Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#1364
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Adam Brody represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 25 years in, and Adam is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Adam Brody appears in 30 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Adam. Promising Young Woman is the clearest case: a film rated 7.4 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for documentary, comedy, action. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Yassir Lester, Cord Jefferson, Ben Ketai and others, Adam Brody helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Promising Young Woman (2020) as Jerry · American Fiction (2023) as Wiley Valdespino · Thank You for Smoking (2005) as Jack
Career snapshot
Ranked #1364 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
30
2001–2026
Career length
25 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
7.4
Promising Young Woman
Average Nutevio score
6.0
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
7.4
Promising Young Woman
Most frequent director
Kevin Smith
3 films together
Longest collaboration
3×
With Kevin Smith
Most common genre
Comedy
23 titles
Average runtime
1h 41m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.8
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.3
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2000s
6.2 average MV
The 2000s are where the work and the material meet. Jennifer's Body, The Ten, Smiley Face — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2000s
6.2
Across 9 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2000s
6.2
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
2000s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Jennifer's Body, The Ten, Smiley Face.
Most productive era
2010s
12 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.73 films | 5.73 films | 7.13 films |
| Action | 6.52 films | 5.54 films | 6.41 film |
| Thriller | 6.91 film | — | 6.82 films |
| Comedy | 6.18 films | 5.910 films | 6.45 films |
| Crime | — | 5.82 films | 7.41 film |
| Romance | 6.12 films | 5.95 films | — |
| Horror | 6.32 films | 6.13 films | — |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
2001American Pie 2
Where our catalogue meets this career, as High School Guy.
Career peak
2019Ready or Not
Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Highest rated performance
7.4 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer.
Most recent film
2026TOVAH
The current state of the argument, as Self.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
30 of 30 films
as Daniel
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
as Abe Applebaum
Directed by Evan Morgan
as Wiley Valdespino
Directed by Cord Jefferson
as Jerry
Directed by Emerald Fennell
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
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The defining work
#1
Daniel
Ready or Not (2019)
Performance score7.5
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Daniel gives Adam Brody a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Abe Applebaum
The Kid Detective (2020)
Performance score7.3
The Kid Detective asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Abe Applebaum is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Jack
Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Performance score7.3
Thank You for Smoking asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Jack is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Wiley Valdespino
American Fiction (2023)
Performance score7.2
American Fiction asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Wiley Valdespino is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Daniel
Start here. Ready or Not is the clearest statement of what Adam Brody does — accessible, 96 minutes, and rated 7.1 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Adam at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Keeps the comedy register of Ready or Not but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Kid Detective (2020)
Keeps the comedy register of Thank You for Smoking but asks for a colder reading of it.
Promising Young Woman (2020)
Keeps the drama register of The Kid Detective but asks for a colder reading of it.
American Fiction (2023)
Keeps the drama register of Promising Young Woman but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Kevin Smith
Director
3 films together
Notably Jay and Silent Bob Reboot
Gore Verbinski
Director
1 film together
Notably The Ring
Casey La Scala
Director
1 film together
Notably Grind
Jason Reitman
Director
1 film together
Notably Thank You for Smoking
Doug Liman
Director
1 film together
Notably Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Jon Kasdan
Director
1 film together
Notably In the Land of Women
Gregg Araki
Director
1 film together
Notably Smiley Face
David Wain
Director
1 film together
Notably The Ten
Karyn Kusama
Director
1 film together
Notably Jennifer's Body
Wes Craven
Director
1 film together
Notably Scream 4
Whit Stillman
Director
1 film together
Notably Damsels in Distress
Lorene Scafaria
Director
1 film together
Notably Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Tim Story
Director
1 film together
Notably Think Like a Man Too
Leslye Headland
Director
1 film together
Notably Sleeping with Other People
Dax Shepard
Director
1 film together
Notably CHiPs
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
Director
1 film together
Notably Ready or Not
Evan Morgan
Director
1 film together
Notably The Kid Detective
Emerald Fennell
Director
1 film together
Notably Promising Young Woman
Nora Twomey
Director
1 film together
Notably My Father's Dragon
Ben Ketai
Director
1 film together
Notably River Wild
Cord Jefferson
Director
1 film together
Notably American Fiction
Yassir Lester
Director
1 film together
Notably The Gutter
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Kevin Smith
Director
3 films together · 5.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Jay and Silent Bob RebootEmerald Fennell
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Promising Young WomanCord Jefferson
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
American FictionJason Reitman
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Thank You for SmokingMatt Bettinelli-Olpin
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Ready or NotNora Twomey
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
My Father's DragonDoug Liman
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Mr. & Mrs. SmithGore Verbinski
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The RingEvan Morgan
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Kid DetectiveLorene Scafaria
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Seeking a Friend for the End of the WorldWes Craven
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Scream 4Tim Story
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Think Like a Man TooBen Ketai
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
River WildLeslye Headland
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Sleeping with Other PeopleDax Shepard
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
CHiPsGregg Araki
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Smiley FaceKaryn Kusama
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Jennifer's BodyCasey La Scala
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
GrindJon Kasdan
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
In the Land of WomenWhit Stillman
Director
1 film together · 5.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Damsels in DistressYassir Lester
Director
1 film together · 4.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The GutterDavid Wain
Director
1 film together · 4.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The TenSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Promising Young Woman
as Jerry
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
The Romantics
as Jake
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Promising Young Woman
as Jerry
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
American Pie 2
as High School Guy
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Ready or Not
as Daniel
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Adam Brody has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
25 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Comedy Legend
Awarded
23 catalogue titles in comedy, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
The Ring
as Male Teen #1
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Promising Young Woman
as Jerry
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
The Romantics
as Jake
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
River Wild
as Trevor
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
as Benjamin Danz
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Grind
as Dustin Knight
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
My Father's Dragon
as Bob (voice)
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
as Benjamin Danz
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Matt Damon
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Morgan Freeman
Built a career in the same territory: action and crime
Jamie Harris
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Have your say
Community
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Reference
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