Adam Driver’s most iconic Hollywood performances as he turns 40

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A look back at Adam Driver
A look back at Adam Driver's most memorable roles as he celebrates his 40th birthday

As the legendary Adam Driver reels in a new decade celebrating his 40th birthday, we're taking a look at some of his most iconic Hollywood performances ever.

Adam has become a beloved star since the debut of his acting career nearly 14 years ago starring in at least 35 films showcasing his incredible talent across a variety of genres. Since the start of his career Adam has been recognized with a number of prestigious awards including nominations for two Academy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. Now, as he celebrates his 40th, we're revisiting some of his most memorable movies so far.

During his many years on the big screen, Adam has tackled just about every role under the sun from a troubled husband to sci-fi supervillain. No matter your taste in movies and shows, Adam has probably made an appearance from his iconic start as Adam from the HBO show Girls to Kylo Ren in the famous Star Wars franchise.

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HBO's Girls series
Adam Driver’s most iconic Hollywood performances as he turns 40 qhiquqidehixinvAdam rose to stardom following his role as Adam in the HBO series Girls (Apatow Productions/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

Adam rose to stardom in Hollywood with his iconic performance in the six-season-long comedy series Girls. In the hilarious show he starred as Adam Sackler, a New York artist who is in a turbulent on-and-off romance with Hannah that eventually falls apart as he gained success as an actor. In the series, Adam is portrayed as an unpredictable and passionate person who later enters a toxic, abusive relationship with Jessica that is implied to be still ongoing after the season finale.

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The hit HBO series, which ran from 2011 to 2017, followed four young women was they navigated their careers, friendships, and romantic relationships in New York City. The show was created by Lena Dunham and actually drew inspiration from her own life including her personal struggles as she was financially isolated from her family, her journey to become a writer, and some of the hardships and relationships that she navigated in her youth.

Adam said that he was initially forced to audition for Girls by his agent and is now eternally grateful for the oppourtunity. In an interview with Screen Rant, Adam said: "I will say Girls. I didn't understand it. I was doing a lot of theater at the time and I didn't really watch a lot of TV shows, which I hope doesn't sound like elitist, but I wasn't interested. And my agent convinced me to go in and read for Girls. And I met Lena and got the job. And it changed the course of my life."

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Adam Driver’s most iconic Hollywood performances as he turns 40Adam starred as the villain Kylo Ren in Stars Wars: The Force Awakens (Lucasfilm/Bad Robot/Walt Disney Studios/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

One of Adam Driver's world renounced performances is in the famous Star Wars franchise. Adam landed one of his biggest roles in the famous science fiction film Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015 as the villain Kylo Ren. Adam was praised for his role as the brooding villain known for his erratic temper. Kylo's hot-headed nature made him a dangerous and intimidating enemy paired with his powerful use of the Force.

In the movie in an effort to unleash himself from his emotional turmoil Kylo ran Han through his lightsaber and killed him. He also intercepted Finn and Rey and used the power of the Force to paralyze Rey and fight Fin. Kylo was later killed by Rey in Kef Bir both literally and figuratively. Rey then healed Kylo Ren which was a symbolic moment that brought Ben Solo back to life. Adam later starred in later Star Wars movies as well returning for The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Speaking about his role as Kylo, Adam said that he was drawn to the character because of his vulnerability, which was something that wasn't present in many of the other villains in the franchise. Speaking with Rolling Stone, Adam said: "There’s something in having an antagonist who is a little more vulnerable,” and continued: “That seems to be more relatable and human than just someone who is a psychopath.”

Marriage Story (2019)
Adam Driver’s most iconic Hollywood performances as he turns 40Adam starred as the husband Charlie in Marriage Story (Netflix)

Another groundbreaking performance from Adam included his role as Charlie Barber in the romantic comedy Marriage Story. In the movie Adam starred as the troubled husband to his wife Nicole Barber, played by Scarlett Johansson, whom he was going through a grueling divorce with that pushed them both to their emotional limits.

The film highlighted the complexity of marriage and parenthood showing audiences that neither person was particularly in the wrong or right within the film. The movie tackled the complicated nature of divorce and the many hardships parents face as they try to care for their shared children while navigating their own emotions during a painful split. Adam was praised for his incredible acting in the film that was filled with many tense scenes including intense screaming matches and tear-filled dialogue with his partner as they fall out of love with each other.

Logan Lucky (2017)
Adam Driver’s most iconic Hollywood performances as he turns 40Adam played Clyde Logan in the crime comedy Logan Lucky (C Barius/Studiocanal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

In 2017 Adam starred in the iconic crime comedy Logan Lucky as Clyde Logan. In the movie, Clyde was the one-armed brother of Jimmy Logan. In the movie, the sibling pair teamed up to steal money from the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. In the action-packed film, many complications occur in during the heist as they frantically work to dodge a FBI agent during a NASCAR race.

In Logan Lucky, Clyde was portrayed as a mostly quiet man who enjoys the simple pleasures in life. After participating in a Coca-Cola 600 heist, he finds himself with a shocking amount of cash something that he was very wary of showing off. With the newfound money he strategically spent the extra cash to fix up the bar he owns and stocking up on liquor that his regular customers enjoy.

BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Adam Driver’s most iconic Hollywood performances as he turns 40Adam was awarded his first Oscar nomination for his performance as Flip in the movie BlacKkKlansman (David Lee/Focus Features/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

In 2018, Adam was awarded his first Oscar nomination for his role as Flip Zimmerman in the crime movie BlacKkKlansman. In the film, Flip was a detective in the Colorado Springs police department who helped Ron Stallworth infiltrate the Colorado branch of the Ku Klux Klan.

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The movie followed Ron Stallworth who was the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Dead-set on making a difference in the department, Ron sets off on a treacherous mission to infiltrate and exposed the KKK. During the dangerous journey, he recruits his more experienced co-worker Flip as they both go undercover to investigate the white supremacist, far-right terrorist organization. Together the pair work to take down the group as they performed hate crimes against the African American community.

Caroline Gaspich

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