Who had got to know him before seeing his wonderful performance as the character of Bill nella 1×03 di The Last of Us perhaps he will not have been too surprised by the latter performance, but there are still many, especially in our country, who know little about him or even ignore his previous acting performances. Well, yes, today we want to talk about Nick Offermanan actor born in 1970 who over the years has given us fantastic acting tests and who we are sure will still give us many satisfactions in the future.
On the occasion of the relaunch of the man’s career, today we want to review some of the most iconic roles of Nick Offerman and the evolution of his career, both in comedy and drama.
Attention, in the article you may stumble upon possible spoilers on 1×03 of The Last of Us. Enjoy the reading!
Before talking about the latest developments in the actor’s career, let’s take a step back in time and his debut in the theater scene of Chicago. Performer, but also choreographer and if necessary carpenter: Since the 90s Offerman has demonstrated his motivation in pursuing his dream by getting noticed for his talent. It will be precisely during this period that the man will tighten the special friendship with Amy Poheler (fundamental for his future career) and, subsequently, he will know Megan Mullallythe iconic interpreter of Karen Of Will & Grace, who will later become his wife and with whom he will also work in some series. In the early 2000s Offerman began to launch his career in television, appearing on shows such as 24, A mum for a friendthe aforementioned Will & Grace, The West Wing and others.
The turning point however occurs in 2009, the year in which Nick Offerman begins to play the role of the unmistakable and inimitable Ron Swanson in the comedy series Parks & Recreation together with Amy Poheler.
His thick moustache, thick brown hair and grim expression are his trademark: Ron Swanson is a true icon both from the point of view of the aesthetics of the character and in terms of his characterization. Nick Offerman’s interpretation from this point of view is truly phenomenal and it almost seems that the character is perfectly tailored to him. Capable of a truly incredible comic verve and able to make the most of the contrasts of his unusual character, a surly man who embodies the highest form of masculinity in his most stereotypical and parodic staging. A misanthropic and basically anarchic government employee who despises contact with the public and who enjoys hunting, any type of manual labor, breakfasts of eggs, bacon and sausage, steaks, whiskey and, of course, sex. An apparently impassive character far from any kind of sentimentality who actually hides a heart of gold and who would do anything for the people he cares about.
A character that certainly would never have worked as well as it actually did if it had been another actor than Nick Offerman who, playing with mimicry, gestures and a truly unmistakable timbre of voice gave us one of the funniest characters of the last decade and who deserves to be rediscovered especially in Italy, a country where, unfortunately, Parks & Recreation has not yet managed to establish itself in popular culture at the levels of other similar comedy TV series. Despite his hilarious portrayal of Ron Swanson, the actor garnered almost no television award wins (save for the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Performance in a Comedy).
After the big adventure with Parks & Recreationhere in fact the man returns in great shape for the second season of the anthological series Fargo, in which he plays the character of the lawyer Karl Weathers. The man later becomes one of the most beloved television show presenters of the period by hosting (along with friend Amy Poheler) Making It, a show in which carpenters, carpenters and DIY enthusiasts face off in various craft challenges (a passion that Nick Offerman has turned into a real job by creating his own company specializing in the sector). Then follow a series of excellent tests which, however, still fail to bring him out: the actor makes various appearances in many show (come The Good Place, Good Omens), it pays his unmistakable voice in some series and animated films, from The Great North a The Lego Movie and participates in some interesting series such as drama like Devs e Colin in Black & White.
But it’s the 2022 to mark a new turning point in the career of the actor: the man is in fact engaged in the series of The Last of Usparticipates in Peacock’s dark comedy The Resort con William Jackson Harper e Cristin Milioti and becomes one of the main interpreters of the Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommyseries that tells the scandal that emerged following the diffusion of a sextape about the wedding night between the actress Pamela Anderson and musician Tommy Lee. In showNick Offerman plays the role of Michael Morrison, actor, producer and director of pornographic films who, together with Rand Gauthier, will be the first to try to market the aforementioned video. In the miniseries, Offerman will stand out once againdemonstrating his talent and providing a more than convincing proof.
But now, without going around it anymore, we come to tell you about the phenomenal interpretation that Offerman gave us in the episode 1×03 of the acclaimed HBO series The Last of Us titled Long, Long Time. It is really difficult for us to put into words the sensations that the episode in question has been able to convey to us. Praised by the public but also by insiders as one of the most beautiful and exciting episodes of the last period, but more generally of the last few years, if Long, Long Time it is what it is, this is due precisely to the fantastic accoppiata Nick Offerman-Murray Bartlett. If in fact recently we had been able to appreciate the second for the impeccable work of him in the first season The White Lotus (which earned him an Emmy), but it was undoubtedly the meticulous work behind Offerman’s rendering of the character of Bill. Not that the latter’s talent was in question, mind you, but, wrongly (knowing the videogame counterpart of the character), we would have expected to be faced with an individual with a very different emotional charge.
When Bill’s character is in fact presented on stage for the first time, we don’t deny you have immediately thought inevitably of a post-apocalyptic and vicious version of the anti-government, misanthropic and paranoid Ron Swanson, happier than ever to have been left alone to govern his own “town” and to live in peace. Well, if you’ve seen the episode in question, you’ll understand how wrong we were. Bill’s character building reaches a depth that no one would have expected: the version of Nick Offerman, who in a limited playing time he manages to restore an emotional range of a thousand shadesis really devastating: anger, insecurity, fragility, fear of being alone, sense of protection…
A path that differs considerably from the original version of the characterwhich in the game of PlayStation played a more active role in the journey than Joel e you Elliebut which was light years away from such an in-depth analysis and from a story as tragic as it is romantic which has already been compared by many spectators, for emotion and feeling, to the intro of the Pixar film Up.
With this little pearl of acting Nick Offerman brings to the stage what for us is his greatest and most heartfelt interpretation, a performance that deserves to be recognized and appreciated in the awards season: just know that already now the public is clamoring for its victory at the next Emmy Awards celebration! ua thrilling actor’s performance which reminds us once again how very often actors generally better known for their comic side can manage to surprise us thanks to theirs performance more dramatic and emotional.
If, as of January 2023, these are the standards for serial acting performance of the year, fellow actors will have to really sweat to get through such a test.
