Michael Bay has been gushing about his new discovery in the world of acting. On his own website, he’s published a snap of Reynor, accompanied by a statement from the director describing him as a “great new actor.” So who is this Reynor guy and what’s he doing starring alongside Mark Wahlberg in the next Transformers movie?

Reynor was born in the USA but raised in the Republic of Ireland. Aside from a few minor roles in TV movies and short films, it wasn’t until last year’s movie What Richard Did that he got his break. And frankly, that break came mainly because Michael Bay saw it and loved it and decided that he wanted Jack to star in the next instalment of his multi-million dollar Transformers movie franchise.

The statement from Bay read “I just hired a great new actor for Transformers 4 to star against Mark Wahlberg. Jack Reynor, he is an Irish kid that came to America with 30 bucks in his pocket. Prett ballsy. Seriously, who does that? Anyway I spotted him in this great little Irish movie WHAT RICHARD DID. This kid is the real deal.” Before the release of Transformers 4, you’ll be able to catch Jack in Cold later this year and The Delivery Man, which he’s currently filming, alongside Vince Vaughn and Cobey Smulders. Make sure you catch them, so you can talk in great, convincing detail about how you prefer his early work, once the guy gets mega-famous.