Man Crush Monday: Jack Cutmore-Scott

I swear that I wasn’t looking for a new fandom or a new actor to begin an obsession with, but then I watched Deception and here we are. ABC’s Deception tells the story of Cameron Black, a magician with a headlining show also named Deception, who, due to certain circumstances, begins to work with the FBI.  Black is portrayed by Jack Cutmore-Scott. Now I had first seen Cutmore-Scott three years ago in another fandom favorite of mine, Kingsman: The Secret Service. In Kingsman, Cutmore-Scott plays one of the Kingsman recruits, Rufus (who I swear had really bad hair and that is one reason why I failed to notice him).

Rufus aligns with the school yard baddie, Charlie, against Eggsy Unwin (Taron Egerton’s hero of the Kingsman movies) but doesn’t do too shabby for himself and makes it through the trials until the skydiving trial when he unfortunately does not land in the “K.”  I just watched Kingsman: The Secret Service again the other day and you can see Cutmore-Scott throwing a lot of shade and pulling all sorts of funny faces in the background. Mostly, I failed to notice him because I was too busy lamenting the death of Lancelot (played by the incredible Jack Davenport who has one of the best minute long fight scenes in any movie that I have seen) and watching Colin Firth.

After Kingsman, Cutmore-Scott was not even a blip on my radar. In 2016, he was the lead of a Fox mid-season series called Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life, where Cutmore-Scott was the titular Cooper Barrett. He also appears for a hot second in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, where he’s listed as “Lifeboat Soldier 1.” I think I did see him, judging from that particular smile of his, but the scene is really dark. I have this sneaking suspicion that a lot of the younger actors from Dunkirk–Jack Cutmore-Scott included–are going to be breakout stars. It really just took producer Greg Berlanti–whom I personally love from his work on the DC Television shows–swooping in to make me aware of this charismatic English actor!

As Cameron Black, Cutmore-Scott shows a versatility and a charming wit that is difficult not to fall in love with. He also has those lovely dimples when he smiles. Despite being English, his American dialect is spot on — I do believe in partial thanks to his years spent at Harvard. Even there, Cutmore-Scott was getting some notice, and his director saw in him a bit of Matt Damon. While his portrayal of Cameron Black is an utter delight, due to a mix of drama, comedy, and stage magic, I am excited to see what other roles open up for Cutmore-Scott.

Unfortunately on one of the bloodiest, pre-Upfront Fridays we have seen in recent years, Deception was cancelled (low blow, ABC!)–before it had even aired its finale! There is a Save Deception petition already out, and a Twitter account to assist with the cause. All I can say is start watching this show from the beginning if you haven’t yet seen it. Watch it and write about it if it speaks to you. I still believe that Berlanti has himself a winner with this show, but ABC was not the right network for it. Deception has more of a vibe for TNT despite it being a potential substitute for Castle.

One thing that I keep thinking about is how much I actually would like to see a Deception show in Las Vegas with Cameron Black. Cutmore-Scott is so convincing that I can absolutely accept Cameron Black as a real person that I just would love to see more of, in person and on the screen.  Pop-up bars and escape rooms based on spaces from fandom are things that exist, so why not a Las Vegas magic show based on a fictional character? I think there is a possibility for something coming out of that.

Even if Deception does not continue after the first season, I sincerely believe that producer Greg Berlanti might have other plans for Jack Cutmore-Scott. I can see Cutmore-Scott filling the shoes of Michael Jon Carter, AKA Booster Gold, either in the Booster Gold movie that Berlanti has been talking about for a few years now, or in the DCTV universe. I would LOVE to see Jack Cutmore-Scott end up working on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. His show might have just gotten cancelled by a network that doesn’t really get it, but the future seems bright for Jack Cutmore-Scott and I am excited to see what projects he takes part in next.

You can follow Jack Cutmore-Scott on his Instagram page. Watch ABC’s Deception now or live on Sundays at 10PM. The series finale of Deception is May 27th.