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James Lafferty

James Lafferty

Actor · Born July 25, 1985 (41) · Hemet, California, USA

James Martin Lafferty (born July 25, 1985) is an American actor, director and producer. He might be most well known for his role as Nathan Scott on The WB/CW television drama One Tree Hill. In addition to his role on the young adult drama, Lafferty is also known for his appearance as Justin in S. Darko, the 2009 sequel to the 2001 film Donnie Darko.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 25, 1985 (41)
From
Hemet, California, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 25 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Up 11% in 30 days

What are James Lafferty's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
26%
Bonds
23%
Survival
16%
Self
13%
Power
12%
Society
8%
Ideas
2%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 2

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 3 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 3 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

8 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 4 of 8 analyzed roles.

Hero
4 of 8
Ally
2 of 8
Herald
1 of 8
Threshold guardian
1 of 8
Show the 8 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Melancholic
6
Dread
4
Hopeful
4
Warm
3
Other
8

How their films linger

Bittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James Lafferty's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Lafferty's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

25 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page.

  • A Pickleball Christmas(2025)

    as Luke Hollis

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Red Right Hand(2024)

    as Lazarus

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Everyone Is Doing Great(2018)

    Show 8 episodes · Director · Creator · Writer · as Jeremy Davis

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • The Caul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Executive Producer

  • The Right Stuff(2020)

    Show 8 episodes · as Scott Carpenter

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows

  • The Haunting of Hill House(2018)

    Show 4 episodes · as Ryan

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • All American(2018)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · as Connor Murphy

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Small Town Crime(2017)

    as Tony Lama

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Waffle Street(2015)

    as Jimmy Adams

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Oculus(2013)

    as Michael Dumont

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Crisis(2014)

    Show 13 episodes · as Mr. Nash

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Lost on Purpose(2013)

    as Fever

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy(2011)

    as Eigson Howard

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • S. Darko(2009)

    as Iraq Jack

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Unscripted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as James Lafferty

  • One Tree Hill(2003)

    Show 186 episodes · Director · as Nathan Scott

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Boys on the Run (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Joe

  • A Season on the Brink (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Steve Alford

  • First Monday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Emeril (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 2 episodes · as James Lagasse

  • Boston Public (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Michael Scott

  • Once and Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 4 episodes · Actor

  • Get Real (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Billy

  • TRL (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Annabelle's Wish(1997)

    as Buster (voice)

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 94th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 25 titles from 1997 to 2025; peak year 2014.

Biggest box office

Oculus (2013)

$44M worldwide

Highest rated

One Tree Hill (2003)

Midcredits 83rd

Film career

19972025

Peak 2014 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting24 of 25: 21 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score51stDirecting3 of 25: 0 only directing, 3 with another roleWriting1 of 25: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing1 of 25: 1 only producing, 0 with another roleOther crew1 of 25: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

25 titles, 3 with more than one role — acting and directing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1990s4 · acting2000s8 · 8 acting · 1 crew2010s8 · 8 acting · 1 crew2020s5 · 4 acting · 2 crew

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 17% of 6 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do James Lafferty's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 31st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

31stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · actor

The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy (2011)

83rd percentile spread · 53% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

Midcredits 98th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the acting 57/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is James Lafferty's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, 1 of the 5 categories sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 70 · intenseMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles24–41 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 40 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 41 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 72 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does James Lafferty work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Lafferty's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Eshom Nelms shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers