Hollywood Q&A
Q: I was watching “The Hunger Games” and I know that goofy smile of the guy who plays Marvel. What else would I have seen him in?
A: If you were watching 2012’s “The Hunger Games” recently, you may have recognized Marvel from the hit Prime Video series “The Boys,” or the big-screen 2022 reboot of “Scream.” But if you were watching “The Hunger Games” back in 2012, you probably only recognized him from his genetics.
He was played by Jack Quaid, who is now an indemand action and comedy actor. But in 2012, he was only known as the son of Hollywood superstars Meg Ryan (“When Harry Met Sally,” 1989) and Dennis Quaid (“Far From Heaven,” 2002).
“The Hunger Games,” the box office phenomenon that spawned multiple sequels and more than a billion dollars in ticket sales, was Jack Quaid’s first movie. If that sounds like nepotism, you should note that Marvel wasn’t actually a very big role and that Quaid has certainly earned his dues since.
He’s appeared in dozens of shows and films since, running the gamut from shorts to sketch-comedy shows to voice roles.
As I said, the most notable ones include playing the lead role of Hughie Campbell in the sci-fi comedy “The Boys,” now gearing up for its fourth season on Prime Video, and Richie Kirsch in the 2022 reboot of the Scream horror franchise.
He also had roles on the critically acclaimed HBO series “Vinyl” and was part of the ensemble of the YouTube series “Sasquatch Sketch Comedy.”
Because you specifically mention recognizing his face, I’m not mentioning the piles of voice work he’s done, including a lead role in “Star Trek: Lower Decks” and voicing one of the Spider-Men in the 2023 comic book hit “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”
Q: I thought the guy who played Leo Usher in “The Fall of the House of Usher” series was excellent. What’s he doing now?
A: Great news: he’s moved on to something pretty similar, albeit a bit lighter.
Rahul Kohli just appeared in another twisty thriller built around the intrigues of a rich family: Hulu’s “Death and Other Details.”
This one has a lighter tone — more cozy mystery, less gothic horror. Kohli plays Sunil, the owner of the luxury cruise ship the show is set on (again, in contrast with the crumbling mansions and claustrophobic condo apartments of 2023’s “Usher”).
The tonal shift must have been a joy for Kohli, who’s become a member of neo-noir master Mike Flanagan’s acting troupe.
Flanagan created “The Fall of the House of Usher” as part of a long-term deal with Netflix that also gave us a couple of other dark-and-bloody miniseries, including “Midnight Mass” in 2021 and “The Haunting of Bly Manor” in 2020.
Kohli featured in “Midnight Mass” as Sheriff Hassan and in “Bly Manor” as the household chef (and also love interest), Owen Sharma.
That relationship will continue with the feature film “The Life of Chuck,” which is reportedly now in post-production. Flanagan produced, wrote and directed the film, which will feature Kohli in a currently unidentified role. It’s also not known when, or where, it’ll be released.
Meanwhile, Kohli’s also working on an animated action series called “Twilight of the Gods,” created by superhero-movie hit-maker Zack Snyder (“Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” 2021). But again, there are no release details available yet.