The 2025 Movie Star Rankings: 35 Over 35. Plus: Nicolas Cage!

Highest 2 Lowest 2025

Spike Lee's fifth with Denzel, an Apple/A24 remake of Kurosawa; opens in theaters August 22, on Apple TV+ two weeks later, which is what set Sean off.

High and Low 1963

The Kurosawa original being remade.

Inside Man 2006

Denzel's last crime drama with Spike Lee; $185M.

American Gangster 2007

$267M, cited to argue Denzel still sells theatrical.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 2009

Safe House 2012

The Equalizer 2014

The Little Things 2021

Day-and-date during the pandemic and still made $30M.

Parasite 2019

Part of the global-cinema wave the tariff talk ignores.

Anatomy of a Fall 2023

The Instigators 2024

The Apple dump that made Amanda nervous about Highest 2 Lowest.

The Gorge 2025

Another Apple straight-to-streaming release Sean is annoyed by.

Fountain of Youth 2025

Same complaint.

Another Simple Favor 2025

The peg for the whole episode: two 35-over-35 stars, neither of whom made the list. Sean thought it was bad, Amanda enjoyed the first 20 minutes of pure Kendrick-Lively rapport before it went broad.

A Simple Favor 2018

The original, which made $97M in theaters and had a toxic curiosity this sequel trades for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels farce.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels 1988

The con-artist farce the sequel actually resembles.

It Ends with Us 2024

Part of Blake Lively's recent run and her image problem; Sean finds her better as a villain than as someone sympathetic.

The Town 2010

Where Lively is a real asshole, i.e. her best mode.

Bridesmaids 2011

Feig's real-comedy peak that Amanda wishes he'd return to.

The Heat 2013

Another Feig theatrical comedy.

The Accountant 2016

Amanda's example of Anna Kendrick's 'why are you here' frequency.

Deadpool & Wolverine 2024

Lively's cameo, part of her recent stretch.

IF 2024

Lively's voice work; also Krasinski's directorial effort, mentioned repeatedly later.

Thor: Love and Thunder 2022

Christian Bale (Sean's toughest cut), good in a bad movie.

The Pale Blue Eye 2022

Bale, on Netflix.

Amsterdam 2022

Bale; a disaster that made no money, orders of magnitude worse than a Hemsworth flop.

Extraction 2020

Chris Hemsworth (Amanda's toughest cut): huge on Netflix, but never a draw outside a franchise.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga 2024

Hemsworth is great in it, but it didn't perform.

Bad Times at the El Royale 2018

The last original theatrical movie Hemsworth made.

Crime 101 2026

Hemsworth, Halle Berry, Barry Keoghan, Mark Ruffalo; a Michael Mann-ish crime movie, his next test.

Nope 2022

Daniel Kaluuya's last leading role; where has he been?

Judas and the Black Messiah 2021

Kaluuya, arguably his last lead before Nope.

The Lost City 2022

Sandra Bullock's last leading role; $200M, then she stopped taking parts.

Bullet Train 2022

Bullock's cameo since.

The Fabelmans 2022

Seth Rogen as a critical character, not the lead.

An American Pickle 2020

Rogen's last real star vehicle.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery 2022

Janelle Monae looked like a movie star, then stopped making movies.

IF 2024

John Krasinski wrote, directed, and played the creepy father; voice/support doesn't count.

Ballerina 2025

Ana de Armas: not out yet, so not eligible.

No Time to Die 2021

de Armas, one great scene.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery 2025

Daniel Craig, still making them (for Netflix).

Queer 2024

Craig's snub, which Sean reads as a stature demerit.

Monkey Man 2024

Dev Patel: a swing Sean liked, but not there yet.

Song Sung Blue 2025

Hugh Jackman, a sneaky awards contender at year's end.

Road House 2024

Jake Gyllenhaal, fallen back into streaming movies and TV.

Blink Twice 2024

Zoe Kravitz, cut.

Madame Web 2024

Dakota Johnson, coming off a tough stretch; a Materialist-test star.

Materialists 2025

Out in a month; Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal are all off the list pending it.

Eddington 2025

Pedro Pascal's Ari Aster movie; part of the loaded slate that still isn't enough for Sean yet.

Gladiator II 2024

Pascal, okay in it.

Wonder Woman 1984 2020

Pascal, fine.

The Adjustment Bureau 2011

Pascal as the maitre d'.

The Great Wall 2016

Pascal opposite Matt Damon.

Leave the World Behind 2023

No. 35 Julia Roberts: one of Netflix's five most-watched movies ever.

After the Hunt 2025

No. 35 Julia Roberts: the Luca Guadagnino campus drama keeping her eligible, maybe an Oscar play.

Jurassic World Rebirth 2025

No. 34 Mahershala Ali: the quippy Harrison Ford part.

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse 2027

No. 34 Mahershala Ali: the Prowler, arguably the key voice.

The Odyssey 2026

No. 33 Anne Hathaway: the most anticipated movie in the world, and how she got onto the list.

Mother Mary 2026

No. 33 Anne Hathaway: David Lowery's A24 film, playing a pop star.

The Idea of You 2024

No. 33 Anne Hathaway: Michael Showalter directed her last one.

Flowervale Street 2026

No. 33 Anne Hathaway: David Robert Mitchell, pushed 16 months, apparently has dinosaurs.

Maestro 2023

No. 32 Bradley Cooper: a leading role, and a maniac's movie Sean loves.

Nightmare Alley 2021

No. 32 Bradley Cooper: the other lead of the memorial 50-something slot.

Is This Thing On? 2025

No. 32 Bradley Cooper: his next as director; whether he qualifies hinges on how big his role is.

A Quiet Place: Day One 2024

No. 31 Lupita Nyong'o: doing a lot of the eligibility work.

12 Years a Slave 2013

No. 31 Lupita Nyong'o: the Oscar.

Top Gun: Maverick 2022

No. 30 Glen Powell: the launch.

Hit Man 2023

No. 30 Glen Powell.

Twisters 2024

No. 30 Glen Powell: legitimate fame.

The Running Man 2025

No. 30 Glen Powell: the fall tentpole, plus the secretive J.J. Abrams movie.

Everything Everywhere All at Once 2022

No. 29 Michelle Yeoh: the Oscar win.

Wicked 2024

No. 29 Michelle Yeoh: a big star even if Sean thinks the performance stinks.

Crazy Rich Asians 2018

No. 29 Michelle Yeoh: her persistent recent run.

A Minecraft Movie 2025

No. 28 Jason Momoa: chicken jockey; the thing that makes his case.

Aquaman 2018

No. 28 Jason Momoa.

The Fall Guy 2024

No. 28 Jason Momoa, amusingly, at the end.

In the Hand of Dante 2025

No. 28 Jason Momoa: the Julian Schnabel movie.

Roofman 2025

No. 27 Channing Tatum: Derek Cianfrance's return, based on the true story of a McDonald's robber hiding in a Toys R Us.

The Lost City 2022

No. 27 Channing Tatum: part of his tight comeback stretch.

Magic Mike's Last Dance 2023

No. 27 Channing Tatum.

G20 2025

No. 26 Viola Davis: the one Sean promised to watch and didn't.

Air 2023

No. 26 Viola Davis: they made this list right after it last time, which flattered her ranking.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes 2023

No. 26 Viola Davis: Amanda hated it; her sister Grace called it a classic.

Uncut Gems 2019

No. 25 Adam Sandler: the high point before a semi-muted stretch.

Happy Gilmore 2 2025

No. 25 Adam Sandler: dropping on Amanda's birthday.

Jay Kelly 2025

No. 25 Adam Sandler: the Noah Baumbach movie, number-two role, lots of Oscar buzz.

Die My Love 2025

No. 24 Jennifer Lawrence (a cheat, not 35 until August): the Lynne Ramsay film added to Cannes.

No Hard Feelings 2023

No. 24 Jennifer Lawrence: quite good and very funny.

Causeway 2022

No. 24 Jennifer Lawrence.

Oppenheimer 2023

No. 23 Emily Blunt: the Oscar nomination that tacks onto her ranking.

The Fall Guy 2024

No. 23 Emily Blunt: really good.

The Smashing Machine 2025

No. 23 Emily Blunt: the A24 movie with The Rock, plus the Spielberg UFO movie, i.e. being knighted.

Here 2024

No. 22 Tom Hanks: a performance Amanda loved.

The Phoenician Scheme 2025

No. 22 Tom Hanks: the Wes Anderson ensemble; they're not talking about it.

Toy Story 5 2026

No. 22 Tom Hanks.

Greyhound 2020

No. 22 Tom Hanks: a sequel is coming; nobody can recall the first.

Tár 2022

No. 21 Cate Blanchett: what they were coming off last time.

Black Bag 2025

No. 21 Cate Blanchett: doing a lot of work here.

Borderlands 2024

No. 21 Cate Blanchett: a fiasco, not her fault.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps 2025

No. 20 Robert Downey Jr.: Doctor Doom, the reveal that popped.

Avengers: Doomsday 2026

No. 20 Robert Downey Jr.: back to Marvel, to Sean's mild dismay.

Ballerina 2025

No. 19 Keanu Reeves: brought in for reshoots to work the John Wick magic.

Good Fortune 2025

No. 19 Keanu Reeves: an angel in the Aziz Ansari comedy.

Something's Gotta Give 2003

No. 19 Keanu Reeves: yeoman's work as an unreasonably hot doctor.

The Old Guard 2 2025

No. 18 Charlize Theron.

Fast X 2023

No. 18 Charlize Theron: the thin recent stretch that has Amanda begging her to make more movies.

The Garfield Movie 2024

No. 17 Chris Pratt: renowned for his work as Garfield.

The Electric State 2025

No. 17 Chris Pratt: 'Jim State.'

Mercy 2025

No. 17 Chris Pratt: a Minority Report-for-brain-injuries pitch, with Rebecca Ferguson; it looked entertaining.

Mickey 17 2025

No. 16 Robert Pattinson: not a huge hit, but Sean thinks people are too hard on it.

The Batman 2022

No. 16 Robert Pattinson: he's Batman, Batman 2 pending.

The Drama 2026

No. 16 Robert Pattinson: the A24 drama with Zendaya.

Barbie 2023

No. 15 Margot Robbie: the phenomenon, Amanda's No. 2 of its year.

Babylon 2022

No. 15 Margot Robbie: where she went from 'are we sure she's good' to mattering.

Wuthering Heights 2026

No. 15 Margot Robbie: the Emerald Fennell one Sean is concerned about.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey 2025

No. 15 Margot Robbie: September, opposite Colin Farrell.

Joker: Folie à Deux 2024

No. 14 Joaquin Phoenix: the disaster in a tricky stretch.

Napoleon 2023

No. 14 Joaquin Phoenix: didn't hit here, did well in Europe.

Eddington 2025

No. 14 Joaquin Phoenix: the new Ari Aster.

A Minecraft Movie 2025

No. 13 Jack Black: a huge movie star, Minecraft plus Mario plus Kung Fu Panda plus Jumanji.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2023

No. 13 Jack Black.

Anaconda 2025

No. 13 Jack Black: a tongue-in-cheek riff on the '90s original.

Deadpool & Wolverine 2024

No. 12 Ryan Reynolds: we're living in his century.

Free Guy 2021

No. 12 Ryan Reynolds.

The Adam Project 2022

No. 12 Ryan Reynolds: the Spielberg-esque sci-fi mode Sean can't stand.

Project Hail Mary 2025

No. 11 Ryan Gosling: the Vegas footage looked great.

Star Wars: Starfighter 2027

No. 11 Ryan Gosling: directed by Shawn Levy, and 'Star Wars' is the premium brand name.

The Fall Guy 2024

No. 11 Ryan Gosling: the more appealing of the two Ryans, per the hosts.

Air 2023

No. 10 Matt Damon: 'pretty good,' but a movie about marketing.

The Odyssey 2026

No. 10 Matt Damon: the vault-up, plus Oppenheimer.

The Rip 2025

No. 10 Matt Damon: with Ben Affleck, whose mantle Matt is carrying.

The Smashing Machine 2025

No. 9 Dwayne Johnson: 'is it The Rock's Oscar time?' after five stinkers in a row.

Moana 2 2024

No. 9 Dwayne Johnson: amusing; a soundtrack Sean's warmed to.

Red One 2024

No. 9 Dwayne Johnson: part of the cold streak.

Avatar: Fire and Ash 2025

No. 8 Zoe Saldana: Neytiri, the biggest films of all time.

Emilia Pérez 2024

No. 8 Zoe Saldana: what an Academy Award gets you, a big jump from 27.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 2023

No. 8 Zoe Saldana.

Sinners 2025

No. 7 Michael B. Jordan: he did it, just a movie star; a huge, cool movie heading past $300M.

Creed III 2023

No. 7 Michael B. Jordan.

The Thomas Crown Affair 2026

No. 7 Michael B. Jordan: his next, directing and starring, with Taylor Russell reportedly.

F1 2025

No. 6 Brad Pitt: a huge amount riding on it.

Wolfs 2024

No. 6 Brad Pitt: not great.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2019

No. 6 Brad Pitt: the David Fincher / Tarantino Cliff Booth movie is coming, for Netflix.

Jurassic World Rebirth 2025

No. 5 Scarlett Johansson: so she's fine, whatever the scandals.

Asteroid City 2023

No. 5 Scarlett Johansson: fantastic in it.

Black Widow 2021

No. 5 Scarlett Johansson: the Disney pay dispute era she's climbed out of.

Poor Things 2023

No. 4 Emma Stone: the second Oscar, one of four with Yorgos Lanthimos.

La La Land 2016

No. 4 Emma Stone: 'the star of La La Land is niche,' Sean's rebuttal to himself.

Bugonia 2025

No. 4 Emma Stone: her fourth with Lanthimos, out this fall.

Highest 2 Lowest 2025

No. 3 Denzel Washington, the only septuagenarian on the list; the Spike Lee movie coming soon.

Gladiator II 2024

No. 3 Denzel Washington: the best part, by a margin.

Malcolm X 1992

No. 3 Denzel Washington: Ben Affleck called it the greatest screen performance of all time.

The Equalizer 3 2023

No. 3 Denzel Washington: the best part of that too.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning 2025

No. 2 Tom Cruise, down from No. 1; Sean sees it in a week, a huge moment in his life.

One Battle After Another 2025

No. 1 Leonardo DiCaprio, up on vibes; the only person who could get PTA's movie made and released this way. A true box-office test.

The Surfer 2024

Cage's new film with Lorcan Finnegan: an enigmatic, nonlinear story with a psychedelic streak. He talks about the prop rat, the punk-rock-Billy-Wilder 'eat it' scene, and choosing parts he feels he doesn't have to act.

The Swimmer 1968

The strongest reference point; he heard Lancaster's voice in his head during one scene. Cheever's story is arguably more powerful than the movie.

Wake in Fright 1971

New to him; the writer and director brought it up as an Ozploitation touchstone.

Walkabout 1971

Nicolas Roeg; broke his heart as a child, an unrequited love story.

Picnic at Hanging Rock 1975

Peter Weir; a bigger influence on him than the Ozploitation label.

The Last Wave 1977

Peter Weir.

Face/Off 1997

John Woo had him watch Bullet in the Head to show how far the performance could go.

Bullet in the Head 1990

The Woo film whose operatic scale told Cage what Woo would let him do.

Hard Boiled 1992

The Woo classic Cage already knew.

The Killer 1989

The other Woo classic he knew going in.

Matchstick Men 2003

Cage's pick for an underrated film of his; he chose it over Mystic River, and thinks it's one of Ridley Scott's best.

Mystic River 2003

The Clint Eastwood role (Robbins's part) he passed on for Matchstick Men.

Vampire's Kiss 1988

The self-referential lineage, taking on Dracula years later.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent 2022

Part of the recent run of parts in conversation with his own career.

Dream Scenario 2023

Christopher Borgli saw Wild at Heart and knew that performance style would work here.

Wild at Heart 1990

The style younger filmmakers keep reintroducing; The Surfer has some of it.

Vivarium 2019

Cage saw Finnegan's film in the cinema and responded to it.

Sabrina 1954

The Billy Wilder 'eat it' bit he riffed on with ketchup.

Like Father, Like Son 2013

Cage's last-great pick: Kore-eda's swapped-at-birth drama, some of the best acting he's ever seen.

East of Eden 1955

James Dean; why he got into cinema in the first place.

Enter the Dragon 1973

Bruce Lee moving everywhere: one pole of compelling screen presence.

Once Upon a Time in the West 1968

Charles Bronson doing nothing and riveting: the other pole. 'You just are that.'