Aaron Taylor-Johnson first stole our hearts in the film “Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging” (2008). His role as a teenage heartthrob who plays in a band immediately swept soon-to-be fans off their feet. At the age of 17, the popularity this film garnered set Johnson up for a successful career. Over the course of nearly 15 years, his fanbase has witnessed his career flourish. During the past months, the British actor has accumulated more hype surrounding his acting career, his shocking personal life and (not surprisingly) his handsomeness. Through the use of TikTok, Twitter and Instagram, his wide range of fans have vividly expressed their love for this man. As a result, the ATJ fan club has invited more members.
Though many people have just now hopped on to the Johnson fandom bandwagon, his back catalog of films has already proved his talent. In 2009, the John Lennon biopic “Nowhere Boy” starring Johnson delivered us an insightful take on the life of the former Beatle. Directed by his now-wife Sam Taylor-Johnson in her directorial debut, this project seemingly enhanced the careers of both individuals. His portrayal of the late singer’s background and journey into fame served as an interesting interpretation of a musical icon’s life. Of course, this role not only demonstrated his skillful acting but also showcased some 1950s-era, British eye candy.
In just a few short years, Johnson became a part of the “Kick-Ass” (2010-2013) franchise as part of his entry into the American film industry. The plot revolves around his character, an American teenager who suddenly decides to become a modern-day superhero. His character, Kick Ass, fights off bad guys committing petty crimes. Johnson’s charisma helps him nail this nerd-turned-hero role extremely well. Even with the looks of a stereotypical nerd, Johnson’s appeal shines through.
Impressively, Johnson has been a part of other reputable projects over the course of his career. In a 2012 adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s book “Anna Karenina,” he plays Vronsky. Again, he draws on his acting range to bring to life a character from a beloved novel. Johnson later took on the character of Pietro Maximoff (QuickSilver) in two Marvel films. The first was “Captain America: Winter Solider” (2014), which was actually left uncredited. In “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” he reprised his role of QuickSilver, earning more screen time.
Johnson expanded his resume of great roles when he starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams in “Nocturnal Animals” (2016). In such a wildly absurd film, Johnson plays the part so well you almost hate him and not just the character for a second. It’s also important not to forget the second film in which he was directed by his wife, Taylor-Johnson, “Million Little Pieces” (2018). In it, he masters the cinematic art of portraying a recovering addict. His ability to tackle just about any role and still be attractive while doing it is uncanny and it is a testament to his particular charm.
Johnson’s parts range from action to superhero movies and, it seems, even forbidden romance. He has truly played a diverse set of characters, many of which are a testament to his successful filmography.
More recently, social media platforms have boosted his online presence, despite the fact that he has no social media accounts. In fact, many TikTok fan accounts have been dedicated to Johnson, creating edits from his films, red carpet events and occasional talk show appearances. Typically, the edits are popular scenes extracted from his movies and properly enhanced with fun music. Believe it or not, these edits have boosted his fan base and now people are thirsting over him more than ever.
Funnily enough, one user on TikTok wrote, “I have no clue who this man is, but he is fine” after watching a viral edit of Johnson existing. To be fair, anything he does is attractive.
Many of these popular TikTok edits reference his latest film, “Bullet Train” (2022), in which he stars alongside Brad Pitt and Brian Tyree Henry; he is in a role that once again showcases his talent and his effortless appeal.
Oddly enough, every time the internet reminds people he exists and is still handsome, the same news surrounding his life reappears. One of the most talked about aspects of his life is his odd relationship with his wife, Sam Taylor Johnson. As mentioned, his wife is a director but the background of their love story is more bizarre than anything. Age-gap relationships in Hollywood are common, but for some reason, it’s less talked about when the typical gender roles are reversed.
Back when “Nowhere Boy” was filmed, Johnson was around 18-19 years old and Taylor-Johnson was already 23 years his senior. Just fresh out of her divorce, which included two kids, it soon became known that she pursued a teenager while she was in her early 40s. Creepy.
The power imbalance did not stop there. In addition to being 23 years older than him, she was also wealthier and better connected — it is believed that these factors played a big role in her manipulation of Johnson. However, the power imbalance and their odd relationship were conveniently not a topic of conversation.
Johnson’s fanbase does not like this relationship and believes that he was groomed as a teenager. Unsurprisingly, many fans frequently take to Twitter and TikTok to express these concerns and have called his wife a “groomer granny.” On TikTok, there is a tag titled “Aaron Taylor Johnson Granny Groomer” where thousands of videos talk about the subject. These short videos have garnered up to 693.6 million views. Some fans have only recently learned of this weird marriage, which has resulted in two more children, but the consensus is that the relationship is off!
Even though it is hard to think of Johnson without thinking of the old ball-and-chain, you cannot miss his powerful acting abilities in many popular films. Of course, you cannot avoid seeing his beautiful face that just screams Givenchy. Johnson continues to make a name for himself and even has two upcoming films that fans are excited to see.
