Adam Driver’s Top Five Roles

Get acquainted with the Indiana sweetheart before his Star Wars screentime.
After his first movie appearance—in Clint Eastwood’s J.Edgar—Adam Driver has been a force to be reckoned with, racking up a string of Hollywood appearances over the last three years. From starring roles to awards from multiple film festivals, this Mishawaka-raised Hoosier and onetime University of Indianapolis student has been one to watch. Check out some of his best moments before heading to theaters on December 18 to see him in the villainous role of Kylo Ren for Star Wars: Episode VII.


1. Girls

Driver is best-known for his role as supporting character Adam Sackler on HBO’s Girls, where he plays the shockingly attractive, somewhat unstable on-again-off-again boyfriend of main character Hannah. He’s even been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series three years in a row for this role. If you really want to get to know Driver’s acting, then this is the perfect show to binge-watch—every awkward, relatable moment of it.


2. The F Word/What If

In one of Daniel Radcliffe’s first post-Potter movies, Driver plays the sarcastic, practical best friend to Radcliffe’s unrealistic dreamer. If you like long-shot romances, witty repartee, and awkward practical jokes, maybe this movie is for you. (P.S.—If you’re confused about the naming, blame the MPAA—the film was retitled for release in the U.S. and U.K. because of the implied foul language.)


3. This Is Where I Leave You

This 2014 release sees a group of siblings coping with their father’s death, after his will requires them to remain together in their family home with their mother for one week in order to get their inheritance. The talented cast has Driver playing the family’s black sheep, as their wannabe-playboy, pot-growing brother. Considering his other starring roles, it really isn’t that surprising.


4. While We’re Young


In his last big-screen appearance before taking on the role of the mysteriously evil Kylo Ren, Driver played the part of morally ambiguous millennial Jamie Massey. In this comedy, he and Amanda Seyfried are twenty-somethings who befriend a middle-aged pair, giving the more mature couple a new worldview while also raising questions about work ethic and honesty. With its generally positive critical views and generally negative audience reviews, you have license to feel like a film snob if you watch this movie.


5. Law & Order: SVU

Because if you haven’t guested on a Law & Order spinoff, are you really an actor?