Why Klaus From Umbrella Academy Looks So Familiar

Misfits was hardly Sheehan's first taste of small-screen success in the U.K. In fact, 2009 was sort of a banner year for the young star. It was then that Sheehan also received rave reviews for his work on another Channel 4 venture, the Red Riding trilogy, which are among the best films to come out of the U.K. in the past decade-plus (they even received a very limited theatrical release in the U.S. in 2010). The movies — subtitled 1974, 1980, and 1983 – followed interconnected narratives unfolding in each year, and were set against the backdrop of serial murders that loosely resembled real-life crimes.

Given that synopsis, you'd be correct in assuming that the tone of the Red Riding movies is on the bleak side. In fact, "bleak" would be an understatement, as the flicks could easily rival Seven in terms of mood and menace. That has a lot to do with the trilogy's cast, comprised of a veritable who's who of rising U.K. talent of the time — including Andrew Garfield, Sean Harris, Mark Addy, Rebecca Hall, Paddy Considine, David Morrissey, Eddie Marsan, and more. Among that elite company, it's all the more remarkable that Sheehan frequently stole the show with his heartbreaking turn as an enigmatic, victimized male hustler named BJ.