You may not know you know who James Badge Dale is, but you probably know who James Badge Dale is, in the same way you probably know who Stephen Tobolowsky, William Fichtner, Richard Jenkins, Gary Cole, and JK Simmons all are, even if the names don’t look familiar at all. Every now and then an actor will show up in a movie or TV show that you happen to be watching, and you’re think to yourself that he looks vaguely familiar. Then you see him in the next thing you watch and you’re like ok, who the hell is this guy!
Right now, that guy for me is James Badge Dale. I learned his name last year and forgot it until this past month, so I’m trying to repeat it as much as possible to myself in writing in order to remember it for good; he seems like he could continue to do some really great work. It’s possible you first saw him in the third season of 24, or as the guy who shoots Leo DiCaprio in The Departed. I’m sure many of us saw him in the 1990 adaptation of Lord of the Flies but no one ought to be expected to make that connection.
Today, he’s a supporting scene stealer. Here are 5 roles about which from now on, whenever you think of them, you should think to yourself: that was played by my man James Badge Dale.
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