Character actor J.K. Simmons has been on the scene since the early ’90s, but became a household name in 2007 when he played the gruff but lovable dad to the eponymous preggo teen in Juno. The surprise indie hit was the second feature by Jason Reitman, who’d cast Simmons two years earlier in his satirical debut Thank You For Smoking, and would go on to cast him in his Oscar-nominated adaptation Up in the Air. According to Simmons, who recently sat down with Coming Soon to promote his soon-to-open starring vehicle The Music Never Stopped, Reitman regards him as his “lucky charm.” As such Reitman has asked Simmons to continue the streak by providing the voiceover for his upcoming dark comedy Young Adult.
The film, which reunites Reitman with Juno scribe Diablo Cody, centers on a recently divorced writer (Charlize Theron) who returns to her hometown to reconnect with her old boyfriend (Patrick Wilson), who is married with children. Young Adult is slated to be released this year, and is currently in post-production.
The Music Never Stopped opens in limited release March 18, 2011.
Which is your favorite Reitman movie so far? What’s your favorite Simmons role?