He submitted a DVD of himself to the casting team and was then invited to audition in person, before eventually landing the role in the Australian production debuting on 25 April 2009.

[7] In 2019 it was announced that Russell would play one of the Jets in Steven Spielberg's film remake of West Side Story.

[9] On 28 October 2021, it was announced that Russell would perform on Broadway in the revival of The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster.

[16][17] In 2024, Russell starred as the lead role of Christopher Boone in the San Diego premiere of the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

[18] More than 6000 people submitted auditions for the production, and Russell landed the leading role by emailing in tapes while working overseas on tour in Europe.