After a childhood spent focusing on sports and a surprise pivot to acting, the Londoner finds himself starring in increasingly complex projects, from Netflix’s new supernatural thriller Chambers to the Sundance hit Share, about a teenage girl dealing with the aftermath of a sexual assault.

Known for his powerfully visceral performances in the iconic series Skins and films from Unbroken to Starred Up and Money Monster, the English actor is quickly establishing himself as one of the most compelling talents of his generation by working hard to inhabit every character, including the wrongfully executed Todd Willingham in the new Trial by Fire.

From Cassie Ainsworth on Skins and Gilly on Game of Thrones to her latest turn as Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten in Charlie Says, the English actor makes a habit of digging deep into roles that fascinate and scare her.

After a star-making turn in the gripping thriller Beast, the Irish actor continues to let every role affect her, from a firefighter’s wife in the powerful new HBO miniseries Chernobyl to an aspiring country singer in Wild Rose.

After breaking out in his Olivier-winning role as Scorpius Malfoy, son of Draco, in the blockbuster play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the Belfast-born actor continues to approach every project with exceptional consideration, from the new biopic Tolkien to the upcoming HBO adaptation of Philip Roth’s prescient novel The Plot Against America.

After intense standout roles on buzzy shows The Handmaid’s Tale and Sharp Objects, the Washington State native hopes to serve as an advocate for change and an example for younger artists in projects like HBO’s forthcoming teen drama Euphoria.

With the biopic Tolkien, the Pulitzer-winning play Sweat, and the return of the uncategorizable Netflix cult hit The OA, the Irish actor is taking over screen and stage, relishing every challenge that comes his way.

In Sebastian Schipper’s Roads, a highlight of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, the Dunkirk star plays a teenage troublemaker who befriends a Congolese refugee along a journey from Morocco to Calais, finding an intimate angle to Europe’s continuing refugee crisis.

The actor’s directorial début is a darkly comedic tale about a “woman who discovers she exists” and stars Leigh alongside Tony nominee Santino Fontana and Jon Orsini.