James Ponsoldt | |
|---|---|
 Ponsoldt at theToronto International Film Festival premiere ofSorry for Your Loss | |
| Born | Athens, Georgia, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University(BA) Columbia University(MFA) University of California, Los Angeles(GrDip) |
| Occupation(s) | Film director,screenwriter,actor |
| Spouse | Megan Lane Hollaway (m. 2010)[1] |
| Children | 3[2] |
James Ponsoldt is an Americanfilm director,actor andscreenwriter.[3] He directed the drama filmsOff the Black (2006) andSmashed (2012), the romantic comedy-dramaThe Spectacular Now (2013), and the dramasThe End of the Tour (2015) andThe Circle (2017).
Ponsoldt was born inAthens, Georgia. He is the son of James F. and Susan E. Ponsoldt, and the grandson of graphic artist William Teason.[4] His father is a retired law professor, formerly at theUniversity of Georgia.[5] He grew up in Athens and attendedCedar Shoals High School.[citation needed] He received his bachelor's degree fromYale University and graduated fromColumbia University with anMFA in directing.[6][7] Ponsoldt is also a graduate of the Professional Programs in Screenwriting and Producing at theUCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.[8][9][10]
Ponsoldt has written and directed three short films:Coming Down the Mountain (2003),Rush Tickets (2003), andJunebug and Hurricane (2004). He also co-directed (and served as a co-directory of photography and an editor on) a documentary short calledWe Saw Such Things (2008), about the mermaids ofWeeki Wachee Springs, Florida.[citation needed]
Ponsoldt's first feature film that he both wrote and directed,Off the Black (2006), premiered at theSundance Film Festival in 2006. The film starsNick Nolte andTrevor Morgan.[4]
Ponsoldt's second feature film that he also both wrote and directed wasSmashed (2012), which starredMary Elizabeth Winstead andAaron Paul.Smashed premiered at the2012 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2012, and won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing.[11] The film also received anIndependent Spirit Award nomination for Winstead's performance.[citation needed]
The Spectacular Now (2013), the third feature film Ponsoldt directed, was written byScott Neustadter andMichael H. Weber, based on the novel by Tim Tharp. The film premiered at the2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it was warmly received and was given theSpecial Jury Award for Acting for the performances from its two leads,Miles Teller andShailene Woodley.[12] New York-based distribution companyA24 inked a deal forThe Spectacular Now, which Ponsoldt shot in Athens, Georgia, in the summer of 2012.[13] The film was released on August 2, 2013.[14]
InThe Hollywood Reporter, criticTodd McCarthy called the movie "a sincere, refreshingly unaffected look at teenagers and their attitudes about the future...Ordinary in some ways and extraordinary in others,The Spectacular Now benefits from an exceptional feel for its main characters on the parts of the director and lead actors."[15] Cinema Blend called it "the rare Sundance coming-of-age story that feels like it matters,"[16] adding: "The Spectacular Now is an instant MVP of the first half of the festival, with potential breakout hit written all over it...you'll be hearing a lot about this one down the road, and it's got the goods to live up to the hype."Spin called the film "The next great teen movie."[17] InVariety, critic Rob Nelson wrote: "The scars and blemishes on the faces of the high-school lovers inThe Spectacular Now are beautifully emblematic of director James Ponsoldt's bid to bring the American teen movie back to some semblance of reality, a bid that pays off spectacularly indeed."[18]
Ponsoldt's fourth feature as director isThe End of the Tour (2015), with a screenplay byDonald Margulies, based on the bookAlthough of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself (2010) byDavid Lipsky. It followsRolling Stone writer David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) as he interviews authorDavid Foster Wallace (Jason Segel) during the final week of the promotional book tour forInfinite Jest. The film also starsAnna Chlumsky andRon Livingston. It premiered at The Sundance Film Festival in January 2015 and was released theatrically in July 2015.[citation needed]
Ponsoldt's fifth feature film is anadaption ofDave Eggers's novelThe Circle, about an omnipotent high-tech company known as "The Circle".[19]Emma Watson,Tom Hanks,Karen Gillan, andJohn Boyega star in the film,[20] which was released on April 28, 2017.[21] Ponsoldt co-produced the film.[citation needed]
In August 2021,Bleecker Street andStage 6 Films picked up the worldwide rights to Ponsoldt's coming-of-age filmSummering, starringSarah Cooper andMegan Mullally.[22]
Ponsoldt has directed an episode ofParenthood titled "The M Word" (2013), an episode ofShameless titled "Iron City" (2014), and two episodes (including the pilot) of theAziz Ansari seriesMaster of None. He also directed and executive produced four episodes of the first season of theFacebook Watch originalSorry for Your Loss, including the pilot and the season finale. Ponsoldt executive produced and directed multiple episodes of the Amazon seriesDaisy Jones & the Six,[23] as well as the Apple seriesShrinking.[citation needed]
It was announced in May 2015 that Ponsoldt was in negotiations to write and direct an adaptation of theStewart O'Nan novelWest of Sunset, which follows writerF. Scott Fitzgerald as he comes toHollywood to try his hand at screenwriting in 1937, when his health was poor, his finances were dismal, and his wife was in an insane asylum.[24]
In addition to producing or serving as an executive producer on films he both wrote and directed, Ponsoldt was an associate producer on the TV moviePorn 'n Chicken (2002), was an executive producer on the feature filmAmira & Sam (2014), directed and written bySean Mullin, and was an executive producer on the short filmMountain Low (2014), written and directed by Andy Bruntel.[citation needed]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Off the Black | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2012 | Smashed | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2013 | The Spectacular Now | Yes | No | No |
| 2015 | The End of the Tour | Yes | No | No |
| 2017 | The Circle | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2022 | Summering | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Coming Down the Mountain | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Rush Tickets | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2004 | Junebug and Hurricane | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2008 | We Saw Such Things | Yes | Yes | Yes | Documentary short; Also editor and cinematographer |
| Year | Title | Director | Executive producer | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Parenthood | Yes | No | Episode: "The M Word" |
| 2014 | Shameless | Yes | No | Episode: "Iron City" |
| 2015 | Master of None | Yes | No | Episodes: "Plan B" and "Hot Ticket" |
| 2018–2019 | Sorry for Your Loss | Yes | Yes | 6 episodes |
| 2023–present | Shrinking | Yes | Yes | 11 episodes |
| 2023 | Daisy Jones & the Six | Yes | Yes | 5 episodes |
| 2025 | Running Point | Yes | Yes | 2 episodes |
| 2026 | Wonder Man | Yes | No | 2 episodes; Post-production |
