John Magaro

In Past Lives (2023), John Magaro’s Arthur listens with the care of a husband trying to be fair. He is a novelist married to Nora, and Magaro lets his hurt show without making it her fault. We were moved by his restraint, because the effort to remain considerate makes his discomfort plain. Magaro is good at making a man’s wish to be reasonable feel vulnerable. Here, his quietness gives us a reason to keep listening.

David Chase’s Not Fade Away (2012) gave him his first major feature lead, before supporting work including Todd Haynes’s Carol (2015). The distinction between leading and supporting matters less to his appeal than how much attention a director allows him. Kelly Reichardt gave him a lead in First Cow (2019), where male friendship suited his unforced tenderness. Their recurring collaboration makes sense for an actor who can hold our interest by listening. Celine Song’s Past Lives brought that same restraint into a marriage.

Song also exposes the danger of casting him as the understanding man. Arthur is so consistently fair that the marriage loses some of the friction it needs; our reservation is with the writing, not Magaro’s ability to suggest hurt. Production designer Grace Yun gives Arthur and Nora a small flat crowded with books, a convincing home that feels tight when a third person enters. The rooms make the awkwardness clear. We would have believed in the marriage more if he were allowed to be unfair.

That does not mean every small part is worth seeking out for him. In Maggie Gyllenhaal’s 2026 Frankenstein film, he is among the supporting players whose entrances promise subplots the film mostly leaves undeveloped. His willingness to work quietly is useful only when the film gives us enough of the person to care about him. For a fuller sense of what he can do, start with First Cow and Past Lives.