It’s not uncommon for the same actor to play several different characters at the same time, especially in television shows.
Shawn Hatosy stars in HI-Surf and is a series regular on Chicago P.D. Both characters portray Hatosi as a powerful white male who is not afraid to bend the rules to achieve his own ends.
This isn’t the first time Hatosy has taken on a role that reflects negatively on him. He’s one of those actors who excels at playing raw bad guys. However, as a good guy, he also has many memorable qualities.
Hatosy fans from the ’90s may remember his early years, when he took on a number of awkward teen roles to expand his filmography.
He had several small supporting roles, working with big-name actors like Brittany Murphy (“Double Jeopardy”) and James Russo (“No Way Home”).
In & Out (1997) was my first introduction and started my fascination with celebrities that continues to this day. Ahead of its time, “In & Out” focused on a gay teacher (Kevin Kline) who didn’t know he was gay, and brought together the top talent of the ’90s.
Hatosy, still new to the acting world, plays a small-town high school student who comes to terms with discovering that his male high school coach and teacher are gay.
It’s weird to see what Tom Selleck looked like before “Blue Bloods” and miss out on his sexy signature mustache (to give you a little TV trivia – “Blue Bloods” wasn’t Selleck’s first With Gregory Jbarra who plays Garrett.
Teenagers became more aware of Hatosy’s talent a few years later when he starred in the underappreciated teen film “Academy.” Who wouldn’t love a movie about aliens taking over a small town, starting with a high school teacher?
Especially when the movie involves teenage idols like Elijah Wood (Yellowjacket or Lord of the Rings), Usher, Josh Hartnett, Clea Duvall, and Jordana Brewster (The Fast and the Furious franchise )hour.
His first protagonist was a rebellious teenager sent to boarding school (outside of Providence) by his working-class father.
I cried ugly tears when he died in “Anywhere But,” in which he played Natalie Portman’s best friend and cousin Benny.
The first time I hated him was in “John Q” where he played a flamboyant, entitled, rich white boy who becomes an ER hostage. Matched by the exquisite desperation of a father trying to get his young son a new heart.
One of the most harrowing movies is the true story Alpha Dog, starring Justin Timberlake (a musician from my hometown) and Emile Hirsch (The Girl Next Door).
Sean plays Ives, a deranged killer who escalates a kidnapping into the tragic death of a teenager.
He landed his first series role in Southland, where he played Sammy Bryant, a successful Los Angeles police detective. The series centers on young Kevin Alejandro (Fire Nation’s Manny Perez).
Who can forget his role as Andrew “Pope” Cody in Animal Kingdom?
As a member of a family of criminal masterminds who thrive on a lavish lifestyle, Pope is the embodiment of twisted arrogance.
Hatosy’s two latest roles continue his signature tradition of playing “ick” – inserting a preferred consonant prefix (d and p work).
It’s great to see Hatosi return in the fall of 2024 as Deputy Chief Charlie Reed on Chicago P.D.
From the start, he appeared untrustworthy and up to no good.
His recent offer to protect the intelligence services in the wake of recent scandals only adds to his element of suspicion. Such a person would not give such a great favor without asking for anything in return.
So what help does he want?
In addition to playing the police chief, Sean also plays Hawaii political congressman Clayton Emerson, the next mayor of Honolulu in HI-Surf.
Emerson immediately proves that he’s the kind of politician who’s not afraid to use his power to his advantage, bribing Sonny (Robbie Magasiva) to let his son Kainaru (Alex Iono) Assigned to North Shore Beach, although he did not win the position.
In Season 1 of The Rescue, we saw Hatosi put aside his own politics to further his own ends, especially for the sake of his children.
How far will his political corruption go if he becomes mayor? Will he try his luck with Emily when she takes charge after Sonny retires? Will she let him get away with it like Sonny?
Given that Sean is known for playing convincing badass faces, we have to wonder if he’ll continue to choose roles that give him a flamboyant sense of abuse of power.
Do we love it when actors find their niche and stick to it?
Or do we prefer actors who explore different character avenues for a well-rounded body of work?
What is your favorite character played by Sean Hatosy so far?
Leave your thoughts in the comments.
