Justice Smith

A systems analyst who is terrified for the entire film and right to be: Justice Smith plays fear honestly.

Smith plays the technician in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, a character whose panic is played straight rather than as comic relief. In a franchise built on people behaving with implausible composure around lethal animals, a lead who is visibly and continuously frightened is a genuine structural choice rather than a comic one.

Background and Influences

He is American and came from television, including a lavish musical drama series about the origins of hip hop, before moving into franchise film and independent work. He has been publicly outspoken about identity and representation, and he has increasingly chosen projects with an explicit political dimension to them.

Style and Themes

Recurring subjects: vulnerability played without apology, young men who are not built for the situation they are in, and comedy that comes from honesty rather than from jokes. He plays anxiety physically and is entirely willing to be undignified on screen, which most performers in franchise casting actively avoid doing.

Legacy and Influence

His franchise roles have reached very large audiences, and his work in a fantasy adventure adaptation and in independent film has drawn critical attention. His television debut in the hip hop drama retains a following entirely disproportionate to its very short run.

Who Should Explore Their Work

For viewers who want a character who reacts to danger the way a person would. Suited to anyone approaching the creature franchise, and to those who should follow it with his independent film and television work.