Why Craig From Animal Kingdom Looks So Familiar
TNT's thrill-a-minute crime series "Animal Kingdom" continues to be one of the best and most underrated dramas on television. Based on the equally underrated 2010 Australian film of the same name, "Animal Kingdom" tells the tale of the Cody family, who make their living as professional thieves whose daring heists are engineered by their fierce head of household Smurf (Ellen Barkin). The small screen "Animal Kingdom" has diverged dramatically from its source material, mostly because the series has enjoyed an unexpectedly lengthy run on TNT. And as "Animal Kingdom" fandom can tell you, things have only gotten more complicated for the Cody boys since Smurf's shocking Season 4 departure.
They're certain to get even dicier in the upcoming sixth and final season of "Animal Kingdom." As such, fans are understandably starting to worry about what fates await the surviving Codys. That's especially true of the risk-taking, love-to-loathe Craig Cody. That "Animal Kingdom" fans remain so invested in the often hard-to-like Craig's fate is the direct result of the charismatic work of the actor who portrays him. And yes, you've no doubt seen that actor's face elsewhere. Here's why Craig from "Animal Kingdom" looks so familiar.
Ben Robson appeared in Vikings
Craig Cody is portrayed by actor Ben Robson. While he's still relatively early in his career, the burly English performer has already managed to score a few compelling roles outside of his stint on "Animal Kingdom." And if you count yourself among the many fans of History's lauded historical drama "Vikings," you no doubt recognize Robson as the man who portrayed the fearsome, but ill-fated Dane known as Kalf.
Robson made his first appearance on "Vikings" during its third season, with Kalf initially proving a trusted ally to legendary badass Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick). Early in his "Vikings" tenure, however, Kalf shrewdly stabbed Lagertha in the proverbial back by usurping her hold over Hedeby, Denmark, and crowning himself the land's new Earl. That devious act set in motion one of the more complicated relationships in the entirety of the always-complicated "Vikings" narrative, as Kalf's and Lagertha's tête-à-tête provided some of the series most unabashedly romantic, and utterly brutal moments.
If you watched "Vikings," you know Robson's time on the series was rather brief, with Lagertha putting a definitive end to Kalf's run as the Earl of Hedeby.
Robson starred in the thriller The Boy
If you never managed to catch up to "Vikings" during its torrid run on History, you may well know Ben Robson's face from a distinctly different sort of project, the 2016 creepy doll chiller "The Boy." Set largely in a lavish estate in England, "The Boy" follows an American woman named Greta (Lauren Cohan) who travels to the U.K. and takes a job as a nanny. However, she soon learns the job is not at all what she expected when the elderly couple who hired her introduces her to the kiddo in her stead, which is actually a child-sized porcelain figure they've affectionately named Brahms.
Once the couple head out for their vacation, leaving Greta and Brahms to their lonesome, let's just say things start to get very, very weird. The situation gets even more arduous when Greta's abusive ex-boyfriend Cole finally tracks her down in England and shows up at the front door fronting all the brutish, bullying energy one might expect from such a vile creature. That was indeed Ben Robson portraying the dastardly Cole in "The Boy." The actor brought some seriously venomous energy to the role, creating a character every bit as sinister and treacherous as Brahms himself.
More recently, Robson appeared in the 2019 drama "A Violent Separation" as Ray Young, brother of the main character Norman, as well as the 2020 historical Civil War-era drama "Emperor" as bounty hunter Luke McCabe.