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Matt Whelan

Matt Whelan

Actor · Christchurch, New Zealand

Matt Whelan (born 1985) is a New Zealand actor and comedian known for his roles as Brad Caulfield in the New Zealand television comedy-drama programme Go Girls. He has also played Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in the Amazon Original series American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story. Whelan plays DEA agent Van Ness in the Netflix original series Narcos.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

From
Christchurch, New Zealand
Works as
Actor
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 26 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 6% in 30 days

What are Matt Whelan's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.

Genres

Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 15th percentile
: browse their Horror movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
27%
Survival
22%
Self
19%
Power
9%
Morality
9%
Ideas
8%
Society
5%
Romantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 0 · Dark 3

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 6 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 3 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

8 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 4 of 8 analyzed roles.

Ally
4 of 8
Hero
2 of 8
Shadow
2 of 8
Show the 8 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Dread
4
Melancholic
5
Hopeful
3
Thrilling
2
Other
9

How their films linger

Thought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Matt Whelan's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Matt Whelan's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

26 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page.

  • Caterpillar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Cam

  • Apex(2026)

    as Hunter

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • We Bury the Dead(2024)

    as Mitch

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Workmates(2025)

    as Tom

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • A Remarkable Place to Die(2024)

    Show 4 episodes · as Simon

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • The Tank(2023)

    as Ben

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Fetch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as August (voice)

  • The Sounds(2020)

    Show 8 episodes · as Tom Cabbott

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • The Luminaries(2020)

    Show as Cowell Devlin

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows

  • Imposter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Cam

  • Daniel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Carpenter

  • My Life Is Murder(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Connor Farrow

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story(2017)

    Show 10 episodes · as Hugh Hefner

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Gary of the Pacific (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Nelson

  • Pork Pie(2017)

    as Noah

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Of Kings and Prophets(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Mattiyahu

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all shows

  • Wanted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 2 episodes · as Alistair Poussin

  • Narcos(2015)

    Show 10 episodes · as Daniel Van Ness

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Coverband (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 6 episodes · as Alex Gibson

  • 1480: Radio Pirates(2014)

    as Richard

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Most Fun You Can Have Dying (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Michael

  • My Wedding and Other Secrets(2011)

    as James

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Go Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 39 episodes · as Brad Caulfield

  • Show of Hands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Matt

  • Eagle vs Shark(2007)

    as Kissing Boy

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Figment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 89th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 25 titles, 24 of them dated from 2007 to 2026; peak year 2023.

Biggest box office

We Bury the Dead (2024)

$3.9M worldwide

Highest rated

Pork Pie (2017)

Midcredits 67th

Most popular right now

Apex (2026)

Film career

20072026

Peak 2023 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting25 of 25: 25 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score50th

By decade

2000s3 · acting2010s13 · acting2020s8 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Matt Whelan's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 46th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 44th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

1480: Radio Pirates (2014)

89th percentile spread · 26% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Narcos (2015)

Midcredits 99th · 96% liked

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Matt Whelan's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 79 · intenseMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 42 · moderateMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 62 · intenseMedian of all films: 36
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 75 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Matt Whelan work with?

People who share at least 2 of Matt Whelan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Eric De Beus shares the most, 3.

Actors

Editors

Producers

Mixed roles