Jeremy Strong doesn't just play a character. He haunts them. If you’ve spent any time on the internet in the last five years, you know the name. You’ve seen the "L to the OG" rap. You’ve probably witnessed the endless debates about his "method" and whether he's actually okay.
But here’s the thing. Most people think Jeremy Strong movies and tv shows started and ended with a sad billionaire in a Loro Piana baseball cap. Honestly? That’s barely scratching the surface of what this guy has been doing for two decades.
He was the "last of the Mohicans" style apprentice to Daniel Day-Lewis. Literally. He worked as his assistant. He took that intensity, that bone-deep commitment, and he dragged it through the mud of independent film and prestige dramas until he became an "overnight success" at age forty. Now, as we sit in 2026, his resume is a wild map of American neurosis, from 1960s activists to 1980s fixers.
The Succession Peak and the Kendall Roy Shadow
Let’s get the big one out of the way. Succession changed everything. For four seasons, Strong played Kendall Roy with a vulnerability that felt almost indecent to watch. It wasn’t just acting; it was a tightrope walk between a corporate killer and a broken child.
He won the Emmy. He won the Golden Globe. He basically became the face of "prestige TV." But the cost of that performance became a story of its own. Reports of him refusing to rehearse with costars or staying in a state of perpetual "Kendall-ness" on set sparked a million think pieces.
Was it worth it?
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The results speak for themselves. You don’t get that level of pathetic, cringey, heartbreaking desperation by "just acting." You get it by living in the "gilded squalor" Strong talks about.
What People Miss About His TV Career
Succession overshadowed everything else he did on the small screen, which is a shame. Have you seen him in Masters of Sex? He played Art Dreesen in the final season. It was a complete pivot—quiet, contained, and arguably more "normal" than anything else he's done.
Then there’s The Good Wife. Back in 2011, he was Matt Becker. It was a recurring role, five episodes total, but you can already see the gears turning. He has this way of making even a standard procedural character feel like they have a secret life they aren't telling the audience about.
The Big Screen Pivot: From The Big Short to The Apprentice
If you look at Jeremy Strong movies and tv shows through a wide lens, you’ll notice he’s a favorite of certain directors. Specifically, guys who like fast-talking, high-stakes environments.
Aaron Sorkin and Adam McKay love him.
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In The Big Short, he played Vinny Daniel. He wasn't the lead—Steve Carell and Christian Bale were sucking up the oxygen—but Strong was the glue. He did that thing where he looks like he’s constantly doing math in his head.
The Recent Heavy Hitters
- The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020): He played Jerry Rubin. It was weird. It was funny. He was high for most of the movie (the character, not necessarily Jeremy, though who knows?). It showed he had a comedic timing that Kendall Roy was too depressed to ever use.
- Armageddon Time (2022): This is his most underrated work. He plays a working-class father in 1980s Queens. It’s a brutal, unsentimental performance. He hits his kid in this movie. It’s hard to watch, but it’s incredibly human.
- The Apprentice (2024): This was the big 2024 moment. Playing Roy Cohn—the mentor to a young Donald Trump—Strong went full gargoyle. He transformed. The voice, the stillness, the predatory eyes. It earned him an Oscar nomination and proved he could survive the "post-Succession" curse.
What’s Happening Now in 2026?
If you think he's slowing down, you haven't been paying attention. Jeremy Strong is currently in his "Music and Justice" era.
He just finished playing Jon Landau in Deliver Me from Nowhere, the Bruce Springsteen biopic. Landau is the manager who famously said, "I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen." Strong playing a guy who spots greatness in someone else? That’s some meta-casting right there.
The Next Big Thing: 9/12
Paramount+ recently greenlit a limited series called 9/12. Strong is starring and executive producing.
It’s a legal drama about the first responders of September 11th and the decade-long fight for their health compensation. He’s playing a lawyer named Jason Smith. From what we know, it’s going to be a "David vs. Goliath" story. Filming starts this summer (2026), and it’ll likely be the biggest thing on TV in 2027.
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The Jeremy Strong "Method": Fact vs. Fiction
There’s a lot of nonsense out there about how he works. People call it "Method Acting," but he usually just calls it "preparation" or "protecting the work."
One of the funniest (and most misunderstood) stories came from Bowen Yang, who mentioned Strong asking where the bathroom was on a studio lot because his character had a scene where he had to ask for the bathroom. People used it to mock him.
But honestly? If that’s what it takes to get the performance in The Apprentice or Succession, let the man ask for the bathroom. He’s an acolyte of the old school. He looks at guys like Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino—who he actually brought to Yale for a masterclass when he was a student—and he tries to emulate that total immersion.
Complete List of Must-Watch Jeremy Strong Projects
If you want to understand his range, don't just watch the hits. Look at the weird stuff too.
- Humboldt County (2008): His first lead role. He plays a medical student who gets stranded in a community of pot farmers. It’s a vibe.
- The Gentlemen (2019): He plays a billionaire weed mogul named Matthew. He’s flamboyant, wears velvet, and is the polar opposite of Kendall Roy.
- Selma (2014): He plays James Reeb. It’s a small role, but it’s the emotional turning point of the film.
- Molly’s Game (2017): He plays "The Bad Player" (Dean Keith). He’s an absolute jerk in this. It’s great.
Actionable Steps for the Jeremy Strong Completist
If you’re looking to dive deeper into Jeremy Strong movies and tv shows, here is how you should actually spend your weekend:
- Watch 'Armageddon Time' first. It’s on most streaming platforms now. It will reset your brain so you don't just see him as a billionaire.
- Track down his Broadway clips. He won a Tony in 2024 for An Enemy of the People. You can find snippets of his "Doctor Stockmann" performance online, and it shows a manic energy he rarely gets to use on screen.
- Listen to his 'Actors on Actors' interview with Anne Hathaway. It’s the best way to hear him talk about his process without the filter of a journalist trying to make him look "crazy."
- Keep an eye on the 2027 Emmy race. With 9/12 starting production, he’s basically guaranteed to be back in the awards conversation within eighteen months.
The guy is a bit of a freak about his craft, but in an era of "content" and "personal branding," there's something refreshing about an actor who just wants to disappear into the mud. Whether he's a lawyer, a manager, or a mourning son, he’s going to give you something you can't look away from.