Matt Cornett on Channeling His Inner Ryan Gosling for Prime Video's 'Every Year After'

Matt Cornett Is Ready for His Romantic Leading Man Era

For Matt Cornett, saying yes to Prime Video's Every Year After was never really a question. The 27-year-old actor, best known for his work in Disney's High School Musical television series, has stepped into an entirely new chapter of his career — one defined by sweeping romance, emotional depth, and a quaint Canadian lake town that serves as the perfect backdrop for heartbreak and second chances.

Based on Carley Fortune's widely celebrated novel Every Summer After, the eight-episode series follows the story of first love, devastating loss, and the possibility of finding your way back to someone. Cornett stars as Sam Florek, a role he describes as his defining romantic lead moment.

"I look at Ryan Gosling and just love everything that man does," Cornett shared in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "This is my Ryan Gosling moment."

From Disney Hallways to a Canadian Lakeside Romance

Cornett has been vocal about his desire to move beyond teen-oriented roles, and Every Year After represents exactly the kind of pivot he has been working toward. What made the opportunity even more compelling was the creative challenge built into the role itself — portraying Sam across five distinct ages, from 15 all the way to 28.

"That was a challenge, and it made me completely rethink how I prepare," he explained. "I had to create an entirely new system for this show."

The actor admitted he had no prior knowledge of the source novel before auditioning. The project was kept under a code name throughout most of the casting process, with character names and other details altered to preserve confidentiality. It wasn't until his final chemistry read with co-star Sadie Soverall — who plays Percy — that the production team revealed the series was based on Fortune's book.

Once he found out, Cornett wasted no time. He drove 45 minutes to a bookstore the day after landing the role, only to walk in and find an entire display table dedicated to Carley Fortune's titles.

"That was the first moment where I truly understood what I was getting myself into," he said with a laugh.

The Pressure of Adapting a Fan-Beloved Story

With Every Summer After having built a passionate readership — amplified significantly by BookTok communities — Cornett was well aware of the expectations that came with bringing Sam Florek to life on screen. He, along with co-stars Michael Bradway (Charlie) and Sadie Soverall, made it a priority to remain as faithful to the source material as possible.

"If it's your favorite book, you want to see your favorite book come to life — not a different version of it," Cornett said. "That was something we took seriously from the very beginning."

The actor also described the nerve-wracking experience of meeting Fortune on set for the first time. He and Bradway had been anxious about the encounter, eager for Fortune's validation that they were representing her characters authentically.

"She told me she felt like she already knew me from watching my auditions," Cornett recalled. "And then she said she felt like she was meeting Sam, Charlie, and Percy for the first time — that we had all captured who these characters really were in her heart. That gave us such a huge boost of confidence."

How Fan Edits Helped Shape His Performance

In an interesting twist on character research, Cornett revealed that TikTok fan edits played a small but meaningful role in how he approached Sam. While he didn't deep-dive into fan forums the way some actors might, he did scroll through video edits that fans had created to capture the essence and emotional vibe of the character.

"People make these edits conveying who they think Sam is, what his vibe feels like," he explained. "I watched a few of those just to understand how the audience perceives him."

Ultimately, Cornett's approach was a carefully crafted blend — grounding his performance in the novel as a foundational guide, drawing on conversations with Fortune and showrunner Amy Harris, and layering in his own artistic instincts.

"It became a perfect combination of fan-Sam and Matt-Sam," he said. "That balance felt right."

A Show Built on Heart, Memory, and Second Chances

With all eight episodes now complete and ready for audiences, Cornett says the experience has left a lasting emotional imprint on him. The show, he notes, carries a weight that extends beyond any single performance.

"There are so many emotions and memories tied up in this for me," he said. "This has been our baby — and now it's time to let our baby go out into the world."

Every Year After is now streaming on Prime Video.