Who plays Justine Gandy on Weapons? All to know about the actress behind the role

Weapons is a new American horror mystery movie directed by Zach Cregger, releasing on August 8, 2025. The film has a notable cast ensemble, including Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Cary Christopher, and Alden Ehrenreich. It tells the story of seventeen kids from the same classroom who disappear without a trace. Justine Gandy, the class teacher, and the community,  try to find them.

Julia Garner plays Justine Gandy, a devoted teacher, in the movie. The story is about the search for answers about these strange disappearances of her students in the middle of the night. Justine is determined to find out the truth if there is any evidence of wrongdoing  the kids are facing.

Her character is psychologically dejected after these incidents. Despite the eerie situation, she doesn't give up and takes on her journey to reveal the reality behind this uncanny incident.

The official synopsis of Weapons includes,

"When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance."

Who plays Justine Gandy in Weapons?

Justine Gandy in Weapons plays a role that scrutinizes the unknown psychological reverberations of a teacher. She gets into a situation where a traumatic event starts to happen with her students. Justine is a strong-willed educator.

Her life takes a wrong turn when her students run out into the night. It leaves her to question both her role in their lives and the unnatural forces at play.

Julia Garner's life: The real person behind Justine Gandy

Julia Garner was born on February 1, 1994, in the Riverdale neighborhood of New York. From 2017 to 2022, Julia played Ruth Langmore in Netflix’s Ozark. Julia also worked in movies like The Americans (2015–2018), Maniac (2018), and Dirty John (2018-2019). She also received recognition for her portrayal of Anna Sorokin in Netflix’s Inventing Anna (2022), earning her a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Garner’s film career showed a high graph with films like Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014), and The Royal Hotel (2023). As of 2025, she appears in films like Wolf Man and, of course, Weapons.

Is Julia Garner related to James Garner?

Julia Garner is in no way related to James Garner. Often it leads to the same misconception since they share the same surnames. Despite sharing a surname, the Garner duo have no familial relationship.

Julia Garner was born in the Bronx, New York, to Tamar Gingold, a therapist and former actress, and Thomas Garner, a painter and art teacher from Ohio. Her Jewish heritage comes from her mother, who is originally from Israel. Julia’s upbringing was rooted in New York. Her rise to fame was largely due to her performances in television and film, including Ozark.

James Garner, on the other hand, was a well-known actor who was born James Scott Bumgarner in 1928 in Denver, Oklahoma. He was best known for his roles in Maverick and The Rockford Files. He worked in Hollywood movies like The Great Escape and The Notebook. 

Weapons will be in theaters on August 8, 2025.