Carl Clemons-Hopkins' 10 Best Movies & TV Shows Ranked

Carl Clemons-Hopkins is a theater actor turned screen actor, and in his short time in movies and television, he’s proven himself a competent and talented screen presence with a lot of room to grow. Born on July 20, 1987, in the US state of Georgia, Clemons-Hopkins began his acting career on the stage, appearing in productions of Little Shop of Horrors, Time Is On Our Side, Richard III, and maybe most notably, in the new Chicago company production of Hamilton as Aaron Burr and George Washington. He had a handful of small screen roles in that time as well.

It wasn’t until 2018 that Clemons-Hopkins screen career took off in earnest, and in that year, he appeared in Canal Street, Chicago P.D., and The Chi. Supporting roles kept coming in TV and movies, but it was his 2021 casting in Hacks that saw his star really rise. Since then, he’s got increasingly bigger roles in TV and film productions. Clemons-Hopkins is queer and non-binary, and doesn’t care what pronouns you use, as long as you use them with respect (via Instagram). His filmography already includes an impressive list of roles.

10

Canal Street (2018)

Bobby

Carl Clemons-Hopkins’ first major movie, Canal Street, is a drama thriller that follows Kholi Styles (Bryshere Y. Gray), a young black teen who is accused of a murder he didn’t commit in Winnetka, Illinois. His father, Jackie (Mykelti Williamson), is a young lawyer who fights in court for his son. The victim of the murder was a white schoolmate of Kholi, upping the racial tensions in the already anxious town. Clemons-Hopkins appears briefly in the film as a character named Bobby.

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He’s barely in the movie, but as the first feature film of his career wherein he plays a named character, Canal Street serves as the real entry point of Clemons-Hopkins into Hollywood. Canal Street was little seen but had a strong message that was clearly told without becoming preachy. It’s an interesting start to Clemons-Hopkins’ career and shows his more dramatic tastes.

9

The Chi (2018-Present)

Jean (3 Episodes, 2018)

The Chi is a 2018 Showtime drama series that takes place in a South Side neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, hence the title of the series. The cast of The Chi has changed significantly over the years, with only a few members of the main cast sticking around long. Carl Clemons-Hopkins appears in three episodes of season 1 as Jean, a minor character who doesn’t have a whole lot to do within the series.

The dueling dramatic and comedic tones of The Chi proved to be the right fit for Clemons-Hopkins, and many of his roles since have been in a similar vein. He’s a natural at finding the humor in a situation that’s serious, and finding the pathos in something that seems funny on the surface. Clemons-Hopkins may not have had a major role on The Chi, but as one of his first screen parts, it helped set the tone for the rest of his career.

8

Candyman (2021)

Jameson

Candyman

7/10

Release Date

August 27, 2021

Runtime

91 minutes

2021’s Candyman is the fourth film in the Candyman horror franchise, yet it’s a sequel to the original 1992 movie, effectively cutting out Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh and Candyman: Day of the Dead, though it doesn’t completely erase those movies. In this Candyman, set in 2019, Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is an artist who becomes obsessed with the Candyman legend, even after his friends and colleagues begin turning up horribly murdered.

Carl Clemons-Hopkins plays Jameson in the film, a minor character. Candyman is an influential horror franchise that has never gotten its proper due. The themes of racial violence and prejudice elevate these movies to a higher plane than normal horror fare. Though he doesn’t have a major role in the production, to be a part of it on any level is a feather in Clemons-Hopkins’ cap.

7

Chicago P.D. (2014-Present)

DEA Agent Thomas (1 Episode, 2018)

Carl Clemons-Hopkins appeared in another One Chicago TV show before Chicago Med. He appears in one episode of Chicago P.D. as DEA Agent Thomas. In season 5, episode 10, “Rabbit Hole”, the Chicago Police Department realizes there’s a mole in their unit and, at the same time, they come into contact with DEA agents who are working undercover on the same case as them. It’s an episode filled with twists and turns and Clemons-Hopkins is believable as an undercover agent.

Clemons-Hopkins doesn’t always do it, but he can play commanding characters as well as he can play ones who are a bit more easy-going and neurotic. Agent Thomas does not have a lot of time on screen in Chicago P.D., but the part offers a glimpse into a career that Clemons-Hopkins could have had if he’d gone down a different acting path.

6

The Beanie Bubble (2023)

Jeremy

Beanie Babies were a passing fad in the 1990s, and then movies about Beanie Babies were a passing fad in the early 2020s with the HBO documentary Beanie Mania and the Apple TV+ feature film The Beanie Bubble premiering within two years of one another. Those stuffed animal toys were never destined to be anything more than a niche interest, I suppose. The Beanie Bubble is in a line of movies about brands that have become popular recently, like Unfrosted, Blackberry, and Flamin’ Hot.

The film tells the semi-true story of the toy’s creation with Carl Clemons-Hopkins as Jeremy, a minor character in the movie. With a strong cast including Zach Galifianakis, Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Snook, and Geraldine Viswanathan, The Beanie Bubble survives on the talent of those appearing in it. Otherwise, it’s a fairly paint-by-number corporate biopic.

5

Range Runners (2019)

Howard

Range Runners

Release Date

September 25, 2020

Runtime

111 minutes

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  Sean Patrick Leonard

  Wayland

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• 
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  Tiffany Renee Johnson

  Chloe

Range Runners is an action thriller film and a movie outside the usual Carl Clemons-Hopkins selections. In the film, a talented runner, Mel (Celeste Cooper), is training in an isolated backwoods trail when two outlaws on the run steal her pack and leave her stranded and alone in the woods. With little other choice, she chases after the two men to get back what’s hers and prove something to herself at the same time. Clemons-Hopkins plays Howard, Mel’s father.

From a young age, Howard pushed his daughter to train harder and harder, with a drill sergeant-like mentality. Mel’s fight against the men who have wronged her is also a response to the unfair and unrepentant treatment she received from her father, who only cared about her as far as she could run. It’s a much harsher role than Clemons-Hopkins has played before or again, and his intensity is frightening.

4

The Mattachine Family (2023)

Todd

The Mattachine Family

Release Date

July 22, 2023

Runtime

100 minutes

Director

Andy Vallentine

Writers

Danny Valentine

The Mattachine Family is a comedy-drama that stars a cast of LGBTQ+ actors and characters. Directed by Andy Vallentine, The Mattachine Family follows a gay couple, Thomas (Nico Tortorella) and Oscar (Juan Pablo Di Pace), who have been the foster parents of a six-year-old boy for a year while his mother was in jail. When she is released, the couple have to decide what this means for them. Other non-heterosexual relationships are shown, including one between Thomas and Oscar’s friend Annie (Heather Matarazzo) and her gay friend, Todd (Carl Clemons-Hopkins).

Annie and Todd are also raising a kid together, and while their story is less heartbreaking, it shows just how difficult it can be to have a non “nuclear family” in America without any support. Adoption and gay families are at the center of The Mattachine Family, and with multiple stories to tell, Clemons-Hopkins only gets some screen time. However, he effectively uses what time he has to showcase a different kind of love between caretakers that’s not necessarily romantic.

3

Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-2024)

Narj (1 Episode, 2023)

Star Trek: Lower Decks is a five-season animated take on the Star Trek universe. The series, created by Mike McMahan for Paramount+, is the ninth Star Trek series and the only one to not focus on the senior officers of a Starfleet ship. Instead, as the name suggests, Lower Decks focuses on the “lower deckers” of the USS Cerritos, those responsible for the more menial tasks on board the ship. Carl Clemons-Hopkins appears in season 4, episode 2, “I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee” as the voice of Narj.

Narj is the owner of a menagerie which features all sorts of species, including humans. Though he thinks of himself as a kind caretaker, he’s a controlling, cruel owner. His death comes at the hands of his collection, who release the bone-drinking “moopsy” on him in order to escape. Clemons-Hopkins provides all the aristocratic line-readings appropriate for a character obsessed with classifying creatures. Narj is a funny and creepy character who’s one of the more memorable one-offs in the series.

2

Chicago Med (2015-Present)

Sean Richter (4 Episodes, 2020)

Carl Clemons-Hopkins appears in four episodes of Chicago Med, the third show in the One Chicago franchise. He plays Sean Richter in season 5, episodes 11 through 14. Sean runs an illegal safe injection site, that is, a place where those with substance-abuse disorders can come to make sure they use sterilized equipment and take drugs under the supervision of trained staff. While this may appear counterintuitive, it’s a practice that some studies have shown saves lives (via NPR).

Sean earns the respect and then the help of Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss), who puts his job on the line to help work at the site. While Will wrestles with the ethics of working at a safe injection site, Sean has no such qualms. He is responsible for making people healthy, and he’s seen firsthand how these sites can help. It’s a small but meaningful role for Clemons-Hopkins, who clearly and passionately elucidates the importance of his work.

1

Hacks (2021-Present)

Marcus (30 Episodes, 2021-2025)

Hacks

9/10

Release Date

May 13, 2021

Network

HBO Max

The show that put Carl Clemons-Hopkins on the map, Hacks is an HBO original series that follows the professional relationship between a legendary, but aging stand-up comedian, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), and a talented, but self-centered comedy writer, Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder). Together, Deborah learns to take more risks in her act, and Ava works her way through a turbulent personal life. Clemons-Hopkins plays Marcus, the COO of Deborah’s management company and a close confidant.

Marcus has an interesting arc all his own in the series. After a lifetime of devoting himself to Deborah, he spends season 2 living for himself, which for an extroverted bachelor is a rollicking good time. Then in season 3, he finds a careful balance between taking care of himself and others. Carl Clemons-Hopkins plays both sides of Marcus’ character perfectly, and for his efforts, he was nominated for an Emmy in 2021.