The show that warned us, "Not Dead, Open In," had worse things at the end of the world than The Walking Dead and bad signage. One of the most feared characters on the hit show was the Whisperers' disturbing number two and eventual leader, Beta. Like the rest of his group, Beta humbly shuffled onto the scene in Season 9, wearing the skin of the dead and walking a little further than most, forgetting his pre-outbreak existence. As devoted to his leader Alpha (Samantha Morton) as he is to keeping his true identity a secret, Beta met a gruesome and deserved end at the hands of Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and was instrumental in delivering the scares. in addition to the non-verbal biting discomforts that plagued the end of the world.

But who was the brave soul that brought this brutal and straightforward unique character to life over 14 episodes, and where did he turn up next after the walkers made off with him? Well, the talent behind Beta has already made a name for himself in another hit show and before that it was one of the best sports movies ever made. In fact, this star has enough talent to even step into the Marvel star field and deliver perhaps a better iteration of Thor than the one the world is more familiar with. There, we said.

Joining the ranks of impressive talent bringing Robert Kirkman's nightmarish world to life was Ryan Hurst, who took on the role of Beta in 2019. Taking on the role would be a big ask for any actor, given that Beta Dot is so detached from humanity that he never removes the walking skin mask that the star has put so much effort into perfecting.

Talking to Entertainment Weeklyshowrunner Angela Kang explained that after the call with Hearst about the character he would be taking on, the actor helped where he could in bringing Beta to life. "He even helped put together a costume for him." He is so creative and it was so much fun,” Kang explained.

Considered a "bad ass" by Kang, Hurst was certainly a terrifying presence on the show and a figure of brute force that needed to be taken down. While it may be a character type that Hearst must have fashioned for himself, it was in one of his earliest roles that he made a name for himself as the more approachable and all-around good leader in what became one of the best sports movies ever madeit was filled with upcoming talent.

In 2000, Turk from Scrubs, Ken from Barbie and Avon Barksdale from The Wire took the field under Denzel Washington and Bill Patton in Remember the Titans and scored a touchdown with an emotional sports movie. which still strikes two decades later. Based on a true story and directed by Boaz Yakin, the film follows a high school football team that integrates black students into an all-white team that is "on the verge of imploding." Gosling, Donald Faison, Wood Harris and a young Hayden Panettiere, standing and watching from the sidelines.

It may now have been a beloved stepping stone for half the film's cast, but for Hearst, it was the foundation of a friendship that continued from in front of the camera to behind it and beyond. As Gary Berthier, he found a kindred spirit in his on-screen best friend, Julius Campbell (Harris), who in GQ interview for the film's 20th anniversary admitted that things haven't changed. Even after all this time, the left-strong side has not budged an inch. "There is no one on this planet that I hold closer to my heart than Wood Harris." Now, if like the rest of the sports-loving movie world, Hearst's performance still brings tears to your eyes, then you don't stand a chance during his time as a member of the now world-famous biker gang.

Ryan Hurst's one iconic non-Remember the Titans performance is as the stoic and combative Sons of Anarchy member Harry "Opie" Winston. The best friend of Charlie Hunnam's Jax Teller, a member of the Hearst gang carried the most emotional weight throughout the series as he came very close to walking out on it. That is until he is drawn back into the illegal activities of the Sons of Anarchy and finds himself behind bars with the rest of the gang, leading to what may be one of the most heartbreaking exits from a television show, possibly ever.

In Season 5, Episode 3, "Laying Pipe," the Sons need an Autumn Boy to be freed, and Opie appoints herself without hesitation to seal her fate with the now iconic "I Got This." It leads to a gruesome exit for the character as he is beaten to death, with Jax having to watch the whole thing unfold. While that certainly adds to what makes season five the bloodiest in Sons of Anarchy history (and perhaps the least favored in its ranking)for series creator Kurt Sutter, Hearst's exit was essential to the show's future.

In an interview with The Hollywood ReporterSutter explained, "Knowing where I wanted to take my hero and knowing how I wanted to get there, the road I wanted to travel, Jax needed that emotional twist — that one event that happens in a man's life that can change course. of his fate."

By this point in his career, Ryan Hurst has undoubtedly carved out a decent chunk of television. It may have come as a shock to gamers then when he appeared swinging a hammer as Thor in the sequel to the hit PlayStation video game God of War: Ragnarok. The antithesis of Chris Hemsworth's diamond Asgardian avenger, through motion capture and stunning graphics, Hirst delivered a brutal, big-bellied thunder god that players were forced to take on twice in an epic battle with axes and hammers. Continuing to validate the creativity and artistry that goes into creating these titles, (and a story Hollywood should learn from) He explained to Hearst Diversity the route it took in the carry his Thor brought to life by way of a completely different Marvel character, and one of the Coen brothers' beloved joint.

Portraying the Norse gods as villains to our worn-out hero, Kratos (Christopher Judge), Hirst explained how he looked to Tommy Lee Jones' Ed Tom Bell in No Country for Old Men to capture his own lightning in a bottle. “He was a powerful being who cultivated forms of regret that manifested in his voice. To distribute that power, he then looked to another Marvel character instead of Hemsworth's hero. "There's some of that, which comes through the saying 'Hulk Smash,' but in a multi-layered way." The way I interpreted it is that you need access to superhuman amounts of strength, fury and unpredictability."