If Sense and Sensibility is your introduction to George MacKay, you’re in for a treat, because his filmography stretches back more than 20 years, showcasing a versatile career in the British film industry.
George has led everything from war epics to psychological thrillers, with a knack for fully disappearing into every role he takes on.
Ready to get watching? Here’s a guide to his most memorable work and where you can stream it right now in the U.S.
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Private Peaceful (2012)
In one of George’s earliest starring roles, British war drama Private Peaceful casts him as the titular Tommo Peaceful, one of two brothers who both fall for the same girl while contending with the pressures of family life and World War I.
The film is based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo, the author of War Horse, and it’s a poignant early showcase of George’s great dramatic range, which has only grown further with time.
Private Peaceful is streaming on Prime Video.
(Private Peaceful via Eagle Rock Entertainment)
Captain Fantastic (2016)
For something completely different, Captain Fantastic sees George playing Bodevan, the eldest of six children raised off-grid in the wilderness by their idealistic dad, played by Viggo Mortensen.
When the family is eventually forced back into mainstream society, George’s performance captures the culture shock and the struggle to adapt to modern living with real tenderness.
Captain Fantastic is streaming on Netflix.
(Captain Fantastic via Bleecker Street)
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1917 (2019)
In a role that put George MacKay on the map, he leads Sam Mendes’ Oscar-winning war epic 1917 as Schofield, a young British soldier racing against time to deliver a message that could save 1,600 lives.
The film was shot to look as if it was one continuous take, making it a technical marvel as well as an emotional gut punch. As the star at the center of the chaos, George carries nearly every frame of the film, and serves as its beating heart.
1917 is streaming on Netflix.
(1917 via Universal Pictures)
Wolf (2021)
In one of his strangest and most committed performances, Wolf stars George MacKay as Jacob, a young man convinced he’s a wolf trapped in a human body.
In time, he’s sent to a disturbing institution meant to “cure” him and others like him, where he meets “Wildcat,” played by Lily-Rose Depp.
Their chemistry is palpable throughout, anchoring the film’s stranger and more surreal moments as they both commit more and more to their animalistic urges.
Wolf is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.
(Wolf via Focus Features)
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Femme (2023)
George takes on one of the most challenging roles of his career in the tense British thriller Femme.
In the film, he plays Preston, a deeply closeted man pulled into a dangerous game of seduction and revenge after he attacks a drag performer.
It’s not the easiest watch, taking a raw and confrontational approach to its storytelling, but it’s an acting masterclass, and George’s performance even netted him a British Independent Film Award.
Femme is streaming on Prime Video and Hulu.
(Femme via Signature Entertainment)
Sense and Sensibility (2026)
And finally, Sense and Sensibility is a major role bringing George MacKay’s work to a whole new audience.
He joins an ensemble cast in this fresh adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel, reimagining the story of the Dashwood sisters as they navigating love, sisterhood and financial uncertainty after losing their family estate.
Sense and Sensibility is playing in theaters now in the U.K. and opens in theaters in the U.S. on Oct. 16.
(Sense and Sensibility via Focus Features)
Also be sure to click HERE for our recap of the star-studded Sense and Sensibility premiere.
