Love on the Spectrum star Connor Tomlinson made his acting debut on this week’s new episode of NBC’s medical drama, Brilliant Minds. And if his brief performance was any indication, it seems like he may have quite the career ahead of him.
The 26-year-old appeared in the October 6, season 2 episode, “The Pusher,” starring as Tom, the roommate of a nonverbal autistic patient named Adam who has been accused of pushing a woman off a subway platform onto the tracks in front of an approaching train. In a clip shared to Instagram, Tomlinson’s character is visited by Adam’s new case worker Michelle, and Bronx General neurology resident Van Markus, who doesn’t believe Adam committed the crime.
Despite Tom being initially wary about their intentions, he comes around when Michelle tells him that they’re actually there on a top secret mission. “Really, how so?” he asks, curiosity piqued. “Adam keeps repeating a word, ‘saya,’ do you know what that means?” she asks.
“It does sound very mysterious, sorry I don’t know what it means,” Tom says, sitting down on his bed. “But if you see Adam, please tell him I didn’t touch any of his stuff, OK? I know it’s his room too, at least for the next month.” He then tells the pair that Adam will be kicked out of the group home as he’s turning 26, but likes it there and doesn’t want to leave.
“Last week when Gloria took him to see new apartments, he got really upset. I wasn’t there but it sounded like a really big fight,” Tom explains, imitating explosion noises.
After joining the cast in season 2, Tomlinson quickly became a breakout star on Love on the Spectrum.
In September, it was announced that he had signed on for representation with United Talent Agency. According to Variety, “Tomlinson is expected to expand his presence into scripted and narrative series, brand partnerships, endorsements, voiceover work and live events.”
The publication notes that Tomlinson has used his platform to champion visibility and representation for the neurodivergent community, and he plans to continue on that mission with his new representation.
Tomlinson joined Love on the Spectrum after his brother Jack, who was a fan of the first season, reached out to director Cian O’Clery on Twitter. After an initial Zoom meeting, O’Clery made plans to visit the family home.
“We never imagined it’d really happen, but when Cian wanted to come out, we realized this might really happen,” Connor’s mother, Lise Menard Smith told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in April 2024. “We talked with Connor, of course, and we talked to his dad, and all of Connor’s siblings. We knew this would put Connor and the rest of us on a global stage. We have a big, blended family and we wanted everyone to be OK with it. Ultimately, it was up to Connor, and he wanted to go for it.”
Well, it certainly seems to have been the right decision, as Tomlinson seems to be thriving in the spotlight, if his acting debut is any indication.
