Christopher Abbott Joins X-Men and Netflix’s East of Eden
Christopher Abbott is preparing to step into the role of Professor Charles Xavier in the upcoming X-Men, an introduction he recently described as a mix of a dream and a nightmare because many fans in the auditorium did not yet know who he was. At 40 years old, the actor has spent 15 years building a diverse body of work across television and film, spanning high-concept thrillers, indies, and anti-war satire, prior to taking on major franchise work and classic literary adaptations.
- Christopher Abbott, 40, is taking on two major upcoming roles: Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men and Adam Trask in Netflix’s East of Eden limited series.
- His breakout television role came in 2012 as Charlie on HBO’s Girls, a recurring part he left during the second season before returning for a notable guest appearance in season 5.
- His career spans multiple genres, including the 2020 sci-fi thriller Possessor, the 2015 drama James White, and Hulu’s 2019 anti-war adaptation Catch-22.
Stepping Into Classic Literature With East of Eden
Before his debut as the leader of the X-Men, Abbott takes on the role of Adam Trask in Netflix’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden. Adam Trask is a thoughtful soldier turned settler in the sprawling epic, defined largely by a naiveté that he struggles to manage. The limited series is co-run by Zoe Kazan, whose grandfather Elia Kazan directed the 1955 film version that starred James Dean. Expanding the story into a limited series allows for a deeper exploration of Steinbeck’s text than the 1955 film provided, offering Abbott a complex character study.
Abbott Stars in Girls, James White and Catch-22
Abbott’s television career established itself early when he was cast as Charlie, the boyfriend of Marnie (played by Alison Williams), in Lena Dunham’s HBO series Girls. He appeared across the first two seasons before departing abruptly, though he later returned for the season 5 episode “The Panic in Central Park.” Following Girls, he took on the titular role in the 2015 drama James White, playing a flailing young man balancing life stresses alongside an ill mother played by Cynthia Nixon. In 2019, he starred as Yossarian in Hulu’s adaptation of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, directed by George Clooney, playing a soldier trying to prove his own unfitness to serve.
Genre Work in Thrillers and Horror
Beyond drama and comedy, Abbott has maintained a steady presence in genre filmmaking, including Brandon Cronenberg’s 2020 thriller Possessor. In that film, he plays the fiancé of a target’s daughter, caught in a narrative where an assassin (played by Andrea Riseborough) kills targets by taking over the consciousness of people close to them. His other notable genre credits include A24’s 2017 horror-film It Comes at Night, which explores paranoia during a deadly plague alongside costars Joel Edgerton and Riley Keough. He also starred opposite Jessica Biel in the first season of USA Network’s anthology series The Sinner as a pragmatic husband, and paired with Jon Bernthal as a hitman in the 2017 IFC Films release Sweet Virginia.
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