Why Mitch From Mayor Of Kingstown Looks So Familiar

"Mayor of Kingstown" has taken Paramount+ by storm. The latest creation by Taylor Sheridan follows the McLusky family as they navigate their relationships between the police, criminals, and underworld power players in Kingstown, Michigan. One of the biggest strengths of "Mayor of Kingstown" is the array of fantastically acted characters, such as Mitch McLusky, whose ill-fated, one-episode stint makes a major impact on the 1st season's storylines.

Mitch from "Mayor of Kingstown" will almost certainly look familiar to avid moviegoers and television watchers. That is because the character is played by actor Kyle Chandler, whose IMDb credits serve as a laundry list of some of the most notable film and television projects of the last two decades. With all of that said, and with Season 2 of "Mayor of Kingstown" officially announced, let's take a look at Chandler's filmography and explore some of the biggest and best roles that fans may know him from.

One of the earliest roles that Kyle Chandler fans may recognize him from is his performance as Bruce Baxter in Peter Jackson's 2005 epic "King Kong." The lead actor in the film shot by Carl Denham (Jack Black), Baxter proves himself to be capable in the battle against the monsters on Skull Island, but ultimately chooses to abandon the rescue of Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) when the journey eventually proves to be too dangerous. Chandler portrays Baxter as pragmatic and somewhat cowardly, as Baxter is also one of the first to leave the theater during the climax of "King Kong" when the giant beast finally breaks free from his chains.

Ironically, Jackson's "King Kong" would not be the only time that Chandler would face off against a kaiju. In fact, the actor has recently found a home in a notable franchise dedicated to the massive beasts. However, that is a discussion for later on.

Kyle Chandler has seen great success acting on television over the course of his career, but arguably his greatest television role to date is his performance as Coach Eric Taylor on "Friday Night Lights." The hit series, itself a spinoff of the Peter Berg film of the same name, followed Chandler's Coach Taylor as the head coach of a west Texas football team in a small town where the culture of high school football is held up as the highest form of success for the athletes who play in the town. In addition to Chandler, the cast of "Friday Night Lights" featured numerous other actors who would go on to become major stars, such as Jesse Plemons ("Breaking Bad") and Michael B. Jordan ("Black Panther").

Not only did "Friday Night Lights" endear Chandler to an entire TV-viewing audience, but it also brought him notable award recognition as well. Specifically, the actor won an Emmy for his performance as Coach Taylor in 2011, as the series was heading to its conclusion. At one point, a possible spinoff film (which would've brought back Chandler) was considered, but the project was ultimately dropped in 2013.

Kyle Chandler has worked with numerous iconic filmmakers throughout his career. That said, one of his most notable collaborations came in 2013 when he appeared in Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street." The film centered on real-life fraudster Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), chronicling his rise and fall amid a boom of Wall Street corruption.

In "The Wolf of Wall Street," Chandler portrays Patrick Denham, an FBI agent tasked with taking down Belfort and his firm, Stratton Oakmont. Though not a real-life character like Belfort, Denham is a stand-in for the real-life agent who took down the real Belfort. Though Denham is ultimately successful by the end of the film, and he does indeed bring down Belfort, the film concludes by showing that Belfort's incarceration was ultimately quite comfortable, and he found a new career to bring himself fame and fortune even after his career as a stockbroker came to an end.

In 2016, Kyle Chandler appeared in Kenneth Lonergan's "Manchester by the Sea," a heart-wrenching drama about grief and rebuilding one's life after a series of tragedies. The film follows Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck), a loner struggling with depression and alcoholism after losing his children in a house fire. One day he learns that his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) has died of sudden cardiac arrest caused by a rare disease, forcing Lee to make funeral arrangements and care for his teenage son (Lucas Hedges).

As Joe dies offscreen in "Manchester by the Sea," Chandler only appears in flashback sequences. Portrayed as a sort of anchor for the Chandler family, the sudden diagnosis of his disease causes a rift and destabilizes the relationships. To prepare for his role, Chandler notably worked with a dialect coach to ensure that he had the perfect Boston accent in order to perform alongside notable Boston-based actor Casey Affleck (via Flickering Myth).

Kyle Chandler is an intense actor who has often found his sweet spot performing in very dark and intense roles. That said, he also has a light side that has allowed him to thrive in comedies as well. Perhaps no film captures that energy better than his role in 2018's "Game Night." The film follows a group of friends forced to work together to band together to rescue Brooks (Chandler) when a routine game night turns into a kidnapping. In addition to Chandler, the "Game Night" ensemble includes Jason Bateman ("Ozark"), Rachel McAdams ("Mean Girls"), Lamorne Morris ("New Girl"), and Jesse Plemons ("Friday Night Lights"), among others.

"Game Night" was a moderate success at the box office upon its release, but audience appreciation of the film has grown immensely in the years since its release. It has developed a new life in its home release and has seemingly dominated within the streaming landscape, particularly during a recent run on Amazon Prime. This has led many to wonder if a sequel could eventually materialize. However, while rumors have swirled regarding a possible "Game Night 2," nothing definitive has actually been announced.

In 2018, Ryan Gosling took on one of his most iconic roles to date: Neil Armstrong in Damien Chazelle's "First Man." A follow-up to Chazelle's 2016 hit "La La Land," "First Man" explored the now-legendary moonshot space program, which put Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon. In "First Man," Chandler appears as Deke Slayton, a famous astronaut and a significant player in the Apollo missions. Prior to "First Man," Slayton had been portrayed in other films such as "Apollo 13" and "The Right Stuff."

Though Gosling is very much the lead of "First Man," the film features a massive supporting cast of character actors to fill out its ranks. Kyle Chandler fits right into the affair, but he is far from the only familiar face to show up in the 2018 film. In addition to Gosling and Chandler, "First Man" also features performances from actors such as Corey Stoll ("Ant-Man"), Christopher Abbott ("Possessor"), and Jason Clarke ("Dawn of the Planet of the Apes").

As noted earlier, Peter Jackson's "King Kong" was not the only time that Kyle Chandler would encounter a kaiju in his career. In fact, the actor has most recently appeared in both "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" as well as "Godzilla vs. Kong," which once again saw him share the screen with the titular giant ape. In the Warner Bros. MonsterVerse, Chandler portrays a character named Dr. Mark Russell – a scientist who develops technology that can communicate with the Titans.

Russell's family dynamic holds major thematic and narrative weight over the course of the MonsterVerse timeline. It is revealed that the family lost their son during the events of the first "Godzilla," which fractures his relationship with his wife Emma (Vera Farmiga). Through the course of the events of "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," Mark eventually repairs his relationship with his daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown) and goes on to become a major figure within Monarch.