He’s booked & busy
If you started watching Netflix’s East of Eden and immediately thought, “Wait, I know that guy,” you’re definitely not alone. Christopher Abbott has been working steadily for more than a decade, popping up in everything from HBO dramas to Oscar-winning movies, and his latest role is one of his biggest yet.
Abbott stars as Adam Trask in Netflix’s seven-episode adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic 1952 novel. Created by Zoe Kazan, the series follows the Trask family across generations, with Florence Pugh playing Cathy Ames and Mike Faist as Adam’s brother, Charles. Abbott’s Adam is a morose Army veteran who falls for Cathy and heads west with her to California, where his life takes some major turns.
But if Abbott’s face is giving you major déjà vu, there’s a very good chance you remember him from HBO’sGirls.
Abbott played Charlie Dattolo, Marnie Michaels’ on-again, off-again boyfriend, appearing in 13 episodes between 2012 and 2016. Charlie starts out as the sweet, devoted boyfriend before the relationship gets considerably more complicated.
Abbott even returned in season five for the memorable episode “The Panic in Central Park,” when Marnie runs into him and discovers that his life has taken a very unexpected turn.
And then there’s Poor Things. Abbott appeared in the 2023 Oscar-winning film as Alfie Blessington, Bella Baxter’s former husband. The character enters later in the movie and helps reveal more about Bella’s past, but let’s just say Alfie is a pretty dramatic departure from the Charlie fans remember from Girls.
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Abbott’s other notable credits include Kraven the Hunter, Wolf Man, James White, The Sinner, It Comes at Night, First Man, Catch-22, Possessor, The World to Come, and Sanctuary, per IMDb. He’s also set to play Professor Charles Xavier in Marvel’s upcoming X-Men reboot.
So, yeah, there’s a reason his face feels familiar. He’s been everywhere.
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