James Duval: ACTORS & Skin

'James Duval is the love child of Keanu Reeves and James Dean'

On set, sock in place, ready for his close-up

It's always interesting to 'discover' an actor you've seen and enjoyed on screen, yet didn't really know, or connect the arc of his career.   I certainly knew who actor James Duval was.  I'd seen and enjoyed him on screen for years.  I thought he was incredibly cute in 1996's Independence Day and the many major films he was in, especially in the first decade of his career. 

Duval was also in one of my all time favorite films, 2001's Donnie Darko.  I guess I can be excused for not connecting the cut kid from Independence Day with Frank, especially given Duval was wearing an evil rabbit's head for much of the film.

Thanks to FH reader Nick however, I was encouraged to take a deeper dive in Duval's career, especially the trilogy of films written and directed by the brilliant Gregg Araki. Between 1993 and 1997, Duval appeared in three consecutive Araki's films,  Totally F***ed Up, The Doom Generation and Nowhere.

Donnie Darko (2001)

It makes sense that Araki would cast Duval, given it was the director who first discovered Duval who loitering around the Double Rainbow Café in Melrose. Duval was only 18 at the time, and didn't really know what he wanted to do with his future. Araki also hung around the café, and it was during the time he was writing Totally F***ed Up.  At one  point, Araki asked Duval if he was an actor, Dual replied 'Hell sure.'  The rest, as they say, is history. 

Independence1 Day (1996)

Nowhere and The Doom Generation not only marked the beginning of Duval's career, they also marked his first two nude scenes on film.  You can check them out in the SKIN portion below.

Nowhere (1997)

Duval continued to work steadily through the 2000's and 2010's in dozens and dozens of films, but none really gained the buzz created during the first decade of his career.   Some of you may also recognize Duval from his turn as 'homeless man' on several 2019 episodes of Apocalypse Now.  Duval hasn't slowed down however, even with the pandemic.  Checking out his IMDB page, Duval has no less that 25 new movies either filming or in post production.  Maybe I'll need to add to the SKIN section in t he future...

The Doom Generation (1995)