Max Talisman

Max Talisman (born June 14, 1993) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Early life Talisman was born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. When he was 12 and 13 years old he starred in the regional premiere of Caroline, Or Change, in D.C. Career Talisman acted in the film Super Dark Times alongside Owen Campbell, Charlie Tahan, Elizabeth Cappuccino, Sawyer Barth, and Amy Harg...

Max Talisman (born June 14, 1993) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Early life Talisman was born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. When he was 12 and 13 years old he starred in the regional premiere of Caroline, Or Change, in D.C. Career Talisman acted in the film Super Dark Times alongside Owen Campbell, Charlie Tahan, Elizabeth Cappuccino, Sawyer Barth, and Amy Hargreaves. The film was directed by Kevin Phillips and written by Luke Piotrowski and Ben Collins. Super Dark Times premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival of 2017. As an actor Talisman made a guest appearance on the TV series Orange Is the New Black and he played two different roles in The Blacklist. He produced the 2025 romantic comedy film called Things Like This, which is about two young men falling in love. He was the director and screenwriter for the film, and he also starred as an actor alongside cast members that include Joey Pollari, Jackie Cruz, Charlie Tahan, Cara Buono, Nicholas Hamilton, Bridget Regan, and Eric Roberts. In 2026, he created the television series The Right Side, an independently produced American comedy series which he will co-showrun with Lynne Kamm. The series stars Andie MacDowell and Dyllón Burnside opposite Talisman, and is described as a character-driven comedy examining politics as performance and the challenge of loving people whose beliefs fundamentally oppose one another. Personal life Max Talisman is openly gay and frequently discusses the influence of his identity on his creative work. He has spoken about his experiences as a queer man and a plus-size actor shaping his storytelling perspective, particularly in his debut feature film Things Like This, which he wrote to portray queer love and relationships outside of traditional coming-out narratives. Talisman has also discussed his personal motivation to create more inclusive romantic comedies that reflect body diversity and queer experiences. Talisman has also shared personal interests in interviews, noting his admiration for tennis player Serena Williams and his appreciation for the Batman franchise, which he has described as influential to his love of storytelling and genre entertainment. References