In the lead-up to our big season premiere (June 12th at 10:00 p.m. on SyFy, in case you were wondering), I thought I’d start the ball rolling with some insight into our actors, their characters, and the process by which they won their respective roles. First up, appropriately enough, is the character of ONE played by Marc Bendavid.
This was the casting breakdown that went out for the role:
“ONE: AKA Hero, AKA Jace Corso. HANDSOME, BOYISH, GOOD-LOOKING. CHARMING BUT A BIT OF A GOOF, HE IS THE CREW’S MORAL CENTER, A GUY WHO ALWAYS TRIES TO DO THE RIGHT THING, despite the odds being stacked against him and no matter how unpopular the course of action. HE IS A SPACE COWBOY, A BIT OF A DAREDEVIL, AND THE CLOSEST THING TO A HERO ONBOARD THE SHIP. Sure, he screws up – but he means well.”
To which I added: “If it helps, in terms of character and tone, think of Ben Browder’s character (John Crichton) from Farscape.”
What I absolutely loved about Browder’s portrayal of Crichton was his everyman quality. I imagined viewers at home watching Farscape thinking: “That could be me!” More often than not, he was way over his head, struggling to keep up with his far more seasoned crew mates but, at the end of the day, he was three very important things: heroic, funny, and incredibly charming.
Which is what I was looking for in the character of ONE. He was our unlikely hero, the fish out of water who, despite the odds stacked against, always managed to persevere – in amusing fashion. We wanted him to be principled, a little vulnerable and, possessed of a sense of humor. I’d often described him as the voice of reason, an individual driven “to do the right thing even though, at times, doing the right thing wasn’t necessarily the right thing to do.”
The casting process inevitably defies expectations. Roles you figure will be easy to cast prove exceptionally difficult while those you assumed will be a challenge END up being slam dunks. In the case of ONE, it was the former, not because we couldn’t find anyone for the part but because we had several worthy candidates, each of whom brought very different, equally interesting interpretations to the table.
But, in the end, one stood out above the rest. Marc Bendavid was talented, good looking, and funny. And he delivered that crucial vulnerability I was looking for in the character. I wanted our audience to sympathize with the rest of the crew, but empathize with ONE.
On set, Marc is soft spoken but incredibly focused. He is a true student of the craft, constantly considering and questioning his character’s motivation. He’s one of the kindest individuals I’ve ever had the good fortune to work with. And, when he’s not working, he’s an avid reader and gardener.
And a not so avid tweeter: https://twitter.com/marcbendavid
Hey Marc! Great to meet you! 🙂
I’m really looking forward to his take on the ONE character from the book. Even there, Jace came across as the most approachable one from a reader perspective.
Getting ‘cited!! 😀
Thanks for the nice introduction to Marc! And Marc, watch out for Joey…sounds like he has a mancrush. 😉
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I’m sold!! One is my favorite so far! He’s number one. “HANDSOME, BOYISH, GOOD-LOOKING. CHARMING.” You got that right!
Ya know Joe, June 12th is just right around the corner! OMG!! It’s almost here!! Yeah! 😆
Nice to meet you Marc. Getting so excited to see this show!
looking forward to recognizing the sets from the pics and putting all the puzzle pieces together when the show airs finally. 🙂
also, totally rad spacesuit (I presume? or uniform?).
G’day Marc! Can’t wait to see you in action!
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I’m off to Barcelona today for a few days. Going to the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday and catching up with my Mum who has flown in from Australia and is travelling around Spain and Portugal.
Found a shop for you Joe. At Heathrow Terminal 3.
http://imgur.com/haw8HBY
I hate to say this, but if you want a Ben Browder character like John Crichton, why not hire Ben? Or better yet, bring back Farscape.
A pleasure to meet you Marc. I can’t wait to see the show!
So. What’s going to be growing in your garden? What are you reading?
Well, I loved Crichton, so I’m looking forward to One. 😃
@Line Noise: Sounds fun, please share details!
Me, I’m doing a ton of laundry. My hubby is home from a tech conference and son home from college. I have a crap load of dorm bedding to sort. 😟
On the bright side, there’s chicken marinating in a habanero/lime mixture for the boys. For me, I’m trying a new Lima bean recipe with ground pumpkin seeds, lemon, and onions.
Thanks for the character break down Joe. While you described a similar vision between the JC and One-I am sure they are same but different. With what I know of the story, The One wouldn’t be able to make cute contemporary cultural references ,”It’s the Stooges, Ruf, ruf, ruf,” right? Wow, to think that was about 15 years ago. Ben must be really old now; what about 40?
I’m not so sure about that Brandon Tataryn. Those poor Toronto actors.
@Duptiang – The Three Stooges weren’t part of JC’s day, either. I say it’s fair game.
Hey Joe,
You’re building a lot of anticipation here. I can’t wait til June 12th.
@Line Noise:
I travel through Heathrow once or twice a year (usually through terminal 3)…I’ll have to go find that whiskey shop(pe)!
We any closer to seeing another clip before I explode with anticipation? Not sure I can wait much longer!!!! I enjoy the look of Five (Jodelle Ferland) The color of her hair and along with those eyes…Holy cow! They are incredible! I watch a lot of tv…..Now, I want to see some quality tv again!
Ooo, I’m excited for more of these! Thanks for sharing, Joe. I am so excited for June. I’ve been lacking in a true sci-fi (space) show pretty much since SGA ended so I am thrilled for all DM has to offer!
Hello Marc.
Ben was able to do a lot of ad libbing on Farscape. Will Marc get to do that?
Interesting. His character is described as being goofy, but Marc seems like a very serious, focused guy. Hopefully he brings the goofiness and maybe a little silliness to the role.