Why Kevin From Aftermath Looks So Familiar
Netflix has no shortage of films that send chills down your spine. The streaming platform seems dedicated to making the summer of 2021 the season of frights as a slew of new horror projects have come out of the woodwork, including a trilogy of "Fear Street" films and the recent spinoff movie "Kingdom: Ashin of the North." Anyone who's been feeling calm lately can rest assured there's something new out to infect your nightmares with the recent release of "Aftermath."
The horror film's generated a ton of online buzz, with many viewers believing it to be one of the most terrifying flicks Netflix has ever come out with. The movie's also noteworthy for featuring an actor many people remember from their childhoods: Shawn Ashmore.
He's worked steadily since his days in a certain superhero franchise, and there are numerous places you may recognize him from you never realized before. Here are some highlights from the actor's filmography up to his part of Kevin Dadich in "Aftermath."
Shawn Ashmore was a child actor for Animorphs
Shawn Ashmore has acted since before he was a teenager. While he started with minor roles in obscure projects, he soon moved to the big leagues when he landed the part of Jake in the hit kids' series "Animorphs," which remains one of the best science-fiction shows from the 1990s. Based on the best-selling book series, the TV series follows a group of adolescents who obtain otherworldly powers, allowing them to shape-shift into animals at will. In the process, they become wrapped up in an intergalactic war to fend off a secretive alien invasion.
Ashmore looks back fondly on his time in the kid-friendly series. In an interview with The Spinoff, he discusses moving to the United States (after growing up and working in Canada) and realizing the sci-fi show had many fans. He explains, "I had, like, kids staring at me and looking at me and pointing. And I was like, 'What is going on?' And then someone finally came up and said, 'You're Jake from 'Animorphs.'" No doubt "Animorphs" played an integral role in numerous people's childhoods, but it wasn't long until Ashmore moved to a much bigger sci-fi franchise.
Shawn Ashmore upgraded from shape-shifting to ice powers with the X-Men franchise
With his experience in more action-oriented roles with "Animorphs," Shawn Ashmore was a natural pick for the mutant Iceman in the X-Men series. Ashmore was there from the very beginning, portraying the character in the first 2000 film. He'd go on to reprise the character in the following two sequels, landing a more sizable role with his inclusion in "X2: X-Men United." He wasn't seen for a while from the movies when the franchise received a reboot in the form of "X-Men: First Class," but he came back to reprise his character for "X-Men: Days of Future Past."
While the character initially has to learn the ropes of becoming a superhero, he's a full-blown soldier when "Days of Future Past" comes around. He gets many fantastic set pieces to show off his ice powers and even manages to take down a Sentinel. Of course, suppose you watch the extended "Rogue Cut" of that film. In that case, Iceman has even more to do, complete with an emotional reunion with his former romantic interest, played by Anna Paquin. Now that the "X-Men" film rights are in the hands of Disney and Marvel Studios, the franchise will likely be rebooted in the near future. Ashmore's time in the series is probably done for good this time, but he still pops up on other superhero projects now and then.
On Amazon's The Boys, he had the opposite of Iceman's powers
It's hard to look at Shawn Ashmore's role as Lamplighter in Season 2 of "The Boys" as a subtle wink to his previous role in the superhero world. He was cast as someone who would've been a natural nemesis to Iceman with the part of Lamplighter, who has pyrokinesis. He used to be a member of The Seven, but now, he's a recluse the titular boys recruit to bring down the Vought Corporation. As is the case with most things on the show, things don't go as planned.
Ashmore was entirely on board with returning to the comic book realm. As he told readers in an interview with Complex, "It was like, if I'm going to be a part of a superhero gig again and put on another suit, I want it to be something completely different from 'X-Men,' completely different from Bobby Drake. And Lamplighter was the perfect character on the perfect show for me to do something that's different."
The actor has plenty of notable credits to his name, and indeed, bigger things are in store for him with whatever his next project ends up being.