Rowland's most noted appearances to date were as 1st Lieutenant Cooper Hawkes in 1995's Space: Above and Beyond and P. Wiley in The 6th Day, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
[2] After a brief time as a student on a watersport scholarship at Pepperdine University, Rowland went to Europe and worked as a model for Haute Couture labels like Gucci, Versace, and J.Crew.
[citation needed] On the suggestion of Bruce Weber, he began taking acting classes and took on roles in film and theater.
Rowland's first big break was in James Wong and Glen Morgan's science fiction war drama, Space: Above and Beyond in 1995.
Despite auditions that were disastrous, Morgan and Wong brought Rowland on board to play the genetically engineered In Vitro Cooper Hawkes.