as Georgie does. But Haynes’s patience with small gestures is a useful setting for an actor capable of precise supporting work. The careful manners sometimes keep us outside even so, a flaw worth acknowledging in a film we recommend strongly.
1985 (2018) gave Smith his first leading film role, Adrian Lester, in a drama using long takes and little dialogue. Playing Chevy Chase in Saturday Night (2024) required a recognisable public persona and a different sort of precision. For Georgie, he dyed his hair and helped design tattoos, so physical alteration is also part of his approach.
His appearance in Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value (2025) places him in another patient, well-acted ensemble. The film is worth an evening, with a reservation about how neatly it arranges its family troubles. In May December, Charles Melton remains our main reason to watch, but Smith makes a briefer contribution worth seeking out. Start with May December, but do not expect Haynes to give him the evening to himself.
Biography
Cory Michael Smith is an American actor. Born on 14 November 1986 in Columbus, Ohio, he graduated from Otterbein University and began his career in theatre. He made his Broadway debut in 2013 in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Smith is known for playing Edward Nygma in the series Gotham (2014–2019). He has collaborated with director Todd Haynes on Carol (2015), Wonderstruck (2017) and May December (2023), in which he played Georgie. His other film roles include Camp X-Ray (2014), First Man (2018), 1985 (2018) and Saturday Night (2024). He appeared as Sam in Sentimental Value (2025).
