You probably know him as the guy with the face. You know the one. The "Arseface" kid from AMC’s Preacher. It’s a role that’s hard to shake, mostly because Ian Colletti spent four seasons buried under several pounds of prosthetic silicone that made him look like he’d survived a close-encounter with a shotgun—which, in the show, he had. But if you think his career begins and ends with Eugene Root, you’re missing out on about twenty years of consistent, often surprising work.
Ian Colletti started early. Like, Blue's Clues early. He’s one of those actors who has been a part of the cultural furniture for a long time, popping up in prestige dramas and cult horror films before most people realized he was the same guy.
The Breakthrough: Why Preacher Changed Everything
Honestly, Preacher shouldn't have worked. It’s a weird, blasphemous, hyper-violent comic book adaptation developed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. In the middle of all that chaos was Ian Colletti playing Eugene "Arseface" Root. It’s a role that would have been a disaster in the hands of a lesser actor. Eugene is meant to be the moral compass of a show filled with terrible people, but he has to do it while looking "stomach-churningly difficult to look at," as the original casting calls put it.
Colletti had to act with his eyes. Literally. The mask was so thick that he had to over-exaggerate his facial movements just to show a hint of sadness or joy. He spent hours in the makeup chair before the rest of the cast even woke up. During the second season, there’s a moment where he finally gets to film a scene without the prosthetics—a flashback to before the accident. Colletti has mentioned in interviews how vulnerable that felt. He’d become so used to "hiding" behind the mask that showing his real face felt like he was starting over.
It paid off. He turned a character that could have been a joke into the most empathetic person on screen.
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The Early Years: From The Sopranos to Baby Mama
Before he was in Hell with a CGI version of Adolf Hitler, Colletti was a child actor in New Jersey. He popped up in the final season of The Sopranos in 2007. It was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it "Kid" role in the episode The Blue Comet, but it’s a fun piece of trivia for the "I’ve seen him somewhere" crowd.
Then came the movies. He was in Baby Mama (2008) with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. He played Caroline's 7-year-old. Around the same time, he worked on Phoebe in Wonderland alongside Elle Fanning. These weren't massive, life-changing roles, but they built a foundation.
- Jimmy (2013): This is the one you should go back and watch. He plays the titular character, a teenager with an intellectual disability who can see "Watchers"—supernatural beings no one else can see. It’s a sensitive, grounded performance that proved he could carry a film on his own.
- Rake (2014): He played Finn Deane, the son of Greg Kinnear’s character. The show didn't last long, but it put him on the map for network TV.
- An Invisible Sign (2010): He appeared as Danny O'Mazzi in this quirky drama starring Jessica Alba.
Recent Work and The 2025 Shift
If you’ve been keeping up with Ian Colletti movies and tv shows lately, you’ll notice he’s moved into more grounded, procedural-style work. He had a recurring spot in The Hot Zone: Anthrax as Agent Chris Moore, which was a huge departure from the supernatural weirdness of his earlier stuff. He also showed up in Billions and The Rookie.
The most interesting recent addition to his filmography is the 2025 film Swiped. No, it’s not a horror movie about a killer app—it’s actually a biographical drama about Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of Bumble. It stars Lily James as Whitney, and Colletti plays a character named JB. It’s a high-profile Hulu project that puts him right in the middle of a prestige ensemble cast.
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He also recently popped up in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2024) as Duvall Mathis. It’s almost a rite of passage for New York-based actors to do an SVU episode, and Colletti finally checked that box.
What Most People Get Wrong
People tend to pigeonhole him. They think he’s a "character actor" who only does weird or disfigured roles because of the Preacher fame. But looking at his trajectory, he’s actually a very traditional dramatic actor who just happened to be willing to sit in a makeup chair for six hours a day for four years.
He’s also a musician. If you watch closely in Preacher, you’ll see him playing a guitar. That wasn't just for the show—Colletti is a legit singer-songwriter and drummer. He’s mentioned that the showrunners didn't even know he could play until they saw him messing around with a prop guitar on set and decided to write it into the script.
Ian Colletti: A Quick Filmography Snapshot
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Blue's Clues | Joe's Friend |
| 2008 | Baby Mama | Caroline's Kid |
| 2013 | Jimmy | Jimmy Mitchell |
| 2014 | Rake | Finn Deane |
| 2016-2019 | Preacher | Eugene "Arseface" Root |
| 2021 | The Hot Zone: Anthrax | Agent Chris Moore |
| 2024 | Law & Order: SVU | Duvall Mathis |
| 2025 | Swiped | JB |
Looking Forward
So, what's next? If you want to dive into the best of Ian Colletti movies and tv shows, your first stop has to be Preacher. It’s his most iconic work, even if you can’t see his actual face most of the time. After that, track down Jimmy. It shows the range he’s capable of when he isn't hidden under prosthetics.
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He’s consistently working in the background of some of the biggest shows on television, and with Swiped hitting streaming platforms in late 2025, it’s likely we’re going to see him moving into more "leading man" or significant supporting roles in features. He’s got the longevity. He’s got the "child star who actually stayed sane" vibe.
The best way to support his work is to check out his smaller indie projects like Windsor or Mohawk. Mohawk is a particularly brutal survival horror film where he plays Myles Holt—it’s gritty, low-budget, and shows a totally different side of his acting style. Keep an eye on his guest spots too; he’s becoming the go-to guy for "guest star who steals the scene" in modern procedurals.
To get the full experience of his range, start with Preacher to see his physical acting, then move to Jimmy for his emotional depth, and finish with The Hot Zone to see him as a clean-cut professional.