Detroit Red Wings

Former Red Wings Forward Avery Appearing In Hit Film, Facing Abuse Accusations

Sean Avery appears on screen in Oppenheimer

Published

9 months ago

August 4, 2023

Bob Duff

Former Red Wings center Sean Avery has a role in the hit Hollywood film Oppenheimer.

Throughout his NHL career, former Detroit Red Wings center Sean Avery could never fit under the classifaction of shrinking violet. On or off the, good or bad, clever or unwise, it can be said without a shadow of a doubt that Avery was a scene stealer.

Perhaps that best explains his choice of post-hockey careers.

If you’ve been to see the Hollywood blockuster Oppenheimer, about the development of the nuclear bomb, perhaps you didn’t at first notice the guy who once wore jersey No. 42 for the Red Wings. But have no doubt, Avery is in the film.

In fact, he even has a speaking role.

Här dyker NHL-profilen Sean Avery upp – i "Oppenheimer" https://t.co/PflMltlMx5 pic.twitter.com/zVUt5qB8rD

— SportExpressen (@SportExpressen) August 4, 2023

What Avery’s character doesn’t have, though, is a name. In the cast list for the film, he is simply classified as “weatherman.”

On screen, the man who led the NHL in penalty minutes during the 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons is playing a meteorologist, a member of Oppenheimer’s staff on the Manhattan Project. Avery makes his appearance in a couple of scenes prior to the undergoing of the Trinity test which took place in the desert outside Los Alamos, Nevada.

Avery Part Of Star-Studded Cast

When Avery was making his NHL debut with the Red Wings in 2001-02, he was part of a Hall of Fame roster that included Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Sergei Fedorov, Igor Larionov, Dominik Hasek, Luc Robitaille, Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Pavel Datsyuk and Chris Chelios. That superstar group was coached by another Hall of Fame legend, Scotty Bowman.

Avery appeared in 36 games, posting 2-2-4 totals. He didn’t figure in any playoff action as Detroit won the Stanley Cup.

In his breakthrough acting role, Avery is again surrounded by a star-studded cast. Among the actors appearing in Oppenheimer are Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Emily Blount, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Conti, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Hartnett, Matthew Modine, Scott Grimes and Gary Oldman.

It isn’t Avery’s first appearance on the silver screen. Previously, he had non-speaking roles in the films Patriot’s Day (2016), Mile 22 (2018), Tenet (2020) and Amsterdam (2022).

Avery Facing Child Abuse Accusations

As was often the case with Avery as a player, with every bit of positive news came some equally negative fallout. It was also revealed this week that Avery’s estranged wife, model Hilary Rhoda, has successfully had the temporary restraining order she took out against the former NHLer extended.