Ward received recognition after he was cast as
Charles Manson in the 2016 TV movie ''Manson's Lost Girls'', a role he accepted because he felt that "people inherently have a slightly dark side." In 2017, he starred as Seth Marlowe in the critically acclaimed horror anthology series
Channel Zero: No-End House. |thumb|left|295px Later in 2017, he was cast as
Deke Shaw on the
Marvel Cinematic Universe television series
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in a recurring role during
season five. Originally he was cast as
Virgil, a minor character who dies in
the first episode of the season, but during the
table read of the episode, the main cast felt that Ward "nailed it" as Virgil and wanted him to stay on as Deke, who had not yet been cast. After the reading, the producers reached out to Ward and offered him to audition for Deke, which ended in him ultimately being cast in the part. Ward was promoted to series regular for
season six, and returned in that capacity for the
seventh and final season. In November 2019, it was announced that Ward would appear in a main role on the
Netflix horror drama miniseries
Brand New Cherry Flavor. The miniseries was released on August 13, 2021. In September 2022, Ward was cast in the role of
Buggy the Clown in the Netflix series
One Piece, based on the
manga of the same name. The following year he made his debut as a theatre director with an
Off-Broadway production of
John Patrick Shanley's
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea at the
Lucille Lortel Theatre. The production starred
Aubrey Plaza and
Christopher Abbott, with Ward himself stepping in for Abbott as an understudy. ==Filmography==