This post contains spoilers for Never Have I Ever season 4.
Never Have I Ever season 4 is finally here, with all of the cast's familiar faces returning to see Devi off for her final year at Sherman Oaks High.
But along with the fan favourites of Paxton Hall-Yoshida and Ben Gross, a new character is piquing fans' interest - Ethan. So who actually is Ethan in Never Have I Ever season 4?
A skater and self-proclaimed bad boy, he doesn't initially seem like the obvious pick for a girl trying to get accepted to an Ivy League. And while Devi initially has no interest in Ethan, with bestie Eleanor calling dibs, as the series goes on Devi can't help but find him helping to fill the void left by Paxton after he graduated.
Intrigued? Here's what we know about Ethan from the new season and the actor who plays him, Michael Cimino.
“I’d say [I’m shaking things up] for the long-term, better, but for the short-term, way worse,” Michael Cimino revealed when speaking to J-14 in June.
Meanwhile, showrunner Lang Fisher describes him to The Wrap as “a whole different kind of character” from Devi’s previous love interests.
“He’s like the opposite of Des,” and "a true bad boy, like bad at school, kind of gets in trouble a lot.” In case you need a refresher, she means Des as in Devi's debate team nemesis and season 3 love interest.
Fisher adds, “He’s a thirst trap in a different way. He’s someone who [Devi] thinks is a degenerate but can’t help but be like, ‘Well, he is incredibly hot.’”
While the romance is (spoiler alert) short-lived, Cimino's character won't quickly be forgotten.
Michael Cimino plays Ethan in Never Have I Ever season 4.
Cast for the Netflix series back in September 2022, Cimino may look familiar to fans of the Hulu series Love, Victor where he played the lead character Victor Salazar.
A man of many talents, Cimino told NY Post that he initially wanted to be a singer.
“I always wanted to be a singer since I can remember — I went to church group when I was 8 years old, and someone in my church group was teaching an acting class, and they were like, “Would Michael want to do this? I know he likes music.” I took it, and ever since then it’s been nonstop.”
After driving back and forth from Vegas to LA for several years each time he had an audition, Cimino finally moved to LA full-time when he was 18 years old, and from there his career took off.
Yep, in addition to his acting career, Cimino is a singer, having released multiple singles such as Stole Me and Make Me Wanna Dance. Back in November 2022 he released his debut EP, titled I’m Somewhere Out There.
So if you're craving more Cimino content after finishing Never Have I Ever season 4, that should sort you out for a little while.
As mentioned, before getting the role of Ethan in Never Have I Ever, Cimino played the lead character in Love, Victor from 2020 to 2022. A spinoff of the 2018 movie Love, Simon, the series follows 16-year-old high school student Victor Salazar as he grapples with his sexual identity.
Speaking on the role to Good Morning America back in 2020, Cimino said he felt “really honoured” to play Victor.
“I hope that this show inspires people to be who they are authentically and with no regrets. I think that’s really what this show is about.”
Cimino’s other past roles include an appearance in How I Met Your Father as a character named Swish, having also played Lance in Senior Year (2022) and Bob Palmeri in Annabelle Comes Home (2019). He’s also done work as a voice actor, playing Kevin Grant-Gomez on Disney's comedy series Hamster & Gretel since 2022.
Michael Cimino was born on 10 November 1999, making him 23.
If you’re wondering where you can get more Michael Cimino content, you’ll be pleased to know that the actor is on Instagram as @itsmichaelcimino and Twitter under the handle @_michaelcimino_.
Sorry Ethan fans, but he doesn't end up with Devi or Eleanor. Once the two friends reconcile following their falling out over both liking Ethan at the same time, Devi briefly dates Ethan, but ultimately dumps him after finding out he stole the wallet of the Princeton rep she was trying to win over at the college fair. We get it, Devi.
Never Have I Ever season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.
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