James Scully (actor)

James Scully
Born
James Nicholas Scully

(1992-04-19) April 19, 1992 (age 32)
EducationOtterbein University (BFA)
OccupationActor
Years active2016–present

James Nicholas Scully (born April 19, 1992) is an American actor, best known for portraying JD in the Paramount Network series Heathers (2018) and Forty Quinn in the Netflix thriller series You.

Early life

Scully was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas.[1] He attended Driscoll Middle School and LEE High School's North East School of the Arts (Class of 2010), both of which are in North East Independent School District.[2][3][4] In his youth, he spent a brief period in England when his father was stationed there as a part of the United States Air Force.[2]

He later attended Otterbein University, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater.[2][5] Scully was also a cycling instructor for three and a half years at SWERVE Fitness.[6][7]

Career

Prior to working in Los Angeles, Scully resided in New York performing Off-Broadway.[6][2]

In 2016, Scully made his acting debut in the web series drama series, Sublets. Following his first role, Scully later made appearances in television series, such as Quantico and 9-1-1.[8]

He has also done commercial work for Outback Steakhouse and a public service announcement about Vicodin abuse with Riverdale actress, Camila Mendes.[2]

In 2018, Scully starred in the main role of JD on the Paramount Network series Heathers.[9][10] In January 2019, it was announced that Scully had been cast as Forty Quinn on the second season of the Netflix thriller series You.[11]

He also portrayed Charlie, one of the main love interests in the 2022 Hulu film Fire Island.[12] Scully stated Fire Island portrays gay culture as it is, and that gays are no longer attempting to mirror straight culture: "this is what queer culture looks like. This is how queer people are. I guess, sorry if you're not into it."[13]

In 2024, Scully began portraying "Mary's Teacher" (later identified as John Wilkes Booth) in the comedic play Oh, Mary!. The show will transfer to Broadway beginning in July 2024, marking Scully's Broadway debut [14]

Personal life

As of 2022, James is in a relationship with Julio Torres.[15]

He has been "very publicly bullied for keeping (his) shirt on multiple times," at gay locations like Ginger Roger's beach in Santa Monica, and Fire Island, but now feels that "We're not stripping down to our underwear even as an exercise in like sexual attraction. It's more about just peeling it all away."[12]

Filmography

Key
Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2019 Straight Up Ryder
2020 The Last Thing He Wanted Sloppy Reporter
2022 Fire Island Charlie
2023 Problemista Bingham

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Sublets Party Guest Episode: "Batman's Girlfriend"
2017 Quantico Tate Episode: "Mockingbird"
2018 Heathers Jason "JD" Dean Main role; 10 episodes
9-1-1 Travis Episode: "Merry Ex-Mas"
2019–2021 You Forty Quinn Main role (Season 2)
Guest role (Season 3) (11 episodes)
2021 Modern Love Ford Episode: "How Do You Remember Me?"
2022-2023 Titans Bernard Fitzmartin Recurring role (9 episodes)
2024 Fantasmas Pomeranian (voice), Producer Two episodes

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2019 Telling Lies Eric

References

  1. ^ Galvao, Carol Abbott (June 6, 2020). "You Actor James Scully Talks Imposter Syndrome And Finding His Stride". Wonderland Magazine. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Mullen, Matt (April 25, 2018). "James Scully, star of the new Heathers remake, awaits the dark promise of fame". Interview. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  3. ^ Jakle, Jeanne (January 24, 2018). "NESA grad James Scully plays murderous J.D. in TV's "Heathers."". Mysa. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  4. ^ Mendoza, Madalyn; mySanAntonio.com (January 3, 2020). "San Antonio 'You' fans are surprised to learn actor who plays 'Forty' is from here". Mysa. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Beamer, Randy (May 25, 2017). "San Antonio actor to star in new TV series, talks about 'secret' to his success". News 4 San Antonio. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Rosa, Christopher (December 26, 2019). "James Scully Is Aware His 'You' Character's Name Is Ridiculous". Glamour. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  7. ^ "Meet James Scully". SWERVE. November 1, 2015. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  8. ^ Pardo, Natalie (January 2, 2020). "James Scully and his similarities with Forty Quinn in a darker YOU Season 2". BookOf. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  9. ^ Petski, Denise (October 11, 2016). "'Heathers' TV Land Pilot Casts Its JD & Veronica". Deadline. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 4, 2018). "'Heathers': Shelved Reboot Series To Air On Paramount Network With Edits". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (January 31, 2019). "You: James Scully & Jenna Ortega Cast in Series' Second Season on Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  12. ^ a b Malkin, Marc (June 9, 2022). "'Fire Island' Star James Scully Dreams of Starring in an All-Queer 'Avengers' Movie". Variety.
  13. ^ Damshenas, Sam (May 26, 2022). "Exclusive: Fire Island star James Scully says all-queer cast was "invaluable" to film's success". Gay Times.
  14. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (April 24, 2024). "Cole Escola's Play 'Oh, Mary!' to Open on Broadway After Sold-Out Off Broadway Run".
  15. ^ "Get to Know: James Scully". LEO. June 14, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2024.