Dylan Sprouse’s Best Roles Ranked

Dylan Sprouse is a prolific, popular young actor with a wide range of memorable film, TV, and video game roles to his name. Sprouse got his break working alongside his twin brother Cole, but they’ve both since branched out as solo performers and taken on acting roles of their own. Sprouse has appeared in a wide range of different movies, from romcoms to dystopian thrillers, and he’s also played key roles in sitcoms and video games. He’s co-starred with such iconic actors as Adam Sandler, Miley Cyrus, Brett Butler, Raven-Symoné, Dana Carvey, and Modern Family’s Sarah Hyland.

Although he was typecast as a mischievous kid up to no good in his early-career TV comedies, Sprouse has since proven his versatility as a performer with an intriguing variety of vastly different characters. He’s played the best friend in a heartwarming romantic comedy, a young man dealing with drug addiction in a psychedelic post-apocalyptic road movie, and a powerful warrior in an action RPG within an action RPG. Zack Martin from The Suite Life franchise will probably always be Sprouse’s most iconic role, but he’s played plenty of other great characters over the years.

10

Luke Hart

Tyger Tyger (2021)

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Tyger Tyger

R

Drama

Release Date

February 26, 2021

Runtime

92 minutes

Director

Kerry Mondragon

Producers

Salvatore Sclafani, Mary Rose Costello, Philip Batlin, Shane Jerominski

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Dylan Sprouse

    Dylan Sprouse

    Luke

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    Sam Quartin

    Blake

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    Thea Sofie Loch Næss

    Emerald

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Craig Stark

    Joe

Tyger Tyger is a post-apocalyptic drama following a woman and her band of altruistic thieves as they steal from a pharmacy to distribute medication. On their journey, they become ensnared in a chaotic, lawless, psychedelic city amidst their quest. Released in 2021, the film showcases their struggle for survival.

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The post-apocalyptic thriller Tyger Tyger follows an outlaw woman and her gang who rob a pharmacy so they can go on a road trip to deliver life-saving medication to people dying from a disease that’s spreading across their lawless city. Sprouse plays against type as Luke, a man with a drug addiction who gets kidnapped by the gang and taken along for the ride. Along the way, Luke falls in love with the woman, Blake (Sam Quartin).

Tyger Tyger was widely panned by critics – earning a dismal approval rating of just 10% on Rotten Tomatoes – but it gained an unexpected cultural significance due to its pandemic storyline filmed just before the outbreak of COVID. When it was released in 2021, Tyger Tyger had become surprisingly timely. There were some critics who praised the film, complimenting Mondragon’s direction as an auteur.

9

Trevor

After We Collided (2020)

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After We Collided

R

Romance

Drama

ScreenRant logo

5/10

Release Date

October 23, 2020

Runtime

105 Minutes

Director

Roger Kumble

Writers

Anna Todd, Mario Celaya

Cast

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    Josephine Langford

  • Headshot Of Hero Fiennes Tiffin

    Hero Fiennes Tiffin

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In 2020, Dylan Sprouse starred in the romantic drama After We Collided​​​​​​. Based on the novel by Anna Todd and helmed by Cruel Intentions’ director Roger Kumble. This is a sequel to the 2019 movie After (which didn’t include either Sprouse or Kumble). However, Josephine Langford returns from the first movie as Tessa Young, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Hardin Scott. The first film ended with Tessa returning home to make up with her family and then meeting up with Hardin, who confessed his love.

The two are broken up when this movie begins, but they can’t seem to stop hooking up. As for Sprouse, he plays Trevor, a coworker at the publishing company where Tessa begins to work as an intern. There were also four more entries in the franchise, but Sprouse didn’t return. The entire franchise received poor critical reviews, but it was beloved by its fans, explaining the constant sequels.

8

Patrick Kelly

Grace Under Fire (1993-1998)

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Grace Under Fire

TV-PG

Comedy

Romance

Release Date

1993 – 1997

Cast

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  • Headshit Of Brett Butler In The FOX Summer TCA All-Star Party

    Brett Butler

    Grace Kelly

  • Headshot Of Casey Sander In The CBS's 'The Big Bang Theory'

    Casey Sander

    Wade Swoboda

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Kaitlin Cullum

    Libby Kelly

  • Headshot Of Dylan Sprouse

    Dylan Sprouse

    Patrick Kelly

Grace Under Fire follows Grace Kelly, a single mother and recovering alcoholic, as she navigates the struggles of raising her three children alone while working as a blue-collar oil refinery laborer in the fictional town of Victory, Missouri. The show explores themes of resilience, humor, and personal growth against the backdrop of working-class America.

Seasons

5

Main Genre

Comedy

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Dylan Sprouse made his TV debut playing the role of Patrick Kelly, sharing the role with his brother Cole. In Chuck Lorre’s sitcom Grace Under Fire, they played the youngest of Grace’s (Brett Butler) three kids. The series revolves around the struggles of parenthood as a single mother tries to raise her three children alone. As a mischievous infant, Patrick presented some of the most comical conflicts in Grace’s parenting difficulties.

Cole and Dylan Sprouse’s performance here likely led to their casting in the Adam Sandler movie Big Daddy one year after the cancelation.

Much like the Olsen twins in Full House, the Sprouse twins stole every scene they were in as Patrick in Grace Under Fire, often outshining their adult co-stars. The series ran for five seasons, although it was shockingly canceled in the middle of that last season, largely thanks to Butler’s real-life issues and reputation. However, Cole and Dylan Sprouse’s performance here likely led to their casting in the Adam Sandler movie Big Daddy one year after the cancelation.

7

Travis Maddox

Beautiful Disaster (2023)

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Beautiful Disaster

R

Comedy

Drama

Romance

Release Date

April 12, 2023

Runtime

96 Minutes

Director

Roger Kumble

Writers

Roger Kumble, Jamie McGuire

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Dylan Sprouse

    Dylan Sprouse

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Virginia Gardner

  • Headshot Of Austin North

    Austin North

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Samuel Larsen

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In 2023, Dylan Sprouse took on the lead role in the romantic comedy Beautiful Disaster alongside Virginia Gardner​​​​​​, who plays college freshman Abby Abernathy. The story sees Sprouse’s Travis Maddox as a bad boy that Abby knows she needs to avoid. While Travis spends his nights in underground boxing matches, he soon sets his eyes on winning over Abby, without realizing that she has her own dark past, which comes as a complete shock to Travis when it comes to the surface.

Beautiful Disaster was a success despite its lackluster reviews. Critics awarded it a 25% rotten rating, while fans gave it a 54% Popcornmeter score. Despite the lower scores, fans who loved the film praised it for the main leads’ chemistry. This allowed the film to earn a sequel in Beautiful Wedding​​​​​, released in 2025, a movie that immediately follows the events of the Beautiful Disaster.

6

Jake

My Fake Boyfriend (2022)

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My Fake Boyfriend

R

Romance

Comedy

ScreenRant logo

5/10

Release Date

June 17, 2022

Runtime

100 minutes

Director

Rose Troche

Writers

Greg Boaldin, Luke Albright, Joe Wanjai Ross

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Sarah Hyland In The 2023 Baby2Baby Gala

    Sarah Hyland

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Keiynan Lonsdale

My Fake Boyfriend, directed by Rose Troche, follows a young man who, with help from his best friend, creates a fictitious boyfriend via social media to fend off his unpleasant ex. The situation complicates when he meets his true love and struggles to end the faux relationship.

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An offbeat romcom with a unique premise, My Fake Boyfriend revolves around a young man named Andrew (Keiynan Lonsdale) trying to escape his toxic ex-boyfriend. His best friends (Dylan Sprouse and Sara Hyland) created a fake boyfriend for him on social media to fend off the toxic ex. However, when the fake boyfriend becomes a huge sensation online, Andrew has to find a way to make the fake boyfriend disappear when he meets the man of his dreams.

Sprouse ably fills the archetypal “best friend” role with a hilarious and unconventional performance as Nick, who works with Kelly to advise Andrew on creating the fake boyfriend. My Fake Boyfriend received mixed reviews, earning 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it was well-received by notable publications like The New York Times and Variety, who called it a “throwback to an earlier era of Drew/Sandra/Julia-led vehicles.

5

Yozora

Kingdom Hearts III (2019)

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8/10

Kingdom Hearts 3

After a decade since the last numbered entry in the epic crossover action RPG franchise, the conclusion to the original saga arrives as Kingdom Hearts III. Players again join up with Sora, Donald, and Goofy as they set off to stop Xenahort’s goal of reaching Kingdom Hearts itself and enacting a new keyblade war. In addition, players will experience several classic Disney & Pixar films, traditional and more contemporary, such as Tangled, Frozen, and Toy Story, as they visit their worlds and interact with these characters on their adventures.

Franchise

Kingdom Hearts

Platform(s)

Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Released

January 25, 2019

Developer(s)

Square Enix

Publisher(s)

Square Enix

See at epic games

See at Best Buy

Dylan Sprouse joined the English voice cast of Kingdom Hearts III to play Yozora, the star of the in-universe Verum Rex video game in the “Toy Box” world inspired by the Toy Story movies. After just one encounter, Yozora established himself as a powerful and formidable warrior with a charismatic presence.

Yozora proved to be so popular with fans of the franchise that he almost got his own spin-off game (via The Gamer), but Kingdom Hearts co-creator Tetsuya Nomura decided to focus on Kingdom Hearts IV instead, because he would be “worried about Sora [the main protagonist of the series]” if he didn’t. Metacritic praised the game in general, awarding it an 84 rating for its PC release.

4

Eric

Aftermath (2021)

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Aftermath

R

Action

Thriller

Release Date

September 27, 2024

Runtime

95 minutes

Director

Patrick Lussier

Writers

Nathan Graham Davis

Producers

Lucas Jarach, Nicolas Chartier, Jonathan Deckter, Timothy C. Sullivan

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Dylan Sprouse

    Dylan Sprouse

    Eric Daniels

  • Headshot Of Mason Gooding

    Mason Gooding

    Jimmy ‘Romeo’ Roken

  • Headshot Of Dichen Lachman In The Season Finale Screening Of Apple TV+'s

    Dichen Lachman

    Samantha ‘Doc’ Brown

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    Megan Stott

    Madeleine Daniels

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Aftermath is an action movie with Dylan Sprouse that arrived in 2024. He plays Corporal Eric M. Daniels, who was a U.S. Army Ranger who served two tours before returning home. However, his return home came after he had a confrontation with a superior in an area he was stationed in. Dealing with PTSD, Eric wants to settle in back at home, but he finds that impossible.

When he returned home, he wanted to spend time with his little sister but ended up in the middle of a terrorist attack involving a man named Jimmy (Mason Gooding). Directed by Patrick Lussier (Terminator Genisys), early reviews criticized the generic storyline and the acting but praised the action moments. Dylan Sprouse received mixed reviews on his acting, with some praising his performance and others saying he wasn’t believable as the big action star.

3

Nick

Banana Split (2018)

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Banana Split

R

Comedy

Release Date

September 22, 2018

Runtime

88 Minutes

Director

Benjamin Kasulke

Writers

Hannah Marks, Joey Power

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Hannah Marks

    Hannah Marks

  • Headshot Of Liana Liberato In The Napa Valley Film Festival

    Liana Liberato

  • Headshot Of Dylan Sprouse

    Dylan Sprouse

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Luke Spencer Roberts

Banana Split centers on the burgeoning friendship between two teenage girls who discover they are both dating the same boy. Directed by Benjamin Kasulke and starring Hannah Marks, Liana Liberato, and Dylan Sprouse, the film offers a comedic yet insightful exploration of young relationships and the complexities of teenage emotions.

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Dylan Sprouse gives a memorable performance in the middle of a complicated love triangle in Banana Split. He plays Nick alongside Hannah Marks (the film’s co-writer) as his high school sweetheart, April, who broke up with Nick because they couldn’t make a long-distance relationship work from different colleges, and Liana Liberato as his new girlfriend, Clara.

Dylan Sprouse as Zack Looking to the Left in The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody.

Related

“Write Something Funny”: The 1 Joke Dylan Sprouse Refused To Say Recalled By Suite Life Of Zack & Cody Star

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody actress Kim Rhodes recalls an act of kindness from young star Dylan Sprouse on the show, where he stood up for her.

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Much to the surprise of both April and Clara, they have a lot in common and end up becoming close friends. They create rules to keep their friendship a secret from Nick, which inevitably leads to problems. Banana Split was widely praised by critics, earning an impressive 89% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. Above all, Banana Split is a sweet, heartfelt ode to female friendship.

It’s Marks and Liberato’s chemistry that carries the movie, but Sprouse gives a great performance as the object of their desire. Since certain details of the story are kept hidden from Nick, Sprouse does a terrific job of playing his character’s obliviousness in scenes like the party where Nick “introduces” Clara to April, unaware that they already know each other well.

2

Julian McGrath

Big Daddy (1999)

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Big Daddy

PG-13

Comedy

Documentary

Drama

8/10

Release Date

June 25, 1999

Runtime

93 Minutes

Director

Dennis Dugan

Writers

Steve Franks, Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Adam Sandler In The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2024 at Barker Hangar.

    Adam Sandler

  • Headshot of Cole Sprouse In The Los Angeles Special Screening Of Focus Features

    Cole Sprouse

Big Daddy is a 1999 comedy film by director Dennis Dugan. Sonny Koufax (Adam Sandler) has gone the first 32 years of his life avoiding any responsibility. But when his girlfriend dumps him out of the blue and shacks up with an older man, he’s confronted by the need to prove he’s got a plan for life to win her back. As a strike of luck, 5-year-old Julian (Dylan and Cole Sprouse) is dropped off on his doorstep, and to impress her, he pretends to be Julian’s father. 

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Sprouse shared another early-career role with his brother Cole opposite Sandler in the fan-favorite comedy Big Daddy. Sandler plays the infinitely likable Sonny Koufax, an immature, irresponsible slacker stuck in a state of arrested development. After his girlfriend leaves him for his lack of ambition, Sonny sees a chance to prove her wrong when his best friend’s long-lost son – Julian McGrath, played by the Sprouse twins – arrives on his doorstep in need of a father figure.

At first, Sonny is just taking care of Julian until a suitable foster home becomes available, but he comes to love Julian as his own son and decides to adopt him. Big Daddy was met with mixed reviews from critics, scoring just 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it became a big hit with audiences, grossing $234 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo), and remains one of Sandler’s most beloved films.

The Sprouses develop a tangible, heartwarming on-screen dynamic with Sandler throughout Big Daddy that sells Sonny and Julian’s surrogate father-son relationship.

Paul Thomas Anderson has named Big Daddy as one of his favorite movies (via /Film). The Sprouses develop a tangible, heartwarming on-screen dynamic with Sandler throughout Big Daddy that sells Sonny and Julian’s surrogate father-son relationship. Big Daddy carries an uplifting message about the power of a father’s love and support and the life-changing impact of adoption on both the parent and child.

1

Zack Martin

The Suite Life Franchise (2005-2011)

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The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody (2005)

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The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody

TV-G

Comedy

Family

8/10

Release Date

2005 – 2007

Network

Disney Channel

Directors

Rich Correll, Jim Drake, Kelly Sandefur, Jeff McCracken, Lee Shallat Chemel, Phill Lewis

Writers

Valerie Ahern, Adam I. Lapidus

Cast

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  • Headshot of Cole Sprouse In The Los Angeles Special Screening Of Focus Features

    Cole Sprouse

    Cody Martin

  • Headshot Of Dylan Sprouse

    Dylan Sprouse

    Zack Martin

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody is a Disney Channel series starring Dylan and Cole Sprouse as identical twins living in the luxurious Tipton Hotel. The show follows their mischievous adventures as they interact with hotel staff, including Maddie (Ashley Tisdale) and Mr. Moseby (Phill Lewis), as well as guests. It explores themes of friendship, family, and the challenges of growing up in a unique environment.

Seasons

3

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Sprouse and his brother were first launched to stardom by the mega-hit Suite Life franchise on the Disney Channel, in which they played twins Zack and Cody Martin. The characters originated on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, but the Sprouses reprised their roles in That’s So Raven, Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, I’m in the Band, the sometimes superior sequel series The Suite Life on Deck, and the feature-length spin-off The Suite Life Movie. The Sprouse twins provide great comic foils for one another in these roles.

What really makes these characters engaging isn’t just their spot-on comic timing; it’s the palpable brotherly love that can only be captured by casting real brothers like Cole and Dylan Sprouse.

Zack and Cody might look alike, but their personalities are diametrically opposed, making them the perfect comedy team. Cody is mature, responsible, and academically gifted, while Zack is reckless, laid-back, and doesn’t pay much attention to schoolwork. Cody gets better grades than Zack, while Zack is much smoother than Cody when he’s talking to girls, so they help make up for each other’s shortcomings.

Whether they’re living in a hotel with their mom or on a cruise ship with their friends, Zack and Cody are always getting into hysterical hijinks that are a joy to watch. What really makes these characters engaging isn’t just their spot-on comic timing; it’s the palpable brotherly love that can only be captured by casting real brothers like Cole and Dylan Sprouse.

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