While F1: The Movie features an effortless performance from Brad Pitt, it’s the standout work by his young co-star, Damson Idris, that demands your attention. His compelling portrayal of a hotshot young driver makes him a face to watch well past F1‘s checkered flag waves, with a bright future ahead.
Let’s dive into Idris’ standout performance and impressive career trajectory.
Insights From Damson Idris
- Study how unknown and up-and-coming actors match the energy and charisma of established stars to hold your own in scenes.
- Embrace complex characters with conflicting emotions to create performances that feel raw and authentic.
- Build your craft steadily through diverse roles and TV work to develop range and prepare for breakout opportunities.
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The Snapshot: F1: The Movie in a Nutshell
A Formula One driver comes out of retirement to mentor and team up with a talented young driver (F1: The Movie is now in theaters).
Damson Idris’ Performance in F1: The Movie
Brad Pitt makes it look almost effortless lately.
When he won his Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2020 for Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood, it wasn’t just one of those honorary Oscars some people get for their careers. It was an incredible performance, typified by a sequence featuring the Mason Family. Anyone watching that in the theater would have thought, accurately, “Brad Pitt is surely headed for an Oscar win.”
Part of the pleasure of watching him in that film, and in everything he’s done since, is that he brings so much to the table without ever seeming to be trying that hard to do so. It was true in Ad Astra, it was true in Bullet Train, it was undoubtedly true in Wolfs, and it is entirely true in F1.
In the new film, he plays Sonny Hayes, a career race car driver who flamed out of Formula One years ago and has been eking out a living in the decades since, taking rides wherever and however he can. Winning races and then moving on, he lives in an old van that he drives all over North America. That’s Sonny.
When an old friend, a fellow driver and now a Formula One team owner (played by fellow Oscar winner Javier Bardem), asks him to come back and mentor a young driver, helping him save his team, Sonny agrees, and that sets the movie in motion.
Now, you may have noticed that this piece is not technically about Brad Pitt, but rather about his young co-star, Damson Idris. The thing is, it’s impossible to talk about the latter without making it clear just how good the former is, and why that fact makes this essay so key.
Brad Pitt has become, right in front of our eyes, one of the best actors alive, so if another actor can not only keep from being blown off the screen by him but also hold his own and effectively showcase his skill and charm, then that must be recognized. Hence, a conversation about Damson Idris.
Idris plays Joshua “JP” Pierce, a talented young driver that Bardem’s Ruben Cervantes brings on board to mentor. JP — a nickname given him by Sonny, and one Joshua doesn’t like, but which well suits him — is indeed talented, but he’s reckless and inexperienced and convinced that he is God’s gift to auto racing. He resents Sonny’s presence, his skill, and his wisdom. He fights him at every step, until it becomes clear that, quite possibly, Sonny might actually know a thing or two and could potentially help JP get to the next level and become the driver he’s always wanted to be.
What’s excellent about Idris is that he brings JP’s cockiness with such intensity that it just about vibrates off the screen. The scenes he has with Pitt are rough and raw, and there’s a menace to them. You believe that JP is trying to hate Sonny, but what he’s really fighting is a jealousy of Sonny’s confidence, along with the insecurity of potentially losing the most incredible opportunity he might ever have.
Sonny walked away years before after a tragic accident, one that is mirrored by a terrible one that JP suffers halfway through the film. His comeback is key to the story, of course, but the skill with which Idris showcases all the emotions constantly crossing JP’s face, all while matching Pitt’s charisma step for step, makes Idris a face to watch.
The Career of Damson Idris
London-born Idris spent most of his 20s appearing in various British TV series, as well as the occasional movie. He was an uncredited pallbearer in his first feature appearance, the crime drama My Brother the Devil, and then showed up in shows like Miranda, The Missing, Babylon, Doctors, and Casualty, and if you haven’t heard of any of those titles, you can be forgiven, as none of them are readily available this side of the Atlantic. More small roles in features like City of Tiny Lights, Megan Leavey, The Commuter, Farming, and several others followed, including a 2019 episode of Black Mirror. But really, it was the FX series Snowfall that put Idris on the map. He played drug lord Franklin Saint, the show’s main character, and throughout 60 episodes, he showcased a range he hadn’t previously had the opportunity to demonstrate. Through six seasons, Idris played Franklin’s rise and fall like it was Shakespeare, and that made it clear to anyone paying attention that he had even bigger things in store.
Final Takeaways
Damson Idris delivers a breakout performance in F1: The Movie, holding his own alongside Brad Pitt’s effortless star power. His portrayal of a cocky, talented young driver is raw, intense, and layered with emotion, marking him as a rising talent to watch. Idris’ steady career progression, from British TV to leading roles, sets the stage for his bright future in film.
- Idris plays Joshua “JP” Pierce, a talented but reckless young driver mentored by Brad Pitt’s character.
- His intense, emotionally charged scenes with Pitt reveal a complex mix of cockiness, jealousy, and insecurity.
- Idris has built his range through diverse British TV roles and his acclaimed lead in FX’s Snowfall.
- The dynamic between Idris and Pitt highlights Idris’ ability to match a seasoned star’s charisma.
- F1: The Movie showcases Idris as a compelling new face with a promising career ahead.
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