His new character has already a major impact on Love/Hate's storyline, and on social media where he has been called the "heartthrob" to finally replace Robert Sheehan, but Johnny Ward admits it was a long road to getting on RTÉ's hit drama.
Talking to Craig Fitzpatrick in the new issue of Hot Press, the 27-year-old actor reveals:
"I'd actually gone for the first season of Love/Hate and got down to the final two for a major, major part in it. When it didn't happen, I'm not going to lie, there was a bit of sour grapes. The show, especially with season two, became huge."
Another opportunity presented itself a year later, but it was the same frustrating story.
"I got down to the last two for another role. The same thing happened again. I just thought: 'this isn't going my way'."
To make matters worse, the painful reminders of what could have been just wouldn't go away as the show became a phenomenon.
"It's impossible to live in Ireland without hearing about it. Even if you don't watch Love/Hate, you're in traffic and you see it on the front page [of newspapers being sold]. Then it's on the radio. There's no getting away from it! Then people were saying to me 'would you not go for Love/Hate?'. They'd no idea!"
As for that heartthrob status?
"I'm not really thinking about that too much. Robert Sheehan and Killian Scott are the two heartthrobs of the show and I think they'll remain as that for a long, long time. You know how it is with Love/Hate, you can love some character one week and then next week people might actually despise me and hate me with some of the things I'm going to get up to."
For more from Ward, as well as extensive chats with other key cast members, pick up the new issue of Hot Press (Love/Hate cover), on sale now