American Fiction

film by Jefferson [2023]

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July 22, 2026

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American Fiction is a 2023 film that serves as a dark comedy exploring racial stereotypes. The movie stars Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, an African American novelist who achieves unexpected success after writing an exploitative novel under a pen name. Wright's performance earned him his first Oscar nomination. The film is an adaptation of Percival Everett's 2001 novel Erasure.12

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Adam Brody
Stardom: From The O.C. to movies
… (2020) and the critically acclaimed American Fiction (2023).
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… (2020) and the critically acclaimed American Fiction (2023).
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Issa Rae
Acting roles
…and Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut American Fiction (2023). She voiced the character of the Honey Queen in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026).
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…and Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut American Fiction (2023). She voiced the character of the Honey Queen in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026).
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Jeffrey Wright
Roles from the 2020s
…critics said was long overdue—for American Fiction. In the adaptation of Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure, Wright played Thelonious (“Monk”) Ellison, an African American novelist of philosophical fiction who earns unexpected success after writing an exploitative novel of the so-called hood under a pen name. Wright told The New York…
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…critics said was long overdue—for American Fiction. In the adaptation of Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure, Wright played Thelonious (“Monk”) Ellison, an African American novelist of philosophical fiction who earns unexpected success after writing an exploitative novel of the so-called hood under a pen name. Wright told The New York…
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