Doctor who captain jack harkness actor. Captain Jack Harkness. The Unquiet Dead - The Restless Dead
Captain Jack Harkness (real name unknown) is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood. Harkness, played by John Barrowman, first appeared in the Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" in 2005 and became a companion to the Ninth Doctor. In 2006, Jack appeared as a character in the TV series Torchwood, becoming the third Doctor Who character to receive his own spin-off. He continued to appear periodically in Doctor Who in 2007-2008 alongside the tenth incarnation of the Doctor, as well as in specials in 2009.
In the chronological order of the series, Jack is first introduced as a time traveler from the 6th century. Unlike the Doctor, Jack is a man of action, ready to take complex solutions on practice. As a result of his death and resurrection in the finale of the first season of Doctor Who, Jack becomes completely immortal. On Earth, he becomes a member of the fictional institute Torchwood 3, dedicated to preventing alien threats, and a hundred years later becomes its leader.
Jack is the Doctor's first openly bisexual partner in the series' history. The character's popularity directly influenced the creation of Torchwood; it brought fame to actor John Barrowman and became a role model for young gays and bisexuals in Britain. In addition to the series, Jack Harkness has appeared in several books and comics based on Doctor Who and Torchwood and has been released as collectible figures, and Barrowman has been nominated for several awards for his role.
During the broadcast of the first season of Torchwood, the official website of the series outlined some of the adventures of Captain Jack in the format of a game in an alternative reality, which was a collection of online literature, fictional diaries, newspapers, excerpts of confidential letters and instant messages exchanged among employees Torchwood 3. Written by James Gross, the website's content "sheds light on Jack's backstory during his years working for Torchwood." For the second season in 2008, a second interactive online game was developed by writer Phil Ford. In addition, since 2006, the site has contained information about Jack’s previously unknown travels. The BBC's Torchwood website contains a "Captain's Blog" section, which features Jack's commentary on the events of each episode. Jerry Russell's The Torchwood Archives includes most of all online material from the first two seasons, including the US "Captain's Blog". During the fourth season of Doctor Who, a section called “Captain Jack's Monster Files” began functioning on the BBC website, where John Barrowman, in the image of his character, through a video broadcast, weekly tells facts collected by Torchwood 3 about the alien creatures of the Doctor Who series. A Christmas special starring Barrowman as Jack, as well as an added Cybermen special, were released alongside The Next Doctor on 25 December 2008. According to Dr Fiona Hobden, the mockumentary genre in which the episodes are filmed adds an "extra twist" to the interaction between history and fiction. Captain Jack tells "a story unfolding in the best traditions of modern documentary cinema, documentary historical reconstructions." In the fifth season, Harkness was replaced by River Song (Alex Kingston).
Executive producer and head writer Russell T. Davies borrowed Jack's surname from Marvel Comics character Agatha Harkness, which he had previously used for characters in the series Century Falls and The Grand. According to Davis, reusing names (such as Tyler, Smith, Harper, Harkness and Jones) allows the character to "take hold of the character." Davies originally planned to call him Jax, but it was decided against it due to its similarity to other names and titles in the Doctor Who expanded universe. Jack later used the alias Jax during World War II. As planned, the character's debut episode will present his moral values in two ways, raising the question of whether he belongs to the evil or good side.
Actor John Barrowman himself became one of the key figures in the concept of Captain Jack. Barrowman said that during his initial casting, Davis and co-executive producer Julie Gardner told him that the character was largely written specifically for him. At a meeting with Davis, Barrowman, getting into character, spoke in his native Scottish accent, as well as American and English, choosing the best the best option; Davis decided that an American accent would be most suitable. Davies was looking for an actor of the "women's favorite" type, and Barrowman was "the only one in the whole of Great Britain who could become one." Television critics compared Barrowman's portrayal of Captain Jack to Hollywood actor Tom Cruise.
Jack is described as "deadly charming...handsome and completely mesmerizing" as well as "flirty, cunning, smart and kind of a tough guy." In Doctor Who, Jack appears as a relatively light-hearted character, but he changes in the first series of Torchwood, becoming a darker character. Since the first episode of Torchwood, the key moments in the character of Jack have been his obsession with the search for the Doctor, as well as his role as the leader of the group. While in Torchwood, Jack periodically delves into issues of the afterlife, religion, and sympathizes with a person's desire to die; an opportunity he is deprived of. In the second series and during his next appearance in Doctor Who, Jack is more carefree. Season three reveals a "dark side" as well as "the secrets that Jack has, the weight, the tragic events and the traumas that he carries on his shoulders."
There have been several situations in Torchwood where Jack felt no remorse in killing a person or alien. This, coupled with his portrayal in Doctor Who, presents Jack as something different from the standard protagonist. Barrowman comments: “He'll do things the Doctor won't, like fight. Jack will be killed and the Doctor knows this and allows Jack to do it. I would say Jack is the hero sidekick." In the third season of the series, Jack remembers how he sacrificed twelve orphans to aliens in order to save millions of lives. Davies believes Torchwood season three is "a story of retribution and perhaps redemption" for Captain Jack, who suffers his greatest loss when his lover, Ianto, is killed. Jack was so traumatized that he agreed to sacrifice his own grandson in order to destroy the aliens.
In a scene in the episode "The Last Time Lord", writer Russell T. Davies hinted that a mysterious creature called the Face of Bo is Jack. This idea came to him in 2007, while working on the script for the season. Bo's face is a large disembodied face in a glass tank, which appeared many billions of years ago, according to a theory proposed by Davis - as a consequence of Jack's immortality and slow aging. Bo's face has appeared three times in the series, first in the episode "The End of the World" in 2005. Barrowman said he and David Tennant "jumped up screaming" when they read storyline, linking Jack and Bo's Face. “It was probably the most exciting moment we had while filming this episode,” noted Barrowman. Initially, Bo's Face was only supposed to appear in the episode "The End of the World" due to the cost of creating the character. However, special effects designer Neil Gorton liked the idea and encouraged the show's creators to use the character further. Davis liked Gorton's work, and the character appeared twice more, becoming a key character in the third series. In the novel The Stealer of Dreams, Jack Harkness refers to Bo's Face as a famous image.
When Jack becomes mortal during "Day of the Miracle", critics again raised the issue of the implications for Jack's potential future as the Face of Bo. Barrowman stated that the loose rules of the science fiction genre meant that Jack could still become the Face of Bo even after Miracle Day. In contrast, Davis emphasizes that the connection between Jack and the Face of Bo remained a hypothesis and there was a possibility that Jack would not survive after Miracle Day, adding: “You know how much I love killing people.
At the end of the fifth season of Doctor Who, River Song acquired a time vortex manipulator from a character named Dorium Maldovar, as he put it, “From the hand of a brave time agent.” Subsequently, Maldovar was seen in connection with the Headless Monks. Hence, fans had a hypothesis that this same agent could be Jack Harkness, who was caught and beheaded. So perhaps he became the Face of Bo.”
(For a more extended version, see the source.)
Doctor Who and Captain Jack Harkness
As you know, Captain Jack Harkness, to whom the series is dedicated, first appeared as a cameo character in the revived Doctor Who and for some time the companion of the Ninth Doctor. Let's talk about the series dedicated to him.
Writers: Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss
Cast: Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper, John Barrowman, Eve Myles
03. The Unquiet Dead - Restless Dead
The Doctor and Rose end up in Cardiff victorian era and meet Charles Dickens in person. Moreover, together with him they are forced to investigate the story of corpses that rise from coffins.
Jack Harkness isn't in this episode yet, but you still shouldn't miss him. Firstly, she appears here in the role of the undertaker's maid, who will later play Gwen in Torchwood. And even the name of her heroine is similar: Gwinnett. However, according to the author of the series, there is no direct blood connection between these characters, but perhaps Gwen became a kind of echo of Gwynnet, thanks to the Rift that exists in Cardiff. I note, by the way, that, playing the maid, Eve Myles looks somehow livelier and more charming than in the role of the Torchwood agent.
9. The Empty Child - Empty child
10. The Doctor Dances - The Doctor dances
In this case, the series form a single story arc, almost like it was with. Of course, then the stories continued for four episodes in a row, but the length of each of them was about 20 minutes. As it were...
London, the height of World War II. An incomprehensible creature is wandering the streets: a child with a gas mask on his face, looking for his mother. And then the charming adventurer Jack Harkness is trying to sell the Time Agents, for whom he mistakes Rose and the Doctor, a spaceship. I can’t help but note, by the way, that already here, despite the fact that, unlike, is considered a family series, there is also a hint of the character’s bisexuality.
From this episode on, the second of the future co-authors of Sherlock found himself in the role of screenwriter - and he also worked in his signature, brilliant and sadistic style. In essence, he made a horror film, and an excellent one at that: no gory details, but every appearance of these creatures with gas masks on their faces gives you goosebumps. At the same time, some scenes with them look almost comical - but the eerie feeling does not go away.
As for Captain Jack, here he appears more frivolous and, it seems, less powerful. At the same time, according to him, he was already a time agent, but he meets the Doctor here for the first time.
In these same episodes, direct references to : Rose mentions Mr. Spock several times. It's funny that this is the first time this reference has appeared in the series, but before that Star Trek references appeared in novels and comics.
11 Boom Town - City Boom
The mayor of Cardiff has decided to build a nuclear power plant - right on the fault, which could lead to the death of the city, or even the entire planet. As the doctor found out, under the guise of the mayor is hiding his old friend - a representative of the Slitheen family, who have already tried to destroy the Earth...
Quite a fascinating episode, moreover, showing the psychology of the enemy - Slitheen’s experiences in the toilet look very touching, despite the fact that this episode is played by a doll. There are also humorous moments: what is the cost of trying to escape from the doctor and his screwdriver or dinner in a restaurant.
Pay attention to the advisor nuclear energy at the beginning of the episode: he is played by: he also played the role of Gwen Cooper's father in and appeared in the classic, thus playing in three series of the franchise. This was the first such case.
It’s funny to note in passing that the extras in this episode did not play on the same set as the main cast: they were filmed separately and the shots were combined during processing.
By the way, references to popular culture also appear here: Margaret's intention to use the extrapolator as a cosmic surfboard is, of course, a reference to the Silver Surfer from the comics about.
The two remaining episodes of the season form a kind of arc dedicated to the next attack of the Daleks and, in fact, the rebirth of the doctor. To be honest, this story made less of an impression on me, but perhaps I’ll return to talking about this season.
When compared with other incarnations of the Doctor, Christopher Eccleston played a rather interesting role: at first glance, he looks rude, but then you feel sympathy for him - this doctor has a captivating love of life and curiosity, he doesn’t even particularly try to hide his adventurism - and is surprised by the wonders of the universe no less than Rose.
The immortal Captain Jack Harkness stood on the roof of the tallest building in Cardiff. The wind blew his hair and stirred the hem of his long coat. No, it was not a coat, but an officer's overcoat from the Second World War. The 21st century is here, and he still wore this overcoat. He loved it very much, and every time it fell into disrepair, he ordered the same one for himself. He grew into this overcoat as well as into this borrowed name, Jack Harkness, which he had long considered his own. He wanted to throw himself down now and stop this endless round dance of years and suffering. But this emergency exit from life was not available to him. He knew that a few minutes after death, he would return to life again, feeling all the pain of the injuries from which he died, and this return to life would be even more painful than death itself. This has happened many times already. Thousands of times he died and came back to life, experiencing unbearable pain. But he would relive it again and again, he would relive it millions of times, just to meet the Doctor again. Time had almost erased from his lips the taste of that one farewell kiss they shared on the day Jack first died. Then they were all ready to die in order to destroy the Dalek armadas. When Jack came to life, the Daleks were finished and the Doctor abandoned him. Then Jack went to the place where the Doctor was supposed to appear sooner or later, but his time funnel manipulator malfunctioned and he was stuck in the 19th century. He remembered. For more than a hundred years, through thousands of deaths, through melancholy and darkness, loneliness and betrayal, through wars and crises of the 20th century, he walked towards the Doctor. The image of the Doctor was his guiding star on this long journey. He thought that on the day he met the Doctor, everything would fall into place, he would receive answers to his questions and meaning would appear, the meaning of his life. And so the Doctor appeared, but he was deadly indifferent to Jack, despite everything Jack did to help him. And at the end of this year, which no one remembered, after they defeated the Master, the Doctor suddenly invited Jack to travel with him. And Jack refused. He refused not only because he was offended by the Doctor’s indifference to him, but also because he was overwhelmed by pride, and he wanted to return to his small group “Torchwood 3”, for which he was what the Doctor was for him, mysterious, an almost omnipotent immortal being. He returned to his team, although they had all already betrayed him once. He thought he was needed here in Cardiff. Oh, how wrong he was. They managed just fine without him. And Gwen Cooper, whom he had almost fallen in love with, was now engaged to Rhys. He loved many over the years. Or did you think he loved you? Even an immortal needs someone to at least temporarily not feel so lonely. He loved Angelo Colossante, Lucia Moretti, the real Jack Harkness, with whom he only managed to spend a few hours on the eve of his training flight, from which he was not destined to return. But he loved none of them as much as the Doctor. Jack never forgot about the Doctor. Once upon a time, in another life, he loved John Hart, who suddenly appeared yesterday and reminded Jack of the man he was before meeting the Doctor. But that evening he first met Rose Tyler and thought he fell in love with her. How he now regretted that he had returned back to Cardiff instead of going with the Doctor. How he wanted now to use his time funnel manipulator to immediately find the Doctor and join him, no matter on what terms, just to be near him, just to see him every day. But he could not do this, because it was the kind Doctor who again disabled his manipulator bracelet. He could only continue to live his life in Cardiff, leading his small group, the king in his little fiefdom called Torchwood 3, and wait for the Doctor to appear here again someday. And then he will definitely not miss his chance. The immortal captain Jack Harkness stood on the roof. He often stood here.
This charismatic character, who first appeared in the cult sci-fi show Doctor Who, subsequently became a recognizable figure in British pop culture, an object of imitation for representatives of non-traditional sexual orientation, a reason for parodies and satire. This publication will focus on the restless and magnetically charming Captain Jack.
From the screen to the masses
Considered the Doctor's best companion, Captain Jack Harkness became the main character in the independent project Alien Hunters (Torchwood 2006). The hero he was reincarnated in appeared before the public for the first time in the next episode of Doctor Who under the title “The Empty Child” in 2005. From this moment on, the protagonist became the partner of the 9th Doctor. He is one of the three characters from the legendary series who have a personal spin-off. Despite his personal project, Captain Jack Harkness did not leave the film Doctor Who, continuing to periodically appear in it along with the tenth reincarnation of the main character.
Character development
In the finale of the first season of the recreated Doctor Who project, Captain Jack Harkness becomes absolutely immortal. On our planet, he joins the ranks of agents of the Torchwood 3 Institute, specializing in preventing alien threats, and a century later becomes its leader. In addition to two TV series, the character appears in several literary works and comics based on two television shows with his participation. also in different time A certain number of collectible figurines of the hero were released.
By necessity
Captain Jack Harkness became the Doctor's first openly bisexual companion in the history of the project, and it is not surprising that he became a role model for many bisexuals and gays in the UK and around the world. If in the classic version of the show the companions of the main actor There were mostly beautiful women who attracted the strong half of humanity to the screen, then the authors of the revived project deliberately introduced Captain Jack Harkness into the film. They justified their decision by the need to equalize the number of men and women so that the modern public would have the opportunity to see handsome men. This measure was effective; many TV viewers began to watch the project precisely because of the hero John Barrowman.
British Tom Cruise
Actor John Barrowman is positioned as a pivotal figure in the concept of Captain Jack Harkness. The performer told the media that during the preparatory casting period, one of the scriptwriters, Russell T. Davies, and one of the producers, Julie Gardner, emphasized that the character was largely written specifically for him. During the tests, the actor, having entered the character, pronounced phrases in three variations: with his native Scottish accent, English and American. When choosing the best option, the filmmakers settled on the American one. The creators were looking for a performer who would fit the role of “ladies’ favorite” and considered Barrowman a worthy candidate. Later, critics often compared the character of the captain, as embodied by Barrowman, with the outstanding American film actor Tom Cruise.
Charming handsome man
The attractive and handsome John Scott Barrowman was born in Scotland in the largest city of the state, Glasgow. But growing up in Illinois, his family moved there. Thanks to his creative teachers, the boy became interested in music and theatrical art from a young age. Having received a higher education at the University of San Diego, the young man returns to the UK. John begins his creative career by participating in Broadway and West End musicals: “Miss Saigon”, “Matador”, “Sunset Boulevard” and “The Phantom of the Opera”.
Afterwards, the already famous artist is invited to work on British television. The role of Captain Jack Harkness for the actor becomes a springboard to worldwide popularity. The performer, in parallel with filming in two TV series, takes an active part in entertainment programs and television projects. Barrowman does not hide his sexual preferences. In 2006, he entered into a civil marriage with an architect
Characteristics
Captain Jack Harkness is portrayed to the public in most accounts as "deadly handsome", "charming and utterly captivating", with his characterizations including the eloquent phrases "a crafty daredevil", "sane and roguish". In Doctor Who, the hero is presented as a relatively happy-go-lucky character, but in the first season of Torchwood he changes, becoming darker and more moody.
Although Jack wore a variety of clothes in The Doctor, in Torchwood he distinguishes himself with a personal style that has been praised by critics as "an iconic landmark in sci-fi fashion." Almost invariably, the hero is dressed in a black and gray coat of a military cut from the period of the Second World War, black, or less often dark brown boots. His shirts are of the same classic cut in a color spectrum from light blue to green and dark blue, with traditional T-shirts underneath. An invariable part of the captain's wardrobe are suspenders. Several times Jack sported a cloth vest with a watch on a chain in the left pocket. It's no surprise that all of the Captain Jack Harkness films were scrutinized in detail by fashionistas.
In Torchwood
“Torchwood” is positioned by most movie experts as an “adult” offshoot of “Doctor Who,” which touches on somewhat more slippery topics and depicts the everyday work of a secret organization in Britain that faithfully protects the kingdom, or even the entire planet, from the machinations of aliens or travelers time of villains. Having started quite sedately, the series by the second season revealed the optimal proportions of irony and serious moments in the narrative and offered the viewing audience a colorful gallery of characters, led by a charming alien from the distant future, Captain Jack Harkness. At the very moment when the series picked up cosmic speed, the creators began to kill off the main characters one after another; it was painful and unpleasant for fans of the project to watch. As a result, the project was closed, which is a pity, because during the time it was aired, the TV show did not manage to convey all the exciting stories to the viewer. But during its existence, “Torchwood” managed to secure its cult status, photos of Captain Jack Harkness did not leave the editorial pages of the media for a long time, and the character himself was loved by a colossal number of viewers. 12 years ago, this hero was considered revolutionary because he was not ashamed of his non-heteronormativity and was pansexual. By the way, the longest romantic relationship the series linked the captain to Ianto Jones, a man who was part of his crew. Unlike the family-oriented Doctor Who, the show Torchwood is not recommended for children to watch.
Jack was born in the 51st century on a border planet called the Boeshane Peninsula in a small village on the seashore. During one of the invasions of the planet, Jack's father died, and his younger brother Gray was kidnapped by the invaders. From Jack's words we know that in adolescence he hit his best friend go with him to war with the invaders, but when crossing the border they were captured, Jack’s friend was tortured and killed before his eyes. Some time after this, Jack joined the Time Agency. While working at the Time Agency, management assigned Jack a partner and partner, John Hart. The partners spent five years together, but after Jack woke up one morning and discovered that he did not remember two years of his life, he decided to leave the Time Agency, however, keeping with him the time funnel manipulator, with which he began to earn his living . Jack preferred to deceive and extort money from his former colleagues, time agents, since he considered his former employers responsible for the loss of his memories.
Having acquired a warship of the Chula race, capable of becoming invisible and stuffed with healing nanogen robots, and a telepathic piece of paper capable of imitating any document at the owner’s request, Jack went into all sorts of troubles.
During one of the relatively fair money grabs, Jack came across the Doctor and Rose and realized that not all of his scams were safe for innocent people. Helping the Doctor neutralize the consequences of his actions, Jack was on the verge of death, but was happily saved by the Tardis crew and became a member of its crew.
Traveling with the Doctor and Rose, Jack eventually ended up in the year 200100 on the Fifth Satellite of the Earth just at the moment when the Doctor's eternal enemies - the Daleks - began their invasion of Earth. Gathering volunteers from the satellite workers, Jack organized a self-defense group against the Daleks, but died, unable to resist the practically invulnerable creatures. However, Rose, who came to the Doctor’s aid and passed through herself the full power of the Tardis time funnel, resurrected him and, as it turned out, forever.
Realizing that he could not die, and realizing that it would be over a hundred years before he could meet the Doctor, Jack joined the Torchwood Institute as a freelancer. For more than a hundred years he worked for Torchwood, participated in the First and Second World Wars, conducted undercover operations, fell in love several times and even got married once, but outlived all his colleagues, lovers and wife.
On New Year's Eve from December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000, Torchwood chief Alex Hopkins, under the influence of an alien artifact, killed all Torchwood employees and committed suicide, leaving the organization to Jack, who began recruiting new team, creating a new Torchwood.
