Mike Faist

 ( 1992 Births ) 

The two following years, Faist continued to feature in small independent films the likes of Our Time, Nadine Truong and Active Adults. He also appeared in crime procedural dramas in a 2017 episode as Glenn Lawrence. In October 2017, he taught Improvisation and acting exercises in a Broadway Musical Theatre Workshop and also held a Master Class for audition technique and song interpretation. He taught the same class in Montreal that November.

In 2018, he appeared in an episode of Deception and starred in the Second Stage Theater production of Days of Rage as Spence, a conflicted and passionate young man torn between causes and women. He also appeared in the horror-fantasy film Wildling opposite Bel Powley. It premiered at South by Southwest to mixed reviews. In 2020, he played a starring role as Arthur in the small independent drama The Atlantic City Story.

Later that year, he had his first major movie role in Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of West Side Story as Riff, Tony's best friend and leader of the Jets gang. The film was a critical success and some critics deemed it superior to the 1961 film. His performance earned universal praise from critics. The Washington Post regards his magnetic performance as West Side Story's "stand-out" as its chief film critic Ann Hornaday wrote "The revelation in this production, however, is Mike Faist, who is not only a gifted singer and dancer, but plays Jets gang leader Riff with just the right mix of spiky resentment, hair-trigger anger and loose-limbed grace.". On his collaboration with Faist, screenwriter Tony Kushner says, "He really wants to think about economics, politics, psychology, and psychotechnology, and he feeds himself with a kind of acuity and precision that I think is the mark of a great actor." To craft a new version of his character, Faist took inspiration from a 1959 Bruce Davidson photography book entitled Brooklyn Gang. "You look at those photos and you see these people, the nihilism that exists, their inability to see past tomorrow, or even today for that matter. There's something depressing about it, also carnal, wild, and primal," Faist explained. For his performance, Faist received a nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 75th British Academy Film Awards.

Faist made his West End debut in the stage adaptation of Brokeback Mountain as Jack Twist, opposite Lucas Hedges as Ennis Del Mar, in May 2023. The production received mixed reviews but Faist earned acclaim with Arifa Akbar of The Guardian writing, "the chemistry comes alive as boyish romance, with play fighting and suddenly grabbing ardour...both actors are compelling, Faist especially so as the ebullient Jack". Faist portrayed photographer Danny Lyon in Jeff Nichols' The Bikeriders opposite Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy. Faist practiced photography and spent a weekend with Lyon, in addition to studying Lyon's personal audio recordings and other material. The film premiered at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival to positive reviews. Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter noted that despite Faist's "charismatic screen presence, he was somewhat wasted here".

Faist starred with Zendaya and Josh O'Connor in Luca Guadagnino's romantic drama Challengers as Art, a famed tennis player facing his rival. He gained 30 pounds for the role and practiced tennis. The film was originally set to premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival but was delayed by the studio to 2024 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. The film received positive reviews from critics. It was announced that Faist would return to the stage acting opposite in Michelle Williams in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's play Anna Christie at St. Ann's Warehouse with performances running from November 25 to February 1, 2026. He was set to star alongside Colin Farrell in The DC Universe film Sgt. Rock until the film was put on hold during pre-production.