A fan-favorite sitcom actor from the 2010s has undergone a striking physical transformation while working on a new project.
The 47-year-old, known for his role on a hit Fox comedy that ran from 2011 to 2018, has appeared in major franchises including Jurassic World (2015) and the 2017 The Mummy reboot starring Tom Cruise.
This week, he was spotted filming a new NBC comedy pilot, where he takes on the role of a private investigator. While he was lean during his sitcom days, the actor now showcased a more muscular build in a snug white tank top on set.
The star is Jake Johnson, best known as Nick Miller from New Girl, where he played one of Jess Day’s (Zooey Deschanel) three male roommates. The show helped Deschanel become a household name following her breakout role in 500 Days of Summer (2009). Over the series’ seven seasons, Nick and Jess shared a “will-they-won’t-they” romantic arc reminiscent of Ross and Rachel from Friends.
Following New Girl’s finale in 2018, Johnson lent his voice to one of the Spider-Men in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
On the set of his new pilot, he was seen in a fitted tank top tucked into belted jeans, highlighting his beefed-up physique. NBC describes his character, Mickey, as an ex-LAPD officer whose life fell apart three years ago. Now a private investigator, Mickey is smart, cynical, and heartbroken—but tries to hide it.
The pilot also stars Keith David, 69, as Mickey’s boss Garner Taggert, and Mary Shalaby as the PI agency’s apathetic receptionist. The untitled project was written by Brooklyn Nine-Nine veterans Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici.
Off-screen, Johnson has been married to artist Erin Payne since 2006, and the couple welcomed twin daughters, Elizabeth and Olivia, in 2014.
