Justin Long’s rise reached its peak in the late 2000s following his starring role in Accepted, but his career has since undergone an interesting transformation. With over 100 credits, Long has been working steadily for 20 years. His career began strong, with a small role in the 1999 sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest. Long played his first starring role as Darry in the slasher classic Jeepers Creepers in 2001 and appeared in a significant role as Justin in 2004’s Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.

Justin Long’s first leading role in a major Hollywood film came in 2006 when he starred in the slacker comedy Accepted. Accepted follows a young underachiever who chooses to create his own university after being rejected by numerous colleges, only to find himself in over his head when other college rejects begin applying. The film, which relied heavily on improvisation, owes much of its lasting appeal to a talented central cast of rising stars. Alongside Long in the starring role of Bartleby Gaines, Accepted stars newcomers Blake Lively and Jonah Hill.

Accepted Was The Start Of Justin Long’s Most Successful Period

Justin Long and Bruce Willis in Die Hard 4

Following Accepted, Long would play main roles in numerous mainstream Hollywood projects. 2007 saw Long begin voicing the titular Alvin in the Alvin and The Chipmunks franchise. Long also co-starred alongside Bruce Willis in the blockbuster Live Free Or Die Hard as hacker Matt Farrell. The following two years saw Justin Long star in the Kevin Smith comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno and in the Sam Raimi horror classic Drag Me To Hell. Over this 2007-2009 period, Long also starred in Apple’s hugely popular “PC vs Mac” ad campaign as the likable, laid-back Mac.

However, as time progressed and Long aged out of the early-20s-underachiever look, his career lost momentum. While still acting steadily, Long would appear in fewer mainstream roles from 2009 onwards, focusing primarily on an unsuccessful string of rom-coms. Justin Long appeared in such underperforming comedies as Going The Distance, A Case of You and Best Man Down. However, Long’s voice-acting career remained strong. He continued to voice Alvin of Alvin and The Chipmunks for three sequels, alongside main voice roles in Planet 51 and Alpha and Omega.

What Justin Long Is Doing Now

Justin Long sitting in a chair in Barbarian

A highlight of Long’s down-period is the 2014 Kevin Smith horror film Tusk, in which he plays the lead character Wallace Bryton. While panned on release, the film is now considered a cult classic and saw Long gradually transition into genre films, calling back to his past successes with Jeepers Creepers and Drag Me To Hell. In 2019, Long starred in the independent psychedelic thriller The Wave, followed by a 2021 appearance in Netflix’s revival of the classic horror anthology Creepshow. In 2022, Justin Long would star in more horror films, House of Darkness from cult auteur Neil LaBute and the horror phenomenon Barbarian.

Barbarian was a hit by every metric, a massive commercial success and considered one of the Disney+ Goosebumps series.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Indiewire