Sebastian Stan's 10 Best Roles Including Once Upon A Time
Sebastian Stan is best known for playing Bucky Barnes in multiple Marvel movies, but that is far from the only role he’s had over the years. Stan’s filmography is rather diverse and includes a range of roles on television as well as the big screen.
While he’s been in more movies lately, some of his best and most complex roles have been on television series such as Once Upon a Time, and he continues to star in many upcoming movies and series.
Here are Sebastian Stan’s best roles including Jefferson in Once Upon a Time.
10 DET. CHRIS - DESTROYER
Stan played a character named Chris in this 2018 movie which also starred Nicole Kidman. While people who have only ever seen Stan play The Winter Soldier might think that more gruff or action-oriented roles are the norm for the actor, Destroyer is actually a bit of a departure for him.
Stan often plays more complex characters with internal journeys, and this is also true here. The main difference is that the Destroyer character is a bit more hardcore as he’s an undercover FBI agent.
9 LANCE TUCKER - THE BRONZE
Some of Stan’s best roles are when he’s playing characters that can only be described as campy. While Bucky Barnes might be a tragic figure, Stan also has a great ability to play humorous characters. Lance from The Bronze is an over-the-top figure who was an Olympic gold medalist.
This movie features Stan doing some great physical comedy as he shows off the character's gymnast moves in the bedroom. This is definitely a funny role, and while it might not be the best movie out there, Stan does a good job.
8 CARTER BAIZEN - GOSSIP GIRL
Before Stan was known for being in the MCU, he had a recurring role on Gossip Girl. This is where Stan showed audiences that he was great at playing rich, bad boys who have a lot of inner demons.
Carter Baizen is a rather arrogant and unlikable character who briefly dates Serena. While the character might not be that lovable, Stan plays him with such charm that it’s hard not to enjoy the moments he’s on-screen. His role in this show showed that he can bring a lot of charisma to even smaller television roles.
7 CHASE COLLINS - THE COVENANT
For most actors trying to find success, it’s normal to have to take some roles that aren’t exactly high art of Oscar-worthy. The Covenant is definitely one of these jobs for Sebastian Stan, but this movie is so loved by fans that it had to be on the list.
Stan plays the antagonist in the film, which is basically about a bunch of sexy male witches. There is a lot of shirtless fighting in this movie, but, even though it’s pretty ridiculous, Stan still manages to bring depth and a tortured, likable nuance to the character.
6 JOSHUA BRUMMEL - RICKI AND THE FLASH
Unfortunately, in many of the roles where Sebastian Stan shines, the actual movie itself isn’t exactly the best. Ricki and the Flash has a great cast that includes Meryl Streep, but even that can’t make this film a hit.
In this movie, Streep plays a mother who followed her dreams to be a rock star, and it is all about family drama as she tries to reconnect with her children. Stan plays her son Joshua, and he’s definitely a charismatic note in a movie that’s not exactly inspired.
5 T.J. HAMMOND - POLITICAL ANIMALS
Stan’s role in Political Animals was one of his best, so it’s really a shame that this series was so short-lived. Starring Sigourney Weaver, this show is about a former first family and the politics and internal dramas they deal with.
T.J. Hammond is the family's gay son, and Stan is able to bring the tortured, nuanced skill to this role once again. He’s definitely great at playing characters that suffer internally, and he brings a lot of emotions to the surface here.
4 JEFFERSON - ONCE UPON A TIME
Sebastian Stan’s role as Jefferson in Once Upon a Time shows once again that some of his best characters and roles were on television. This is likely because they allow him more time to bring his skills to the table, especially since so much of the actor's greatness has to do with the subtlety of facial expressions and showing emotion through physical actions.
Stan’s take on the Mad Hatter is charming, handsome, and a little off-kilter, and the actor is great in these kinds of roles.
3 JACK BENJAMIN - KINGS
This is another television role where Stan shows that he’s great at playing rich kids struggling to be themselves under the weight of family responsibility. Jack is a major in the Army and heir to the throne of Gilboa.
While this series only has one season, Stan’s performance is extremely compelling. He is able to illustrate the pain that Jack deals with as he hides the fact that he’s gay from the world. This is another example of how Stan is able to portray emotion in subtle ways that make each character compelling.
2 JEFF GILLOOLY - I, TONYA
Of all of Stan’s roles, Jeff Gillooly in I, Tonya is the one where the actor definitely deserved more critical acclaim than he got. He was able to bring a disturbing likability to this character.
Stan is able to play up the campiness in this film quote adeptly, and he also plays the darker sides of Jeff well. This is a complex role that Stan completely nails. In this film, Stan proves that he’s quite versatile as an actor.
1 BUCKY BARNES - MCU
While this might be his best-known role, Sebastian Stan was able to take a character who had very few lines and little screentime and make him extremely compelling.
In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Bucky barely speaks at all, yet Stan is able to bring the complexity, pain, and goodness of the character to the forefront through physical acting. The way he has made audiences fall in love with a character who barely shows up is quite impressive.