Jack followed in his parents’ acting footsteps, making his debut in 2012 when he played Marvel in The Hunger Games. He continued to book roles in major projects including 2022’s Scream and Oppenheimer. On the small screen, Jack is known for playing Hughie on The Boys.

Ryan recently recalled noticing her son’s talent earlier on in his life.

“I remember seeing him in a middle school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” she told Glamour in November 2023. “He was playing Bottom. I was newly divorced from his dad, and he was seated at the other side of the gym. I had my head in my hands and was like, ‘Oh, no. He’s good. He’s really good.’ I leaned forward, and I see Dennis, and he’s also leaning forward with his head in his hands. I just knew.”

While she was impressed with his performance, Ryan had concerns about how Jack would adjust to the entertainment industry, adding, “You don’t wish it [on anyone]. It’s too hard and it’s too weird. Jack is really talented. He’s more of a natural than I’ll ever be. That nepo stuff is so dismissive of his work ethic, his gifts, and how sensitive he is to the idea of his privilege.”

Jack admitted he previously thought about changing his last name so he wouldn’t be associated with his famous parents while going on auditions.

“I knew that people would constantly say, ‘Oh, I know how he got that job.’ And they’re still going to say that, it’s fine,” he told Thrillist in June 2022. “But as long as I knew how I got there, that would be enough.”

Jack said that during one of his first auditions, a casting director was shocked that he was “actually really good.”

“Her expectation was that he was just another nepotism case,” he added. “A kid with some of the most famous parents on Earth would phone it in. Assume the part was his by default and ‘Be a real asshole.'”