Rise to Fame
O'Connell's plan was football, then the army. The trials at Derby County fell through on injuries. His juvenile criminal record blocked enlistment. Acting, at the Television Workshop Nottingham, was basically what was left. He broke through as James Cook in Skins, a character so volatile he made the rest of the cast look tame. Starred Up (2013) and '71 (2014) proved he could anchor an entire film on his own. By the time Angelina Jolie flew him to Australia for Unbroken, the kid from Alvaston who'd slept rough in Derby parks was a BAFTA Rising Star.
In the Spotlight
The past decade had its quiet stretches, but 2025 changed the arithmetic. His role as the Irish vampire Remmick in Ryan Coogler's Sinners pulled scenes out from under Michael B. Jordan in a film that grossed $368 million globally. He's committed to two 28 Years Later films (including a lead in Nia DaCosta's sequel) and cast in Godzilla x Kong: Supernova. Three franchise commitments at once. The indie-drama actor from the mid-2010s is now firmly in the blockbuster machinery.
Side Notes
The 'Jack the Lad' tattoo on his arm isn't irony, it's biography. He lost his father to pancreatic cancer in 2009 at 18 and, by his own account, didn't stop partying for seven years. His grandfather managed Burton Albion. He wanted to be a striker for Derby County. He identifies with his Irish heritage (his father was from County Kerry) more than his Britishness. He's been with the same girlfriend from Derby since school. The chaos got the press coverage, but the quieter version of O'Connell is the one getting the good parts.