Why Vigilante From Peacemaker Looks So Familiar

Peacemaker thought he had survived the worst after his near-fatal turn with the Suicide Squad. Now, he's finding admiration can be just as difficult to navigate in HBO Max's series "Peacemaker." A spinoff from the popular 2021 film "The Suicide Squad," this exploration of the anti-hero's return to form comes after that now-famous shot in Corto Maltese. The character may not shy away from his push for peace at all costs — remember what he'd do on one beach alone — but he's finding a strange new world out there.

Notable among the familiar — and not so familiar — faces in his life is Adrian Chase, aka Vigilante. Carrying a devotion to justice himself, he proves to be either Peacemaker's (John Cena) best accomplice or his biggest dilemma. Above it all, it might just be Vigilante's naïveté that keeps the series' title character interested, yet confounded. Credit for making the role so intriguing goes in no small part to Freddie Stroma, who's the actor behind the mask.

The world of "Harry Potter" played a key part in Freddie Stroma's life, as he played one of his earliest roles in the film series as Cormac McLaggen. The character is sorted into Gryffindor, where he becomes a variable in the lives of Ron (Rupert Grint), Hermione (Emma Watson), and Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) himself. McLaggen first appeared in the film "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," and Stroma would follow that up as a voice actor in the corresponding video game.

Stroma returned to the role for 2010's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2." The latter saw McLaggen stand side by side with the remaining Hogwarts students in that epic final battle with Voldemort. Stroma later reflected on his time spent with the film series while preparing for another role. "I mean, it's a different thing. Having a smaller role in one of the bigger budget movies is... it's fun to be part of something that's that size, and has that much love around the world," the actor told MTV. "but it is very enjoyable to have a much bigger role. You can kind of have more influence on the piece."

After appearances in projects like the first "Pitch Perfect" and "The Inbetweeners 2," Freddie Stroma came to cable TV with "UnREAL." The drama followed a fictional reality series whose behind-the-scenes issues are just as problematic as what its audience sees. "UnREAL" ran over four seasons, originally airing on Lifetime before ending its run with Hulu (via IndieWire).

Stroma played Adam Cromwell, a contestant intent on making a name for himself, to the point where he easily manipulates the show's dating competition format. Cromwell's romance with Rachel Goldberg (Shiri Appleby) became a major plot point in the 1st season. He would return for one episode and one uncredited performance in Season 2 (via CarterMatt). "UnREAL" gave the actor a chance to interact with an extensive cast including Craig Bierko and Constance Zimmer. It also prepared him for leading roles, with the next opportunity coming on a major network.

The 2017-2018 TV season saw Stroma reach leading man status through his role on the series "Time After Time." Airing on ABC, this Kevin Williamson creation utilizes the time travel concepts of H.G. Wells. Stroma starred as a fictionalized version of Wells, a famous writer with his own time machine. Wells' friend — who also turns out to be the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper — just happens to have ideas about what that technology can be used for. The results lead the writer on a chase to stop this murderous spree.

It was a short run for the series, with only five episodes airing on the network (via Variety). Fans of "Time After Time" had to wait years to see those final seven episodes that were shelved; they would appear years later on CW Seed. The streaming service from CW presents on-demand episodes and series. Stroma's career didn't stop at this streaming option, instead, it grew thanks to another service.

In 2020, Stroma came to viewers' attention with his performance in Netflix's mega-hit "Bridgerton." The series got over 82 million households invested in the period drama during its first four weeks. For the actor, his role of Prince Friedrich presented the unenviable challenge of being a competitor to the Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset (Rege-Jean Page) for Daphne's (Phoebe Dynevor) affections. There's no word on whether he'll return for the 2nd season, but it seems unlikely.

The series' popularity was evident to Stroma even before viewing figures came out. "It's funny because I knew it was doing well. Sometimes you just get lots of people from out of the woodwork, just coming out and telling you that they've been watching you on a show or something. 'Bridgerton' was one of those where people from everywhere were talking about it," the actor told Collider. "I was like, "Wow, this seems to be doing well." And then, Netflix started saying the numbers and I went, "Oh, okay." And recently, they said it was the biggest show they've had. So, yeah, it's crazy."