Former NHL Enforcer's Surprise Career Turn: Acting

Sean Avery made his name in the NHL a generation ago as a tough agitator more familiar with the penalty box than the scoring sheet. Now 46, the former New York Ranger hasn't taken the traditional post-playing career route into the coaching ranks. Instead, he's traded pucks for scripts—and he's quietly become one of director Christopher Nolan's favorite ensemble actors, writes Peter Baugh in a profile for the Athletic. Avery has had roles Tenet, Oppenheimer, and Nolan's new epic, The Odyssey, in which he plays one of Odysseus' soldiers.

"I think Chris just likes people that show up to work ready to go and have a mindset where they understand that the stakes are high," Avery says. "So like all great coaches, I guess (directors) kind of identify talent and know who they need in certain situations. Maybe I've fallen under that category with Chris." Baugh details Avery's grind behind the pivot: years of New York acting classes, his turbulent off-ice life, his blunt hockey commentary, and his ambitions beyond Nolan, from CBS' Einstein to Netflix's The Night Agent—and a potential comedy role in HBO's I Love LA that he insists could win him a Golden Globe. Read the full story.