Why Seth From The Wilds Looks So Familiar
The Amazon drama television series "The Wilds" burst onto the scene in December 2020 when Season 1 dropped. Starring an extensive cast that includes Sophia Ali, Reign Edwards, Helena Howard, Erana James, and Rachel Griffiths, to name a few, "The Wilds" focuses on a group of teenage girls who seemingly get in a plane crash and land on a deserted island, forced to work together to survive until they are rescued.
The show jumps around in time as the story goes on, showing the characters as they are on they island, along with how their lives are both before the crash and once they are rescued. The premise enticed many viewers and impressed critics, earning a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the attention on the show only grew after the major Season 1 reveal that the girls are unknowingly (at least for some) part of a social experiment run by Griffiths' character, Gretchen Klein.
Unsurprisingly, Amazon renewed "The Wilds" for a second season, and fans are eagerly waiting for new information, including the release date. But one thing we do know is that Season 2 will expand the story to follow a group of boys in the same situation, including one named Seth Novak, played by Alex Fitzalan. The character is described as "naturally funny, Ivy-League smart, and full of charisma," and he ends up leading the others despite not necessarily wanting the job (via Deadline). Here's where you might've seen the Australian actor and new member of the "The Wilds" cast on screen before.
Alex Fitzalan played Tom in Slender Man
Fitzalan's first major role is that of Tom in the 2018 horror film "Slender Man," based on the internet creation, which led to many short stories, a popular indie-developed video game called "Slender: The Eight Pages," and more (via Eurogamer). While the fictional creature was created in the early 2010s, the movie took quite a while to come around. "Slender Man" stars Joey King and Julia Goldani Telles as Wren and Hallie, respectively, two girls who summon the Slender Man one day with their friends Chloe (Jaz Sinclair) and Katie (Annalise Basso). After Katie goes missing, the other girls attempt to get her back by contacting Slender Man again, but it quickly goes wrong as the creature begins to hunt them all down.
Fitzalan's character Tom gets wrapped up in the trouble due to his connection to Hallie, as he's her love interest in "Slender Man." A classic jock who goes to the same high school as Hallie and the others, Tom asks Hallie out, leading to a date at his house. Unfortunately, at this point, Hallie is seeing and experiencing strange things as a result of her contact with Slender Man. When Tom expresses interest in watching the video of the girls summoning Slender Man, Hallie tries to warn him away, but it doesn't seem to work. Despite the talented actors on the cast, "Slender Man" didn't do well with audiences or critics, currently standing at a 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The young actor was Harry Bingham in The Society
Before nabbing the part of Seth in "The Wilds," Fitzalan played a major role in another streaming platform hit series, portraying Harry Bingham in "The Society" on Netflix. The series, which aired for one season in 2019, follows a group of teenagers in a small town who are forced to maintain order in their community and survive after they discover that all the other citizens have disappeared. As you might expect, it doesn't stay peaceful for long, and there are definitely key similarities between "The Society" and "The Wilds."
Fitzalan's character Harry is the arrogant, privileged son of the mayor, who is pushed to run in the election for leader of the new society. He manipulates those around him and clashes with many people, but is one to fall to peer pressure as well. Harry begins to soften after forming a connection with Allie (Kathryn Newton), but at the end of Season 1, he still hasn't learned much. "The Society" was a fan-favorite show for Netflix, earning an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. Initially, the streaming platform renewed it for a second season, but because of COVID-19 challenges, Netflix reverted the decision and cancelled the show (via Deadline).
He was Ashley Whitmore in 50 States of Fright
Fitzalan's most recent role was in the anthology horror series "50 States of Fright." The series — which is produced by Sam Raimi, the director of hits like "The Evil Dead" and the original "Spider-Man" film trilogy — first premiered in early 2020 as a Quibi original series. As the platform didn't last long and shut down in the fall of 2020, its shows were forced to do the same. Luckily, Roku recently purchased the Quibi catalog and has since started releasing the projects as Roku Originals, to much success (via Deadline).
Fitzalan stars in the episode set in Minnesota called "Grey Cloud Island," which costars Asa Butterfield, Joshua Mikel, and Dan Ginnane. The plot follows three young college boys, Ashley (Fitzalan), Brandon (Butterfield), and Bobby (Ginnane), who are told that part of their frat initiation requires them to walk through the woods back to the house on their own. They soon encounter a strange barn filled with masked figures doing some sort of ritual, centered around a girl chained up there.
The boys then decide that they'll rescue her, but they soon realize that they might've made the wrong decision. The vicious Grey Cloud villagers come after them, and they're willing to kill to get the girl back. Along with this episode, "50 Shades of Fright" is filled with quick, bloody tales based around American mythology, making the series perfect for horror fans.