Zackary Arthur Film & TV Roles: Where You’ve Seen The Chucky Actor

Chucky TV show actor Zackary Arthur has earned a whole wealth of new attention for his work as Jake Wheeler — here are the other movie and TV roles you may know him from. A fellow resident of Chucky’s hometown of Hackensack, New Jersey, Jake was introduced in Chucky episode 1, “Death by Misadventure.” An openly gay and troubled teen, Jake’s life became all the more tumultuous when he acquired the infamous killer doll at a yard sale.

As longtime Child’s Play fans would expect, Chucky quickly started racking up a body count. Kicking off with Jake’s abusive father, Lucas (Devon Sawa), the 14-year-old’s life spiralled ever more out of control. Initially succumbing to his pain and Chucky’s manipulations, Jake went along with the murderous exploits before ultimately turning back to the light in Chucky episode 4, “Just Let Go.” With there potentially being multiple killer dolls lurking in the Chucky TV show, however, Jake Wheeler still has quite the journey ahead. At 14-years-old himself, the same could be said of Zackary Arthur and his sure-to-be lengthy career. Despite his young age, though, Chucky was far from his first rodeo in movies and TV.

After mutiple shorts and an uncredited SpongeBob Squarepants cameo, Zackary Arthur’s first prominent credit was in the Disney Channel series Best Friends Whenever. There he played the 9-year-old version of Ricky Garcia’s character Naldo Montoya. He then went on to play Peter Green, a young boy who accidentally shot his friend while playing with a gun, in Grey’s Anatomy season 12, episode 20, “Trigger Happy.” Following that, Zackary Arthur recurred as David on TV Land’s Teachers and guest-starred on S.W.A.T., Better Things, and as Freddy Jr. on Ray Donovan. Prior to playing Jake on the reference and Easter egg-packed Chucky TV show, however, Zackary Arthur’s breakthrough role was playing Zack Novak, the grandson of Jeffrey Tambor’s Maura, on the Amazon series Transparent. As well as allowing him to form a real-life friendship with Chucky co-star Alyvia Alyn Lind, it paved the way for Zackary Arthur to play the younger version of Jim Carrey’s Jeff Pickles on Showtime’s Kidding.

Zackary Arthur’s career hasn’t just been confined to TV, however. In 2016, he played Sam Sullivan in The 5th Wave, an alien invasion adventure that also starred Chloë Grace Moretz as his heroic older sister Cassie. The next year, he played Kolya Smalley, the son of James Franco’s character in Lords of Anarchy and Josh in Mom and Dad. The latter saw him act opposite Selma Blair and current horror movie maestro Nicolas Cage, who played his newly homicidal parents following a mysterious event. Zackary Arthur has also featured in lesser known movies like Jill and Secret Agent Dingledorf and His Trusty Dog Splat.

The Chucky TV show has already won over critics and fans alike, establishing it as one of the best Child’s Play outings since its debut in 1988. Zackary Arthur’s turn as Jake Wheeler has been a firm part of that, offering a compelling, nuanced, and thoroughly modern protagonist. Despite being newcomers to the orbit of Chucky the killer doll, Arthur and the rest of the Chucky TV show cast have solidified themselves as franchise stalwarts. It shall remain to be seen who will actually make it out of Chucky alive, and if  indeed Junior will become Chucky’s new protégé. Whatever the case, there’s no doubt that well-deserved acclaim and popularity will springboard the talented Zackary Arthur’s career from strength to strength.

About The Author