Before you see him in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, take a look back at some key Ben Mendelsohn movies
Ben Mendelsohn will play Director Orson Krennic in the upcoming film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. His official character description paints a pretty ominous picture: “As director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial military, Orson Krennic is obsessed with the completion of the long-delayed Death Star project. A cruel but brilliant man, Krennic has staked his reputation on the delivery of the functional battle station to the Emperor.”
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The star is also set to appear in the upcoming Steven Spielberg adaptation of Ernie Cline‘s novel Ready Player One as Nolan Sorrento. Before you see him there, however, we’re going to break down our favorite Ben Mendelsohn movies and we bet you haven’t seen them all. Aside from doing voice work for Axe Cop, appearing on Farscape and an episode of Girls as Jessa’s (Jemima Kirk) father, Mendelsohn has appeared in some huge films, the video for Florence + the Machine‘s “Lover to Lover,” as well as some from his native Australia that you might not be as familiar with. Check out our Ben Mendelsohn movies guide below and let us know your favorites!
Neighbours (1986-1987)
This Australian soap opera has produced many stars, and Mendesohn appeared in 19 episodes from 1986 to 1987 as Warren Murphy. The show in its entirety has just shy of 7500 episodes during its very long run, which began in 1985. Incidentally, his run on the show was during the same time that Kylie Minogue played Charlene Mitchell.
The Year My Voice Broke (1987)
This film was the one that launched Mendelsohn into stardom. It’s set in 1962 in New South Wales and tells the story of three friends. Danny (Noah Taylor) is in love with Freya (Loene Carmen), but she’s fallen for the town bad boy Trevor (Mendelsohn), beginning the string of tough guy roles he’s become known for.) Trevor gets Freya pregnant and gets himself arrested and doesn’t exactly come to a good end. This film won Mendelsohn an AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
Australia (2010)
This Baz Luhrmann film stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman and is the third highest grossing Australian film in history. The film is the story of Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) and Drover (Jackman)’s epic love story set before, during and after WWII. Mendelsohn plays the small role of Captain Emmett Dutton, the beef supply manager in the Australian Army who wants to buy the cattle from Ashley’s land.
Knowing (2009)
This Alex Proyas film stars Rose Byrne and Nicolas Cage who are trying to save the world from destruction based on a series of numbers written in a school time capsule 50 years before. There are colored rocks and aliens and very odd conclusions drawn from these things. The film was criticized for its lack of scientific plausibility. Mendelsohn plays a smaller role, that of Professor Phil Beckman.
Beautiful Kate (2009)
This Australian film was based on the 1982 Newton Thornburg novel of the same name and is the story of writer Ned Kendall (Mendelsohn), who travels to his family home to bid farewell to his dying father Bruce (Bryan Brown). The trip brings back dark memories of his past and the incest that occurred between himself and his twin sister Kate (Sophie Lowe). He has to come to terms with the fact that his spurning of her advances led to her death in a car crash and his brother Cliff’s (Josh McFarlane) subsequent suicide. Ned has to decide whether or not to tell his dying father the truth.
Animal Kingdom (2010)
This film stars Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, James Frecheville, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver (who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress), and Sullivan Stapleton, and was inspired by the story of the Pettingill criminal family in Australia. Mendelsohn plays Andrew ‘Pope’ Cody, one of the brothers who will do pretty much anything to stay out of the hands of the cops, including murder. He commits a number of crimes along with his best buddy Barry ‘Baz’ Brown (Edgerton).
Killing Them Softly (2012)
This film stars Brad Pitt, Scoot McNairy and James Gandolfini, and is based on the 1974 novel Cogan’s Trade by George V. Higgins. Things were rough during the financial crisis of 2008, and in the film, a crook named Johnny “Squirrel” Amato (Vincent Curatola) hires petty criminals Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Mendelsohn), who steals pure breed dogs to sell for money to rob a Mob-run gambling ring. The mob tries to take them down with hitmen Jackie (Pitt) and Mickey (Gandolfini).
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The third film in the Christopher Nolan Batman saga. Mendelsohn plays billionaire John Daggett, who hires the villain Bane (Tom Hardy) to help him take over Wayne Enterprises from Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). The DC Comics film received largely positive reviews, though nothing resembling the glory of the second film in the series The Dark Knight, which took place eight years before the events in this film.
Mississippi Grind (2015)
Mendelsohn stars with Ryan Reynolds in this film directed by Anna Bodin and Ryan Fleck. Mendelsohn plays Gerry, a failing gambler who meets Curtis (Reynolds) who claims to be more interested in the game than winning. When Gerry is stabbed and being threatened for the money he owes, Curtis proposes a gambling trip down the Mississippi River, ending in New Orleans, which has the biggest payout. Gerry is known for his phrase, “It’s Machu Picchu time,” referring to his excuse for leaving town. He was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for the role.
Bloodline (2015-present)
This Netflix series is currently running, but will end after the season three finale. Mendelsohn plays Danny Rayburn, who returns to his family which includes John (Kyle Chandler), Meg (Linda Cardellini) and Kevin (Norbert Leo Butz). He’s the black sheep and his return sets off a series of events that don’t exactly get him back into his family’s good graces. Mendelsohn has been nominated a number of times for Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor, finally winning in 2016.
Which of these Ben Mendelsohn movies do you love the most? Are there films you’re going to be hunting streaming services for now? Are you heartbroken about the end of Bloodline? Let us know in the comments. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will hit theaters on December 16, 2016.
