Why ‘Phony’ Star Sam Nivola Looks So Familiar

Get ready for your ‘aha’ moment

If Sam Nivola‘s face looks familiar while you’re watching Hulu’s new seriesPhony, there’s a good reason.

The actor stars as Sonny Cooke in the new comedy-drama mystery, playing a teenager who wakes up after a car accident and becomes convinced that his mother has been replaced by an impostor. It’s a pretty wild premise, but Nivola is no stranger to complicated family dynamics on screen.

In fact, you may recognize him from another buzzy project, The White Lotus.

If you watched the third season of The White Lotus, you probably recognize Nivola as Lochlan Ratliff, the youngest member of the wealthy Ratliff family.

He stars alongside Patrick Schwarzenegger, Lochlan’s older brother Saxon, and Sarah Catherine Hook, his sister Piper. Their parents, played by Jason Isaacs and Parker Posey, bring plenty of their own drama to the family’s Thailand vacation.

And Lochlan? Let’s just say his complicated relationship with his siblings makes for some seriously uncomfortable viewing.

Before checking into the White Lotus, Nivola appeared in another star-studded ensemble. In <a href="https://comicvibe.com/new-matthew-perry-series-more-netflix-releases-this-week/” title=”New Matthew Perry Series & More Netflix Releases This Week”>Netflix‘s The Perfect Couple, he plays Will Winbury, the youngest son in a wealthy Nantucket family whose extravagant wedding weekend takes a dark turn after a body is discovered.

Will may not be the center of the murder investigation, but his family’s secrets and complicated dynamics make him part of the drama. Nivola clearly knows his way around a wealthy family with a few skeletons in the closet.

And if those wo aren’t ringing a bell, Nivola has appeared in several films, including Noah Baumbach’s White Noise, in which he plays Heinrich, and Eileen, where he portrays Lee Polk. He also played Alexander Bernstein, the son of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein, in Bradley Cooper’s 2023 biographical drama Maestro, per IMDb.

Between prestige dramas, twisty Netflix mysteries and acclaimed films, he’s been building quite the résumé. And something tells us this won’t be the last time you spot him on your screen.

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