Ryan played the lead role in Wrong Kind of Black, was a co-lead in September and featured in a segment of We Are Still Here.

He played a lead in Lockie Leonard, as well as in KGB, an Australian comedy series following two rookie detectives through Perth, appeared in the second season of Cleverman and in the third series of Mystery Road.

Other featured roles include the film Blueback (film); the historical documentary Yagan, about the Noongar warrior Yagan; and the 2014 stage production of King Hit, which follows the life of Geoffrey Narkle, an Aboriginal man and a member of the Stolen Generations, and his boxing career during reflecting on culture, identity, and finding strength.

For his performance in September he was nominated for 2008 AFI Award for Best Young Actor and for his performance in Mystery Road: Origin he was nominated for the 2023 Logie Award Most Outstanding Supporting Actor.