All movie stars must work their way up from the unknown before reaching soaring heights of fame. Over a decade ago, a little-known indie short film called Short Term 12 premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, highlighting the struggles of troubled kids staying at a residential treatment facility and the staff who supervise them. It became a 96-minute feature film four years later starring Brie Larson, Rami Malek, John Gallagher Jr. — before they became in-demand stars — and a newcomer named LaKeith Stanfield.
The then-21-year-old played Marcus, a bottled-up, suicidal teen who fears being out on his own as he nears his 18th birthday (Stanfield also portrayed him in the original short). The heartfelt drama saw Stanfield delicately balance his character’s tough exterior and raw humanity in a breakout performance that snowballed into his now-decorated acting career. To think, the opportunity almost missed him after he briefly quit acting. Had Short Term 12 director Destin Daniel Cretton not tracked down Stanfield for his movie back then, the actor-musician may not have had the chance to lead his latest blockbuster film, The Book of Clarence.
Directed by The Harder They Fall’s Jeymes Samuel, the biblical epic tells the story of the eponymous Clarence (Stanfield), a down-on-his-luck non-believer who, enthralled by the power of the rising Messiah, tries to prove he’s a somebody by mimicking the miracles and gospel of Jesus for his own divine path. The inventive New Testament tale adds an amusing dose of fiction as it recalls the life and death of Christ, leaning on the humorous antics and sobering redemption of its protagonist to lay out a moving self-discovery arc. Stanfield pulls double duty in the sweeping movie, also portraying Clarence’s twin brother, Thomas, one of the 12 apostles. It wouldn’t be the first time the actor took on the challenge of two-pronged roles (i.e., Get Out). His ability to effortlessly dance in and out of comedy, charm, and vulnerability has been fine-tuned by a 10+ year Hollywood journey and a dozen dazzling onscreen performances. All this makes Stanfield not only the perfect lead for The Book of Clarence but also one of the most impressive acting talents of this generation.
The chase for innovative and nuanced projects helped shape Stanfield’s versatile catalog. His first film role and his latest couldn’t be more different, but those diverse opportunities, and everything in between, have proved that he can handle any task. Whether he plays a mild-mannered lover boy in a starry-eyed romance (2020’s The Photograph), a compelling civil rights activist in a historical picture (2014’s Selma), or an astrophysicist-turned-haunted tour guide in a whimsical family feature (2023’s Haunted Mansion), Stanfield’s résumé proves he’s well-equipped to embody any character you throw at him.
2014 and 2015 were significant years for the actor. In addition to starring in buzzy films like Ava DuVernay’s Selma, Rick Famuyiwa’s Dope, and the second The Purge installment, Anarchy, Stanfield also nabbed his next breakthrough supporting role: portraying a young Snoop Dogg in the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. Stepping into the Doggfather’s shoes — Stanfield wore a custom pair of platform Chuck Taylors to achieve Snoop’s staggering 6’4” height, according to Vibe — Stanfield made his minor appearance in the box-office hit a role to remember with his best Snoop impression. He even rapped the opening lines of “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” with a near-pitch-perfect cadence that would make even Snoop proud. But while Stanfield caught the world’s attention in Straight Outta Compton, Donald Glover’s critically acclaimed dramedy Atlanta put him on the map.
The audacious FX series premiered in the fall of 2016, introducing us to Stanfield’s oddball, visionist stoner character Darius. The actor himself has said that his Atlanta role resembles him most in real life — mysterious, easygoing, dryly humorous, and always moving to the beat of his own drum. Four seasons on Atlanta turned Stanfield into a certified fan favorite and the best comedic relief on what many critics have dubbed one of the greatest TV shows of all time — yet another crowned jewel on Stanfield’s acting track record. He continued to steal scenes between seasons, this time in Jordan Peele’s horror-thriller classic, 2017’s Get Out.
But then things started to shift.
After a handful of feature film appearances — and a notable part in Jay-Z’s all-Black Friends parody featured in his “Moonlight” music video — leading man status finally found Stanfield in 2018’s Sorry to Bother You. The dizzying Boots Riley-directed fantasy satire stars the actor as Cassius “Cash” Green, a telemarketer who unexpectedly unearths the secret to professional success (imitating a white man’s voice) and the dark side of corporate America. Supported by a stacked cast of stars — Tessa Thompson, Omari Hardwick, Danny Glover, Steven Yeun, and more — Stanfield delivered an imaginative performance that matched Sorry to Bother You’s equally quirky energy, successfully leading the way through the film’s ultra-radical critique of capitalism and white privilege. Stanfield proved himself a capable comedic hero who could hold his own center stage, and this was just the beginning for him.
His next notable role supported a slightly unrecognizable Adam Sandler in their high-stakes, anxiety-fueled drama Uncut Gems. Set in New York’s Diamond District, the unnerving story, directed by the Safdie Brothers, sees the comedy icon portray a shady jewelry store owner and gambling addict named Howard Ratner, with Stanfield as his streetwise business associate, Demany, who works the hustle of luring in possible clientele. The crooked role was quite the opposite of Stanfield’s more restrained parts in Rian Johnson’s murder mystery hit Knives Out — where he played a detective — and the romantic drama The Photograph with Issa Rae as his love interest. However, we’d later see Stanfield wholly undone as the betrayer in the 2021 Academy Award-nominated picture Judas and the Black Messiah.
In the historical drama, the actor famously portrays William O’Neal, the FBI informant who infiltrated the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party and befriended Chairman Fred Hampton (played by his Get Out co-star Kaluuya) to gather intel on him, which played a crucial role in the activist’s tragic assassination. Stanfield struggled to find the humanity in the film’s Judas, telling W Magazine in 2021, “I was very nervous about playing someone who was a traitor. I didn’t know if I could connect to the character, and I didn’t know if I could show him in an authentic light.” Still, his complicated and empathetic depiction scored him an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role — a career-first.
Stanfield has grown quite a knack for picking critically acclaimed projects over the years. So it’s no surprise he found himself among the star-studded cast in Samuel’s 2021 Wild West smash The Harder They Fall with Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Regina King, Zazie Beatz, Danielle Deadwyler, Delroy Lindo, and The Book of Clarence co-star RJ Cyler. Stanfield’s turn as the legendary outlaw Cherokee Bill may have reminded viewers of his commanding presence onscreen, being equally menacing and charming as a villain. However, by then, he’d already secured his part in Samuel’s next all-star film, affirming his leading man flair.
Stanfield has remained a hot commodity in Hollywood these past few years, snagging another lead role in Apple TV+’s supernatural horror series The Changeling this past fall. And even more of music’s biggest stars have yearned to have the actor part of their cinematic visualizers — including Metro Boomin’s “Heroes & Villains” and SZA’s “I Hate U” and “Shirt” music videos. The high demand further cements why Stanfield qualifies as the sublime lead in The Book of Clarence; he knows just how to draw audiences in and keep them hooked. “A generational talent” is what Samuel referred to him as when speaking to The Hollywood Reporter last year.
So, the only thing left to wonder is what the actor will dazzle us with next. Another music biopic to sharpen his rap talents? His turn as the next Joker that he’s been manifesting for years? Whatever the role, surely it’ll be another worthy challenge for Stanfield.
