Who Plays Link On ‘Paradise’? Meet ‘Tell Me Lies’ Star Thomas Doherty

A new season of Paradise means new cast members, and after Dan Fogelman’s hit Hulu hit series returned with a three-episode premiere on February 23, we’ve already met two of the most important fresh faces.

Paradise‘s stacked cast includes returning Season 1 stars Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson, Krys Marshall, Sarah Shahi, Nicole Brydon Bloom, James Marsden, and Jon Beavers. But before we lay eyes on any of them in Season 2, we travel back to “The Day” the world changed forever and saw how Season 2 newbies Annie (Shailene Woodley) and Link (Thomas Doherty) navigated the destruction outside the Colorado billionaire bunker.

Paradise Season 2, Episode 1 spoilers ahead.

So who is Link on Paradise? Who plays Link on Paradise? And why does Paradise Season 2 star Thomas Doherty look so familiar? We’ve got answers. Here’s everything to know about Link, Thomas Doherty’s career and past projects, and quotes from the Paradise Season 2 star himself.

Who Is Link On Paradise?

As noted in Decider’s full Paradise Season 2 review, when disaster struck, Annie Clay (Woodley) was working as a tour guide at Graceland, Elvis Presley’s historic Memphis estate. Annie frantically sought shelter in The King’s basement TV room, and while Cal’s (Mardsen) eleventh-hour EMP burst prevented a nuclear blast, perilous conditions and limited resources left survivors struggling. In one of Paradise‘s most rewarding episodes (and an early contender for 2026’s best TV episodes EOY lists) the episode follows Annie’s struggle to survive as Woodley gives a tour-de-force performance. While she proves early on she’s compelling enough to captivate and carry a one-woman show, with 40 minutes remaining in the episode, Link (Doherty), a survivor traveling with a group in search of the Colorado bunker, crosses paths with Annie.

In less than an hour, “Graceland” delivers an epic survivalist story, a moving exploration of grief, and a profound portrait of human connection. Doherty impressively levels up, playing against type as Link, and while he uses his burly beard and unkempt appearance to help him look like more of a leader, as we come to learn, he has lots of heart, humor, and love to share — plus, a few secrets.

Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo

After the two fall for each other, Link begs Annie to leave Graceland and join him and his group on their trek to the bunker, but Annie — terrified of trusting someone new and leaving her safe space behind — locks herself away until he departs. Before Link leaves, we see him get a suspicious bloody nose and learn he’s heading to the bunker to “kill Alex,” and while we’re not sure what those things mean just yet, it seems Doherty’s character has deeper ties to the bunker than we know about. He also promises Annie that he’ll come back for her one day, and at the end of the episode we learn she’s pregnant with his child! Oh, and did we mention Xavier has been seeing visions or memories of Link despite never having met him?! Yeah, we have questions!

Without spoiling anything, this thankfully isn’t the last time we see Link in Paradise Season 2, so let’s get to know Thomas Doherty better, shall we?

Who Plays Link On Paradise? Why Thomas Doherty Looks So Familiar

As noted, Link on Paradise is played by Thomas Doherty, a 30-year-old Scottish actor and singer with 20 IMDb credits thus far. If Doherty looks familiar, you’ve likely seen him as Leo in Season 2 of Hulu’s hit series Tell Me Lies, as Max Wolfe in the recent Gossip Girl reboot, or as Harry in the Descendants films. But he’s also starred in a number of films and TV series including Girls5eva, High Fidelity, Legacies, Catherine the Great, The Lodge, and more.

Photo: Disney/Frank Micelotta

When chatting with Doherty ahead of Paradise Season 2, here’s what the guest star had to say about his experience on Dan Fogelman’s set.

“It taught me that I’m so fortunate in my life and I get to work with the people that I work with, and experience the things I get to experience because of other people in my life. I can’t take any credit ultimately. That’s what Paradise taught me,” Doherty reflected. “Being around people like Julianne and Sterling, being around Shailene, and everyone on the cast — to see the the successes of these people, and the gifts, and the talent of these people and the overriding humility of all of them, that really made me self-evaluate. It really made me look at where I am, and how I am, where I am. And the credit goes to other people, or to the universe, or whatever it is you believe.”

While we wait to see more of Doherty’s time on Paradise, you can stay up-to-date with the star by following him on Instagram at @thomasadoherty. Tune in to new episodes of Paradise Mondays on Hulu!

Stay tuned for more Paradise Season 2 coverage on Decider.