Christmas is just around the corner, and people are binging on their favorite Christmas movies and TV shows. Streaming platforms like Netflix are busy promoting everyone’s favorite Christmas flicks, even releasing new seasons of shows like Home for Christmas.
With Netflix users surfing the app looking for shows to binge, Football fans in Norway were in for a shock when they opened the app and noticed a familiar face in the new season of Home for Christmas – John Carew.
John Carew, the former Aston Villa striker, had a storied career, making almost 500 appearances for nine clubs, including Valencia, Roma, Lyon, Stoke, and West Ham. He was also capped 91 times for Norway, scoring 24 goals in those appearances.
After retiring in 2012, while John Carew stepped away from the football spotlight, he had much grander plans in mind as he has sneakily racked up quite a glittering portfolio as an actor.
Just 2 years after retiring, Carew was already starring in his first feature film, a Canadian horror flick titled Dead of Winter.
His next film saw him starring in a Norwegian thriller in 2015 called Høvdinger.
In 2018, he starred in the hit Norwegian TV series, Heimebane, where he played the role of Michael Ellingsen, an aging football star for a local Norwegian club.
2019 saw him bag the most noteworthy role of his career, where Carew played the role of Jungle Warrior Fey in the Disney movie Maleficent: Mistress of Evil alongside Hollywood stars like Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
2022 saw him bagging the main role of Benny Fransen in the comedy flick Olsenbanden – Siste shrik, while later that year he made his Netflix debut by featuring in an episode of the Netflix docu-drama miniseries titled The Playlist.
In 2024, he made a cameo appearance in an episode of the TV miniseries Purk, playing the role of Marko, and later got cast as an English Channel Swimmer in the film Young Woman and the Sea.
His latest project is the popular Netflix show Home for Christmas, where he was cast in the role of Adrian, one of the love interests of the chief protagonist Johanne.
Home for Christmas is a Norwegian romantic drama TV series that premiered on Netflix in December 2019 and features Johanne, who is scrambling to find a boyfriend to bring home for Christmas Eve, as the protagonist character.
Played by Ida Elise Broch, Johanne is a nurse whose love life (or lack thereof) is the main theme of the show. As someone in healthcare, the show tracks her life’s story as she’s juggling romantic aspirations, friendships, family pressures, and personal growth.
Carew, who plays Adrian, is a divorced man looking to restart his love life after a tough breakup. He meets Johanne at a parent-teacher evening, and the two bond over their single life.
John Carew’s acting in the show was splendid and he certainly impressed despite having a supporting role. With such impressive performances, he’s tipped to receive more prominent roles in the future.
Check out season 3 of Home for Christmas and let us know in the comments section what you thought of Carew’s acting.
