David Fincher has his favorites, but there aren’t many. In his 12 feature films, Fincher has collaborated with a handful of actors more than once and onlyBrad Pittmore than twice. He is a director who revels in the casting process, often obsessing over the perfect casting for a lead and supporting character. This has led to sometruly inspired casting choices by David Fincher, dating as far back as when he cast Brad Pitt against type (at the time) inSe7en.
From Oscar winners to up-and-coming talent, Fincher has worked with a range of actors, expecting the same from every one of them. However, despite his fluidity in casting, there are several big-name actors he has not collaborated with. Based on their previous work, how closely theyalign with the intensity of a Fincher project, or their all-round dedication to the craft,these are some of the actors that are surprisingly still yet to work with David Fincher.
10Austin Butler
Most Recently Seen in ‘The Bikeriders’ (2024)
Thanks to recent performances inThe BikeridersandDune: Part Two, Oscar nomineeAustin Butlerhas proven himself an excellent character actor. He has shown an ability to simultaneously make his character the focus of the audience’s attention or subtly fade into the background. After a breakthrough role inQuentin Tarantino’sOnce Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Butler rubber-stamped his movie star bona fides with the titular performance in 2022’sElvis.
Another actor who has previously dominated this rarified air is recurring David Fincher collaborator and Butler’sOnce Upon a Time… in Hollywoodco-star Brad Pitt. In Fincher’s three collaborations with Pitt, he weaponized his movie star charm to devastating effect inFight Club,underplayed it in favor of a deeper character study inSe7en,and balanced both inThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Fincher has proven adept at utilizing his actors' innate acting abilities and movie star status to create excellent performances. It stands to reason thatan Austin Butler and David Fincher collaboration would bring the best out of the actor.
The Bikeriders
9Barry Keoghan
Most Recently Seen in ‘Bird’ (2024)
Butler’sMasters of the Airco-starBarry Keoghanhas made a name for himselfin recent years as one of the most eclectic and interesting actors working. Thanks to performances inThe Killing of a Sacred Deer,The Banshees of InisherinandSaltburn, Keoghan has exhibited a boldness of choice in his acting.
As established in his 30-year filmography,David Fincher is fond of an off-kilter protagonist. With so many of his lead characters being villains or anti-heroes, he usually seeks out talented actors who can bring complexity to these characters. Keoghan’s ability to morph between projects and sometimes multiple times within the same film makes him an excellent Fincher actor. He is equally proficient at playing the sympathetic lead and the chaotic antagonist, an asset that Fincher would be able to employ just as he did to such great heights inThe Social NetworkandGone Girl.
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8Lupita Nyong’o
Last Seen in ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’
In the years sinceLupita Nyong’owon an Academy Award for her performance in12 Years a Slave, she’s unfortunately not received the diversity and depth of roles that her talent deserves. In addition to12 Years a Slave, her performances inJordan Peele’sUsandMichael Sarnoski’sA Quiet Place: Day OneproveLupita’s immense acting talentand intense dedication.
David Fincher’s lead female characters have run the full gamut of character types, ranging from alien-fighting heroines to manipulating, murderous housewives. However, what they all have in common isan inherent determined and steely resolutionthat’s also present in Nyong’o’s performances. This is a trait that the Oscar-winning actress has always presented in her roles, perfectly aligning her with Fincher’s cache of female characters and actors.
A Quiet Place: Day One
7Cillian Murphy
Most Recently Seen in ‘Small Things Like These’ (2024)
Cillian Murphyhas made a film career ofinhabiting varied supporting characters. Bringing a focus and single-mindedness to his characters, Murphy has consistently been regarded as an excellent character actor. His extensive collaboration withChristoper Nolanis a great testament to his ability, with his performances ranging from the cowardly Shivering Soldier inDunkirkto the villainous Scarecrow inThe Dark Knight trilogy.
Before his Academy Award-winning performance in Nolan’sOppenheimer, Cillian Murphy was best known for his television work as Thomas Shelby inSteven Knight’sPeaky Blinders.Tommy Shelby is a character who maintains a strong moral code and prioritizes his family but is not afraid to get his hands dirty. He is always the smartest character in the room but is not immune to his vices. Murphy’s willingness to go as far as is needed for the performance andOppenheimer’s vindication that Cillian Murphy can do it on the biggest of stages make himan ideal Fincher collaborator.
Small Things Like These
6Florence Pugh
Most Recently Seen in ‘We Live in Time’ (2024)
If there’s a thematic connection between David Fincher’s 12 feature films, it is his lack of fear in confronting dark people and heavy subject matter. Since her breakthrough inAri Aster’sMidsommar,Florence Pughhas routinely returned to films with heavy central topics. From stories about addiction, terminal illnesses, and domestic abuse, Florence Pugh has repeatedly proven to be unafraid of the darker topics.
A co-star of Cillian Murphy’s in the Best Picture-winningOppenheimer, Pugh’s interest in heavy material and objectively recognized acting talent have led her to great performances in exciting films from prominent filmmakers. She is also devoid of ego, opting to take smaller roles inOppenheimerandDune: Part Twofor the chance to work with their esteemed directors.Florence Pugh’s dedication to and love of filmmakingand herwillingness to embrace dark materialmake her a perfect collaborator for David Fincher.
We Live in Time
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5Alexander Skarsgård
Most Recently Seen in ‘Lee’ (2024)
Few Hollywood leading men have had a career as varied asAlexander Skarsgård. From headlining epic historical action films fromRobert Eggersto bone-chilling villain performances inBig Little Liesand turns in independent science fiction horrors,Skarsgård has proven that he’s not afraid to get weird! Luckily,David Fincherhas always favored a leading man who is willing to go on the ledge with him.
An often underrated aspect of Fincher’s films is their darkly comic sensibilities. Despite playing in heavy genre sandboxes, his films are often littered with humorous moments, most especially in his most biting satires. Pitt andMichael Fassbenderhave proven to be great deliverers of Fincher’s humor. Thanks to hilarious turns inAtlantaandSuccession, Skarsgårdhas justifiably grown a reputation as a funny character actor willing to be weird and funny, even at his own expense. Alexander gets bonus points forhis father,Stellan Skarsgård, previously working with Fincher in 2011’sThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
4Viola Davis
An EGOT winner,Viola Davisis widely regarded as one of the best actors of her generation. She has gradually grown from smaller, character-focused parts to leading roles, never sacrificing the essential character work along the way. Despite the malleability of her performances, every Viola Davis character is instantly recognizable through the actor’s resolve and intensity. A consummate professional, Davis is among the rare group of actors that has arguably never put in a sub-par performance.
A Julliard-trained actor, Viola Davis' intensity is just one of the many tools in her arsenal that make her a perfect Fincher collaborator. Her experience playing morally dubious characters also makes her fit right into the Fincher wheelhouse. WithThe Woman King, she also proved thatshe can match her cerebral acting talents with a physicalitythat many of Fincher’s leading ladies have possessed.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
3Charlize Theron
Most Recently Seen in ‘Fast X’ (2023)
If there ever were an actress in the last two decades that could rival Ripley’s physicality or could conceivably replaceRosamund Pikeas Amy Dunne, it would be Academy Award-winnerCharlize Theron. Similar to Viola Davis, Theron has provencapable of excellent character work and intense physicality. Both of these traits were brought to a masterful alchemy in her role as Furiosa inGeorge Miller’sMad Max: Fury Road.
While Theron has leaned more into action vehicles in recent years, she has often proven to be capable of the layered, emotional, and psychological acting that Fincher gravitates to. HerAcademy Award-winning performance of a real-life serial killerin 2003’sMonster,at times, feels like a performance that Fincher himself could have directed.
2Matt Damon
Most Recently Seen in ‘The Instigators’ (2024)
After his Oscar-nominated role in 1997’sGood Will Hunting,Matt Damonquickly proved himself a leading man, a box office draw, and one of his generation’s best dramatic actors. With three acting Academy Award nominations to his name and a win for Best Original Screenplay, Damon has certainly lived up to the early expectations set upon him.
Despite achieving undeniable movie star status thanks to his participation in theOcean’strilogy and theBourneseries, Damon has continually shownan affinity for denser character partsand an impressive list of hilarious and surprising cameo appearances. His performances in films such asThe Departed,The Good Shepherd,andStillwatershowcase the kind of interiority that makes him such an appealing character actor. This ability to sink behind layers and deliver the essence of a character without any of the flashiness proves that he’ll be an excellent collaborator with Fincher, a director who places the character and story above all else.
The Instigators
1Leonardo DiCaprio
Most Recently Seen in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023)
Arguably the greatest and most beloved actor of his generation,Leonardo DiCaprio’s acting talents have long since been put beyond repudiation. As an actor who has consciously sought after the leading film directors, it comes as a surprise that DiCaprio and Fincher have never worked together. However, if a few things had happened differently,David Fincher might have directed Leonardo DiCaprioin 2002’sCatch Me If You Can. He instead opted to go ahead withPanic Room,andSteven Spielbergdirected the con-man drama.
Beyond his acting talent, DiCaprio’s intensity, dedication to the scene, and extensive character work are well documented. An actor willing to stay in characterdespite sustaining an injury, Leonardo DiCaprio’ssingle-mindedness has produced several notable acting performances over the last three decades. DiCaprio is also, importantly for Fincher’s work,not afraid of portraying morally grey or flat-out evil characters. Considering what Fincher has achieved with some of DiCaprio’s contemporaries and the excellent work DiCaprio has produced with other A-list directors, itexcites the mind what a Fincher/DiCaprio collaboration could produce.
