Why Carl From Project Hail Mary Looks So Familiar

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There may be movies that make more money in 2026, but it's hard to find a more roundly beloved movie than "Project Hail Mary." Starring Ryan Gosling and directed by duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("The LEGO Movie," "21 Jump Street"), it became a true sensation.

"Project Hail Mary," which has a streaming home on Prime Video as well as MGM+, is based on Andy Weir's novel of the same name. It centers on a science teacher named Ryland Grace (Gosling) who wakes up on a spaceship light-years from home with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He slowly begins to uncover his mission, which involves a mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. Calling on his scientific knowledge, he must try to save the Earth from extinction. But an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.

Much of the movie is focused on Gosling and his pal Rocky in space, but he's certainly not the only actor in the movie. The "Project Hail Mary" crew members were all from various movies and TV shows, offering them an air of familiarity to viewers. Then there's Sandra Hüller, who gave a stellar performance as Eva Stratt. But there are also smaller supporting roles who helped truly make the movie what it was. Perhaps there's no better example than Lionel Boyce.

For those who may not recognize the name, he plays Carl in the movie. Carl appears relatively early on as a government-designated security personnel member who is tasked with staying with Ryland as he does his research. The two form a bond and appear together in some of the best scenes in the movie's first act. 

If Carl looks familiar to viewers, there's a good reason for that.

Lionel Boyce is a well-rounded entertainer who has had a great deal of success as both a musician and, more recently, as an actor. In the music world, he goes by the name L-Boy and was part of the rap group known as Odd Future. The group, whose hits include "White" and "Oldie," also included other famous names such as Tyler, The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt, among others. Odd Future also had a sketch comedy show on Adult Swim called "Loiter Squad," which was canceled after three seasons.

Speaking of comedy, Boyce also had a small role in 2022's "Jackass Forever," as one of the new main cast members was Jasper Dolphin, who also happened to be part of Odd Future. Outside of roles as himself, some of his other movie work includes the horror/comedy "Shell" as Detective Abramson, and the action movie "Motor City" as Youngblood alongside "Reacher" star Alan Ritchson. But "Project Hail Mary" is by far the biggest movie he's been involved with to date.

On the TV side of things, Boyce has a little more experience, appearing on "Hap and Leonard" as Leon in several episodes. His largest role in a TV series came on "The Bear," which is comfort food TV with a dollop of chaos, as Marcus. He appeared in each season of the show's run before it wrapped up earlier this year. Boyce additionally appeared alongside Larry David in an episode of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

You can also grab "Project Hail Mary" on 4K, Blu-ray, or DVD from Amazon.