Tales from Beyond the Pale

Film credits include: Shutter Island (directed by Martin Scorcese), Duplicity, Charlie Wilson’s War, El Camino, Headspace, Alexander the Last and the upcoming The Bay, directed by Barry Levinson.  He recently appeared on Broadway in Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Athol Fugard’s Master Harold…and the boys, opposite Danny Glover. He created the role of Matt in Adam Rapp’s Red Light Winter, for which he won a Drama League nomination and the Lucille Lortel Award.  As a writer/director, his feature film Home Movie was recently distributed by IFC Films.

A former professional tubaist, A.J. was born outside Atlanta, Ga in 1977. He graduated from the University of Georgia with degrees in political science, sociology, and film. After a brief run in theater in New York, he married and returned to Athens, Ga, where he reconnected with college friends to make ‘Last Goodbye’, with Faye Dunaway and David Carradine.

After relocating to los angeles he quickly began working in genre film, again reconnecting with life-long friends to make the Sundance hit ‘The Signal’, in the critically acclaimed role of Lewis Denton. Following the success of ‘The Signal’, he worked with Larry Fessenden and Ti West on ‘The House of the Devil’ alongside cult favorites Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov.  Last year, a.j. worked on Adam Green’s ‘Hatchet 2’.

Most recently, A.J. portrayed the troubled Garrick Turrell in the upcoming ‘A Horrible Way To Die’, along with Beyond the Pale alumns Joe Swanberg and Amy Seimetz, for which he won best actor at the 2010 Fantastic Fest. He continues to work in genre filmmaking, looking to expand thoughtful work within the world of indie horror. He will be reteaming with the AHWTD gang this spring on a new project, and is producing upcoming films through his production company, Normaltown Pictures. he is left-handed.