Stop what you are doing. Josh O’Connor just took over your movie night. Wake Up Dead Man, the new Knives Out chapter that hit Netflix on December 12, has a secret weapon. It is O’Connor as Father Jud Duplenticy, an ex-boxer turned priest with a stare that cuts and a smile that forgives. The performance lands like a left hook, then lingers like a hymn.
The Role That Lit the Fuse
Father Jud enters quietly, then owns the room. O’Connor plays him with coiled grace. He moves like a fighter and listens like a pastor. The result is heat and halo, danger and gentleness. He steals scenes without raising his voice. He sells every silence.
The craft is in the details. A tilted chin, a split second pause, hands at ease but ready. You see the boxer in his shoulders. You hear the priest in his tone. The balance feels new, and it feels right for this world.
Wake Up Dead Man is streaming now on Netflix. Josh O’Connor plays Father Jud Duplenticy, a bruised soul with a collar.
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Inside The Set, All Grit And No Ego
This rise is not an accident. On set, O’Connor took the hits, literal and not. He spent nights blasted by rain machines that would not let up. The joke became that he was the storm magnet, while Daniel Craig somehow stayed almost dry between takes. O’Connor laughed it off, then went again.
He also asked for more when it mattered. His first scene opposite Josh Brolin rattled him. He felt it in his gut. So he pushed for a reshoot, not out of vanity, but to match the power in the room. That choice shows who he is, serious about the work, humble about the process, fearless when it counts.
Fans Crown A New Hot Priest
Let’s say it plain. The collar is having a moment. O’Connor’s Father Jud has tapped into the hot priest archetype with wit and soul. Fans are already leaning in, from nicknames to art to Friday night watch parties. It is not just thirst, it is character. He is complicated, kind, and a little scary, and that is why the bit lands.
The look travels fast. Expect black shirts, thin chains, and sharp jackets to pop up in winter fits. Expect Halloween to plan itself. The image is sticky because the performance is grounded.
The hot priest trope works when the character has moral weight. O’Connor plays that weight, not just the outfit.
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The 2025 Run, And Why You Cannot Miss It
Wake Up Dead Man is the spark, but the year tells the story. O’Connor has stacked a filmography that now feels unstoppable. He carries intimate drama, then flips to high style thrills. He is building a lane that reaches art houses and living rooms at once.
If you are catching up on Josh O’Connor movies, here is your fast track:
- Rebuilding, a wildfire drama that aches and heals
- The Mastermind, an art heist with quiet cracks and sharp edges
- Wake Up Dead Man, the catalytic turn as Father Jud
- Next up, a Steven Spielberg sci‑fi and Joel Coen’s Jack of Spades
Start with Wake Up Dead Man, then pair Rebuilding with The Mastermind for range. Save La Chimera or Challengers for dessert.
What This Means For The Star Game
We are watching the shift, in real time. O’Connor has been great for years, from God’s Own Country to La Chimera and Challengers. Now he is graduating to the front row. He can anchor a franchise mystery, then slip into a tender romance, then bend a moral thriller. Studios see that. Directors crave that. Audiences feel that.
Hollywood loves a sure thing, but it worships surprise. O’Connor gives both. He is precise, and he is unpredictable. Father Jud is the proof, a role that should not work this well, yet does, because he finds the human core under the twisty shine. That is star work, full stop. 🎬
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who does Josh O’Connor play in Wake Up Dead Man?
A: He plays Father Jud Duplenticy, an ex-boxer turned priest with a complicated past.
Q: Where can I watch the new Knives Out movie?
A: Wake Up Dead Man is streaming now on Netflix.
Q: Why is everyone calling him the hot priest?
A: The nickname fits his character’s mix of warmth and danger, and the look is striking.
Q: What other Josh O’Connor movies should I watch from 2025?
A: Rebuilding and The Mastermind, both show different sides of his range.
Q: What is he doing next?
A: He is attached to a Steven Spielberg sci‑fi and Joel Coen’s Jack of Spades.
Josh O’Connor just crossed the line from acclaimed to undeniable. Wake Up Dead Man cements it. The year around it seals it. The next two years will test it, and if Father Jud is any hint, he is ready to own the moment.
