Currently starring as the character Stiles in the MTV series Teen Wolf, which is averaging 1.9 million viewers per episode this season, O’Brien is only beginning to pave the way for his acting career. Later this year, O’Brien will star in the film Maze Runner adapted from the popular John Deshner young adult dystopian trilogy.
O’Brien began his career as a YouTube star when he directed his own comic online shorts, featuring his mother acting in several parts and his dad operating the camera. O’Brien truly admired his father and planned on attending film school to become a cinematographer just like him.
Instead, after four auditions, he landed the role as Stiles and decided to put off school. His first time on the big screen was in the 2011 film High Road, a completely improvised comedy.
He then starred in the 2012 romantic comedy The First Time playing the role of Dave. In 2013, Stiles picked up a large amount of spotlight time alongside Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in The Internship as Stuart.
Now the young actor is receiving a lot of buzz for the book-based film Maze Runner releasing Sept. 19. Maze Runner revolves around the character Thomas, played by O’Brien, who finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world with no memory whatsoever. He is dropped into a community of boys who are trapped inside a maze and he must join forces with them in order to escape.
In the meantime, O’Brien continues to star as Stiles in the television series Teen Wolf which airs on Monday nights on MTV at 10 p.m.
Sammi Brennan can be reached at samantha.brennan@spartans.ut.edu