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Franz Rogowski Getty 1.jpg

Pajiba 10 FYC: This Is the Year of Franz Rogowski

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Celebrity | December 14, 2023 |

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Celebrity | December 14, 2023 |

Franz Rogowski Getty 1.jpg

Norma Desmond famously declares in Sunset Boulevard that the era of silent cinema didn’t need dialogue because ‘we had faces!’ I’ve long wondered if Hollywood is losing its great faces thanks to a combination of anti-ageing procedures, restrictive societal standards, and good old-fashioned bigotry. The intensely narrow boundaries that the entertainment industry has long dictated mean that we’ve seen an undeniable homogeny dominate on-screen beauty. It’s been to the detriment of the medium as well as basic human desire. So, whenever I see an actor come along and my immediate response is, ‘that face!’, I think that’s worth celebrating. And if they happen to 100% be My Type, all the better!

If you’re an arthouse lover or consumer of German cinema, you’ll probably be familiar with the name Franz Rogowski. He’s exploded in popularity over the past few years, becoming one of the most acclaimed actors in his home country and a critics’ favourite thanks to work with filmmakers like Christian Petzold and Ira Sachs. You might have seen him in Great Freedom, Transit, or that one weird Italian X-Men ripoff where he plays a 12-fingered ether-huffing Nazi who can see into the future. If you love actors who can silently convey endless depths of melancholy and aching without saying a word, this is your guy. He’s on levels of wordless emotional agony that are rivalled only by Tony Leung.

While some have said he looks like the love child of Joaquin Phoenix and Vincent Gallo, there’s just nobody out there who looks like Rogowski. He’s got incredibly dark eyes, a lip scar, and a face that could be seen on a Restoration-era portrait. His physicality is also impeccable, probably due to his dance training. Also, did you know he got asked to leave clown school? Yes, he went to clown school in Switzerland and worked as a street performer. Pennywise could never.

Rogowski reached his fucky zenith this year with Passages, Ira Sachs’ romantic drama about the ultimate chaotic bisexual. He plays Tomas, a dickish filmmaker who dresses like an ’80s Berlin raver inspired by streetwalker fashions (Rogowski actually took a bunch of costumes from the movie and just wears them around his house now, like a king.) Tomas is just the worst, a fact strengthened when he cheats on his ridiculously patient husband with a straight woman. He’s such a slut and I love it. On top of it being one of the best performances of the year, it’s one of the sexiest. The sex scenes alone are worth the price of admission, if only to imagine how all the puritanical ‘no sex scenes in movies’ crowd would react to it. Rogowski nails (heh) the repulsive allure of that guy you know you shouldn’t go near but can’t stop yourself because that ludicrous self-confidence is undeniable. Want to talk about a man you’d ruin your credit for? This fucker right here.

Rogowski is set to star in more English-language movies, which will elevate his profile immeasurably. His next project is uh, a Pete Davidson movie. And he looks like this. They massacred my boy. But now, the focus is on Passages. I typically have one awards season candidate I get far too emotionally invested in, and this year it’s my hope that somehow Rogowski can pull off a Best Actor nomination. Look, Bradley Cooper can take one for the team and bow out for a few months to make some room. Yes, this Pajiba 10 FYC is also my Oscar ad. Support great faces and slutty auteurs this holiday season!

Also, he has a really fun Instagram account.