The Indianapolis-born actress Katy O’Brian is easily one of Hollywood’s fast-rising actresses, especially with her recent roles in movies and TV shows. Although she has had a few notable roles in her career, she has had more screen time in a movie playing Jackie in Love Lies Bleeding (2024). With its theatrical release on March 8, 2024, Love Lies Bleeding is expected to be O’Brian’s breakout role on the big screen.
In Love Lies Bleeding, Katy O’Brian plays the romantic partner of Kristen Stewart’s character, Lou. O’Brian’s character is a bodybuilder with an addiction to steroids. She’s immediately drawn to Lou when she arrives in the small New Mexico town. Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart’s chemistry in Love Lies Bleeding has received positive reviews and praise from critics and audiences. If Jackie looked familiar, here are 6 Katy O’Brian roles from which you may recognize the actress.
The Walking Dead
One of her earliest appearances on the small screen was in a guest-starring role on AMC’s The Walking Dead. Fans of the series may recognize Katy O’Brian from her two-episode appearances on the show in 2017 and 2018. Interestingly, O’Brian played a character who shares her first name, Katy. O’Brian first appeared in The Walking Dead in season 8, episode 3 (“Monsters”), where she’s seen as one of the Saviors who surrenders to the militia at the satellite outpost. Interestingly, her character is killed off twice, first as a human, when she’s shot with one of the Saviors’ tainted arrows. After her death, she awakens as a zombie and is killed by Siddiq (Avi Nash), who stabs her in the head. Although she only appears in two episodes, actress Bethany Kasulas was used as a stand-in in other episodes.
Watch The Walking Dead on Netflix
Z Nation
Katy O’Brian joined the cast of Syfy’s horror series Z Nation in season 5. Set in a post-apocalyptic world like in The Walking Dead, O’Brian is cast as Georgia “George” St. Clair. Her character was a college freshman when the outbreak began but was now the political leader of Newmerica. O’Brian character is first introduced in season 5, episode 1 (“Welcome to the Newpocalypse”). Her character is still alive and human by the end of the series. Katy O’Brian’s last appearance in Z Nation is in the series finale (“The End of Everything”).
Black Lightning
Katy O’Brian landed her next TV show the next year in The CW’s superhero drama series Black Lightning. O’Brian joined the Black Lightning cast in the series’ third season. She was cast in a recurring role as Major Sara Grey. It was one of Katy O’Brian’s roles that gave her more recognition, especially with the show’s success. Her character was a soldier with the American Security Agency (A.S.A.). Major Grey was promoted to acting Director of Operations in Freeland after Agent Odell (Bill Duke) was shot. Like in real life, O’Brian’s character was a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, martial artist, and markswoman. O’Brian’s character was killed by TC (Christopher A’mmanuel) during the War for Freeland.
Watch Black Lightning on Apple TV+
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Like in The Walking Dead, Katy O’Brian also guest-starred in the successful MCU series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. With the success of the series, although Katy O’Brian only appears in 3 episodes, it is one of her biggest roles in television. O’Brian joined the cast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in its final season (season 7), playing Kimball. The character was introduced as a member of Nathaniel Malick’s (Thomas E. Sullivan) crew. O’Brian’s character is introduced in season 7, episode 11 (“Brand New Day”) and dies in the series’ finale (“What We’re Fighting For”).
Watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on Disney+
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Katy O’Brian might have only appeared in the last three episodes of the MCU’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but it helped open opportunities to take up roles in the universe. However, this didn’t mean she had to audition for the role. MCU fans and audiences immediately recognize O’Brian as Jentorra in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). O’Brian initially thought she was auditioning for The Marvels before being hired and given creative liberties to portray Jentorra as she saw fit (despite it being an already-established Marvel Comics character). O’Brian’s Jentorra was the human-shaped leader of the rebel group, the Freedom Fighters.
Watch Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on Disney+
The Mandalorian
The Disney+ space Western series, The Mandalorian, created by Jon Favreau, has successfully aired for 3 seasons. Katy O’Brian joined The Mandalorian cast in season 2 in a recurring role as Elia Kane. True Star Wars fans and audiences would immediately recognize her character and background in the franchise. Although season 4 was greenlit for production, with a feature film in production, the future of The Mandalorian season 4 is still uncertain. If you recognized Katy O’Brian from any of these roles, read 8 Things You Didn’t Know About The MCU’s Katy O’Brian.