Why Danny Kelly From Hulu's Furious Looks So Familiar

The first three episodes of Hulu's new crime series "Furious" aired on July 27, 2026, and it's already getting a lot of attention. Emmy Rossum plays an FBI agent named Alice Black who is on the hunt for a serial killer who, unlike most killers in such stories, is a woman with a righteous cause. Lola Pettigrew plays Catherine, a murderer who poisons ultra-rich men with fentanyl. "Furious," curiously enough, is inspired by a largely forgotten 1987 Bob Rafelson feature film called "Black Widow." That film starred Debra Winger as the central cop character, and Theresa Russell as the serial killer. "Black Widow" was a modest hit, but few have any cultural memory of it. It's curious that Hulu should think to resurrect it in 2026. 

"Furious" also stars Scoot McNairy as a character named Danny, Alice Black's friend and former partner in the NYPD. Many viewers might have had a "hey, it's that guy!" moment when looking at McNairy, while others smiled to themselves and muttered "Oh, cool. It's Scoot McNairy." The 48-year-old actor has been accruing credits at a pretty healthy rate since his first credited performances in the early 2000s. One might recall seeing him as a supporting character in the John Holmes biography "Wonderland" in 2003. He was also the goofy stoner in the lesbian spy comedy "D.E.B.S.," and a DJ in the kid-friendly adventure "Sleepover." 

I first recall seeing him as the army jacket guy (credited only as "Army Jacket") in Terry Zwigoff's 2005 film "Art School Confidential." Something about his look had McNairy often playing stoners and beatniks. In 2005, he also turned up in episodes of "Six Feet Under" and "Close to Home." Since then, the actor has been busy. 

Scoot McNairy really came into the public eye in 2010 when he appeared as the lead character in Gareth Edwards' low-budget monster movie "Monsters." About the same time, he had a few guest spots on the hit procedural series "Bones," playing a character named Noel Liftin. McNairy's TV career was quite healthy, as he enjoyed one-off appearances in many, many hit shows such as "The Shield," "My Name is Earl," and "CSI." In 2017, he landed his biggest TV job to date, playing Gordon Clark, one of the main characters in "Halt and Catch Fire." He was in 60 episodes. 

But it's his film career that's more impressive. From 2009 to 2015, McNairy appeared in several films a year, turning up in small indies as well as big blockbusters. He was in tiny horror movies like "A Night in the Woods," but also massive Oscar darlings like "Promised Land," "Argo," and "12 Years a Slave." He was in "Gone Girl," "Lamb," "Killing Them Softly," and the goofy Liam Neeson thriller "Non-Stop." McNairy was, it seems, both talented and dependable. One doesn't get that much work without knuckling under and doing a good job. 

Superhero fans might recognize Scoot McNairy from his role as Wallace Keefe in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." He worked with Karyn Kusama on "Destroyer," and with Quentin Tarantino on "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." In 2024, he played the pathetic dad in "Speak No Evil," and the pathetic husband in "Nightbitch." Scoot McNairy is very good at playing mean characters, creeps, and pathetic people. His most recent film was 2025's "East of Wall." 

And we're not done with Scoot McNairy's impressive career. In 2017, he was in the miniseries "Godless" playing a sheriff, and the following year started a lucrative gig playing a DEA agent in 20 of the 30 episodes of "Narcos: Mexico." Something about McNairy's talent for hangdog characters also has him frequently playing cops. He's the type of actor that the industry cannot do without. Leading actors come and go, but supporting players and character performers carry everything on their backs. Just prior to "Furious," McNairy also played a CIA boss in the TV adaptation of "Man on Fire," released on Netflix back in April. 

Back in 2012, McNairy even won a Variety award for one of the 10 Actors to Watch. Some of us might have noticed him beforehand, but he's certainly on everyone's radar now. 

McNairy's real first name is John, but his father began calling him "Scooter" when he was about two years old, and the nickname stuck. Way back in 2008, McNairy produced and starred in a very small indie film called "In Search of a Midnight Kiss," and he explained, in an interview with Every Joe, that the nickname wasn't anything interesting. He just used to scoot around on his butt like little kids so often do. 

The TV series "Furious" is on Hulu, and will air on a weekly basis until the season is out. The series was created by Elizabeth Meriwether, the creator of hit shows like "New Girl," "Bless This Mess," "The Dropout," and the recent FX hit miniseries "Dying for Sex."