Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#1350
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Christian Slater represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 40 years in, and Christian is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Christian Slater appears in 40 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Christian. Interview with the Vampire is the clearest case: a film rated 7.5 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 crime, thriller, drama. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with David Leitch, Zoë Kravitz, Jerry Seinfeld and others, Christian Slater 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.
Interview with the Vampire (1994) as Malloy · True Romance (1993) as Clarence Worley · The Name of the Rose (1986) as Adso of Melk
Career snapshot
Ranked #1350 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
40
1986–2026
Career length
40 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
7.5
Interview with the Vampire
Average Nutevio score
5.9
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
7.5
True Romance
Most frequent director
Emilio Estevez
2 films together
Longest collaboration
2×
With Emilio Estevez
Most common genre
Comedy
15 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
6.9
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
6.5
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
1980s
6.9 average MV
The 1980s are where the work and the material meet. Heathers, The Wizard, The Name of the Rose — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1980s
6.9
Across 3 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
1980s
6.9
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1980s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Heathers, The Wizard, The Name of the Rose.
Most productive era
1990s
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 | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.82 films | 7.14 films | 6.53 films | 5.94 films | 6.31 film |
| Action | — | 6.45 films | 6.22 films | 6.04 films | 6.22 films |
| Thriller | 7.41 film | 6.14 films | 6.32 films | 5.73 films | 3.42 films |
| Comedy | 6.72 films | 6.34 films | 6.14 films | — | 5.85 films |
| Crime | 7.21 film | 6.56 films | 5.91 film | 5.61 film | 0.01 film |
| Romance | — | 7.51 film | 6.41 film | 5.31 film | — |
| Horror | — | 6.82 films | 6.01 film | — | 6.71 film |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Adso of Melk.
Highest rated performance · Career peak
1993True Romance
7.5 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
The current state of the argument, as Walton.
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.
40 of 40 films
as Clarence Worley
Directed by Tony Scott
as Deadshot (voice)
Directed by Sam Liu
as Adso of Melk
Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Clarence Worley
True Romance (1993)
Performance score8.1
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Clarence Worley gives Christian Slater a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Deadshot (voice)
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)
Performance score7.7
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Deadshot (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
James Stamphill
Murder in the First (1995)
Performance score7.7
Murder in the First asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. James Stamphill is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Adso of Melk
The Name of the Rose (1986)
Performance score7.7
The Name of the Rose asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Adso of Melk 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 Clarence Worley
Start here. True Romance is the clearest statement of what Christian Slater does — accessible, 121 minutes, and rated 7.5 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Christian 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.
The Name of the Rose (1986)
A deliberate change of key after True Romance — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Keeps the drama register of The Name of the Rose but asks for a colder reading of it.
Murder in the First (1995)
Keeps the drama register of Interview with the Vampire but asks for a colder reading of it.
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)
A deliberate change of key after Murder in the First — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
John Woo
Director
2 films together
Notably Windtalkers
Emilio Estevez
Director
2 films together
Notably The Public
Jean-Jacques Annaud
Director
1 film together
Notably The Name of the Rose
Todd Holland
Director
1 film together
Notably The Wizard
Michael Lehmann
Director
1 film together
Notably Heathers
John Harrison
Director
1 film together
Notably Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
Allan Moyle
Director
1 film together
Notably Pump Up the Volume
Geoff Murphy
Director
1 film together
Notably Young Guns II
Kevin Reynolds
Director
1 film together
Notably Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Bruce A. Evans
Director
1 film together
Notably Kuffs
Tony Scott
Director
1 film together
Notably True Romance
Neil Jordan
Director
1 film together
Notably Interview with the Vampire
Jay Roach
Director
1 film together
Notably Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Mikael Salomon
Director
1 film together
Notably Hard Rain
Peter Berg
Director
1 film together
Notably Very Bad Things
Rod Lurie
Director
1 film together
Notably The Contender
Ben Stiller
Director
1 film together
Notably Zoolander
Frank A. Cappello
Director
1 film together
Notably He Was a Quiet Man
Eduardo Rodríguez
Director
1 film together
Notably El Gringo
Walter Hill
Director
1 film together
Notably Bullet to the Head
Pamela Romanowsky
Director
1 film together
Notably The Adderall Diaries
Sam Liu
Director
1 film together
Notably Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay
Robert Rodriguez
Director
1 film together
Notably We Can Be Heroes
Ken Cunningham
Director
1 film together
Notably LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales
Julian Starks
Director
1 film together
Notably A Journey to Sundance
Pierre Morel
Director
1 film together
Notably Freelance
Adam Countee
Director
1 film together
Notably Willow: Behind the Magic
Jerry Seinfeld
Director
1 film together
Notably Unfrosted
Zoë Kravitz
Director
1 film together
Notably Blink Twice
David Leitch
Director
1 film together
Notably How to Rob a Bank
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Emilio Estevez
Director
2 films together · 6.5 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The PublicJohn Woo
Director
2 films together · 6.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
WindtalkersNeil Jordan
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Interview with the VampireTony Scott
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
True RomanceJean-Jacques Annaud
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Name of the RoseMichael Lehmann
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
HeathersSam Liu
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Suicide Squad: Hell to PayKevin Reynolds
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Robin Hood: Prince of ThievesKen Cunningham
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
LEGO Star Wars Terrifying TalesAllan Moyle
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Pump Up the VolumeZoë Kravitz
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Blink TwiceRod Lurie
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 ContenderJay Roach
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Austin Powers: International Man of MysteryGeoff Murphy
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Young Guns IIPierre Morel
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
FreelanceFrank A. Cappello
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
He Was a Quiet ManEduardo Rodríguez
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
El GringoPeter Berg
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Very Bad ThingsBen Stiller
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ZoolanderJohn Harrison
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Tales from the Darkside: The MovieTodd Holland
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The WizardRobert Rodriguez
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
We Can Be HeroesMikael Salomon
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Hard RainBruce A. Evans
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
KuffsWalter Hill
Director
1 film together · 5.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Bullet to the HeadJerry Seinfeld
Director
1 film together · 5.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
UnfrostedPamela Romanowsky
Director
1 film together · 5.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Adderall DiariesAdam Countee
Director
1 film together · 4.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Willow: Behind the MagicDavid Leitch
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
How to Rob a BankJulian Starks
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
A Journey to SundanceSix 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
The Name of the Rose
as Adso of Melk
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Pump Up the Volume
as Mark Hunter
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
True Romance
as Clarence Worley
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
as Easily Fooled Security Guard (uncredited)
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
True Romance
as Clarence Worley
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. Christian Slater 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
40 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
15 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 Name of the Rose
as Adso of Melk
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
The Name of the Rose
as Adso of Melk
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
The Adderall Diaries
as Hans Reiser
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
The Name of the Rose
as Adso of Melk
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
as Will Scarlett
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
El Gringo
as Lieutenant West
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
The Wizard
as Nick
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Interview with the Vampire
as Malloy
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
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Have your say
Community
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Reference
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