mr. bennet, hrg, horn-rimmed glasses guy
02.27.07 • comment (1) • trackback
There are some minor Heroes spoilers in here, so if you’re not up to date on the show and really care, beware. BEWARE!
Jack Coleman, who plays Mr. Bennet—aka Claire’s father, aka HRG, aka horn-rimmed glasses guy, aka guy without a first name, aka the Face of Evil (BWAAHAHAHAHA) according to NBC’s retarded earlier promos—is obviously the World’s Greatest Living Actor. In every episode, every single episode, he walks the fine, difficult line between malevolence and compassion. He’s pragmatically amoral. He’s a loving father. He’s a cold, calculating agent for a mysterious organization. He feels guilty that he’s not Claire’s biological father. He’s good with a gun. He’s doing it to keep the world safe. He’s doing it to keep his daughter safe.
Coleman manages to roll all these things together into a cohesive, believable, sympathetic character. Whether through a conflicted glance or a carefully chosen word, he gives layers of meaning to every scene. He’s a far better villain than Sylar (whose original superpowers seem to be GIANT EYEBROWS and talking like a transvestite in training), though it seems his villain days might be over.
There’s not much more to say. Coleman seems to be one of those actors who usually pops up as a one-off character on every show known to man. His only other major role was on that staple of 80s trash, Dynasty. His IMDB trivia section claims that he’s a direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin. While at first I thought this was cool, it turns out to be impossible. Never trust the internet.
I hope we see a lot more of Mr. Bennet in the future, especially now that (MAJOR SPOILERS) the Hatian has messed with many of his memories of Claire. To what extent Claire has been removed from his mind isn’t clear, though it’s probably just any evidence of her real “escape.” It’ll be very interesting to see Bennet go on the hunt for his own daughter, especially since he’ll surely still be aware that he’d be unlikely to hand over Claire to his employers in the first place, and therefore he might have an inkling that he messed with his own memories. Confusing, circular, and intriguing, I look forward to watching it play out on screen.
02.27.07 #
I agree, JD, Mr. Bennet adds an extra special “spicy” to the incredibly delicious Ana’s Tacqueria super chicken burrito that is the show, “Heroes.” By the way, what the hell were Hiro and his father doing in that flashback sequence of the day Mr. Bennet became Claire’s surrogate daddy? I am just as impressed with Ali Larter’s portrayal of Niki and Jessica Sanders. Personally, I believe her two-faced nature shows up brilliantly on camera. Her transitions are flawless, and I have an appreciation for the subtlety of her change of vocal intonation between the two characters’ dialogue– it’s the stuff of Andy Serkis’ Smeagol/Golem dichotomy. Larter seems to have come a long way from the days of Varsity Blues, Drive Me Crazy and Legally Blonde. Although, I thought she was great in Jay & Silent Bob….and apparently (thank you IMDB), she is going to be in the next Resident Evil sequel.