Book readers know the success of the TV adaptation of A Court of Thorns and Roses will live and die by who is cast to play Rhysand. The High Lord of the Night Court and Feyre Archeron’s mate and love, Rhysand is a pivotal character in the books, not just as Feyre’s love interest but as a character who propels the plot as a whole.

9

Ian Somerhalder

Ian Somerhalder Was Born In 1978

It’s hard not to immediately think of Ian Somerhalder when thinking of an actor who might play Rhysand in A Court of Thorns and Roses. His iconic portrayal of bad boy vampire Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries was basically the blueprint for Rhys’ smoking hot villain with a heart of gold, after all. On the surface, Rhys is cocky, an arrogant scoundrel more concerned with himself than with others. But that arrogance and cruelty are carefully cultivated facades meant to hide the fact that Rhys is actually incredibly compassionate and protective; if the other High Lords of Prythian fear Rhys, his people will be more protected. Somerhalder is unfortunately likely too old to play Rhys, but if any actor were qualified, both in looks and filmography, to play the Lord of Night, it would be him.

8

Ben Barnes

Ben Barnes Was Born In 1981

Another obvious choice of actor to play Rhysand is Ben Barnes. Barnes is no stranger to playing genre roles, with his career really kicking off with the Chronicles of Narnia movies. More recently, he’s found success playing jerks and baddies on TV, including Logan in Westworld, Billy Russo/Jigsaw in The Punisher, and, most recently, General Kirigan, a.k.a. the Darkling, in Shadow & Bone. He clearly has the dark good looks and the experience playing a villain to pull off playing Rhysand early in the story. Yet, Barnes also has the talent to be as convincing as Rhys once he drops his villain act and allows his truly good heart to shine through. As an added bonus, it would be very interesting to see Barnes play against type, first appearing to play another villain as always before flipping the script to play a true hero like the roles he tackled earlier in his career.

7

Matthew Daddario

Matthew Daddario Was Born In 1987

Matthew Daddario is a name that has popped up in plenty of fancastings for Rhysand thanks to his looks and his background. Even though it’s physically impossible for any actor to have Rhys’ violet, star-flecked eyes, Daddario’s bright blue eyes and black hair make him about as close to a match as possible for how Rhys is described in the books. Daddario also has plenty of experience in fantasy book adaptations, having starred in the Mortal Instruments TV adaptation Shadowhunters for three seasons. As Alec Lightwood, Daddario got to show off his range, first starting out as uptight and cold before growing into a compassionate, loyal, and brave leader of the Clave, eventually becoming Consul. That experience playing a character who grows and changes is what makes him a great choice for Rhysand.

6

Richard Deiss

Richard Deiss Was Born In 1991

Richard Deiss is a bit of a dark horse on this list, but he’s here because BookTok and ACOTAR fandom circles on the internet have regularly championed the French model and actor to play Rhysand. In truth, while Deiss does have one acting credit from 2014 under his belt – Irina, la mallette rouge – the fandom’s demand to see him in the role is purely down to his physical looks. Deiss certainly can meet Rhysand’s ungodly handsome physicality, his chiseled cheekbones and brooding good looks matching how many picture Rhys in their heads. That said, playing Rhys successfully would require someone with a considerable bit of talent in the realm of acting, so it’s unclear whether or not Deiss would be able to pull it off. As far as looks go, however, he’s inarguably a great match.

5

Dacre Montgomery

Dacre Montgomery Was Born In 1994

Australian actor Dacre Montgomery is another name that has floated around the internet quite often when the subject of casting Rhysand in A Court of Thorns and Roses comes up. Montgomery is best known for his role playing the rebellious, doomed Billy in Stranger Things, and that role shows he’d certainly be able to bring Rhys’ swagger and cocksure attitude to the table. Montgomery has shown he can easily handle flirtatious charm balanced with the violence Rhys occasionally needs to command as the High Lord of the Night Court. However, Montgomery’s work in other roles, such as Jason in Power Rangers (2017), or Nick in The Broken Hearts Gallery show that he can more than handle Rhys’ more heroic side and the deeply romantic nature he shows with Feyre.

4

Thomas Doherty

Thomas Doherty Was Born In 1995

Scottish actor Thomas Doherty is no stranger to the young adult game, having appeared in his fair share of TV shows targeting teenagers and young adults. As such, his star has risen with the exact same demographic that has happily devoured the ACOTAR books so far. Though still fairly young, Doherty has plenty of experience playing the sort of seductive, dangerous roles that are of the same being as Rhysand: the vampire Sebastian in Vampire Diaries spinoff Legacies, Walter De Ville, a.k.a. Count Dracula, in the 2022 movie The Invitation, and the enigmatic playboy Max Wolfe in the Gossip Girl reboot. Whoever plays Rhys needs to be sultry, but also have an edge like a knife that shows whoever he’s dealing with he can be very dangerous if he wants to be. Doherty would be a perfect fit in this regard.

3

Colin O’Donoghue

Colin O’Donoghue Was Born In 1981

Whoever plays Rhysand needs to have oodles of cocky charm and Irish actor Colin O’Donoghue more than fits the bill. His best-known role, Captain Killian “Hook” Jones in Once Upon a Time, is mountains of confident charisma personified, his rakish, roguish attitude immediately winning fans over. Interestingly enough, however, it’s not even O’Donoghue’s filmography that makes him so well-suited to play Rhys, but his personal life. O’Donoghue has been with his wife since they were 18; with two children, they’re still deeply in love. Considering Rhysand’s most driving motivation is his love of Feyre, even before he fully reveals who he is, that’s not an insignificant trait to share. O’Donoghue would be well-equipped to draw from his own romantic experiences to really bring that side of Rhysand out underneath the rogue-like exterior.

2

Fabien Frankel

Fabien Frankel Was Born In 1994

British actor Fabien Frankel is something of a newcomer for fans, but he’s already made a strong impression on audiences – and not just on television audiences, either, but also on BookTok. Frankel’s big breakout role to date has been playing Ser Criston Cole in the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon. As Criston, Frankel has shown he has what it takes to nail Rhysand’s nobility and bravery. More than that, though, as one of the greatest warriors among his peers in House of the Dragon, Frankel would be quite adept at handling Rhysand’s more physical scenes–Rhysand, after all, being one of the greatest fighters in all of Prythian. While it’s not absolutely necessary for an actor to nail those fight scenes to play Rhysand convincingly, it would certainly be welcome and add a bit of flair to Rhys that other actors may lack.

1

Henry Cavill

Henry Cavill Was Born In 1983

In the books, much is made of Rhysand’s looks, and Cavill certainly has the good looks to live up to Rhys’ descriptions in the books. Yet, the books also make a point to regularly describe how big Rhys is, often belaboring his physicality. To that end, Henry Cavill would absolutely nail playing Rhys – after all, the man has made a career of playing physically strong, powerful characters like Clark Kent/Superman in the DCEU or Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher. Even his first breakout film role, Immortals, was intensely physical, with plenty of fight scenes. Yet, Cavill is talented enough to pull off Rhysand’s romantic nature, his occasionally despondent moods, and certainly Rhys’ cheekier moments. Cavill is probably too big a star for A Court of Thorns and Roses to land him, but it would be a great get if it could.