The film industry seemed to plunge into the mysterious world of magic and the supernatural. Series and films about vampires and werewolves, sorcerers and witches, ghosts and spirits began to appear like mushrooms after the rain. Moreover, in the pursuit of "fashion" the storyline and semantic load are often lame, but there are few really interesting characters.
A good rating, the assessment of viewers and critics has an American remake of the series “Being Human” (Being Human). His pilot series was launched in 2011. The series was shot in the spirit of a mystical thriller with elements of comedy. It has four full seasons, the last broadcast in 2014.
About the plot
The American series Being Human is not a typical story of supernatural characters: a vampire, a ghost, and a werewolf. People are used to perceiving them with horror. Meanwhile, an unusual group of friends living in the same house is trying by all means to destroy the stereotype that has formed in society. Besides the fact that they endlessly confront their natural essence, friends try to help people in the investigation of crimes whenever possible. The creators of the series “Being a Man” (actors and roles are listed later in the text) decided to move away from the theme of the classic love triangle, in which there is a person, werewolf and vampire. Characters are more complex and contradictory, without a positive or negative role in their purest form.
Interesting Facts
- Toby Whitehouse - the creator of the series - in the original version called it "This Life." The main characters in it were a drug addict, an office worker with bouts of uncontrollable anger and a girl suffering from agoraphobia (fear of open space). T. Whitehouse added a mystical equivalent side to the heroes later. The addict became a vampire, the girl a ghost, and the embittered manager a werewolf.
- In 2008, the first pilot episode of the English original version of “Be Human” was launched on television. The US television series, whose actors are presented later in the text, was released much later, in 2011, and has four seasons.
- As already mentioned, the series is a remake of the British project of the same name, where the main roles were played by Aidan Turner, Russell Tovey and Lenora Crichlow (pictured below).
Adaptation of the original version
The task of adapting the British series for North American television was set for the family of scriptwriters and producers Anna Frick and Jeremy Carver, who had already dealt with mystical projects, taking part in the work on the script of “Supernatural”. They announced that the American version will be different from the British series "Being a Man." The US television series, whose actors are little known to the domestic audience, retains the main idea of the original source, but at the same time it is largely changed. In other words, the essence and initial message remain, but they will be rethought and presented to the viewer in a slightly different way. The screenwriters also distinguished themselves by introducing new characters into the project, which are absent in the British series, thereby developing new storylines. The names of the heroes are also changed. It is noteworthy that the vampire in the American version is called Aidan. This is a reference to the English series, where the main role was played by an actor with Aidan Turner. According to D. Carver, he and his wife avoided viewing the original until the moment when the filming of their own project was not finished.
Casting actors
Casting began in 2010. The very first approved actor to sign a contract with Entertainment Weekly was Sam Whitver (June 22, 2010). he was chosen for the role of a charismatic vampire. The following were Meagan Rat (a ghost girl) and Sam Huntingon (a werewolf). After almost a month, the producers announced that the cast of the series was replenished with the star “Lost” and “Supernatural” by Mark Pellegrino as the frightening creator of the suffering vampire.
"Being a Man": Sam Whitver
The American television and film actor, as well as the musician, is familiar to the audience mainly from the series “Smallville Secrets”. From 2011 to 2014, he played one of the main roles in the project “Being a Man” - the vampire Aidan White. His character, 260 years old, was converted during the American Civil War. Nowadays, he works as a regular medical brother in a Boston hospital. He struggles with his nature and has long ceased to drink blood from living people, getting it quite peacefully in the hospital.
"Being a Man": Sam Huntington
An American actor, known to the general public for his roles in several TV shows, including the main one in Being a Man. He was born in Peterborough and is a relative of the famous Ralph Bellamy. After the death of the latter, an Oscar for high achievements in the film industry was posthumously awarded to Huntington.
His character is a werewolf Joshua Levison, who is very difficult to cope with his curse and bouts of anger. With awe, he awaits the onset of each full moon and tries to overcome animal instincts. Josh works as a nurse in the same hospital as Aidan. In the third season, thanks to his beloved, he manages to get rid of the curse for some time and return to a normal "human" life.
Ghost girl
Actress from Canada Meagan Rat played the role of Sally Malik in the series, and more precisely, her ghost. She is a frequent guest at the house rented by Aidan and Joshua. This is due, to a certain extent, to the fact that she once lived in it with her fiancé. Until a certain moment, they were happy, but once the angry owner of the house pushed Sally down the stairs, as a result the girl died, but her soul remained on the ground. Together with her friends, she tries to find a way to return to the physical shell and simultaneously helps them solve crimes.
All of them in the American television series "Being a Man" are the main cast actors. We also draw your attention to no less interesting characters who also spent quite a lot of time in the frame.
Nora Sergeant - werewolf girl
The role of the blonde girlfriend, and later the wife of the werewolf Joshua, was performed by Canadian actress Christine Hager. She is familiar to the domestic audience primarily by participating in such films as “I Am Not There”, “Aliens Against a Predator: Requiem”, “Especially Dangerous” and “A Little Zombie”.
Since the second season, her character began to appear regularly in the series. The girl works as a nurse in the same hospital. There she meets Joshua, feelings flare up between the young people, but he is afraid to reveal his secret to her. In the end, the girl finds out everything and is desperately trying to find a way to return the guy to a normal life. The original character image is fundamentally transformed by the end of the fourth season of the series “Being a Man”. Actors managed to create bright characters on the screen that do not let the viewer get bored. They differ from the characters in the original version.
Mark Pellegrino
The star of the TV series “Lost” and “Supernatural” is not the first time playing a mystical role. He maneuvered filigree for 4 years between the image of Lucifer and the vampire James Bishop, starring in two projects at the same time. In the series "Being a Man" the actors were recruited quite quickly, Pellegrino came one of the last, adorning him with his presence. As a permanent character, he appears only in the first season, followed by episodic participation.
His hero became a vampire in the 15th century, several centuries later he turned Aidan, thereby becoming its creator. He currently works at the Boston Police Department.