Two years hardly seems like a long time but in Hollywood that's enough to wipe the memory of any young star. Luckily for Chris Zylka, things have only gone up since first appearing in Out's Hollywood issue in March of 2012.
Getting noticed for his All-American looks, Zylka quickly proved he had more to offer than a stunning grin. In 2012 alone, he landed roles in campy horror films, Shark Night and Piranha 3DD, and Flash Thompson in the highly-anticipated reboot of the Spider-Man franchise. Not bad for a guy who just happened to move to California on a whim and then was discovered by manager Jon Simmons.
"He was eating at the restaurant and asked me if I was an actor," Zylka recalls. "I said, 'No, I want to be, but I've never worked before.' From that moment on, he trained me and developed me, and one thing led to another."
Exclusive Outtakes | Chris Zylka On the Rise
Since then, Zylka has been building his profile with an appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and roles on several hit series, including 90210, ABC Family's Twisted and HBO's latest series, The Leftovers.
In HBO's adaptation of Tom Perrotta's novel of the same name, Zylka plays Tom Garvey, a tortured college student who takes up with a religious cult following a Rapture-like event. The role is showing a new, deeper side of Zylka -- as well as more skin. (The first episode ended with Zylka fully nude, skinny dipping in a pool.)
"I think it makes the crew more uncomfortable than it makes me," Zylka tells The Daily Beast. "I mean I don't shower with shorts on. I don't recall ever jacking off with underwear on. So the nudity makes it real, I guess."
How's that for heating up Hollywood?
