Comedian and actor John Early, long celebrated for his razor-sharp portrayals of millennial narcissists, is on the cusp of mainstream recognition. His role in the new Elizabeth Olsen and Miles Teller romantic comedy 'Eternity' marks a significant shift, but he insists ambition isn't the reason he's moved away from playing what he calls "psychos".
From Cult Favourite to Cinematic Purgatory
Early, 37, found fame in the cult mystery series 'Search Party', where his performance as the morally bankrupt Elliott Goss was a masterclass in passive-aggressive ruthlessness. Similar energy fuelled his sketches, from a gay wedding on a plantation in Netflix's 'The Characters' to collaborations with partner Kate Berlant. Yet, this typecasting began to have real-world effects. "I felt this thing happen over and over again where I was like… oh! People are scared of me," he reveals. Strangers grew wary, expecting judgement or mockery, prompting Early to question the energy he was projecting.
He traces this artistic inclination to his upbringing in Nashville, Tennessee, within a gentle, progressive Presbyterian church. "It was just more interesting to me to artistically be the opposite of that later on. To show my teeth a little bit," Early explains. "There was electricity to playing a psycho, and playing a nice guy almost felt self-serving at that point."
Finding Tenderness in 'Eternity' and Beyond
In 'Eternity', an A24 afterlife romcom, Early plays a soul-ferrier alongside Oscar winner Da'Vine Joy Randolph. Their characters, an on-again/off-again couple in a realm beyond sexual hang-ups, provide queer, spiky humour to a heterosexual love triangle. The actors opted for subtlety over scripted broadness, cutting a planned kiss. "We just thought it would undercut some of the tenderness we'd found," Early says, noting the comedy in simply stating their love.
He embraces the role of the consummate supporting actor, citing idols like Lisa Kudrow and Toni Collette. This niche, cult-status mirrors his own career trajectory and, he believes, a distinctly gay sensibility: "We can see what's special in the thing that gets ignored." While 'Eternity' may be his starriest project yet, following a 2022 cameo in Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" video (done so his "nieces would take [him] seriously"), Early remains sceptical of—and perhaps ambivalent towards—mainstream stardom.
Rejecting the 'Frankenstein' of Internet Irony
His evolution stems not from a desire for safer fame, but from a growing fatigue with insincerity. Early critiques a generational affliction shaped by the internet. "It's like we're walking around as a kind of Frankenstein of different tweets," he states. "It's this poisonous, internet-bred irony that's very stunting."
This disillusionment fuels his new direction. His recent stand-up tour blended stories with sincere covers of 2000s R&B and pop hits. He has also written, directed, and stars in the upcoming film 'Maddie's Secret', playing a female food influencer grappling with bulimia—a project deliberately devoid of ironic layers. "I made a movie in order to kind of hold a gun to my head and force me to make something pure," he admits, reflecting on the cultural vacuum he felt during the Covid pandemic. "We were all having this traumatic experience... We have memes." For Early, the path forward is one of open-hearted authenticity, leaving the millennial monsters—and the tweets that built them—firmly in the past.
'Eternity' is in cinemas now. 'Maddie's Secret' is scheduled for release next year.
