Kiwi actor ends up spending a 'rough night' with Scarlett Johansson

When Ryan Cooper was a teenager at Avondale College in Auckland, his father dragged him out of high school theatre, telling him to "get a real job." Fast-forward to 2017, and the carpenter-turned-model-turned-actor is starring in a blockbuster comedy film alongside Scarlett Johansson.

Born in Papua New Guinea to an Australian family, Cooper grew up in Vanuatu, Australia and New Zealand, with his adolescence spent in Auckland. He worked as a carpenter after he finished high school.

He shifted from modelling to acting in 2013, and last year landed a role in Rough Night; a dark comedy that follows a bachelorette party (lead by Johansson) who accidentally kill their hired male stripper (Cooper).

Cooper describes the part as a "dream come true", with his pivotal role in the film (for much of which he plays a dead body) allowing him a front-row seat to some of Hollywood's top comedic talent.

• This article was first published on spy.co.nz and is republished here with permission.