Released in theaters on September 27th, “Dogman” tells the story of an outsider who finds salvation in the love he receives from his dogs. Playing the role of this outcast is American actor Caleb Landry Jones. Let’s take a look back at his journey.
Caleb Landry Jones: The Man Behind the Complex Characters
After its premiere at the Deauville Film Festival and its competition selection at the Venice Film Festival, “Dogman” has been in theaters since September 27th. The film marks Luc Besson’s return to directing, four years after “Anna,” amidst allegations of rape and sexual assault that ultimately resulted in a dropped case.
Similar to “Léon” and “Nikita,” “Dogman” portrays a marginalized and isolated character seeking revenge. The story follows Douglas, a man who suffered abuse in his childhood, became disabled after being shot by his father, and now only has a multitude of canines as his companions.
While critics have had mixed reviews about this latest film by the French director, everyone seems to agree on one thing: the outstanding performance of its lead actor, Caleb Landry Jones. The JDD describes his performance as “astoundingly intelligent and subtle,” FranceInfo finds him “admirable,” and Le Parisien highlights how he “astounds by being at times moving, frightening, and disturbing.”
This isn’t the first time Caleb Landry Jones has received acclaim for his acting. Hailing from Texas, with a father in construction and a mother as an educator, he made his first on-screen appearance in “No Country For Old Men” in 2007, where he played one of the two teenagers on bicycles encountered by Javier Bardem at the end of the film. He later appeared in “Breaking Bad” and “The Social Network,” but it was in the horror film “The Last Exorcism” in 2010 that he landed his first significant role.
After his role in the series “Friday Night Lights,” where he portrayed the drummer of the band Crucifictorious led by Jesse Plemons, Caleb Landry Jones made his first foray into blockbusters in 2011 with “X-Men: First Class.” Alongside Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and Jennifer Lawrence, he played the superhero Banshee.
However, it’s in the world of independent American cinema where he truly thrives. His distinctive appearance allows him to embody characters ranging from angelic to unsettling. He captured the heart of the vampire Saoirse Ronan in Neil Jordan’s “Byzantium” and portrayed Xavier Dolan’s deceased lover in “Tom at the Farm.” He then ventured into an unusual business: selling viruses that infected celebrities in “Antiviral,” the directorial debut of David Cronenberg’s son. After donning the uniform of a soldier for John Boorman in “Queen and Country,” the actor played a homeless drug addict in the Safdie Brothers’ “Mad Love in New York” (2014).
The year 2017 was a particularly fruitful one for him: he appeared in “The Florida Project,” the groundbreaking “Get Out” – where he played the white supremacist brother-in-law – “American Made” starring Tom Cruise, the multi-award-winning “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and finally, the highly anticipated third season of “Twin Peaks,” where he portrayed Amanda Seyfried’s abusive husband.
Following these productions, which remained unreleased in France (“Tyrel,” “To the Night,” “Viena and the Fantomes”), he returned in 2019 with Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die.” Thanks to this film, he connected with the label Sacred Bones Records and released his first album the following year, titled “The Mother Stone,” featuring a blend of psychedelic rock and folk.
In 2021, he lent his voice to a robot in “Finch,” a companion of Tom Hanks in a post-apocalyptic world. However, it was his role in “Nitram” that garnered significant attention that year. Inspired by the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, the film portrays a marginalized individual who becomes a mass murderer. Caleb Landry Jones’s performance earned him the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
With “Dogman,” he takes on yet another role as an outcast. In the film’s opening minutes, he appears in drag, wearing a pink dress, a platinum wig, and dripping makeup, resembling a distant cousin of Todd Phillips’ Joker. This connection, noted by both the audience and the press, hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“Dogman” owes much of its success to Caleb Landry Jones. “We needed an actor who could embody the desire, power, melancholy, and trials of this complex and fascinating character,” says Luc Besson in the film’s press kit. And the actor has certainly delivered.