Why Wiley From Mrs. Davis Looks So Familiar
"Mrs. Davis" is a science-fiction drama series being released on Peacock created by Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof. The story, which is just as weird as Liondelof's previous work on projects such as "Watchmen" or "Lost," follows a nun, Simone (Betty Gilpin), and her quest to defeat an artificial intelligence that has taken over modern society.
Along the way, she's assisted and hindered in equal parts by Wiley, her exuberant ex-boyfriend — and "exuberant" is a word which here means "mustachioed dudebro who's part of an underground rebellion comprised 100% of other dudebros." Yeah, he's a lot, but he's played to perfection by onscreen talent Jake McDorman.
McDorman's a Texas-born actor who's been around for a while, with at least 40 credits on IMDb since he officially joined the industry back in 2003. McDorman's career is probably best summarized by saying that he's a professional himbo. His characters are almost always cuter than they are smart. But at least they're usually earnest. Usually.
Since he's appeared in everything from "House M.D." and "Shameless" to Lindelof's "Watchmen," it's not really possible to admire his entire body of work in one article. Still, here are some of his highest-profile roles.
He's Raymond in Aquamarine, an early-aughts heartthrob
In 2006, 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios), released "Aquamarine," a fantasy rom-com based on the written works of Alice Hoffman. The story follows Claire (Emma Roberts) and Hailey (JoJo) as they spend their final summer vacation together helping the titular mermaid Aquamarine (Sara Paxton) prove that true love exists to her overbearing mer-daddy. If they fail, then Aquamarine will be forced into an arranged marriage but, if they succeed, then Aquamarine will be off the hook and the two girls will receive a single wish to share.
For Claire and Hailey, the wish is crucial to saving their friendship — Hailey's mom is planning to move her family across the ocean for a job opportunity, which they hope to stop.
Jake McDorman portrays Raymond, a lifeguard that Claire and Hailey and Aquamarine have a crush on. By the way, did we mention that this is a teen rom-com? Raymond's the definition of an early-aughts heartthrob, from his winning smile to his floppy hair to his incurable need to save conventionally attractive teenagers from drowning in a pool.
As the story progresses, Claire and Hailey assist Aquamarine in winning Raymond's heart. While they're technically unsuccessful because Raymond refuses to profess love after a single date, Aquamarine's mer-papa decides that Claire and Hailey's platonic love and true friendship totally count towards the whole true love thing, and he frees Aquamarine from her arranged marriage. In the end, Raymond and Aquamarine continue to date, taking it slow, just like the charming lifeguard wanted.
He's Biggles in American Sniper, a tragic casualty of war
In 2014, Warner Bros. Pictures released "American Sniper," a war drama based on Christopher Kyle's autobiography of the same name. The story follows Chris (Bradley Cooper) from his early life in Texas, where his father taught him how to shoot, to his many tours as a U.S. Navy SEAL, where he garnered the nickname "Legend" and a reputation as the deadliest marksman in U.S. military history.
Chris struggles to maintain a healthy relationship with his wife and children because of all the time he dedicates to his work — until he discovers that one of his good friends in the force died during a surgery that was meant to correct a serious injury received in the line of duty.
Jake McDorman portrays Ryan, a U.S. Navy SEAL who goes by the nickname "Biggles" ... and he was the friend who passed away during surgery, the soldier that altered the course of Chris' life.
And while that tragic event provides Chris with the insight to return home to rebuild his relationships, his connection to the military would ultimately become his undoing. Years later, well beyond the events described in Kyle's autobiography, Chris leaves home to spend a day with a veteran struggling with PTSD. "American Sniper" ends with onscreen text that details how that Veteran, Eddie Routh, would fatally shoot Chris.
He's Brian in Limitless, a very limited dude
In 2015, CBS released "Limitless," a dramedy series that builds on the world created in the 2011 film of the same name. The story follows a washed-up musician named Brian after a mysterious U.S. senator offers him a potentially lethal pill that makes him hyperintelligent for 12-hour periods and a vaccine that counteracts the magic medicine's dangerous side effects. The FBI, unaware that he's touting an as-yet unofficial super vaccine, thinks he is just the only one immune to the pill's side effects, and enlists Brian (and the pill, NZT-48) to assist on various cases. The series was not received well, with critics citing its drastic tonal shift from the original film as a primary detractor. Because of this, "Limitless" was canceled after a single season.
Jake McDorman portrayed Brian, our lucky leading lad with a dealer in the senate. McDorman described Brian's personality to Vestal Magazine as one of endless positivity and enthusiasm, which is really sweet. But the best way to describe his character is that, without NZT-48, he's just some guy. He's literally just a guy, that's it. But with NZT-48? Brian's almost as clever as every other white dude starring in a themed crime procedural.
It's worth mentioning that Bradley Cooper, who starred in the original film, believed in the CBS series so much that he served as an executive producer. Since Cooper and McDorman worked together on "American Sniper" in 2014, it's interesting to imagine the behind-the-scenes connection that occurred there to foster such confidence in the now-defunct "Limitless" spinoff.
He's Mr. Bruno in Lady Bird, a catholic school girl's dream
In 2017, A24 released "Lady Bird," a coming-of-age film written and directed by Greta Gerwig (who's only a few short months away from dominating the world with "Barbie"). The story follows Christine (Saoirse Ronan), a.k.a. "Lady Bird," a high school senior who struggles to find common ground with her mother. Their relationship is strained to the breaking point by varying levels of personal ambitions, a difficult financial situation, and a total lack of effective communication skills. The results are messy and very, very loud.
Jake McDorman portrays Mr. Bruno, a kind and attentive algebra teacher at Christine's catholic high school with a pregnant wife back at home. And his entire purpose in "Lady Bird" is that Julie (Beanie Feldstein), Christine's best friend, has an intense crush on him. This situation is best exemplified by a moment where Julie sees Mr. Bruno with his wife (Rebecca Light) and still maintains what can only be described as a lustful, yearning gaze.
And that's it, really. This is perhaps McDorman's smallest role to make the list. Still, when "Lady Bird" earned five Oscar nominations at the 90th Academy Awards, McDorman took to Twitter to rep his coworker's efforts, which is exactly the kind of supportive energy you should expect from Mr. Bruno.
He's Jeff in What We Do In The Shadows, the unluckiest man NOT alive
In 2019, FX released "What We Do in the Shadows," an ongoing comedy horror mockumentary series created by Jemaine Clement. While it builds upon the world first introduced in the 2014 film of the same name, and carries on in much the same way, it is not a direct continuance like CBS's "Limitless" is for its movie counterpart. The story follows a group of (mostly) old-school vampires as they share a home in modern-day Staten Island.
Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, and Natasia Demetriou star as Nandor, Lazlo, and Nadja, a trio of vampires from a bygone age. And then there's Mark Proksch, who plays Colin Robinson — an energy vampire that everyone hates but who pays the whole of the rent with his office job. Rounding out this bizarre situational comedy is Harvey Guillén, who plays Guillermo, Nandor's familiar. It's basically the same toxic relationship at the heart of "Renfield."
Jake McDorman portrays Jeff. He seems to be a regular human, but he's actually the latest reincarnation of Nadja's human lover, Gregor. This poor guy keeps finding Nadja, then keeps getting decapitated, in every iteration of life — but that's what he gets for being the object of a married vampire's affection.
Jeff doesn't stick around long, on account of him getting decapitated again, but when he's onscreen ... he's not the brightest. And that problem only worsens when Nadja uses mind control to force Jeff to recall all of his previous lives at once. Some people just can't catch a break.