Dylan Arnold’s 10 Best Movies And TV Shows

Dylan Arnold is a relative newcomer to the entertainment industry. While he’s been active in the industry professionally since 2010, most of his early work is in short films that haven’t been made available to the general public. 2012 saw his big break with the movie Fat Kid Rules The World after attending the University of North Carolina’s School of the Arts.

It’s only in the last few years that Arnold has found himself in projects that could really propel his career forward. He’s been in some of the most popular Netflix movies and TV shows of the last few years. Most recently, he’s also appeared in an AppleTV+ series and has more short films on the way, but these are the best projects of his career so far.

10 The After Movies (2019, 2020)

As Noah

After We Collided Movie Poster ScreenRant logo 5/10 After We Collided (2020) RRomanceDrama

After We Collided is the sequel to the 2019 film After, continuing the tumultuous relationship between Tessa Young (Josephine Langford) and Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin). Directed by Roger Kumble, the film delves deeper into the complexities of their romance, exploring themes of trust, betrayal, and emotional growth. As Tessa embarks on a new internship, unresolved past issues resurface, challenging their future together.

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*Availability in US Director Roger Kumble Release Date October 23, 2020 Writers Anna Todd , Mario Celaya Cast Josephine Langford , Hero Fiennes Tiffin , Dylan Sprouse , Louise Lombard , Charlie Weber Runtime 105 Minutes

Many film fans will believe that the After movies are terrible. While they might not encapsulate the best romance arc on screen, they have provided all of the cast involved in them with some huge exposure. The movies are incredibly popular on Netflix and have a legion of fans which means even if critics give one of the movies a 12% on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the audience gives it a 93%.

Arnold only appears in two of the movies, After and After We Collided, as Noah. The main love story revolves around Tessa and Hardin whose ups and downs span four movies. Noah is Tessa’s ex-boyfriend. While he’s not as fleshed out of the characters in the movies, Arnold playing Noah allows casting directors and audiences to see that he was in a hugely popular movie series.

A composite image of Tessa and Hardin from various scenes in the After films series Related How To Watch The After Movies In Order

Based on Anna Todd’s popular novels, the After series explores the relationship between Tessa and Hardin. But what is the viewing order of the movies?

9 Laggies (2014)

As Patrick

Laggies - Poster - Keira Knightley, Chloe grace moretz & Sam Rockwell ScreenRant logo 5/10 laggies RComedyDramaRomance

Laggies is a comedy-drama film directed by Lynn Shelton, featuring Keira Knightley as Megan, a young woman experiencing a quarter-life crisis. Seeking refuge from her life’s responsibilities, Megan befriends Annika, a high school student played by Chloë Grace Moretz, and begins to navigate her way through delayed adulthood. Sam Rockwell co-stars as Annika’s father, Craig, adding depth and complexity to Megan’s journey of self-discovery.

Director Lynn Shelton Release Date September 25, 2014 Writers Andrea Seigel Cast Keira Knightley , Chloe Grace Moretz , Sam Rockwell , Kaitlyn Dever , Ellie Kemper Runtime 100 Minutes

Arnold plays a supporting role in Laggies to Kiera Knightley’s and Chloe Grace Moretz’s leading roles. Knightley stars as a young woman who experiences a quarter-life crisis when her boyfriend asks her to marry him – and elope. She lies to him, saying she will be away working for a week, and meets Moretz’s teenage character, buying alcohol for her and her friends and agreeing to pretend to be her mother for a guidance counselor meeting.

The two become friends, despite the age difference between them, and Knightley’s lost young woman even stays with the teenager and her single dad for a week. Arnold plays one of the teenage friends in the movie. He embodies a relatively typical teenager while Knightley and Moretz get to showcase more emotional, if understated, work.

Laggies won the Audience Award at the Tacoma Film Festival.

8 Lady In The Lake (2024)

As Stephen Zawadzkie

Lady in the Lake

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ScreenRant logo 8/10 10/10 Lady in the Lake MysteryDrama

BASED ON THE NOVEL BY LAURA LIPPMAN, LADY OF THE LAKE IS A FICTIONAL DRAMA MINISERIES BASED AROUND THE REAL DISAPPEARANCES OF A YOUNG GIRL AND A WOMAN, COMING TO APPLE TV+. THE STORY CENTERS AROUND MADELINE SCHWARTZ, A DISSATISFIED 1960S HOUSEWIFE OF TWENTY YEARS WHO ENDS HER MARRIAGE IN SEARCH OF A LIFE WITH MEANING. MADELINE, BETTER KNOWN AS MADDIE, SEEKS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD – TO DO SO, SHE HEADS DOWN THE PATH OF AN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST AFTER SOMEHOW HELPING THE BALTIMORE POLICE FIND THE BODY OF A YOUNG GIRL IN THE LAKE, CLEO SHERWOOD. LADY IN THE LAKE HAS NOIR ELEMENTS AND EXPLORES STATUS AND RACE IN A MURDER MYSTERY IN A DIFFERENT PERIOD. THE SERIES HAS BEEN DELAYED DUE TO AN INCIDENT IN LATE 2022 BUT IS STILL SET TO COME TO APPLE TV+ IN THE FUTURE. 

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*Availability in US Cast Natalie Portman , Moses Ingram , Y’lan Noel , Mikey Madison , Brett Gelman , Noah Jupe Release Date July 19, 2024 Seasons 1 Writers Laura Lippman

Lady In The Lake is one of Arnold’s most recent projects. The miniseries was made exclusively for AppleTV+. Again, Arnold plays a supporting role to a strong performance by more experienced actors. In this case, those actors are Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram in the leading roles.

Portman and Ingram play two women whose lives converge when a murder investigation upends their community. Arnold’s Stephen is someone interviewed by Portman’s journalist while he’s in a psychiatric care facility. It’s very different from most of the roles that Arnold has played in the past, allowing him to really get to stretch his acting range and portray someone the audience will find unsettling.

His character isn’t the villain of the show, but he plays Stephen as someone the audience cannot fully trust, someone who is always guarded.

7 Halloween Franchise (2018, 2021)

As Cameron Elam

Halloween 2018 Movie Poster

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ScreenRant logo 7/10 8/10 Halloween (2018) RHorrorThriller

Halloween is the first film of the David Gordon Green-directed sequel trilogy to the 1978 original horror/slasher film. Having been institutionalized for forty years after the events of the original Haddonfield murders, Michael Myers escapes during a prison transfer to pursue his original target, Laurie Strode. Having lived in fear of his shadow for years, Laurie learns of his return, setting the stage for war while trying to protect her daughter and granddaughter from her masked tormentor.

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*Availability in US Director David Gordon Green Release Date October 18, 2018 Writers David Gordon Green , Danny McBride , Jeff Fradley , John Carpenter , Debra Hill Cast Jamie Lee Curtis , Judy Greer , Andi Matichak , Will Patton , Virginia Gardner , James Jude Courtney , Nick Castle Runtime 106 Minutes

…one of his most popular movies.

When news of Halloween movies that acted as sequels to the original movies came, fans were skeptical. Halloween has been rebooted or negated movies in its own franchise multiple times. The 2018 Halloween and 2021 Halloween Kills, however, proved to be incredibly popular. Arnold appeared in the movies as Cameron, the boyfriend of Laurie Strode’s granddaughter Allyson.

Arnold is very much the horror movie archetype of the popular guy in these movies. Though he appears charming and devoted to Allyson at first, he also kisses another girl at a dance and is so drunk and angry when confronted, that he throws Allyson’s phone away and ignores how hurt she is. He also joins an angry mob to hunt for Michael once it’s clear that he’s back and killing people in town.

The Halloween movie isn’t a huge stretch for Arnold’s acting abilities, but it’s certainly a fun one, allowing him to play in a different genre. It’s also one of his most popular movies.

James Jude Courtney as The Shape aka Michael Myers with Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode from the Blumhouse Halloween Trilogy Related Is Halloween Already Erasing The Reboot Trilogy?

Miramax and Trancas are working on a television show set in the Halloween universe, but will its storyline erase the Blumhouse trilogy from the canon?

6 When We Rise (2017)

As Young Gilbert Baker

Dylan Baker smiling in When We Rise

While most actors get their first professional work in television before movies, Arnold goes in the opposite direction. He had roles in several movies and short films before getting his first television role in the miniseries When We Rise.

The series centers around the history of LGBT+ advocacy in the United States. It begins in the 1970s and runs through the 2010s, examining many of the landmark moments and the work it took to make them happen. Because the show has a huge ensemble cast, not every actor who appears in it gets to make a huge impact. Arnold only appears in a single episode as the younger Gilbert Baker, the activist who would go on to create the rainbow flag.

Combined with the performances of the actors, the miniseries also used archival footage to depict real events. The series won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series following its airing.

5 Mudbound (2017)

As Carl Atwood

mudbound poster ScreenRant logo 8/10 Mudbound RHistoryDrama

Mudhound is a 2017 Netflix original film starring Jason Mitchell, Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, and Mary J. Blige. Directed by Dee Rees, Mudhound tells the story of two World War II veterans who struggle to rejoin the world due to racial prejudices against them. The film was nominated for four Oscars. 

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*Availability in US Director Dee Rees Release Date November 17, 2017 Writers Dee Rees , Virgil Williams Cast Garrett Hedlund , Kerry Cahill , Mary J. Blige , Carey Mulligan , Kelvin Harrison Jr. , Jason Mitchell , Jason Clarke , Rob Morgan Runtime 134 minutes

Mudbound is one of Arnold’s highest-rated movies on both the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes (by both critics and the audience). Like many of Arnold’s best projects, Mudbound is a historical drama. The movie was inspired by the 2008 novel of the same name.

The movie follows two World War II veterans as they return home to Mississippi and deal with racism and PTSD. It offers very different experiences though as one of the veterans is white and the other is Black. Arnold doesn’t play either of those veterans, but a man who works on a farm.

Carl Atwood is racist, an alcoholic, and violent with his wife. He’s also desperate to keep his job. He is a picture of exactly what a desperate white man in 1940s Mississippi would be, and Arnold plays him superbly, encouraging the audience to dislike him immediately.

Mudbound is a 2019 CinEuphoria Award nominee for Best Ensemble.

4 You (2021)

As Theo In 9 Episodes

You Season 4 Poster You TV-MADramaCrime

You is a drama-thriller series based on the novel by Caroline Kepnes that follows an obsessive and dangerous bookstore owner known as Joe Goldberg. The show sees Joe meeting women that he becomes transfixed with and goes to terrifying lengths to insert himself into their lives. To accomplish his goal, Joe will remove each obstacle – and person- in his way.

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*Availability in US Cast Elizabeth Lail , Michaela McManus , Ambyr Childers , Victoria Pedretti , Luca Padovan , Scott Speedman , Travis Van Winkle , Penn Badgley , Jenna Ortega , Shay Mitchell Release Date September 9, 2018 Seasons 4 Showrunner Sera Gamble , Greg Berlanti

You explores what it’s like to have a stalker and killer among everyday people. While the show centers on Joe (Penn Badgley) and his obsessions as well as his attempts to cover up his misdeeds, each season features new characters. Arnold appears only in the third season of the series as one of those new characters.

Theo is a college student who doesn’t have the best relationship with his father. Theo tends to mask his feelings with substance use. He’s observant so he notices things that others might not. Theo also has an affair with Love and she tries to kill him. All of that means that this role is one of the meatiest Arnold has played in his career so far. It just so happens to be in one of the most popular Netflix shows of the last few years.

A composite image of Joe looking tired with Rhys smirking while sitting in a chair in You Related You Season 5: Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know

You season 5 will be Joe Goldberg’s final outing. Will the charismatic killer have to answer for his crimes in the hit Netflix thriller show?

3 Nashville (2018)

As Twig Wysecki In 8 Episodes

Nashville TV Series Poster Nashville TV-PGDramaMusicRomance

Nashville is a musical drama-romance series that began airing on ABC for the first four seasons of its run in 2012 before moving to CMT. The series follows the careers of various Nashville country music stars, specifically a former superstar named Rayna and a new rising star named Juliette.

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*Availability in US Cast Connie Britton , Hayden Panettiere , Clare Bowen , Eric Close , Charles Esten , Jonathan Jackson , Sam Palladio , Robert Wisdom , Powers Boothe , Chris Carmack , Lennon Stella , Maisy Stella , Will Chase , Oliver Hudson Release Date October 10, 2012 Seasons 6 Creator(s) Callie Khouri

In Nashville, most of the big characters are the singers of the series. The show is initially built around the rivalry between an established country singer and an up-and-coming country-pop star. As the show progressed, however, more musicians were added to the show and more relationships were explored.

One of those is the relationship between Maddie (the daughter of the original main character) and those she meets in the industry in the final season. While she briefly dates another singer/actor, she ends up in a relationship with Twig in the final stretch of the show. Twig is a regular guy who is a little hyperactive, but also very responsible since he is financially responsible for his younger siblings.

Arnold makes the character both youthful and mature at the same time. His time on the show, however, was short-lived since he only appeared in the final season of Nashville.

Nashville was nominated for multiple Emmys and Golden Globes.

2 Disfluency (2021)

As Jordan

A cropped image of a scared young woman in the poster for Disfluency

Disfluency was originally born as a short film in 2018 that Arnold appeared in. Though the name of his character changes from the original short to the feature, the idea of the film remains the same.

Jane (Libe Barer) appears in both the short and the film as a young woman whose final year of college is interrupted by her trauma. She returns home to recenter herself and deal with the results of her trauma. While there, she reconnects with her childhood friends, which includes Arnold as her longtime crush, Jordan. Arnold plays the role with an honesty and sincerity that is necessary in drama.

When it comes to fan ratings and review sites, Disfluency is actually Arnold’s highest-rated project. It earned a slew of nominations and awards across the film festival circuit, including the Jury Prize at the Austin Film Festival.

1 Oppenheimer (2023)

As Frank Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer Poster

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ScreenRant logo 9/10 8.5/10 Oppenheimer RDramaHistoryBiography

Oppenheimer is a film by Christopher Nolan, which follows the theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy will play the titular role, with the story based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.

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*Availability in US Director Christopher Nolan Release Date July 21, 2023 Writers Christopher Nolan Cast Cillian Murphy , Emily Blunt , Matt Damon , Robert Downey Jr. , Rami Malek , Florence Pugh Runtime 150 Minutes

Oppenheimer
is the most lauded overall of the projects Dylan Arnold has been in.

Though Disfluency is Arnold’s most critically lauded project, Oppenheimer is the kind of movie that is likely going to be one of the most impressive in his catalog for years to come. Oppenheimer recounts the work of the titular man on the Manhattan Project during World War II. Arnold plays the titular character’s younger brother who also worked on the project.

While Arnold’s role in the movie might not be the one most people are going to remember, the film boasts an impressive ensemble. It could hardly be expected for every single member of that huge cast to end up at the forefront of the movie.

Oppenheimer is the most lauded overall of the projects Dylan Arnold has been in. It earned over 300 nominations across award shows, critic circles, and guilds who work in the entertainment industry. Of those nominations, it won 193 of them, including seven Academy Awards.