Quick summary
- Director Martin McDonagh described Sam Rockwell as “one of the best actors of his generation, if not the best” on Friday, 13 November 2026.
- He spoke at Vanity Fair’s inaugural Screening Room at LACMA in Los Angeles, after a screening of Wild Horse Nine.
- Co-star John Malkovich also praised Rockwell, calling him an ideal colleague, according to Vanity Fair.
- The Screening Room moves to New York’s Cherry Lane Theatre from 4 to 6 December.
Martin McDonagh has given Sam Rockwell some of the strongest praise of his career. Speaking after a screening of their new film on Friday in Los Angeles, the director called Rockwell “one of the best actors of his generation, if not the best”, according to Vanity Fair.
What McDonagh said about Sam Rockwell
The comments came during a panel at the first Vanity Fair Screening Room, held at the Steve Tisch Theater at LACMA. Martin McDonagh said Rockwell is “always surprising, always dangerous, always sensitive, always smart”, and that he keeps coming up with new ideas.
McDonagh also said there is a danger to Rockwell that is “lovely to write for”. He explained that he hopes his characters will always surprise, and that having Rockwell’s voice in his head while writing helps that happen.
Our earlier coverage looked at Rockwell on Wild Horse Nine and McDonagh’s looser style and at his Oscar chances for the film.
Malkovich: “an ideal colleague”
John Malkovich, who plays the other CIA agent opposite Rockwell, spoke warmly of him too. He said he knew Rockwell a little socially before the shoot and had worked with him once before, on A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Malkovich compared Rockwell to an expert trainer at SeaWorld who can coax whales, sharks and dolphins into showing off their skills for a fish. He called Rockwell “a great student of acting”, as well as of film and theatre, and added that he could not imagine a better colleague.
Vanity Fair says the banter between the two characters runs through the film and that their on-screen chemistry is a highlight.
About Wild Horse Nine
Wild Horse Nine is described by Vanity Fair as an acclaimed dark comedy. It follows two CIA agents, played by Malkovich and Rockwell, who are behind a plan to overthrow the Chilean government in 1973. They have also had a hand in several other significant moments in US and international history.
McDonagh used the panel to explain why he keeps returning to male friendships. He said he likes to explore the sensitivity he believes is often missing from American films. In his words, it is “not just a buddy film”, and not a romance either. He added that men’s relationships can be “sensitive and sad and happy”, just like those between women.
Chilean actress Mariana di Girolamo, who makes her English-language debut in the film, also joined the panel. She said performing in English for the first time was a real challenge. She prepared with a coach and rehearsed with Malkovich, Rockwell, Parker Posey and Ailin Salas at a public theatre in New York. She said she found the film’s dark humour about a painful period of Chilean history unlike anything she had read before.
What happens next
Vanity Fair says the Los Angeles programme is the first edition of its Screening Room, an invitation-only series pairing the year’s films with panels and conversations with actors and filmmakers. Moderator Rebecca Ford, the magazine’s senior Hollywood correspondent, led Friday’s discussion.
The series then travels to New York, with screenings and events at the Cherry Lane Theatre from 4 to 6 December. You can also read about Ray Gunn, Rockwell’s Brad Bird noir, and follow everything we publish on him on our Sam Rockwell page.
Frequently asked questions
What did Martin McDonagh say about Sam Rockwell?
He called Rockwell “one of the best actors of his generation, if not the best”, and described him as always surprising, dangerous, sensitive and smart. He said so at Vanity Fair’s Screening Room at LACMA on 13 November 2026.
What is Wild Horse Nine about?
According to Vanity Fair, it is a dark comedy about two CIA agents, played by John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, who are behind a plan to overthrow the Chilean government in 1973.
Where is the Vanity Fair Screening Room going next?
After Los Angeles, it moves to the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York for screenings and events from 4 to 6 December.
