Justin Theroux is good at making smug men worth watching, and capable of more than a brief comic nuisance. We rate him; the recurring frustration is how little some of his films ask him to do.
Fi1m perspective
In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024), Justin Theroux plays Rory, a man the film plainly wants us to dislike. Theroux is well suited to this sort of unwelcome company, though Tim Burton gives him plenty of competition for our attention. We were frustrated by how little time any thread had to develop: editor Jay Prychidny cuts between at least five plots and ends scenes when their jokes are done. There is fun here, but we would rather see Theroux in a comedy that could stay with him for longer.
American Psycho (2000) gives that tendency a better setting, with Theroux's Timothy Bryce in Mary Harron's satire of male vanity. Christian Bale's precise performance and Harron's alarming comedy earn our recommendation. The people around Bale's Bateman are thinly drawn, which limits what we can claim for Theroux's contribution, though it remains an early example of the satirical ensemble work that suits him. His work with David Lynch, including Adam Kesher in Mulholland Drive (2001), took him into stranger territory.
There was also a move into writing, with Tropic Thunder (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010), alongside the acting. Ben Stiller is among his writing collaborators, but the more important turn for anyone assessing the actor is The Leftovers (2014–2017). As Kevin Garvey, he had a television lead through which to explore a difficult man at greater length. The nuance of that performance offers a useful alternative to the smug supporting figures he is so often asked to play, and makes the thinness of some subsequent film parts frustrating.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) gives him another supporting role as Benji, and again there is less to play than the billing promises. He shares that problem with Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Liu and Simone Ashley; the newcomers arrive with a purpose but are not given enough room. The film is amiable and well acted, so the effort is there even when the material is slight. We would welcome another substantial lead, or simply a supporting role allowed to last beyond its immediate purpose.
Biography
Justin Theroux is an American actor and screenwriter. Born on 10 August 1971 in Washington, District of Columbia, he is known for roles in Mulholland Drive (2001), American Psycho (2000) and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024), in which he played Rory.
Theroux has also appeared in The Girl on the Train (2016), Bumblebee (2018) and The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) as Benji. He wrote the screenplays for Tropic Thunder (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010), and starred as Kevin Garvey in the television series The Leftovers (2014–2017).
