Sean Hayes is a precise physical comedian, with Jack McFarland the clearest reason to value him. His film work is less persuasive when a supporting part amounts to an instruction to make more noise.
Fi1m perspective
The flamboyance is easy to notice in Sean Hayes's Jack McFarland; the physical timing deserves as much attention. In Will & Grace (1998–2006, revived 2017–2020), quick wit and physical comedy give him more to do than simply announce his presence. Debra Messing, Eric McCormack and Megan Mullally provide the regular company. We rate Hayes when he has a character to develop, and become less interested when being conspicuous is most of what a part requires.
His film debut, Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998), came before the pattern of supporting parts and animation settled in. Mr Tinkles in Cats & Dogs (2001) made use of his voice, while Larry in The Three Stooges (2012) was one of three leads. His dramatic stage work in 2023 took him beyond that familiar comic casting. It is worth keeping that work in mind when a film treats him as a ready supply of commotion.
Bradley Cooper's Is This Thing On? (2025) gives us some of that problem. Hayes plays Stephen, with him and Amy Sedaris supplying noise around the central marriage. We were frustrated by the extra noise because Arnett and Dern already make the marriage worth our attention. Cooper and Arnett also have the ease of old friends, which makes the smaller comic contributions feel less necessary. It is a good film, worth seeing for its central pair, but not one that gives Hayes much to work with.
His voice work cannot solve the larger problems of the 2017 emoji film, either. As Steven, he is part of a film whose thin characters and persistent advertising leave little for an actor to rescue. Edgar Wright's The Running Man (2025), in which Hayes plays Gary Greenbacks, is well cast and enjoyable for an hour before repetition takes over. Those shortcomings are not all his, and we would not use either film as the measure of his comic ability. For a reason to spend an evening with Hayes, we would still start with Will & Grace.
Biography
Sean Hayes is an American actor and comedian. Born on 26 June 1970 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, he trained at Illinois State University and began his career in Chicago theatre and stand-up before moving into television and film.
He is best known for playing Jack McFarland in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace (1998–2020), a role that earned him a Primetime Emmy Award and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. Hayes has appeared in films such as The Bucket List (2007), The Three Stooges (2012) and Monsters University (2013). On stage, he won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play for portraying Oscar Levant in Good Night, Oscar (2022).
In 2025 he played Stephen in Is This Thing On? and Gary Greenbacks in The Running Man. He co-hosts the podcast SmartLess with Jason Bateman and Will Arnett.
