# D. J. Cotrona

Donald Joseph Cotrona (born May 23, 1980) is an American actor, known for his role in the film G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) and as Seth Gecko in the El Rey Network horror television series From Dusk till Dawn. He was cast as Pedro Peña's superhero form in the DC Extended Universe film Shazam! and returned for the role in the 2023 sequel.

## Early life

Cotrona was born in New Haven, Connecticut. His mother, Sheree, is a teacher, and his father, Donald, works for a recycling company. Cotrona has partial Italian ancestry. He began studying to be a lawyer at Northeastern University in Boston, but after doing a summer internship at a law firm, he realized that he did not like working with lawyers. In his sophomore year, he switched to acting. During his spring break, he went to visit a friend in Los Angeles and never returned to college.

## Career

After a few guest-starring roles, Cotrona was considered for the role of Ryan Atwood on the television series The O.C. but that role went to Ben McKenzie. Shortly after that, Cotrona was cast as the male lead in another of Fox's new dramas of 2003, Skin, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Cotrona played Adam Roam, the son of the Los Angeles District Attorney. His character becomes involved with Jewel Goldman (Olivia Wilde), whose father runs a pornography company. With their fathers' feud looming over them, they pursue a "Romeo and Juliet" relationship. Skin was cancelled after three episodes aired, due to poor ratings and the controversial story lines. All eight episodes of the series were shown on SOAPnet in 2005.
Cotrona appeared in the 2005 horror film Venom, which was directed by Jim Gillespie. Cotrona also starred in the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival film Love is the Drug.
In 2005, Cotrona again landed a lead role in a TV series, playing Sean Mathers, a flower shop worker with a dark past who is one of a group of lottery winners, in the NBC series Windfall. The series was shown in the summer of 2006 rather than as a mid-season replacement for the 2005-06 TV season.
Cotrona was cast in the role of Superman for Warner Bros.' planned film Justice League: Mortal, but after issues resulting from the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike and other production concerns, the film was cancelled.
In 2010, Cotrona appeared in the film Dear John. In February he was cast as Detective John Stone in the ABC pilot 187 Detroit, which also stars Michael Imperioli, Shaun Majumder, and Erin Cummings among others. When ABC ordered the series it was renamed Detroit 1-8-7. His character was killed in "Stone Cold", the sixteenth episode of the series.
Cotrona played Flint, one of the leading roles, in the sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013).
In March 2014, the horror television series From Dusk till Dawn developed by Robert Rodriguez based on his own cult horror film of the same title, was aired on the newly launched El Rey Network. Cotrona played Seth Gecko in the series, being a member of the main cast until the series ended in 2016.
Cotrona has since appeared in the promotional 30-minute short film for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, which aired in February 2017.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | Venom | Sean | |
| 2006 | Love Is the Drug | Lucas Mitchell | |
| 2010 | Dear John | Noodles | |
| 2013 | G.I. Joe: Retaliation | Dashiell "Flint" R. Faireborn | |
| 2017 | Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands: War Within the Cartel | Ricky Sandoval | Short film |
| 2019 | Shazam! | Super Hero Pedro | |
| 2023 | Shazam! Fury of the Gods | Super Hero Pedro | |
| 2023 | Spy Kids: Armageddon | Agent Devlin | |
| 2025 | Fight or Flight | — | Writer |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Donovan Alvarez | Episode: "Grief" |
| 2003–2005 | Skin | Adam Roam | 8 episodes |
| 2004 | Hollywood Division | | Unsold pilot |
| 2004 | 101 Most Unforgettable SNL Moments | Himself | Television special |
| 2006 | Windfall | Sean Mathers | 13 episodes |
| 2010–11 | Detroit 1-8-7 | John Stone | 16 episodes |
| 2012 | IC Places Hollywood | Himself | Episode 1x12 |
| 2012 | 1st Look | Himself | Episode 2x04 |
| 2013 | Reel Junkie | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2013 | Up Close with Carrie Keagan | Himself | Episode March 27, 2013 |
| 2013 | Vivir de cine | Himself | Episode 1x23 |
| 2014–16 | From Dusk till Dawn: The Series | Seth Gecko | 30 episodes |
| 2014 | Matador | Party Guest | Episode: "Quid Go Pro" |
| 2020 | L.A.'s Finest | Luca Verone | 4 episodes |