Roach began his career in 1996 as an apprentice film editor on Clint Eastwood's Absolute Power.
Roach went on to receive assistant editor credits on Eastwood's subsequent films True Crime, Space Cowboys, Blood Work, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, and Flags of our Fathers.
[1] Roach's first film editor credit was on 2006's Letters From Iwo Jima, which he shared with Joel Cox.
His first solo film editor credit was on Rails & Ties for Alison Eastwood in 2007.
In 2008, Roach shared editor credit with Joel Cox on Eastwood's Changeling and Gran Torino.