Maxwell Jenkins

Actor · Born May 3, 2005 (21) · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Maxwell Jenkins is an American actor renowned for his dynamic roles in both television and film. Known widely for portraying Will Robinson in the Netflix series Lost in Space (2018) over its three seasons, Jenkins has also appeared as young Jack Reacher in the Amazon series Reacher (2022). His early career included roles in projects such as Sense8 (2015), created by the Wachowski siblings, Betrayal (2013), Chicago Fire (2012), Chicago Med (2015), and the comedy film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016). In 2020, he starred alongside Mark Wahlberg and Connie Britton in the film Joe Bell (2020), directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. In 2023, Jenkins took on a leading role in the Apple TV+ series Dear Edward (2023), created by Jason Katims and Fisher Stevens, which was released in February of that year. He also completed filming Sand and Stones, a feature film where he stars opposite Nicolas Cage under the direction of Ben Brewer, with a planned release in late 2023. Adding to his filmography, in 2024, Maxwell Jenkins appeared in the film Arcadian (2024). This role continues to build on his growing reputation for taking on complex characters in both independent and major studio projects. Jenkins was recognized by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the "30 top actors under 30" in 2019, highlighting his emerging talent in the industry. He has earned three Saturn Award nominations for his performance in each season of Lost in Space and has also been honored with the Community Leadership Award by the Young Artists Academy. From a young age, Jenkins has been immersed in the performing arts, making his debut at three years old with his family's theatrical circus company, Midnight Circus. He continues to perform as an acrobat with the company each summer. Outside of his acting commitments, he is musically inclined, playing guitar and mandolin with various bands in Chicago. Despite his demanding schedule, Maxwell remains dedicated to his education as a Chicago Public School student and maintains his involvement with the ASPCA as a committed partner.

What are Maxwell Jenkins' films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight

Bonds

40%

Survival

18%

Self

18%

Society

10%

Morality

7%

Power

4%

Ideas

2%

Family bonds7 Grief2 Survival2 Purpose2

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films

ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

Earnest

Tone · Sincerity

ironicearnest

Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4

Dark

Tone · Weight

lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 0 · Dark 3

Grounded

Tone · Style

naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

Charged

Feel · Intensity

gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 2

Steady

Feel · Swings

steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced

Feel · Humor

noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Even-paced

Demand · Pace

slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Casual

Demand · Attention

casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Heavy

Demand · Emotional cost

easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 3

Resolved

Demand · Resolution

resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense

5

Melancholic

3

Hopeful

4

Contemplative

2

Absurd

1

Other

5

How their films linger

Hopeful4 Bittersweet4 Wistful2

How their films end

Bittersweet6
Ambiguous2

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 Maxwell Jenkins' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (6).

Subscription and free streaming for Maxwell Jenkins' 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

18 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page.

Embroidered (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Actor
This Too Shall Pass(2024)
as Simon
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
The Bondsman(2025)
Show 8 episodes · as Cade Halloran
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows
Arcadian(2024)
as Thomas
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Dear Edward(2023)
Show 10 episodes · as Jordan
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows
Reacher(2022)
Show 6 episodes · as Young Reacher
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows
Joe Bell(2020)
as Joseph Bell
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Lost in Space(2018)
Show 28 episodes · as Will Robinson
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
A Family Man(2016)
as Ryan Jensen
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping(2016)
as Ten-Year Old Owen
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Chicago Med(2015)
Show 1 episode · as EJ Daniels
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
Sense8(2015)
Show 8 episodes · as Young Will
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Consumed(2015)
as Tommy Kessler
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
NCIS: New Orleans(2014)
Show 1 episode · as Ryan Griggs
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows
Betrayal(2013)
Show 13 episodes · as Oliver
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows
Chicago Fire(2012)
Show 2 episodes · as J.J.
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows
Rush (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Producer · as Jacob "Rush" Rushton
Scooby-Doo: Origins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Show 2 episodes · as Fred Jones

Career shape

Star power in the 94^th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 18 titles, 16 of them dated from 2012 to 2026; peak year 2015.

Biggest box office

Joe Bell (2020)

$1.7M worldwide

Highest rated

Lost in Space (2018)

Midcredits 69^th

Film career

20122026

Peak 2015 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. 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.

2013Screen debut· Betrayal
2015First film· Consumed

By role

only this rolewith another role

Acting18 of 18 · 57^thProducing1 of 18

By decade

2010s9 · acting2020s7 · acting

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 0% of 5 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 Maxwell Jenkins' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55^th percentile, the median of all 6; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50^th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

50^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

59^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

90^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

75^th and up6
50^th to 74^th5
25^th to 49^th3
Below 25^th1

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

Universally Loved3
Divisive1
Crowd Pleaser8
Broadly Agreed1
Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Consumed (2015)

90^th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Sense8 (2015)

Midcredits 91^st · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 69/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 48. 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 Maxwell Jenkins' work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles

Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 53 · moderate

Sex & Nudity5 titles13–35 · median 28 · mildnear the median of all films

Profanity5 titles31–67 · median 48 · moderateheavier than most films

Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 32 · mild

Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 55 · moderate

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 Maxwell Jenkins work with?

People who share at least 2 of Maxwell Jenkins' MovieCove titles; Connie Britton shares the most, 2.

Connie Britton2 titles See all 2 shared titles with Connie Britton