Why Andrew From Animal Kingdom Looks So Familiar
Working in a family business usually brings siblings, parents, and grandparents together, though sometimes things can get a little bit more complicated if the family business is a vast criminal empire that consists of drug dealing, robbery, money laundering, and assassinations. Such is the case with the Codys on "Animal Kingdom." Originally led by Janine "Smurf" Cody (Ellen Barkin), her tenure as the one calling the shots ends when she receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, though she resolves herself to go out on her own terms — and hopes to take a family member with her. Luckily for fans of the show, she only gets part of her wish, but her end is still brutal.
Considering the Cody family's predilection for criminal activities, several flashbacks are shown in "Animal Kingdom" that helps to establish how the family came to be so ruthless. One of the main characters, Andrew "Pope" Cody (Shawn Hatosy), serves several years in prison, and his mental issues are often a focus of the character. With flashbacks often highlighting how members of the Cody family came to be the way they are, it makes sense as to why we have already seen a seven-year-old version of Andrew, played by Houston Towe.
However, it seems as if the final season reveals yet another epoch in Andrew's life, and now, we'll get to see him as a teenager. That young Andrew will be played by actor Kevin Csolak, and here's where you have seen him before.
Kevin Csolak appeared in an episode of Blue Bloods
Perhaps the first place that fans may recognize Kevin Csolak from is from a singular episode of the hit television show "Blue Bloods." This particular show follows the Reagan family, who is known for their utter dedication to the law, and their jobs run the spectrum of law enforcement — from beat cops, to police commissioners, detectives, and lawyers.
Csolak plays Luke Ryder in the 2012 episode, "Old Wounds," which is the third episode of Season 3. This episode has a subplot that focuses on Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) and her daughter. Running into Ryder at a party, he introduces himself as a friend of her daughter. He then and goes and hugs said daughter, and the Reagan family observes the embrace, which causes them to immediately asks tons of questions among themselves — namely, if he is more than just a friend. The Reagans then comment about how intimidating they must all look, and Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) says he will figure out what kind of person Ryder is.
Kevin Csolak is the eldest son of Eli Thompson in Boardwalk Empire
Fans of the criminal activities in "Animal Kingdom" might also be familiar with the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire," which also features Kevin Csolak for three episodes. Appearing in the 2012 episodes "Spaghetti and Coffee," "Sunday Best," and "Two Imposters," Csolak plays the character William Thompson, who is the son of Eli Thompson (Shea Wigham) and the nephew of main character Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi).
Much like "Animal Kingdom," "Boardwalk Empire" follows criminals who make their living on the edges of society. Primarily about bootlegging and corruption, William wants to take a bigger role in the family enterprise, and even after his father tells him to focus on schooling, he continues to work at a lumber yard until Nucky talks to him about further education at Temple University in Philadelphia. In an interview with Pop Culturalist, Csolak was asked about his goals in life, to which he replied, "For acting, I wanted a guest-starring role on one of the major television networks. When I was sixteen, I had that goal fulfilled. It's pretty crazy. I had a three or four episode role on 'Boardwalk Empire.' I loved the 1920s feel of the show and I still have aspirations of landing another recurring role on a show like that."
Kevin Csolak is a friend of Trish Walker in Jessica Jones
Another show that you may recognize Kevin Csolak from is the former Netflix, now Disney+ Marvel television series, "Jessica Jones." Appearing in a single episode of the show in 2018, Csolak plays a character known as Keith in the seventh episode of Season 2, "I Want Your Cray Cray." Named after the musical single from Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor), "I Want Your Cray Cray" predominately focuses on the history of Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), but it also has a subplot involving the release of Trish's music, and her growing substance issues.
Keith is one of Trish's friends, and he is shown in her music video for "I Want Your Cray Cray." He also dates Trish at one point, and then goes on to date her mother Dorothy Walker (Rebecca De Mornay) due to his mistaken belief that they are sisters, rather than daughter and mother. Awkward, much? Keith doesn't have too big a role in the episode, but he seems to enjoy music and parties, and engages in celebratory festivities with both Trish and Kourtney (Sasha Hutchings) while they are out promoting the musical single.
Kevin Csolak is a senior member of the Jets in West Side Story
Probably the biggest role to date for Kevin Csolak has been the 2021 film from Steven Spielberg, "West Side Story," which is full of great moments. A modern re-imagining of "Romeo and Juliet," the movie is about two star crossed lovers from opposing street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, who have nothing but animosity towards each other. Csolak plays the role of Diesel, a member of the Jets.
This isn't the first time Csolak has taken a role in a production of "West Side Story," as he also lent his acting talents to a Broadway iteration of the show — that time, though, he was playing a different character with a very different personality. In an interview with Anthem Magazine, this fact was brought up, and Csolak replied, "I played A-Rab, who's the kid that won't shut up basically. He's that fiery kid in the friend group you just wanna slap in the face. In the movie, I play Diesel. He's one of the older, more reserved Jets. He's trustworthy and has little to say at points, which is kind of more my personality."