James Edward Duval (born September 10, 1972) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in Independence Day (1996), Donnie Darko (2001), and the films of Gregg Araki.
Early life Born in Detroit in 1972 to a Franco-Vietnamese mother from Saigon and a father with Irish and Native American ancestry, Duval's family moved to Los Angeles when he was 2 years old. He grew up around the Greater Los Angeles area, going to elementary school in Redondo Beach before graduating from Gladstone High School in Covina in 1989. He got his start in entertainment as a musician and was classically trained as a pianist, and eventually became more involved in theater up until high school.
Career Duval moved to Hollywood to pursue acting, getting his start by doing work as an extra - including support in the 1990 John Waters film, Cry Baby. He was approached and scouted for audition by Gregg Araki, who was then in the process of writing Totally Fucked Up, because they were both regulars at the Double Rainbow Cafe in Hollywood.
Primarily an indie actor at first, Duval was able to break into the commercial film industry with Independence Day in 1996. He was simultaneously working on both Nowhere and Independence Day at the same time.
Duval has starred in numerous independent films, including the 2009 psychological thriller The Black Waters of Echo's Pond and the mystery crime-thriller film Noirland.
Personal life During his early career, while he was acting in Gregg Araki's Teenage Apocalypse films, he identified with their themes of nihilism, social alienation and not fitting in. He said, "I was 18 and living that, searching for myself who I was, where I belonged. I was really confused. Working with Gregg gave me something to move towards. ... there were things I was feeling—that I wasn’t liked, that there were things I couldn’t do to fit in. I was attracted to alternative music and feeling what they were singing about, even though I hadn’t really lived. I was so distraught. I was only 18–19. Everything weighed on that on a daily basis. It was so intense, and almost overwhelming."
In a 1997 interview promoting Araki's Nowhere, Duval discussed the racism he experienced in his youth and his frustration with being asked about his sexuality as a result of playing queer roles. He also mentioned that he was dating his Nowhere co-star Sarah Lassez. Duval has also discussed the challenges in avoiding getting too "pigeonholed" or set in specific characterizations. Wanting to work outside his comfort zone, he cited turning down horror castings in the 90s so that he could continue to expand himself as an actor and artist.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1993 An Ambush of Ghosts Student #1 Totally F***ed Up Andy 1995 The Doom Generation Jordan White 1996 Independence Day Miguel Casse 1997 River Made to Drown In Jaime Nowhere Dark Smith 1998 Wild Horses Jimmy Stamp and Deliver The Clown at Midnight George Reese Alexandria Hotel Romero How to Make the Cruelest Month Westy SLC Punk! John the Mod Credited as Jimmy Duval 1999 Go Singh The Weekend Robert 2000 This Is How the World Ends Blue TV show Gone in 60 Seconds Freb 2001 Amerikana Chris Donnie Darko Frank Anderson The Doe Boy Hunter Kirk Won "Best Actor" at the American Indian Film Festival The Tag Viggs A Galaxy Far, Far Away Himself 2002 Comic Book Villains Baz May Blank Scumrock Drew 2003 Pledge of Allegiance Ray 2004 Window Theory Dave Kordelewski Frog-g-g! Freb Open House Joel Rodman 2005 Venice Underground Lucious Jackson Chasing Ghosts Dmitri Parramatti Standing Still Stoner Steve 2006 The Iron Man Lawyer 2 Mad Cowgirl Thierry Pancho and Lefty Lefty 2007 Kush Cyrus Numb Caleb Short film The Pacific and Eddy Noel Luck of the Draw Grady 2008 The Art of Travel Taylor "One Ball" Pox Himself Toxic Brad Cornered! Jimmy Evilution Asia Mark 2009 Thirsty Beverage Announcer Voice role 2 Dudes & a Dream Phil Penance Guy The Black Waters of Echo's Pond Rick 2010 Now Here Luis Ortiz Everything Will Happen Before You Die Paynie Caller ID Miles Closing Time Jimmy Noirland Tiberius Malloy Playback Clark Kaboom Messiah 2011 Naked Angel Andreas Alyce Kills Vince Not Another Not Another Movie Himself 2012 Delirium Burell Sushi Girl Francis Touchback Rodriguez 2013 Look at Me Frank Blue Dream Robert Harmon 2014 Hercules Reborn Horace 2015 Punk's Dead John The Mod The Sparrows Hector Sanchez Tales of Halloween Dante 2016 American Romance Stewart Miles 2017 The Abduction of Jennifer Grayson Jeremy Spreading Darkness Mark Minscourri 2018 BoJack Horseman Studio Grip Episode: "The Dog Days Are Over" 2019 Now Apocalypse Homeless man Recurring 2022 Without Ward Helmholtz W. Gault I, Challenger Sid2024AftermathMartin 2026 Numbskull Revolution Futurecide 2026 I Want Your Sex Justice of the Peace
References
External links
Youthquake Magazine Article Cathy L. Witbrodt