In just a year he has made the leap from being a familiar face to fans of Channel 4 comedy The IT Crowd to becoming one of Hollywood's hottest leading men, with a Bafta Rising Star nomination.
Most bafflingly of all for the 32-year-old Irishman — who only made his film breakthrough in the romantic comedy Bridesmaids last year — he is also a SEX SYMBOL. Not that Chris can take advantage of his new-found status, as he is engaged to TV presenter and journalist Dawn Porter.
He says: "I think it's really silly for people to think I'm a heart-throb. The character in Bridesmaids was very sweet, so women loved him. "I want to know where all these women were when I was 15 and couldn't get a kiss for love nor money. I chose the wrong year to get engaged."
Chris will cap his huge 12 months by marrying Dawn this summer. Luckily she is coping well with the attention her man receives from the opposite sex since hitting the big screen. He says: "Dawn jokes that she doesn't get it. But at the same time she thinks me being a heart-throb is a great craic. "In some way it vindicates her own decision, so that's pleasing."
It's a long way from The IT Crowd, which was written by Father Ted creator Graham Linehan and featured Chris as geeky computer technician Roy Trenneman. Richard Ayoade played his colleague, Moss.
Chris says: "I learned a lot from The IT Crowd. Graham and Richard are great people to learn from. They're clever b*******." For now, though, he is focusing on his own sitcom for Sky, Moon Boy. He says: "It's a semi-autobiographical show about a 12-year-old growing up in the west of Ireland with imaginary friends. "There is a lot of animation in it and Johnny Vegas plays an English wrestler."