Why Tommy Ross From Carrie Looks So Familiar

Mike Flanagan's adaptation of "Carrie" features several familiar actors, including Joel Oulette, who plays Tommy Ross. This eight-episode limited series hews closer to Stephen King's source material, although Flanagan changes things up enough to actualize his own vision. While the show focuses on Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) and the unthinkably cruel bullying she undergoes, we also learn about Oulette's Tommy, who is Sue Snell's (Siena Agudong) well-meaning boyfriend.

Oulette's career began with an uncredited role in the 2018 prehistoric adventure "Alpha," after which he went on to play Jimmy in Loretta Todd's debut feature, "Monkey Beach." He then starred in a string of projects, including the crime drama "Tribal" and the supernatural thriller "Trickster," in which he played the lead, Jared. Oulette also made appearances in Netflix's "Two Sentence Horror Stories," Abducted," and "Ruby and the Well."

In 2022, Oulette was cast as the Northern Water Tribe warrior Hahn in the live-action Netflix adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender." He competed in Season 9 of "The Amazing Race Canada" the following year. The actor also voiced Thunder in "Splinter Cell: Deathwatch."

In Mike Flanagan's "Carrie," Tommy is a measured presence among the throngs of bullies the titular teenager is friends with. Whenever Sue is swayed to give in to her crueler impulses due to peer pressure, Tommy acts like a firm, grounding rock. Tommy is meant to play a similar role in Stephen King's source material, and almost every adaptation takes this route, with some variations.

In Flanagan's series, Carrie and Tommy's dynamic is gentle and almost familial, which Joel Oulette shed further light on in an interview with ComicBookMovie. "Me and Summer [H. Howell] were trying to figure out what kind of dynamic Tommy and Carrie have in this adaptation compared to the other ones," the actor stated. "And I feel like there's definitely that friendship, and I would say Tommy's like a big brother to her in a way and is looking out for her and is not scared to help her when he sees fit."

Audiences can now make the best out of spooky season, as all eight episodes of "Carrie" are currently streaming on Prime Video.