Tim Blake Nelson reflects on his most memorable roles, from Buster Scruggs to Watchmen

Tim Blake Nelson

Has any modern character actor built a resume as beloved—or as eclectic—as Tim Blake Nelson? The 57-year-old Oklahoma native has become one of Hollywood's most consistent veterans, imbuing even the strangest, smallest parts with an unparalleled gravity. With Nelson stepping into a rare leading role with Old Henry (out now), here, he tells EW about a few of his most memorable roles.

O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000)

It's no surprise that Nelson calls escaped convict Delmar O'Donnell the role "that changed my life." Before getting cast in the Coen brothers' sprawling southern epic, Nelson had carved out a career on stage and on screen, mostly small roles in films like Heavyweights and The Thin Red Line. "I spent 10 years begging to be in any project that would have me," he says with a laugh. Even now, he says, he still has a soft spot for the gregarious criminal. "I remember Ethan Coen saying to me on the set of O Brother: 'Tim, you're playing a guy who just doesn't shut up,'" he says.

Holes (2003)

Nelson plays Dr. Pendanski in the big-screen adaptation of Louis Sachar's classic YA novel, and he says it's one of the roles for which he's most frequently recognized. He also credits costar Jon Voight (who played criminal counselor Mr. Sir) with helping shape his performance. When Nelson arrived on set, he watched Voight throw himself into preparation, treating every small character decision (from jewelry to facial hair to vocal tics) with introspective precision.

"I suddenly remembered something one of my first-year acting teachers said," Nelson explains, "which is: 'No matter what script you're doing and what role you're playing, it's Hamlet. That's what you have to bring to every project.' You need to bring a seriousness of purpose, even if you're playing a one-scene role in a movie for 8-year-olds. Don't ever coast. I watched Jon bring that through the course of Holes, and it made all of us better. It changed me, and it changed my approach."

Colossal (2016)

He may be better known for his starry collaborations with the Coen brothers or big-budget superhero flicks like Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk, but Nelson says he feels particularly "protective" over some of his lesser-known indie films, like 2002's Cherish, 2019's Sequestrada, or 2016's Colossal—which starred Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis as two people with an unexpected connection to a kaiju-like monster rampaging through Seoul.

"Even the people who represent me said, 'What are you thinking?'" Nelson recalls. "'This makes no sense. She walks through a playground on one side of the world, and there's a monster mimicking her on the other side? No, this doesn't work.' And I said, 'There's got to be a reason that Anne and Jason Sudeikis are doing this. I want to do this one.' And I'm incredibly grateful I did. I think it's a beautiful film, and ultimately, it's a really smart metaphor for substance abuse, even while being wildly entertaining."

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

In 2018, Nelson reteamed with the Coen brothers as Buster Scruggs' titular gun-slinging outlaw (which required him to learn various pistol tricks).

"While others may say Delmar in O Brother, Where Art Thou isn't so different than Freighter in The Homesman, who isn't so different than Buster Scruggs, I see them as absolutely distinctive characters, and I worked hard to make each one a custom job," Nelson explains. "I don't ever want to repeat myself."

Watchmen (2019)

The Tulsa-born actor returned to Oklahoma for HBO's ambitious superhero series Watchmen, starring as the cryptic detective Looking Glass, a.k.a. Wade Tillman. Playing a masked figure can have its drawbacks, though: Nelson says that during the COVID-19 pandemic, he would board the New York City subway wearing a mask, and he got recognized as Watchmen's Wade almost every day.

"I thought that was so funny because people started recognizing me, and I thought, 'How? I'm not that famous,'" Nelson says with a laugh. "I mean, that's ridiculous. My wife likes to say I'm minorly famous, and I think that's accurate."

Old Henry (2021)

After amassing a long resume of oddball supporting roles, Nelson stepped into the spotlight with Potsy Ponciroli's western Old Henry, playing the titular farmer. Much of the story hinges on Henry's relationship with his son (Gavin Lewis), and that family vibe extended off-screen, too: Nelson's real-life son Henry got a job working on set alongside his dad.

"He was the on-set dresser, so he was always around," Nelson says. "That couldn't help but remind me of what's central to my life, which is being a dad."

Nightmare Alley (2021)

Up next, Nelson will play a carny in Guillermo Del Toro's 1940s mystery Nightmare Alley, which also stars Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, and Rooney Mara. (He's also appearing in Del Toro's upcoming take on Pinocchio, as well as his Netflix horror series.)

"Even if I weren't in the film, I'm excited for any Guillermo Del Toro film," Nelson says. "He's a fantastically generous human being, and that comes through in his movies. He shares himself completely through his vision, which is why when you see a Guillermo Del Toro movie, you can chance upon it. He's always deeply political. He's the most eloquent antifascist I know."