Cosmo Jarvis

Jarvis makes us notice how vulnerable a physically imposing man can be. His breakthrough was as Sebastian, the labourer opposite Florence Pugh in Lady Macbeth (2016), and his roles have often returned to that combination of roughness and vulnerability. Arm, the troubled enforcer in Calm with Horses (2019), is a clear example. His physical intensity gives the part force, but the understated feeling is what makes us interested in the man.

The larger shift was to John Blackthorne in Shōgun (2024), a lead that asked him to sustain that presence across a historical series. His preparation included drawing on his father’s work as a merchant seaman. That practical approach is appealing: it suggests an actor interested in how a man does his job. But the series’ attention can drift towards the ensemble and leave its lead less to do.

In Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s Warfare (2025), that loss of prominence serves a more convincing purpose. Jarvis plays Elliott within a platoon whose men are defined by their work and their fear, with no photographs of girlfriends or stories about home to distinguish them. D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai’s Ray, reading grid references into a handset while his face betrays him, is the performance the film is built around. Jarvis belongs to the group rather than being presented as its attraction. We found Warfare frightening because its men keep trying to perform their allotted tasks while their fear remains visible.

Paul Greengrass’s The Uprising (2026), with Jarvis as Wat Tyler, is a less useful introduction to his work. We found its medieval setting convincing, but the relentless action does too much of the storytelling. Andrew Garfield supplies the persuasive lead; Jarvis’s presence is no reason to overlook the film’s weaknesses. A performance needs time to register, and our interest in Jarvis is in what happens beneath the physical threat. Start with Warfare if ensemble acting is your interest, but do not expect an explanation of why these men are there.