Why Donny Blaze From She-Hulk Looks So Familiar
Disney's "She-Hulk: Attorney At Law" is one part superhero show and one part legal procedural. So far the series has seen errant social media influencers, incompetent and gullible lawyers, reformed villains, and special cameos from other members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Considering that Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) is a gamma-powered lawyer, she makes the perfect representative for those that have been wronged by the immensely powerful or for those heroes and villains that need legal prowess.
The third episode of "She-Hulk" features both Wong (Benedict Wong) of "Doctor Strange" fame, as well as Emil Blonsky (Tom Roth), aka the Abomination, from "The Incredible Hulk." Besides these impressive characters, the subplot of Episode 3 involves a shape-changing elf who defrauds an arrogant lawyer. Keeping up with the legal procedural aspect of the show, Episode 4 sees a practitioner of magic known as Donny Blaze, who is played by Rhys Coiro. Not to be confused with Ghost Rider's alter ego, the actor who plays Donny looks incredibly familiar, but why, and what else have fans seen him in?
Rhys Coiro's first major appearance was in Entourage
Although Rhys Coiro has an extensive career, having appeared in shows like "CSI" and "Ugly Betty," his first major outing was in 2004 with HBO's "Entourage." Loosely inspired by Mark Wahlberg's real life and ascension to stardom, "Entourage" follows an upcoming movie star named Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his childhood friends as they navigate the pratfalls of fame. As reported by IMDb, Coiro appears in 27 episodes across several seasons, where he plays the role of Billy Walsh, a director who becomes increasingly erratic as the series progresses.
In an interview with NJ, Coiro was asked why he moved to Los Angeles, and he answered, "I feel like I really stepped in it with 'Entourage' — it's nice to be on a television show that's good and popular. It was just supposed to be a one-time thing, for four days, and it was a blast. Then the show got picked up and it's a great credit to the guys who write the show — Doug Ellin and Rob Weiss — that they stick with these characters and develop them."
Rhys Coiro plays a corrupt FBI analyst in 24
His next major reoccurring role was in the immensely popular "24." This particular show follows Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) as he attempts to unravel a vast conspiracy involving the United States government. Rhys Coiro plays Sean Hillinger, an FBI analyst who is later revealed to be working with a terrorist organization. According to IMDb, Coiro appears in 10 episodes before being exposed, and his character is arrested for corruption and murder. His last moments on the show see the character asking to talk with his lawyer.
Speaking with 24 Spoilers in 2009, Coiro was asked if he knew about his character's future, and he replied, "It was after the writers strike. We stopped filming right before Sean turned. So then there was a big several-month break where I had no idea what his fate was or even what the show's fate was. I mean, naturally, I had my suspicions, as does every actor on the show. But there had been some intimations. Janeane Garofalo and I, well, let's just say there was talk of a conspiracy with us, but then it, uh, turned out to be only me!"
Rhys Coiro played a ruthless mobster in Graceland
Taking a pause from being a corrupt FBI agent or an eccentric director, Rhys Coiro's next significant role was on USA's undercover cop drama, "Graceland," in 2015. "Graceland" involves several different agents from different government law enforcement agents who live together in a seized California house, which is affectionately known as the title of the show. However, these agents themselves often blur the lines of the law and engage in unscrupulous activities. Coiro takes up the role of Ari Adamian, a well-connected mobster, for 13 episodes. Adamian is brutal and ruthless and becomes a major antagonist of the agents of "Graceland," which eventually results in the character's execution. Unfortunately, "Graceland" was soon canceled after Coiro appeared in the series.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter after the Season 3 finale, but before the show was canceled, series showrunner Jeff Eastin said of the show, "This year was really about building the arcs up from the beginning and trying to give them some, hopefully, really good endings — from Briggs' execution of Ari to Jakes running with the money — all that we built into it. We treated the last two episodes as a big two-parter. I'm really, really proud of those last two episodes. It's some of the better stuff I've ever worked on in my career. We just hoped that it was going to be compelling and interesting. My real hope is that people thought it was worth the ride."
Rhys Coiro is the voice of reason in the movie Valley of Bones
However, not all of Rhys Coiro's appearances have been in television shows, and in 2017, he starred in the movie "Valley of Bones." Starring alongside Autumn Reeser, Steven Molony, and Mason Mahay, "Valley of Bones" is predominately about the paleontologist Anna (Reeser). Unfortunately for Anna, she is told about an unspoiled Tyrannosaurus Rex dig site in the Badlands of California and becomes entangled with drug cartels when her past comes back to haunt her. Coiro plays the character known as Nate, who is Anna's brother-in-law and ersatz father figure to her neglected child.
Speaking with LRM, Coiro was asked what drew him to the role of Nate, and he replied, "The story, itself, was attractive. It's an adventure. An adventure with heart. It's also interesting fact that the lead character is a woman, a mother and kind of cold. In those terms, she's so focused on her work. Her passion is her work. She doesn't quite know on how to be a mother." He continued, "It was an interesting counterpoint to the character I play. I am the boy's uncle, the deceased husband's brother. He's more of a father, a parent and the parental figure to the kid than she is."
Rhys Coiro played a maladjusted Savior in The Walking Dead
Before his appearance in "She-Hulk," Rhys Coiro navigated a brutal world of zombies in "The Walking Dead" in 2018. As part of the Saviors group led by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Coiro plays the role of Jed. Though the Saviors are in their own right tyrants after the group is effectively disbanded, Jed leads a group that still wishes to inflict their will on others, and they engage in thievery and extortion with threats of violence. As such, Jed is essentially the main antagonist for the first part of Season 9, where he appears in four episodes, that is, until he earns the fiery wrath of Carol (Melissa McBride).
Speaking with Totally Driven Radio, Coiro was asked if he has been asked to do any conventions, considering his time on "The Walking Dead," and he replied that he had not been asked and wondered how one might go about getting invited to one. Coiro then added that he thinks "The Walking Dead" is a good show and wouldn't mind appearing at a convention at a later point in the future. Luckily for Coiro, between his role on the previously mentioned show and "She-Hulk," he will probably be making some more public appearances.
On a side note, Coiro's wife, Kat Coiro, is actually the director for "She-Hulk," which helps to explain his seemingly random appearance in the series, as reported by Deadline. Either way, with Rhys' extensive career, and appearances in popular television series, fans will probably continue to see the actor pop up in all sorts of entertainment.