Alex MacNicoll

In 2024, it was confirmed that Alex MacNicoll would play Manny in the second season of The Last of Us. The actor landed a spot in HBO's production after years of steady work in the Los Angeles industry. It's a physically demanding role that calls for a tough presence. And producers were looking for exactly the mix of toughness and naturalness that MacNicoll has spent years refining.

The Fight-Training Trail in New Jersey

He was born in New Jersey and grew up far from the spotlight of California. His entry into acting wasn't a lucky discovery at a shopping mall. Because he studied acting, he moved to the West Coast with a clear goal of working from day one.

In 2014, he landed a small role in the series Transparent. That experience let him watch how veteran actors worked on a high-level set while he tried to keep up with the pace of television shoots and the pressure of camera marks in every scene.

He waited his turn in genre films while going to auditions every week.

In 2018, he appeared in Vice under the direction of Adam McKay. Playing a younger version of a historical figure requires a restraint that few actors of his generation handle with ease. It was an exercise in technical mimicry that opened the door to bigger-budget projects (although his face was still unknown to the general public).

The Cancellation That Hurt in 2020

The project that almost changed his career was The Society in 2019. He played Luke, a character who dealt with morality and leadership in a world without adults. The series received notable critical acclaim, and Netflix renewed the show for a second season. So the team was already packing their bags to return to set.

The 2020 pandemic forced the streaming platform to cancel the project abruptly even though the scripts were already written. It was a hard blow for the entire cast. MacNicoll watched a golden opportunity slip away for reasons that had nothing to do with his talent.

But he didn't stop.

He also worked on The 5th Wave and in the series 13 Reasons Why, where his presence was constant but understated. His income in 2023 stabilized thanks to a mix of commercial television and independent film. In 2025, his role in the Naughty Dog franchise brought him back to the industry's forefront.

And the gamble paid off.

To prepare for Unstoppable in 2024, he had to undergo intensive wrestling training. The production of this wrestling film required ten hours a day of physical training at the gym. The contract stipulated that the physical contact scenes would not use stunt doubles in close-up shots.