Guide to Jarhead Characters
I've prepared a summary of all the characters, and the actors playing them. Includes photos.
No spoilers. Work safe.
Guide to Characters in Jarhead
This guide is for writers and readers of Jarhead fanfiction. I've listed everyone based on their probable screentime.
Story Summary: A platoon of elite Marine Snipers heads to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Irag to fight in the gulf war, Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Time period: 19901991.
Jake Gyllenhaal is Swoff
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
Swoff is intelligent, but not educated, and spends his spare time reading the Iliad. But he's no different at heart from his fellow jarheads, who fight, fuck, drink, watch violent movies, fire their weapons, clean their weapons, want to kill, want to get laid, take drugs, and otherwise have a good time. During combathe is 20 years oldhe behaves bravely while terrified, and ends up sickened by the carnage on both sides.
Nicknames: Tone, Swoff, Swoffie
Peter Sarsgaard is Troy
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
Troy Collier is Swoff's best friend while he is in the Marines; Troy saves his ass repeatedly. He is Swoff's roommate in the rear-rear in Saudi.
Troy quote: "I wish I had rubbed some petrol jelly in my crotch."
Troy will be combined with the character Johhny, the senior corporal of the Marine scout/snipers. In the book, Johnny becomes Swoff's spotter after they get a Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle, at which point Troy drops out of the picture. Hollywood naturally wants Swoff's buddy to be consistent throughout the movie.
As combining characters go, it's not a bad move. The two men are similar in that they keep Swoff from having a nervous fucking breakdown. Also, Sarsgaard's star is on the rise; the director/writer/producer will feel the urge to make his part as big as possible.
Johnny quote: "Hey, Swoffie, cool down. We can't control anything but our crosshairs."
Jamie Foxx is Staff Sergeant Siek
Occupation: Staff Sergeant of the Marine scout/snipers.
It takes a long time for Swoff to understand Siek's hard-nosed attitude.
"Standing in front of Siek was not a platoon of elite fighters, but a platoon of young assholes, and his safety and welfare, his life, depended entirely on the combat performance of those young assholes."
In the credits at imdb, the spelling of Siek's name has appeared as Syke. I do not know which is correct movie-wise.
Lucas Black is Kuhn
In the book, his name is spelled "Kuehn." Don't know if the IMDB listing is a typo or a change.
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
It was hard to pick a quote, as he has so many great lines, but I've settled on:
Quote: "I'm the prettiest girl any of of you has ever had! I've seen the whores you've bought, you sick bastards!"
This is a nifty supporting role, and Lucas Black should do a good job with it.
Chris Cooper is Lieutenant Colonel Kaczynski
The Lt. Col commands the Marine scout/sniper platoon during Operation Desert Storm. This is not a big part, but it's Chris Cooper, so automatically it is not small. *g*
Quote: "Please do not consider this a bunch of bullshit."
Skyler Stone is Davis
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper
A new addition to the cast. He's blond, so I guess that is why. ;) He seems to be showing up in promotional materials, so the part won't be tiny. I will have to review the character of Davis in the book.
Brian Geraghty is Fergus
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
Swoff mentors Fergus. Fergus is nuts. And a pretty good Marine Sniper. He's the dude that wears glasses.
Quote: [said to Swoff] "We fired the same rifle. You have the same problems as me."
Nickname: Rocker
Laz Alonso is Escobar
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
His part is based on the Cuban-American named Fountain. Fountain was an ex-Ranger, therefore the other Marines assume everything he says is bullshit. His technical skills come in handy when the war starts. I don't think they'll go into this in the movie.
Jacob Vargas is Cortes
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
In the book, the character is heavy on the comic relief. He and Escobar bicker constantly. They are destined to become the Legolas and Gimli of this movie. *g*
Evan Jones is Fowler
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
The character is a bag of shit, in Marine parlance.
Quote: "You should see what the forty does to the head of a fucking camel!"
Sam Rockwell is perhaps Swofford's uncle
Throughout the book, there is narrative about why Swoff joins the Marines. Uncle Sam, so to speak, seems designed to provide the movie version of thatwhich makes sense, as it is a "family" thing. The audience needs to understand why Swoff does something that seems fundamentally wrong for the type of man he is becoming, and Uncle Sam will provide the reason.
Peter Neil is Doc John Duncan
Occupation: Navy medic.
Makes sure the men take their anti-gas pills. The movie needs him, and not just because there is a dire shortage of blonds in the film: most people will have forgotten about the threat of chemical warfare during this war.
Quote: "Jesus Christ, are those rockets?"
Travis Aaron is Payne or Pottinger
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
Apparently another misnamed character -- he's listed as Payne in IMDB, but may be playing the character Pottinger from the book. This is a moderately sized supporting role. Pottinger is in many ways the most normal Marine Scout Sniper. Which may not be saying much. ;) Unfortunately, he recently disappeared from the credits. Woe!
Jocko Sims is Chris Julius
No Chris Julius in the book. Probably a Marine scout/sniper.
Kurt Larson is Lance Corporal...?
Presumably, we'll get the rest of his name eventually.
Tyler Sedustine plays PFC Harris?
I thought he might be playing a young Swoff, but our ACM tells us that he is playing a private first class named Harris.
Byron Brown is Bootcamp Marine D.Gillooly
This is a character that was created for the film. I know nothing of him as of yet. He may be the fellow who "brands" Swoff.
Scott MacDonald is Drill Instructor Fitch
This character may be based on the psychotic drill instructor Burke.
James Morrison is Mr. Swofford, Swoff's father
His tour of duty in Vietnam as a Marine has left him "emotionally distant"; he does not want his son to enlist.
Quote: "Tell me my son will not die in your holy fucking Marine Corps."
Brianne Davis is Kristina
Swoff's repeatedly unfaithful girlfriend has atrocious taste in stationery.
Many thanks to the ACM [Anonymous Cast Member] who contributed to this report. May he long be bored in El Centro!
Last updated October 28, 2005
No spoilers. Work safe.
Guide to Characters in Jarhead
This guide is for writers and readers of Jarhead fanfiction. I've listed everyone based on their probable screentime.
Story Summary: A platoon of elite Marine Snipers heads to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Irag to fight in the gulf war, Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Time period: 19901991.
Jake Gyllenhaal is Swoff
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
Swoff is intelligent, but not educated, and spends his spare time reading the Iliad. But he's no different at heart from his fellow jarheads, who fight, fuck, drink, watch violent movies, fire their weapons, clean their weapons, want to kill, want to get laid, take drugs, and otherwise have a good time. During combathe is 20 years oldhe behaves bravely while terrified, and ends up sickened by the carnage on both sides.
Nicknames: Tone, Swoff, Swoffie
Peter Sarsgaard is Troy
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
Troy Collier is Swoff's best friend while he is in the Marines; Troy saves his ass repeatedly. He is Swoff's roommate in the rear-rear in Saudi.
Troy quote: "I wish I had rubbed some petrol jelly in my crotch."
Troy will be combined with the character Johhny, the senior corporal of the Marine scout/snipers. In the book, Johnny becomes Swoff's spotter after they get a Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle, at which point Troy drops out of the picture. Hollywood naturally wants Swoff's buddy to be consistent throughout the movie.
As combining characters go, it's not a bad move. The two men are similar in that they keep Swoff from having a nervous fucking breakdown. Also, Sarsgaard's star is on the rise; the director/writer/producer will feel the urge to make his part as big as possible.
Johnny quote: "Hey, Swoffie, cool down. We can't control anything but our crosshairs."
Jamie Foxx is Staff Sergeant Siek
Occupation: Staff Sergeant of the Marine scout/snipers.
It takes a long time for Swoff to understand Siek's hard-nosed attitude.
"Standing in front of Siek was not a platoon of elite fighters, but a platoon of young assholes, and his safety and welfare, his life, depended entirely on the combat performance of those young assholes."
In the credits at imdb, the spelling of Siek's name has appeared as Syke. I do not know which is correct movie-wise.
Lucas Black is Kuhn
In the book, his name is spelled "Kuehn." Don't know if the IMDB listing is a typo or a change.
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
It was hard to pick a quote, as he has so many great lines, but I've settled on:
Quote: "I'm the prettiest girl any of of you has ever had! I've seen the whores you've bought, you sick bastards!"
This is a nifty supporting role, and Lucas Black should do a good job with it.
Chris Cooper is Lieutenant Colonel Kaczynski
The Lt. Col commands the Marine scout/sniper platoon during Operation Desert Storm. This is not a big part, but it's Chris Cooper, so automatically it is not small. *g*
Quote: "Please do not consider this a bunch of bullshit."
Skyler Stone is Davis
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper
A new addition to the cast. He's blond, so I guess that is why. ;) He seems to be showing up in promotional materials, so the part won't be tiny. I will have to review the character of Davis in the book.
Brian Geraghty is Fergus
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
Swoff mentors Fergus. Fergus is nuts. And a pretty good Marine Sniper. He's the dude that wears glasses.
Quote: [said to Swoff] "We fired the same rifle. You have the same problems as me."
Nickname: Rocker
Laz Alonso is Escobar
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
His part is based on the Cuban-American named Fountain. Fountain was an ex-Ranger, therefore the other Marines assume everything he says is bullshit. His technical skills come in handy when the war starts. I don't think they'll go into this in the movie.
Jacob Vargas is Cortes
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
In the book, the character is heavy on the comic relief. He and Escobar bicker constantly. They are destined to become the Legolas and Gimli of this movie. *g*
Evan Jones is Fowler
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
The character is a bag of shit, in Marine parlance.
Quote: "You should see what the forty does to the head of a fucking camel!"
Sam Rockwell is perhaps Swofford's uncle
Throughout the book, there is narrative about why Swoff joins the Marines. Uncle Sam, so to speak, seems designed to provide the movie version of thatwhich makes sense, as it is a "family" thing. The audience needs to understand why Swoff does something that seems fundamentally wrong for the type of man he is becoming, and Uncle Sam will provide the reason.
Peter Neil is Doc John Duncan
Occupation: Navy medic.
Makes sure the men take their anti-gas pills. The movie needs him, and not just because there is a dire shortage of blonds in the film: most people will have forgotten about the threat of chemical warfare during this war.
Quote: "Jesus Christ, are those rockets?"
Travis Aaron is Payne or Pottinger
Occupation: A Marine scout/sniper.
Apparently another misnamed character -- he's listed as Payne in IMDB, but may be playing the character Pottinger from the book. This is a moderately sized supporting role. Pottinger is in many ways the most normal Marine Scout Sniper. Which may not be saying much. ;) Unfortunately, he recently disappeared from the credits. Woe!
Jocko Sims is Chris Julius
No Chris Julius in the book. Probably a Marine scout/sniper.
Kurt Larson is Lance Corporal...?
Presumably, we'll get the rest of his name eventually.
Tyler Sedustine plays PFC Harris?
I thought he might be playing a young Swoff, but our ACM tells us that he is playing a private first class named Harris.
Byron Brown is Bootcamp Marine D.Gillooly
This is a character that was created for the film. I know nothing of him as of yet. He may be the fellow who "brands" Swoff.
Scott MacDonald is Drill Instructor Fitch
This character may be based on the psychotic drill instructor Burke.
James Morrison is Mr. Swofford, Swoff's father
His tour of duty in Vietnam as a Marine has left him "emotionally distant"; he does not want his son to enlist.
Quote: "Tell me my son will not die in your holy fucking Marine Corps."
Brianne Davis is Kristina
Swoff's repeatedly unfaithful girlfriend has atrocious taste in stationery.
Many thanks to the ACM [Anonymous Cast Member] who contributed to this report. May he long be bored in El Centro!
Last updated October 28, 2005