Jason London

In Dazed and Confused (1993), Jason London's Pink is someone to return to as the film moves between groups of teenagers. London looks at ease beside Wiley Wiggins's more exposed, awkward Mitch, and the contrast makes both performances more interesting. We warmed to Pink because London's ease gave us a rest from the more anxious business of fitting in. He does not need a conspicuous comic manner to hold our interest; the pleasure is in how little he appears to force.

He had already taken a leading role opposite Reese Witherspoon in The Man in the Moon (1991), but Pink was the breakthrough. Subsequent parts included Tom Meyer, a young addict in Broken Vessels (1998), and Jesse Ryan in the horror sequel The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999). Broken Vessels draws on his ability to move from boyish charm towards something darker, a useful departure from the relaxed company of Pink. Later work has taken him into television guest roles and further independent and genre films.

Richard Linklater makes particularly good use of London by letting him belong to the ensemble rather than insisting that he dominate it. Matthew McConaughey's Wooderson finds comedy in how satisfied he seems with a conversation, while London's Pink provides a steadier presence to come back to. Linklater gives those differences time to register, which matters more here than making every exchange a highlight. The wandering does occasionally wear thin, and having an agreeable person to return to cannot make every detour necessary.

London has described playing Pink as an effort to set aside experience and recover a younger person's lack of awareness. That fits the performance: he never seems impatient with Pink for being young, or anxious to show us that the actor knows better. Such ease works particularly well with a patient director and other actors worth spending time with. Start with Dazed and Confused, and give London as much attention as the louder company he keeps.