If you were to bring his name up in a movie/TV discussion, I imagine a lot of people would say who? But at first glance, you know exactly who HP is, as he has traversed both cinema and TV and has done it very well.
I, like many audience members, have become accustomed to seeing certain supporting actors appear and reappear in films and TV shows. But very often, unlike the lead actor, we don't make a point of logging their name into our memories. Though they significantly add to a production and contribute to the overall premise, we fail to retain their real identity. Well with one such actor, I got fed up of not knowing and now his name is well and truly logged! Harold Perrineau.
I first saw Perrineau in the TV show OZ (1997 - 2003), the reason I remember is because OZ was one of the most hardcore programmes I had ever seen back then, it was also my introduction to HBO. Set in a prison, with some of the worst inmates you will ever see on TV, OZ might as well have called 'Practicing For Hell'. Perrineau's character immediately stood out because firstly he was in a wheelchair and secondly though he was a proper criminal before he went in, he remained one of the most morally decent characters throughout, despite all the brutality that went on around him. Just before he played the role of Augustus Hill in OZ , Perrineau played Mercutio in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet (1996) and was also part of an ensemble cast in one of those dialogue dramas that allows an actor to stretch their thespian muscles in Smoke (1995).
I first saw Perrineau in the TV show OZ (1997 - 2003), the reason I remember is because OZ was one of the most hardcore programmes I had ever seen back then, it was also my introduction to HBO. Set in a prison, with some of the worst inmates you will ever see on TV, OZ might as well have called 'Practicing For Hell'. Perrineau's character immediately stood out because firstly he was in a wheelchair and secondly though he was a proper criminal before he went in, he remained one of the most morally decent characters throughout, despite all the brutality that went on around him. Just before he played the role of Augustus Hill in OZ , Perrineau played Mercutio in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet (1996) and was also part of an ensemble cast in one of those dialogue dramas that allows an actor to stretch their thespian muscles in Smoke (1995).
"Perrineau is now the veteran who appears on screen and steals the show".
| But it was in 2003 that Perrineau became part of one of the most popular film franchises of the 2000s that would have him cemented amongst a popular mythology - The Matrix. Replacing Marcus Chong's character Tank, Perrineau played Link, the new pilot in the sequel and the following film and was no doubt seen by millions. The very next year, Harold was then seen in the instant cult classic TV series LOST, further entrenching his acting into the minds of the public and industry. Since then he has appeared in all manner of small to big productions in TV and film, but I have to say that my favourite performance to date has been his portrayal of Damon Pope in Sons of Anarchy. His performance in the drama showed me that he has transcended to the next level. Perrineau is now the veteran who appears on screen and steals the show. |  |
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