The White Lotus to The Gentlemen: Theo James’ characters, ranked from worst to best

Let’s not lie, we’re all obsessed with Theo James right now. After watching The Gentlemen, suddenly my type on paper is a man with inherited wealth and a persuadable penchant for danger and drug dealing, which tbh I didn’t see coming.

Anyway, despite dominating our Netflix viewing right now, Theo is far from a newcomer in Hollywood and has plenty of standout roles under his belt you might have actually forgotten about.

So, it’s only fair to rank his performances – from The White Lotus to The Gentlemen – based on how much you need to rewatch them right this moment. Happy second viewing:

James – The Inbetweeners Movie

Credit: Channel 4

This might be the only time Theo James has legitimately given me the absolute ick. In The Inbetweeners movie he plays a flashy holiday rep who winds up dating Simon’s ex Carli. To get revenge, Jay gives him a £20 he’s had up his bum to do a line of coke with. Obviously, he winds up with poo dangling off his nose. Vom.

Kemal – Downton Abbey

Credit: ITV

Theo James had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him role in the first season of Downton Abbey as the Turkish diplomat Kemal. He (spoiler) dies in Lady Mary Crawley’s bed but, despite only being on screen for a few minutes, left a huuuuge mark on the show as a whole. Good if you need a humble cry.

Henry – The Time Traveler’s Wife

Credit: HBO

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Adapted from Stevan Moffat’s novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife follows the love story between Henry (who can, as you might have guessed, flit from era to era like it’s a trip to big Tesco) and his wife Clare, who suffers alone in his absence. Hard to say if it’s better than the heart-shattering Rachel McAdam’s film but it still knifes you in the feels nonetheless. (Why does this man always make us sob?)

Cameron – The White Lotus

Credit: HBO

Theo James’ White Lotus character Cameron is objectively an awful guy but is undeniably one of the most fun roles he’s ever played. Whether he’s flashing his (huge) penis at Aubrey Plaza, waltzing out of the shops in a Versace co-ord or hooking up with local escorts, for some reason it still looks like a really good time being married to him.

Will ask my therapist to unpack that one later x

Eddie – The Gentlemen

Credit: Netflix

Posh boy turned drug lord? We all like a bad boy don’t we.

Sidney – Sanditon

Credit: ITV

Theo James in Sanditon is genuinely like his period drama revenge for being killed off so early in Downton. This promo pic of him as Sidney Parker is genuinely one of the sassiest things I’ve ever seen. The hand on the hip? Please. The main word we should use to describe this character is brooding. And frankly there aren’t enough romantically angsty men around in 2024. Bring back brooding. Thanks!

The Gentleman is available to watch on Netflix now. For more like this and all the latest Netflix drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.

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Featured image credit via Netflix, ITV and HBO