Rise to Fame
A coal miner's kid from Prestonsburg, Kentucky who moonlit as a carpenter, modeled for Gucci and Calvin Klein, then sent Gus Van Sant an unsolicited screenplay and got cast in Milk (2008) because of it. Narcos made him recognizable: two seasons as DEA agent Steve Murphy gave him charismatic presence without demanding the full lead. The year after the show ended, he played villain Donald Pierce in Logan, which confirmed his range runs to menace as easily as to charm. He found his lane faster than most.
In the Spotlight
Playing Johnny Cash opposite Timothée Chalamet's Dylan in A Complete Unknown (2024) was the kind of high-profile supporting slot that keeps a career warm without breaking it wide open. His turn as 'Bro' Hartman, a 'manosphere'-adjacent media personality in Apple TV+'s The Morning Show, confirmed he doesn't default to one type. The guy who spent two seasons narrating the Medellin cartel's downfall is equally convincing playing someone who'd profit from the culture-war media circuit.
Side Notes
Before any of the acting, he was a carpenter and a Calvin Klein model, which is a combination that exists almost exclusively in Kentucky origin stories. The sculptor part is less expected: his first solo show, titled Iscariot, ran at the Rare gallery in Chelsea in 2008. He photographs and has published poems. His engagement to Elizabeth Olsen ended in 2015 and barely registers in his press anymore. He married Danish artist Tatiana Pajkovic in 2018. The coal miner's kid from Prestonsburg built a creative life across at least four disciplines before most actors have their second audition.