LaKeith Stanfield has been one of Hollywood’s most charismatic rising stars since the 2010s, as is evident from his diverse work in both film and TV. The Oscar nominee has proven his worth in acclaimed indie hits like Short Term 12 as well as major studio films like Judas and the Black Messiah. As a television actor, the California native has appeared in diverse projects like Donald Glover’s hip-hop-themed satire Atlanta and the Netflix original anime Yasuke. Having played absurdly hilarious as well as morally ambiguous characters, Stanfield makes his sheer diversity more than evident ever since he began acting in 2008.
Much like his Atlanta co-star Donald Glover, Stanfield also occasionally dabbles in music, as can be inferred from his rap verse on Sorry to Bother You’s “OYAHYTT” and his own 2020 single “Fast Life” (under his artist alter ego HTIEKAL). As an actor, Stanfield has also shared screen space with established stalwarts such as Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems and Daniel Craig in Knives Out. He had brief appearances in both movies but including them in his career-best performances seems futile considering has made a more significant mark as a lead and supporting performer elsewhere in his versatile filmography.
10 Yasuke (2021)
This Netflix anime is a heavily fictionalized take on the first foreign samurai Yasuke, a man of African origin who made his mark in feudal Japan. With LaKeith Stanfield voicing Yasuke, the series delves into the titular hero’s years of servitude and his aftermath as a lone warrior. Some fantasy elements are thrown in that only make the anime all the more visually spectacular. While the pacing can frustrate some audiences, Yasuke still proves how Stanfield is ready to experiment with different formats. And considering how his spin on the beloved anime character L failed to make a mark in the live-action Death Note movie, Yasuke offered him his redemption.
9 The Changeling (2023-)
New York gets reimagined as a surreal fairytale world of magical obstacles in the Apple TV+ horror fantasy The Changeling. Based on the novel of the same name, LaKeith Stanfield stars as Apollo Kagwa, a concerned father and husband who must find his wife and child after they mysteriously vanish. Described as a fairytale for grown-ups by many critics, The Changeling is a fantastic modern-day Odyssey set in the chaos of the Big Apple. For some audiences, the show can be a tad bit too ambitious in its scale, but there’s an overwhelming consensus on Stanfield being in full form, capturing the fear and concerns of an ideal family man.
8 The Photograph (2020)
One of LaKeith Stanfield’s more underrated projects, The Photograph finds him sharing an impressive on-screen chemistry with Issa Rae. Stanfield stars as a photojournalist who seeks to uncover the ominous past of a woman who died during a hurricane. His search for her identity makes him cross paths with her daughter, a New York curator. As they gradually fall in love, this new relationship is tested through a broken past and geographical borders (after one of them relocates to London). Instead of glorifying any notions of modern love, The Photograph takes a more introspective approach to new-age relationships and their sustainability in the long run.
7 The Harder They Fall (2021)
The Harder They Fall’s cast was inspired by many real-life outlaws such as Nat Love and Stagecoach Mary. LaKeith Stanfield’s own character was drawn from the gunslinger outlaw Cherokee Bill. The Netflix original offers a fresh spin to the Western genre with fast-paced action and characters that desire emotional investment. Delving into an internal conflict among many black cowboys and outlaws in the Wild West, The Harder They Fall also serves as a revisionist Western considering the genre is usually dominated by predominantly white ensembles. As for Stanfield, he comfortably shares screen space with acclaimed veterans of the craft like Regina King and Idris Elba.
6 Crown Heights (2017)
From civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson in Selma to rapper Snoop Dogg in Straight Outta Compton, LaKeith Stanfield never shies away from playing real-life personalities. Crown Heights is when he first showed his flair as a biopic lead as he starred as Colin Warner, a man wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Crown Heights covers his time in prison along with the relentless efforts of his best friend Carl King (Nnamdi Asomugha in an Independent Spirit Award-nominated performance) to prove his innocence. The movie does tick off some formulaic biopic elements but Stanfield and Asomugha’s performances and the movie’s ultimately optimistic message make Crown Heights remarkable.
5 Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele’s shocking directorial debut Get Out starts off with LaKeith Stanfield’s Andre Hayworth getting kidnapped and going down among the movie characters that suffered a fate worse than death. Despite his limited screen time as Andre, Stanfield makes the most out of his role and the scene in which he screams “Get Out” is definitely goosebump-inducing. Get Out revolves around a black photographer’s awry trip to his white in-laws marking a watershed moment in horror and dark comedy, offering powerful performances from Daniel Kaluuyah, Catherine Keener, and others. Yet Stanfield’s brief but impactful performance made audiences pick him out of the ensemble.
4 Short Term 12 (2013)
Directed by a pre-Shang Chi Destin Daniel Cretton, Short Term 12 is notable for featuring many stars before their fame. This includes Brie Larson in the lead along with Rami Malek, Kaitlyn Dever, and of course, LaKeith Stanfield. The movie delves into the inner workings of a care unit for at-risk teenagers. Meandering between emotional and feel-good territories, Short Term 12 is a heartwarming watch with the characters coming to terms with their history of abuse. Stanfield offers one of his earliest breakout performances as the mild-mannered Marcus. Stanfield taps into Marcus’ emotional instability, offers some of the movie’s most heartfelt dialogues, and even breaks into an acapella rap verse.
3 Sorry To Bother You (2018)
Boots Riley’s unabashedly ambitious anti-capitalist satire was the perfect star-making vehicle for LaKeith Stanfield. Playing a black telemarketer who picks up a white accent to succeed at his job, Sorry To Bother You takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to go beyond just race relations in the workplace and explores a lot more. There are mentions of unauthorized experiments by white corporations, the state of modern art through Tessa Thompson’s artist heroine, and even modern rap, with a particular scene emphasizing how white people can hijack African-American slang. The cherry on the top is Sorry To Bother You’s horse people twist which cements its position as a surrealist masterpiece.
2 Judas And The Black Messiah (2021)
Fred Hampton was a force to be reckoned with in the 1960s as his charismatic energy drove the Black Panther Party to the height of the civil rights movement. And then a CIA-backed conspiracy took him down with help from their insider William O’Neal. Ignoring biopic clichés, director Shaka Zulu crafted a nail-biting thriller to recreate this dramatically tragic tale of how a man was driven to go against his own people. Judas and the Black Messiah offered career-best performances from both Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield as Hampton and O’Neal respectively. While Kaluuya won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, Stanfield earned his first nomination in the same category.
1 Atlanta (2016-2022)
Atlanta is many things at once. It’s a story of rapper Paper Boi’s rise along with his manager cousin Earl, both of whom are played with great nuance by Brian Tyree Henry and showrunner Donald Glover. But the show also meanders toward surrealist territory, incorporating standalone episodes that further satirize the music industry, modern race relations, and the inner workings of the entertainment complex. From its iconic status in current television, the four-season run of Atlanta undoubtedly makes it one of LaKeith Stanfield‘s finest projects. His absurdly hilarious and surprisingly poignant character Darius is a highlight.
From randomly asking a man if he can measure his yard’s tree to his sales pitch of replacing rats with mobile phones to following a still-alive Tupac, the best Darius moments and quotes make Atlanta all the more entertaining. But as is the case with his many other performances, Stanfield elevates Darius from just a stoner archetype to something more, a feel-good slacker who isn’t afraid to reveal his emotional fragility and naivety in some unexpectedly emotional moments. This is particularly evident in fan-favorite episodes like the slow-burning horror “Teddy Perkins” and “White Fashion,” a commentary on the whitewashing of ethnic cultures.
