Adam Brody is a fantastic comedic and dramatic actor who’s been stealing hearts and making audiences swoon with his charming characters in movies and TV since the early 2000s. Brody made a name for himself as part of the cast of The O.C. the Fox TV show that aired during the the early 2000s renaissance of teen dramas. Since then, it’s been difficult for Brody to shake off his identity as a teen heartthrob, as many audiences still think of him as Seth Cohen. However, his additional roles throughout the years have shown that he’s capable of embodying any character.

Recently, Brody’s new rom-com, Nobody Wants This, has seen a resurgence in the star’s popularity, making it the perfect time to revisit some of his best projects. After finishing The O.C., Brody transitioned into more film projects and has been in a few indie cult classics that align with his style as an actor. Even when playing smaller roles, Brody is unforgettable onscreen and steals every scene he’s in. While it’s always fun to see him playing a lovable goofball like Seth, watching Brody mature into new characters and play against type is also engaging.

10Grind (2003)

As Dustin Knight

One of Brody’s earliest forays into feature work and quite the cult classic, Grind was not favored by critics at the time of its release. However, looking back on it today, there’s a certain charm to the film, and it serves as a time capsule of the early 2000s.Grind was released around the same time as when The O.C. premiered, and though this didn’t save Grind from underperforming at the box office, it’s interesting to see how much of Brody’s early success coincided.

The movie unfolds like most typical coming-of-age road trip movies, seeing the boys embark on many misadventures while ultimately staying true to themselves.

His character, Dustin, is the most straight-laced of the group of young men who decide to travel across the country after high school graduation to realize their dream of becoming progression skateboarders. The movie unfolds like most typical coming-of-age road trip movies, seeing the boys embark on many misadventures while ultimately staying true to themselves. Dustin can be viewed as a prototype of the Seth Cohen archetype. This performance allowed Brody to explore new territory as a young actor.

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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

Grind (2003)
8%
79%

9In The Land Of Women (2007)

As Carter Webb

The all-star cast of In the Land of Women makes up for some of what the script lacks, as while the indie dramedy is sweet, it’s not the most complex. Brody plays Carter, a young man who returns home to Michigan from Los Angeles to take care of his grandmother and gets caught up in the drama of the family next door. Meg Ryan and Kristen Stewart play the mother and daughter who Carter gets in the middle of while trying to discover what he wants from life and out of a relationship.

In the Land of Women has similar themes as the best mumblecore movies that helped define the genre. Brody fits the type of classic mumblecore leading man. Throughout the film, Carter is asked to confront his relationships with women and decide what kind of person he wants to be. Carter was a more serious and adult role than anything Brody had tackled so far, but he quickly proved himself to be quite capable of the project and had good chemistry with Stewart and Ryan.

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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

In The Land of Women (2007)
44%
52%

8Fleishman Is In Trouble (2022–2023)

As Seth Morris

Based on the novel by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Fleishman Is in Trouble follows the story of Toby Fleishman (Jesse Eisenberg) after his divorce and the sudden disappearance of his wife, Rachel (Claire Danes). Brody’s character, Seth, is a friend and support system for Toby and serves as a foil for him throughout the narrative. The lives of Toby, Seth, Rachel, and Toby’s friend Libby (Lizzy Caplan) begin to intersect and cause Toby to think about what was missing from his marriage and life.

Though Seth isn’t the biggest character in Fleishman Is in Trouble , it’s an intriguing exploration of adult relationships and how easy it is to prioritize the wrong things in life.

Eisenberg and Brody have often been cast in similar roles. However, when seen together on screen, they are markedly different, as Brody’s ease and confidence contrast with Eisenberg’s more high-strung persona in the series. Though Seth isn’t the biggest character in Fleishman Is in Trouble, it’s an intriguing exploration of adult relationships and how easy it is to prioritize the wrong things in life. Seth is almost a window for Toby to look back on his life and see what he might have changed.

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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

Fleishman Is in Trouble (2022–2023)
87%
80%

7The Kid Detective (2020)

As Abe Applebaum

The underrated dramedy The Kid Detective sees Brody’s character, Abe, fall into an investigation too advanced for his skills as he helps a young girl solve the murder of her friend. Abe was a child detective and famous in his town growing up until the tragic disappearance of his close friend. However, he gets the chance to redeem himself when Caroline seeks him out. Caroline is recognizable as Sophie Nélisse, who’s risen to prominence thanks to Yellowjackets.

The narrative of The Kid Detective and Abe’s struggle to adapt to adult life after being famous in his youth was the perfect role for Brody. Though it’s not exactly the same, the feelings that Abe grapples with are similar to those of an actor who achieves notoriety early in their career, only to be pigeonholed into this archetype later on. This lends depth and complexity to Brody’s performance and helps the emotional impact of the film land even more poignantly.

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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

The Kid Detective (2020)
85%
77%

6American Fiction (2023)

As Wiley Valdespino

Brody’s character, Wiley, is a stand-in for the exploitative nature of cinema and popular culture in general, as he’s the movie producer who wants to adapt the novel the protagonist, Monk (Jeffrey Wright), wrote as a satire. Like many of the white characters in the movie, Wiley fails to see the contempt and subversion within the book and cares little for its social impact as long as the screen adaptation makes money.

Wiley is an ancillary part of American Fiction , which makes it less notable in Brody’s filmography, but overall, American Fiction is one of the best-received and most nuanced works that Brody has been a part of.

Wiley is an ancillary part of American Fiction, which makes it less notable in Brody’s filmography, but overall, American Fiction is one of the best-received and most nuanced works that Brody has been a part of. Ultimately, American Fiction is Wright’s movie, as the seminal actor is the center of the story and lights up every corner of the film. Brody works well with Wright and is elevated as a performer in the scenes they share, even if Wiley is a disgusting character.

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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

American Fiction (2023)
93%
95%

5Ready Or Not (2019)

As Daniel Le Domas

The thrilling action-horror flick Ready or Not sees Brody tackle a new type of character, even though it wasn’t his first foray into the horror genre. Ready or Not follows Grace, played by Samara Weaving, as she is forced into a deadly game of hide-and-seek with her new husband’s family after finding out they’ve made a deal with a demon. Throughout the night, Grace encounters different members of the family, including Daniel (Brody), her husband’s brother.

Daniel is one of the most complex characters in Ready or Not, as he’s complicit in the violence and terror his family inflicts but knows that he should work to change it. It’s Daniel, not Grace’s husband Alex (Mark O’Brien), who does the most to help Grace escape and prevent the family from taking another life. He’s a tragic and imperfect character and one of the more interesting individuals that Brody has played. Additionally, he’s not a love interest, which is against type for Brody.

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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

Ready or Not (2019)
89%
78%

4Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)

As Dave Rygalski

While the debate surrounding Rory’s boyfriends on Gilmore Girls is often the biggest on the show, Dave is an underrated love interest. Introduced in season 3 as a musician interested in Lane joining his band, Dave was a great boyfriend to Lane, a character who deserved better in Gilmore Girls. Dave went to extreme lengths to gain Lane’s mother’s approval and was compatible with her because of their shared love of music.

. Brody ended up leaving Gilmore Girls after season 3 because he joined the cast of The O.C. , but he was never forgotten.

Dave might be one of Brody’s best characters, but his short stint on Gilmore Girls makes it impossible to classify him as the very best of his filmography. Brody ended up leaving Gilmore Girls after season 3 because he joined the cast of The O.C., but he was never forgotten. Most of the boyfriends on Gilmore Girls left a lot to be desired, including Lane’s ultimate love interest, Zack (Todd Lowe), but Dave was willing to compromise for Lane and easily blended into the show, delivering the quippy dialogue of the series with ease.

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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)
N/A
88%

3Jennifer’s Body (2009)

As Nikolai Wolf

Brody is almost unrecognizable as Nikolai, the demon-summoning band member who targets Jennifer (Megan Fox) and is the film’s true villain. The role was the opposite of Brody’s earlier work, as Nikolai was evil and used his charm for evil, making the usual swoon-worthy Brody seem like a true antagonist. Though he only makes a few appearances in the film, his actions are the driving force of the plot, and Brody is unforgettably evil in every scene.

In the years since Jennifer’s Body was released, it’s been completely reevaluated and is now remembered not only as a cult classic but a piece of feminist horror well ahead of its time. One of the issues with Jennifer’s Body was that audiences and critics were expecting the film to be closer to an exploitation film rather than a subversion of the genre. However, returning to Jennifer’s Body today highlights great performances from Brody, Fox, and Amanda Seyfried.

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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

Jennifer’s Body (2009)
46%
35%

2The O.C. (2003–2007)

As Seth Cohen

The O.C. is a teen drama TV show with one of the most influential soundtracks, and Seth Cohen was a character who was defined by his taste in music. Seth was one of the best heartthrobs of the early 2000s because, though he had his weak moments, he redefined the “nerd” archetype on TV, and his romance with Summer (Rachel Bilson) quickly became a fan-favorite relationship on the show. Love stories were a big part of The O.C., but Seth’s brotherly dynamic with Ryan (Ben McKenzie) was also touching.

The O.C. was also fairly progressive and boundary-pushing as far as the teen drama genre went.

Though there were soap opera-esque moments on The O.C. and plenty of melodrama that was a little over-the-top, this is part of why The O.C. is looked back on so fondly. The O.C. was also fairly progressive and boundary-pushing as far as the teen drama genre went. It can be difficult for an actor to be so closely linked to a role they had long ago, but Seth Cohen is so beloved that it makes it easy to extend that affection to the actor himself.

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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

The O.C. (2003–2007)
68%
71%

1Nobody Wants This (2024–Present)

As Noah Roklov

Even though it’s easy to view Nobody Wants This as a crossover with Veronica Mars, Brody isn’t just reprising his role of Seth Cohen as an adult. Noah, the Rabbi who Brody plays in Netflix’s new romantic comedy series, is still a little nerdy. However, he comes by it honestly and has all the depth and maturity that audiences never see Seth embody because he’s still a teenager. If anything, the self-confidence and emotional availability of Noah serve to make him the most evolved and desirable character in Brody’s oeuvre.

However, the charm and desirability of Noah isn’t the only reason to watch Nobody Wants This. The series has skyrocketed in popularity because of the chemistry between Brody and Kristen Bell, who plays the other protagonist, Joanne. Bell and Brody’s shared history of being in popular early 2000s teen shows and understanding of what makes a relationship work onscreen has been the key to Nobody Wants This. Adam Brody is sure to remain in the cultural conversation if the series progresses.

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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

Nobody Wants This (2024)
95%
88%