Rahul Kohli Finds His Way Back to Hyrule
Few actors move through genre culture with the ease of Rahul Kohli, whose work in iZombie and Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Bly Manor helped make him a familiar face to fans of the uncanny. In an IGN Arcade conversation with Tom Jorgensen, Kohli sits down with the games that have stayed with him—and the first stop is the legendary world of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The prospect of pulling the Master Sword isn’t just a nostalgic photo opportunity; it’s a chance to revisit the kind of adventure that can lodge itself in a player’s imagination for decades.
The Games That Made Kohli a Fan
Kohli’s selection stretches across wildly different moods. Doom brings its relentless, stripped-down rush, while Red Dead Redemption offers a slower, more atmospheric kind of storytelling, built around a world that invites players to linger. Both series have earned lasting places in gaming culture, from the official Doom universe to Rockstar’s expansive Red Dead worlds. Their contrast makes the lineup feel personal rather than curated: a snapshot of how games can satisfy very different appetites, whether the draw is high-speed action or a richly inhabited frontier.
From the Controller to the Cast List
The conversation also turns to two newer projects connected to Kohli’s screen career: Saros and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2. That crossover between acting and games is increasingly natural, with performers bringing character and presence to interactive worlds as well as film and television. PlayStation is home to the world of Saros, while Focus Entertainment is among the publishers associated with the Warhammer game universe. Kohli’s response to IGN awarding Saros a 7 adds a welcome bit of candor to the discussion, showing that a performer’s attachment to a project can coexist with the lively debate that follows a review.
Link, Legacy, and the Long Shadow of Hyrule
Among the most intriguing details is Kohli’s mention of conversations with Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, his Bly Manor co-star, about the possibility of playing Link in a live-action adaptation. It’s an enticing thought for fans, given how carefully any screen version would need to balance the hero’s iconic silence, Hyrule’s mythic scale, and the expectations surrounding The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo’s official site remains the gateway to the series, while IMDb tracks the careers of the actors whose names inevitably enter fancasting conversations. Kohli’s comments keep the idea in the realm of playful speculation, but they also underline how naturally his career has become intertwined with the worlds fans love to imagine.
A Darker Role Beyond the Games
Kohli’s enthusiasm for games sits alongside a screen résumé that has taken him into some deeply unsettling territory. His work with Mike Flanagan in Midnight Mass and Bly Manor established a strong connection to stories where atmosphere and character matter as much as the shocks. Flanagan’s recent adaptation of Carrie gives Kohli another chance to explore a disturbing character, a sharp contrast to the heroic fantasies and combustible action of his game picks. The original novel’s author, Stephen King, remains a defining presence in horror, while Netflix has hosted several of Flanagan’s celebrated genre projects. Together, the conversation’s gaming detours and career reflections sketch a performer equally at home in worlds built for wonder and stories designed to unsettle.
