The Actor (2025 film)

A New York actor with amnesia in 1950s Ohio becomes stranded in a mysterious small town and struggles to get back home and reclaim his life and identity. ==Cast==

• André Holland as Paul Cole • Gemma Chan • Asim Chaudhry as various characters • Fabien Frankel as Benny • Olwen Fouéré as Old Lady Track / various characters • Edward Hogg as Make Up Artist • Toby Jones as Lieutenant Murray / Artie Bellman / Cabbie / Arnold • Youssef Kerkour as Black Jack / Ed / Defense Attorney / Busdriver • Tracey Ullman ==Production==

Development In 2015, director Duke Johnson and producer Abigail Spencer optioned the 2010 novel Memory by Donald E. Westlake. On February 24, 2021, Deadline reported that Gosling had committed to star in The Actor, with Johnson directing a screenplay he co-wrote with Stephen Cooney, marking Johnson's solo directorial debut and his first live-action film following the 2015 stop-motion film Anomalisa. The Actor was a top seller at Berlin's 2021 European Film Market. On April 12, 2021, it was reported that Neon had acquired North American distribution rights to the film and that Charlie Kaufman–who co-directed the 2015 film Anomalisa with Johnson–had joined the project as executive producer. The same day, Neon stated on their Twitter account that the film was set to be released in 2022. On October 18, 2022, producer Abigail Spencer said in an interview with the website The Retaility that the film was in pre-production in Budapest and that André Holland and Gemma Chan were the leads. On April 4, 2023, Neon announced that Ryan Gosling–who was originally attached to star as Paul Cole before being replaced by Holland–remained part of the film as an executive producer. Johnson later said that Gosling dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. but was pushed back to mid-January 2022. Filming began in Budapest, Hungary in November 2022, and wrapped in April 2023. == Music ==

The film score is composed by Richard Reed Parry. == Release ==

Donald E. Westlake's novel Memory was republished with the same title of the film, The Actor, on January 28, 2025. The film was released theatrically by Neon on March 14, 2025. == Reception ==

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of 32 critics gave the film a positive review; the website's critical consensus reads: "Blending classical storytelling with a bold, experimental style, The Actor offers an intellectually rich exploration of identity and memory for those open to its enigmatic, artful rhythm." == References ==