How Adam Driver turned awkward intensity into Oscar-worthy acting

If there is one actor who is carved out of contradiction and awkward intensity, it is Adam Driver. With his towering height of over 6 feet, a chiseled face, and a deep voice, Driver challenges the cookie-cutter mold of Hollywood stardom. Yet, he has become one of the most prominent actors of contemporary cinema.

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Adam Driver's awkwardly tensed acting

For those who have come across his acting, may notice that his acting method is built on a strange, magnetic tension—and yet it produces just the perfect harmony on screen. There is an intensity, but it's made awkward with long silences, fidgety movements, and sudden, emotionally charged outbursts. Like his memorable performance in Marriage Story, he often pauses for a beat too long to add just enough suspense to the scene. He looks away just mildly enough to grab your attention to the surroundings, and just when you least expect, he delivers a high-pitched performance two beats later. And somehow, it works. It always works.

This is why two of his performances reached Academy Award nominations for two consecutive years.

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A look at Adam Driver's memorable roles

1. Girls

Girls was Adam's first Hollywood breakout performance. He showcased the awkward intensity of his acting beautifully. Adam Sackler of the series wasn’t your archetypal boyfriend, and that's exactly how the character was written. His role was to bring out the erratic, deeply philosophical, sometimes offensive, sometimes oddly tender man in Adam Sackler. That is exactly what Driver delivered. He leaned into the character’s complexities without smoothing out too many edges.

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2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The same awkward, dissonant energy fueled his acting in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As Kylo Ren, Driver brought his awkward excellence into the sequel trilogy. Instead of copying Darth Vader’s cold menace, Driver’s Ren is a mixture of chaos, sensitivity, and misguided rage. Ren is a master of throwing tantrums, destroying control panels, and breaking down mid-sentence. His performance was jarring, raw, and oddly visceral to some, but others saw the genius: a villain who does not simply highlight the tyranny of power but leaves a deep sense of suffering with you.

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3. Marriage Story (2019) and Paterson (2016)

Driver's signature awkward intensity permeates into his other performances as well—from the turbulent Charlie Barber in Marriage Story or the quiet, poetry-worshipping bus driver in Paterson.

In his 2019 Marriage Story with Scarlett Johansson, he brings his silence-filled monologue delivery to life. In Paterson, he relies on micro-expressions, nervous smiles, and barely-there sighs.

He was nominated in the 92nd Academy Awards for his performance in Marriage Story under the 'Best Actor' category.

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4. The Last Duel (2021)

In The Last Duel, Driver concentrates the intensity into something unsettling. As Jacques Le Gris, he comes off as a hero who believes he's the protagonist of a chivalric romance, but he is accused of a crime. Driver brings into this role a unique, self-assured, and alarmingly deluded touch.

In all of his performances, Adam brings a modulation perfectly suited for the wide range of characters he plays on screen.

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5. BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Adam Driver's next notable performance was as Flip Zimmerman in BlacKkKlansman. Here, he comfortably juggles two identities: Jewish cop and undercover white supremacist. Flip isn’t your typical protagonist. As he does a sting operation, he gets emotionally invested in the process, but soon, a sense of discomfort takes over. The tension builds slowly and permeates into the narrative.

His performance in BlacKkKlansman earned him a nomination in the 91st Academy Awards under the 'Best Supporting Actor' category

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Adam Driver's entry into acting

Born in California, the actor grew up in Indiana. Even though we know him as a celebrated actor today, after growing up, Adam followed a different passion. He joined the United States Marine Corps after the horrific 9/11 attacks. Later, he underwent a transformation following a mountain biking injury—upon recovering, he shifted his orientation towards acting. Pursuing it seriously, he later joined Juilliard, one of the prestigious performing arts schools, and got the necessary training.

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Why the awkward intensity works

In today's entertainment era, vulnerability adds a new charisma. Adam Driver's style of acting may have come off as too intense, too unpredictable, too serious in the beginning. But now, after a plethora of character portrayals and critical acclaim, it seems like audiences are also rejecting the over-polished, Instagram-filtered performances.

Adam's jittery, difficult, raw energy feels like a balm. The awkward tension that he brings oscillates between unraveling the inner depths of the character and holding it together, and this is what makes him so watchable.

Also read: The Joker through the years: Who really played him best?