When Outer Banks was released during the height of the COVID pandemic, it became a hit due to its escapism qualities, which people desperately needed. It had everything you could possibly want; love triangles, adventures, and a villain that was downright evil, Rafe Cameron. Rafe is portrayed by Drew Starkey, an actor who's sort of new to the scene, but making quite a name for himself lately, and we're here for it.
Starkey just tried his way in the rom-com genre with The Other Zoey, and soon he'll star in Queer with Daniel Craig. Starkey seems to be able to do it all, and it's exciting to see how big his career is going to get as he acquires more roles and shines in the spotlight. Let's take a look at his top ten best roles in both movies and television, ranked.
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10 The Hate U Give (2018)

Based on the book of the same name by Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give is a powerful story of what young Black teens go through on a day-to-day basis with prejudice and racism. Starr is a girl who lives two lives, one in her neighborhood, and the other at a fancy private school where the majority of students are white.
Her world is turned upside down when, one night after a party, she and her friend are driving home, and they're pulled over by police, Drew Starkey plays Cop 115 in this intense scene. It's pivotal for where the story takes the audience next, as Cop 115 shoots and tragically kills Starr's friend, and Starr is left shell-shocked by the repercussions.
Rent on Prime Video
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9 Embattled (2020)

Embattled is a great sports movie that delves deep into generational abuse, and how it can destroy families, and how to break that curse. Cash is a mixed martial arts fighter who was raised by an abusive father, and when his wife gives birth to their second son, he decides to abandon them due to the complications that his son has, Williams syndrome.
As Cash ranks higher and higher in the MMA world, his oldest son, Jet, supports his family while also competing, just like his dad. As they both progress in their careers, Jet and Cash soon make it to the big leagues, where they have to fight each other. Cash proves to be a terrible father who doesn't want to see his son win and vows to kill him on the mat, no matter the cost.
Stream on AMC+
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8 The Terminal List (2022)

In this action thriller that's set to have a second season, Chris Pratt stars as James Reece, a US Navy SEAL who gets hit hard after coming back from a tour, and he soon seeks revenge for all that was lost. In the first episode of the series, you can't help but feel bad for Reece, as he's one of the two survivors of his platoon to make it out alive, and then his wife and child are killed in that same episode.
As the season progresses, Reece discovers that someone is actively working against him, and with the help of a team, he seeks to put a stop to the darkness attacking his life. Drew Starkey has a minor role as Junior Alba, a detective that works for the San Diego police department, as well as a member of the Task Force.
Stream on Prime Video
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7 Scream (TV Series) (2019)

When the Scream TV series was rebooted with an entirely new cast, it seemed to breathe new life into the series and introduce characters that were more interesting and appealing. Scream season three focuses on Deion Elliot, a student in Atlanta who becomes the target of a killer lurking at his high school, and when bad memories from his past come back to haunt him, he has to take matters into his own hands.
Starkey plays Hawkins, Deion's good friend, and while only appearing in four out of six episodes, Hawkins is still a solid character. We even get some great characterization when Hawkins alludes to him and Marcus being more than just friends, but remains casual about it even though you know exactly what he's talking about.
Rent on Apple TV
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6 The Devil All the Time (2020)

In The Devil All the Time, this psychological thriller follows two timelines, and you'll be on the edge of your seat the entire time due to the slow burn effect it has, as well as the amount of violence packed in. Tom Holland portrays Arvin, the son of a man who did terrible things in order to keep his wife alive, but to no avail, leaving Arvin an orphan.
Arvin grows up protecting his sister, and while he's mostly a non-violent person, it all comes to a head when his sister tells him that she's being harassed by a group of greasers. Arvin snaps and hunts down each guy that gave his sister a hard time, and Drew Starkey plays Tommy Matson. Tommy was the one to put a paper bag over Lenora, and he possibly gets the worst of Arvin's anger as Arvin beats him with a tire iron. It's truly an intense movie, and so many big stars have a role in it. it's definitely worth watching.
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Stream on Netflix
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5 Love, Simon (2018)

Love, Simon is a great coming-of-age movie with one of the best coming-out scenes, and it's based on the book Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. The film follows a high schooler named Simon who has a big secret-he's gay, and he's not ready to tell anyone that fact. When he starts to become pen-pals with a person named Blue, he starts to feel more confident with himself and his sexuality. That is, until a kid named Martin starts to blackmail him.
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As the movie progresses, Simon starts to panic and lie to all of his friends, including Garrett, played by Drew Starkey. Garrett has a minor role in the movie, but he's more fleshed out in the book, and it would have been great to see Starkey take on his character in that sense. Love, Simon is a great film for all ages, and it touches on important topics.
Stream on HULU
4 Hellraiser (2022)

In this reboot of the original Hellraiser, making it the 11th film in the franchise overall, this horror film delves deep into not only scares, but addiction as well. Odessa A'zion plays the main character, Riley, who's a recovering drug addict and stumbles across the box after her boyfriend Trevor (Drew Starkey) insists on breaking into an abandoned warehouse building.
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Right away, your antenna is up about Trevor since he's the one to convince Riley to take the box, and your suspicion would be right as he is quite literally the worst character in this movie. It was a solid reboot of the original film, but it didn't garner much traction as a whole, but it is definitely worth the watch this spooky season as the Cenobites, as well as the Priest, make their iconic appearances.
Stream on HULU
3 The Other Zoey (2023)

Calling all rom-com lovers and people who believe that Drew Starkey needed a goofy romance in his roster, this one's for you. The Other Zoey is a smash for romantic comedy enjoyers because it brings back the trope of While You Were Sleeping. While in college, Zoey (Josephine Langford) clashes with Zach (Drew Starkey), a guy who's popular among his peers, but Zoey doesn't see the appeal.
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When she accidentally hits him with her car, he gets amnesia and believes that she's his girlfriend. So what's the logical thing she does? She goes with it! Starkey is everything you want in a leading rom-com man, he's goofy, charismatic, funny, and yes, swoon-worthy.
2 Mine 9 (2019)

If you have a claustrophobia issue, then you might want to skip this movie, since most of it takes place underground after a mine explosion. Mine 9tells the true story of nine men who go underground in a mine in Appalachia, and things go terribly wrong when an explosion hits and leaves them with one hour of oxygen.
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It's a tough watch as you realize that this has actually happened before, and that mining is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world because of the risk. Starkey plays Ryan, the son of a miner who's reluctant to go on the job, and in return, ends up trapped with his dad, who forced him to come. Starkey portrays the perfect array of emotions as he panics down there in the mine, and you might find yourself struggling to breathe as you wait to see who survives.
Stream on Paramount+
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10 Reasons Outer Banks Was the Best TV Show to Come Out of the Covid-19 Pandemic
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, it felt like new, great content was few and far between. Here's why Outer Banks was the best release of that time.
1 Outer Banks (2020-Present)

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Starkey's best performance, so far in his career, is his portrayal of Rafe Cameron in the hit Netflix show Outer Banks. Rafe, whose full name is speculated by fans to be Raphael, is a loose cannon and the king of the kooks; meaning that he's one of the richest people on the island. From the very first season, it's obvious how out of control he really is as he kills the sheriff, and his dad easily helps him get away with it. Then, in season two, he tries to kill his sister by choking her out and betraying her trust forever.
Starkey talks about how tough it is sometimes to take on the role of Rafe, since he's the villain of the show and doesn't have many happy moments with other characters. He mentioned in an interview that he would want to shoot more scenes with the other cast members if Rafe wasn't so ostracized, but that's what makes him such a great character. While everyone else on the island is going around looking for treasure, Rafe is sure to be somewhere doing something very bad, such as plotting murder, selling drugs or hating his entire family.
Stream on Netflix