Daniel Zovatto is persuasive as young men whose confidence gives way to unease. We value his quietness in horror ensembles, though the supporting parts have not always given him enough character to work with.
Fi1m perspective
In It Follows (2015), Daniel Zovatto's Greg Hannigan contributes to the tension through quiet reactions. He fits into the group without demanding that every exchange become his scene. David Robert Mitchell's film benefits from that restraint: Zovatto can hold our attention without conspicuously asking for it. We like him as an ensemble actor, particularly when confidence starts to give way to unease. His performances leave room for other people.
We were frightened by It Follows, because Mitchell makes something as ordinary as a slow walk feel threatening. Maika Monroe gives that fear a person worth caring about, and Zovatto's supporting work suits the film's patience. Its hazy rules sometimes weaken the suspense, a reservation about the film rather than his acting. It remains our strongest recommendation here, though we would not mistake a good supporting performance for the whole reason it works.
The early horror work runs from Beneath (2013) to Don't Breathe (2016), with supporting parts establishing him before television offered a lead. In Fede Alvarez's Don't Breathe, he plays Money, fitting convincingly into a morally ambiguous group. The limitation is a thinly drawn character, which gives him less to work with than the tension around him might suggest. There is only so much an actor can do with a supporting part that needs more writing.
Television subsequently gave him more prominent parts, including Tiago Vega, the series lead in Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (2020). The Prophet in Station Eleven (2021) and Rodney Alcala in Anna Kendrick's Woman of the Hour (2024) draw on the capacity for charm to become threatening. These roles make sense for an actor whose detachment can turn unpleasant without much outward fuss. They also suggest why simply calling him a horror actor misses something about the casting.
The next part need not be another man who becomes threatening. We would be interested in seeing that same understatement put to work in a character with more ordinary troubles. Start with It Follows, and watch the supporting players as well as the threat.
Biography
Daniel Zovatto is a Costa Rican actor, also credited as Daniel Zovatto Blanco or Daniel Blanco. Born in San José on 28 June 1991, he moved to New York City to pursue theatre before relocating to Los Angeles.
He made his feature film debut in Beneath (2013) and gained attention for his role as Greg Hannigan in It Follows (2014). Subsequent film credits include Don't Breathe (2016), Lady Bird (2017) and Woman of the Hour (2023). On television he has appeared in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013), Fear the Walking Dead (2015), Here and Now (2018), Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (2020) and Station Eleven (2021–2022).
