Before HBO’s Task, This Chilling Actor Starred In A Crime Drama With 94% On Rotten Tomatoes

We might be only two episodes into HBO’s intense new limited thriller series, “Task,” but it’s safe to say that the folks Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) has crossed aren’t a very level-headed bunch, particularly biker gang member Jayson (Sam Keeley). The short-tempered second-in-command to Perry (Jamie McShane) is a foreboding presence with his sights set on the unknown assailant who has stolen from him. For Irish-born actor Keeley, tapping into that kind of rage isn’t anything new, given that Jayson doesn’t seem too far away from a character he previously played that audiences from the other side of the pond learned to love and loathe. Back in 2021, Keeley joined a powerful family of Irish gangsters, the Kinsellas, in the woefully short-lived but extremely addictive crime drama “Kin.”

Co-created by Peter McKenna and Ciarán Donnelly, “Kin” spanned two seasons and rightfully earned 94% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics (read our review here). Released in the U.S. on AMC+, the show followed the fresh-out-of-prison Michael ‘The Magician’ Kinsella (Charlie Cox, in a role that was a far cry from Daredevil), who, after attempting to distance himself from the family business, is drawn back into it when they find themselves thrown into a turf war. Sitting on par with the likes of “Sons of Anarchy” and “Peaky Blinders,” “Kin” was a show that had star-studded power to rival both, and Keeley was the powder keg with a short fuse caught in the middle of them all and doing an exceptional job of holding his own.

Besides sharing the screen with the man often called the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, Sam Keeley was acting opposite Aidan Gillen and Ciarán Hinds, who played Petyr Baelish and Mance Rayder, respectively, in “Game of Thrones.” In “Kin,” Keeley played Eric ‘Viking’ Kinsella, the cousin of Michael and son of Frank Kinsella (Gillen). While devoted to the family, he had a self-destructive ego that caused issues in both seasons. 

It’s no wonder, then, after only one appearance in “Task” so far, Keeley is already starting to show his flair for characters with a mean streak and villainous edge. Jayson could prove to be a big issue for not just Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) and his task force (including “House of the Dragon” star Fabien Frankel as Anthony), but also the criminal family that he’s a part of. We already know that there’s a history between Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) and the Dark Hearts, but it might run deeper with Jayson than we’re led to believe, given how physical he’s gotten already this week. The question is how long until these old familiar faces collide, and who will walk away from it in one piece.

“Task” is now available on HBO Max, with new episodes dropping every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.