Aaron Taylor Johnson's top 10 movies - Nowhere Boy at number 5

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is one of Hollywood's most exciting young actors. He's played many differing roles, starring in comic book adaptations, period costume dramas and a John Lennon biopic. The actor broke out into stardom with his role in Nowhere Boy and has since been in many productions. He has most recently starred in 28 Years Later, which comes out at the end of June. also remains among the favourites in the line-up of rumours around who will be the next .

Here are Taylor-Johnson's top 10 ranked from worst to best by

10. The Fall Guy

Released last year, The Fall Guy is very loosely based on the Lee Majors TV show of the same name. Ryan Gosling plays a stunt performer who has been out of action for some time after breaking his back and is returning to the scene. But when the lead of the movie disappears (Taylor-Johnson), he and his director-come-ex-girlfriend are tasked with finding him. The film was framed as a love letter to stunt people in the industry and was heavily praised.

9. The Illusionist

In the Illusionist, Taylor-Johnson plays a younger version of Edward Norton's titular character seen through various flashback scenes. He embodies the wonder found in the mystical illusions he is learning from an old magician, played by David Forest. There is also a love story between two star-crossed lovers woven through the film.

8. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

In this charming coming-of-age British flick, Taylor-Johnson plays the love interest of lead character Georgia (Georgia Groome). The witty teen movie brings together elements from films such as Sixteen Candles or Clueless, but with the backdrop of a British seaside town circa 2008. It also features a catchy soundtrack with music from the Stiff Dylan,s with hits such as Ultraviolet.

7. Bullet Train

In this Hollywood blockbuster, Taylor Johnson stands out among stars including Brad Pitt, Joey King, Sandra Bullock and Bad Bunny. The actor played a slick and stylish character who has influenced rumours of his potential to be the next Bond. The film itself has received mixed reviews, but Taylor-Johnson's performance has been praised.

6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The 2014 Marvel movie featured Taylor Johnson as Pietro "Quicksilver" Maximoff in his MCU debut alongside Elisabeth Olsen. It is a short appearance in a post-credit clip that shows him volunteering for a HYDRA experiment that gives him superpowers.

5. Nowhere Boy

Nowhere Boy is a fictionalised account of John Lennon's life, released in 2009. Lennon is played by Taylor-Johnson, and it is the film that shot him to stardom. It is also the film where he met his now-wife, Sam Taylor-Johnson, who was debuting as a director, and it remains their best creative endeavour to date. The film follows Lennon's early life and how the band was formed, with Thomas Brodie-Sangster in the role of Paul McCartney as a young adult.

4. Nocturnal Animals

Fashion designer-turned-filmmaker Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals was the film that would win Taylor-Johnson a Golden Globe for his performance as Ray Marcus, who leads his gang of thugs to kidnap the wife and daughter of the novel's protagonist, Tony Hastings, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Taylor-Johnson was also nominated for an Oscar for this performance.

3. Tenet

Christopher Nolan's 2020 sci-fi action film sees Taylor-Johnson enter about halfway through as he plays a no-nonsense paramilitary commander within the Tenet organisation. This role in particular shows how transformative Taylor-Johnson can be as an actor, as he often plays a comedic character with a vulnerable side as opposed to a stern military man.

2. Kick-Ass

While Nowhere Boy sent Taylor-Johnson on his way to Hollywood, it was his lead role in Kick-Ass that would cement his place in Hollywood. He plays a teenage boy aspiring to be a superhero, who chooses to become an ally with Nicholas Cage's character Big Daddy and his daughter Mindy Macready / Hit-Girl, played by Chloe Grace-Moretz.

1. Nosferatu

This 2024 horror remake of the classic Nostferatu film is Taylor-Johnson's best-reviewed film. The entire cast is stellar, including Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney and Willem Dafoe, but Taylor-Johnson's performance stands out. Directed by Robert Eggers, the film is one of the most beautifully shot horror films of recent years.