Despite his youth, Tye Sheridan has already become one of the most interesting young actors in the film industry. Working alongside the best certainly hasn’t hurt him, as in a little over a decade, Sheridan has worked with such beloved filmmakers as Steven Spielberg, Terrence Malick, George Clooney, Jeff Nichols, and Paul Schrader.
Sheridan’s dedication to working with auteur directors instead of pursuing franchise roles (the new X-Men series notwithstanding) distinguishes him among the other young stars of his generation. Here are the top ten best Tye Sheridan movies, ranked.
10 X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
X-Men: Apocalypse has a bad reputation, but the film itself has many more redeeming qualities than some of the franchise’s harsher critics have led viewers to believe. The third entry in the rebooted X-Men series really excels during the segments featuring Sheridan’s interpretation of Cyclops and the younger Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) and Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
It felt like the series had successfully passed the torch to a new generation of young heroes. Sheridan was able to explore a cooler, less bossy version of Cyclops that was distinct from how James Marsden had played him in the previous films.
9 Last Days in the Desert (2016)
Rodrio Garcia’s ambitious religious drama Last Days in the Desert certainly isn’t a traditional “faith-based” film; the fantastical reimagining of Jesus of Nazareth’s journey in the desert reimagines his temptation with evil, with Ewan McGregor cast as both Jesus and Satan. Sheridan has a smaller role as a young son who appears to Jesus as a vision within his journey.
Last Days in the Desert is imperfect, but it’s a worthwhile watch for anyone who enjoyed Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. Sheridan deserves credit for taking on a risky art house project from an emerging artist like Garcia.
8 The Yellow Birds (2018)
The Yellow Birds had a somewhat rocky road to release; despite earning rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival back in 2017, the film was only given a select limited release a year and a half later when it was picked up by Saban Films.
It was an unfortunate fate for a grizzly war drama that explored the realities of combat in Iraq from the perspective of two younger men. Sheridan and Alden Ehrenreich star as two young recruits who make a pact to protect each other whilst serving overseas.
7 The Card Counter (2021)
Paul Schrader certainly does not apologize for making weird movies, and The Card Counter utilizes the premise of a typical gambling drama to explore the corruption of the United States military and its systemic inability to help veterans deal with post traumatic stress disorder.
Oscar Isaac gives one of his best performances as the gambling addict William Tell, who is alerted to an anomaly within his service overseas by the ambitious young man Cirk Baufort (Sheridan). Sheridan shows the excitability of an overconfident adolescent, who's convinced he’s discovered a buried secret.
6 Ready Player One (2018)
Although the film industry has reached its peak when it comes to its obsession with nostalgic properties from the 1980s, it does feel different if that nostalgia is being delivered by the man responsible for creating so many of the beloved properties in the first place.
Steven Spielberg brings his signature mastery of spectacle to Ready Player One, a film that explores a digital reality that has taken over society. Sheridan truly excels as Wade Watts, a young player who bears a lot in common with the characters that he grew up loving.
5 The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
This startling biographical film cast Sheridan alongside many of the most talented young, up-and-coming stars of his generation, including Ezra Miller, Thomas Mann, Ki Hong Lee, Michael Angarano, and Logan Miller.
Based on a true story, The Stanford Prison Experiment explores the ambitious social scientist Dr. Philip Zimbardo (Billy Crudup) as he conceives of a plan to detain a group of young men in a realistic prison reenactment, where some are assigned the role of “guards,” with others forced to be “prisoners.” Sheridan gives a tragic performance as a “prisoner” who begins to feel that the experiment is feeling a little too realistic.
4 Joe (2014)
Sheridan hasn’t just worked with a number of great directors; he’s also served as the protege to some of the industry’s most legendary actors. Sheridan gives one of his most naturalistic performances in David Gordan Green’s Joe as Gary Jones, a young Texan who seeks an escape from his abusive home life.
Gary finds a mentor in the reclusive tree-poisoner Joe (Nicolas Cage), who has closed himself off from human interaction due to tragic events in his past. It’s quite powerful to see how Sheridan’s Gary becomes a protege to Joe, who gradually learns to reconnect with the world.
3 The Tender Bar (2021)
Sheridan has also been able to capture the essence of real people, and he seamlessly slips into the role of JR Moehringer in George Clooney’s adaptation of the author’s memoir The Tender Bar.
Sheridan is once again cast as an ambitious young man who wants to make a name for himself, and shows how JR’s experiences with his uncle, Charlie Maguire (Ben Affleck), inspire some of his greatest works of literature. The chemistry between Sheridan and Affleck is electrifying, as Gary finds surprising insights from his uncle when he least expects them.
2 The Tree of Life (2011)
Sheridan’s debut acting performance just so happened to be one of the greatest films ever made. Terrence Malick’s absorbing coming-of-age drama The Tree of Life explores the entire existence of the universe through the story of the young boy Jack O’Brien (Hunter McCracken), who reflects on his experiences growing up in Texas listening to the dueling lessons from his father (Brad Pitt) and mother (Jessica Chastain).
Sheridan gives a pivotal supporting performance as Jack’s naive brother Steve, and the scenes that Malick captures of the two children growing up feel incredibly authentic.
1 Mud (2013)
Matthew McConaughey’s comeback with 2013’s Mud and “The McConaissance” that followed may not have happened if Sheridan hadn’t been equally as great in Jeff Nichols’ gripping coming-of-age film. Mud stars McConaughey as the titular former sailor, who returns to DeWitt, Arkansas to win back the love of his lifelong crush (Reese Witherspoon).
During Mud’s romantic odyssey, he begins to mentor the young boy Ellis (Sheridan), who seeks an escape from his difficult home life. Ellis learns to both trust and suspect Mud as he learns lessons about love, spirit, and honesty from the most unexpected source that he could have imagined.