Let's all raise a glass to the talented Colin O'Donoghue! He helped create our favorite version of Captain Hook, in my humble opinion, bringing such a depth and emotion to the Once Upon a Time character. He's become so iconic! And since today, Jan. 26, is the actor's birthday, we want to celebrate by streaming his various movies and shows. We shared them all below:
Movies
- The Rite - rent or buy
- Storage 24 - free on Tubi and other platforms
- The Dust Storm - not available to watch online (boo!)
- Carrie Pilby - Netflix
- What Still Remains - Tubi and other platforms
- Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia - Netflix
- Luck - Apple TV+
Shows
- The Clinic - Tubi and other platforms
- The Tudors - Prime Video and Showtime
- Once Upon a Time - Disney+ and Hulu
- Trollhunters series - Netflix
- Dolly Parton's Heartstrings - Netflix
- The Right Stuff - YouTube and other platforms
- The Great North - Hulu
In December 2023, Colin seemed to confirm an upcoming project at fan convention GalaxyCon Columbus. And that would be a new series called The Gray House starring Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman! We certainly hope that's true and look forward to getting more info.
While we wait, there's lots of productions the star has done that we can watch in the meantime. Some of the projects have multiple online homes, so we break it all down for you below. Plus, we want to mark the special occasion of Colin's 43rd birthday by sharing some of our favorite moments from Colin's performances. Read on below for all the details!
Colin O'Donoghue movies
The Rite (2011)
At this point when Colin started working on The Rite, he'd been acting for years. But, this was his first major role, and his first in the U.S. as he'd mostly been working on Irish projects before. And it was opposite Anthony Hopkins. Wow! The movie is currently not streaming on any platform, but you can rent or buy it on multiple platforms:
- YouTube - $2.99 to rent or $9.99 to buy
- Prime Video - $2.99 to rent or $9.99 to buy
- Vudu - 2.99 to rent or $9.99 to buy
- Apple TV - $2.99 to rent or $9.99 to buy
- Google Play Movies & TV - $2.99 to rent or $6.99 to buy
The supernatural horror is centered around Colin's character Michael Kovak, a seminary student who needs to go to a Vatican school of exorcism, per the synopsis. Doubtful people can actually be possessed, he becomes the apprentice of veteran exorcist Father Lucas (Hopkins) and learns that there really may be darker forces.
One scene that really stood out in Colin's acting for me is the exorcism scene. Though this was Colin's first major role, you could tell how talented he was and the potential of where his career was going to go. The emotion and power he brought to the scene keeps your eyes glued to the screen. The actor has shared at fan conventions that he attended real-life exorcisms to prepare for his role. Wow!
Carrie Pilby (2016)
Colin plays the villainous role so well, and one of the characters he does it best with is college professor David Harrison in Carrie Pilby starring Bel Powley. This one is definitely a must-watch! Though he's not a main, main character, David definitely plays a crucial role in Carrie's story. The film is streaming on Netflix, and it's also available to rent or purchase on other platforms as well:
- Netflix
- Prime Video
- Vudu
- Apple TV
- Google Play Movies & TV
The comedy-drama follows the titular character who graduates from Harvard at the age of 19, per the synopsis. Though she's excelled in school, she struggles with topics like relationships and morality. She finds herself without a job and friends due to her high standards. And so, her therapist recommends creating a "five-point plan."
I think Colin's best scene in the film is when Carrie and her father show up at David's home and he gets a punch to the face. He definitely had that coming, and deserved more. The shifty college professor took advantage of a young Carrie when she was only 16 years old, and they had an abusive relationship without her realizing what it was at the time. Somehow Colin embodies the character so well even though he's so sweet in real life! That's how talented of an actor he is.
What Still Remains (2018)
Speaking of shifty characters, a very interesting role Colin took on was Peter in What Still Remains. The movie's concept was a different one than we'd seen the star in before. And that's what I like about the projects Colin takes on. Each of them is a little bit different and portrays his range as an actor. Unfortunately the post-apocalyptic thriller is not streaming anywhere, but the good news is you can actually watch it for free on a few platforms. But if you don't want to deal with the ads, there's also rent and purchase options:
- Tubi - free with ads
- Amazon Freevee - free with ads
- The Roku Channel - free with ads
- Vudu - free with ads
- Plex - free with ads
- YouTube - $2.99 to rent or $7.99 to buy
- Apple TV - $3.99 to rent or $12.99 to buy
- Google Play Movies & TV - $2.99 to rent or $7.99 to buy
The film takes place in a world "destroyed by disease" and the remaining people do all they can to survive, per the synopsis. One day, Anna (Lulu Antariksa) finds herself face-to-face with Peter. He tells her he comes from a religious commune and suggest she joins them. But it turns out there's more he expects from her than just having a place in the community.
A highlight for me in terms of Colin's performance is when Anna figures out how dangerous the religious commune is, and attempts to leave. Peter comes in to try and talk to her, but then gets angry when she's resoulte about leaving. He thinks of her as his wife and that God sent her to him. Ok, man. Throughout the movie we see how Peter is calm and collected, but here he snaps for the first time and it's that quick switch that's frightening and you're holding your breath for what comes next. Don't worry though, Peter gets what he deserves at the end.
Colin O'Donoghue shows
Once Upon a Time
For six seasons, Colin captivated us and played the devilishly handsome Killian Jones, aka Captain Hook. His introduction in season 2 was such a fun one. But it wasn't until the third season when we went to Neverland that we really got to learn more about the pirate's character, his sad past, and the quickly blossoming attraction between Killian and Emma. Captain Swan is still one of my favorite TV ships! Thankfully, Once Upon a Time is streaming on both Disney+ and Hulu, so you have two options to choose from.
Colin brought such swagger and suave to this character, as well as an emotion that pulled on our heartstrings. There's so many amazing moments - from his very first episode (season 2 episode 4) facing Rumple, losing Milah, and getting the Captain Hook origin story; to sacrificing himself to get rid of the darkness (season 5 episode 11).
His character went on such a journey, and in each season we saw him grow more and more. In my opinion, I think Killian had the best character growth throughout the whole series compared to the other characters. There's so many amazing scenes, but here's some other Killian moments that stand out to me in terms of Colin's performance:
- Season 3 episode 5 - We see how Killian loses his brother, Liam. Again with the emotion. Colin does it so well!
- Season 3 episode 7 - "So when I win your heart, Emma. And I will win it. It will not be because of any trickery. It will be because you want me." I mean, I was a goner at this point. Who is this man? Emma definitely started falling hard and she tried to not let it show how much his words affected her. But they definitely did! No one had spoken to her like that before.
- Season 3 episode 21 and 22 - Everything about Emma and Killian's adventure in the past. Or as us fans affectionally call it - the Captain Swan movie!
- Season 4 episode 15 - Killian helps Urusla get her happy ending, showing his growth and how he wants to help others.
- Season 6 episode 20 - The Captain Swan wedding/musical episode. Colin was in a band called The Enemies, so I was so happy to see him showcasing his talent and voice in the magical episode!
The Trollhunters franchise
Colin's first foray into voice acting was in Guillermo del Toro's Trollhunters franchise. The animated sci-fi fantasy has three television installments, as well as a movie to wrap up the story. All four are streaming on Netflix. Colin's character Douxie doesn't much in the first two shows, but is a main character in Wizards and the film. We shared the full franchise below:
- Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia (appears in Part 3 episodes 1, 4, and 12)
- 3Below: Tales of Arcadia (appears in Part 2 episodes 19 and 21)
- Wizards: Tales of Arcadia (main character)
- Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (movie, main character)
Douxie is a character we slowly get to know in the first two installments of the show and film series, but then he rocks in Wizards and the movie! Colin brought a fun energy to Douxie. You could hear it all in the voice.
The Right Stuff
The first (and so far only) time Colin portrayed a real-life figure is in 2020 television series The Right Stuff. The actor plays Gordon Cooper. He was a U.S. Air Force pilot, test pilot, aerospace engineer, and one of the first people who took part in Project Mercury - the first human space program of the nation. Cooper was also one of the first seven astronauts we've had in our history ever. This was a very impressive role! Unfortunately, it only lasted one season though. The show was streaming on Disney+, but has been removed. Now, The Right Stuff is available on multiple platforms:
- YouTube -full season for $14.99
- Prime Video - full season for $19.19
- Vudu - full season for $14.99
- Apple TV - full season for $19.99
- Google Play Movies & TV - full season for $14.99
Fun fact - Colin was actually asked to come on board last minute as the role had been initially offered to another actor. But when that didn't work out, Colin got the call! Our favorite star really brought a compelling aspect to the character, and I loved his scenes with onscreen wife Eloise Mumford who played Trudy. Their relationship was sweet at times, and complex at others. And the two actors really played so well off each other!
Other projects
- The Clinic as Conor Elliott - available to watch on Tubi, The Roku Channel, and PLEX for free
- Episode 4x04
- Episode 4x05
- Episode 4x06
- Episode 4x07
- Episode 4x08
- Episode 5x01
- Episode 5x05
- Episode 5x06
- Episode 5x07
- Episode 6x01
- Episode 6x03
- Episode 6x05
- Episode 6x08
- The Tudors as Duke Philip of Bavaria in season 3 episode 8 - streaming on Prime Video and Showtime (his appearance was one factor that helped Colin eventually get his role on Once Upon a Time!)
- Dolly Parton's Heartstrings as J.J. Sneed in episode 7 - streaming on Netflix
- The Great North as the voice of Dr. Callahan in season 3 episode 2 - streaming on Hulu
- Storage 24 as Mark - free on Tubi, Pluto TV, Sling TV, and Redbox
- Luck as the voice of Gerry - streaming on Apple TV+
Bonus - "The Words" music video
Christina Perri has always been one of my favorite singers, but when the artist shared that she's a fellow Captain Hook/Captain Swan fan, I loved her even more! In 2015, he appeared in her music video for the song, "The Words." Perri actually revealed that she wrote the tune with Captain Swan in mind. And it definitely fits! Initially, the singer wanted Colin to appear in her music video for "Burning Gold," but scheduling didn't work out. And honestly, I think that was for the better. The music, lyrics, and story behind "The Words" fits so much better!