In Character: Gary Cole

What’s so interesting about Gary Cole is that he can play it all, without changing his appearance. Save a few minor costume alterations (suspenders, after all, really do go a long way), the man almost always looks the same, yet his characters are wildly diverse. From the shady FBI agent to the low level Chicago thug, from a guy to one of comedy’s most entitled douchebags, there is no end to the satisfaction I get from Cole’s work.

Five Essential Roles

A Simple Plan (1998)

Neil Baxter

The power of Cole’s performance in A Simple Plan comes down to one brief but critical moment. Neil Baxter is an FBI agent whose investigation into a plane crash has led him to a small town in Minnesota. Once in town, Baxter accompanies the sheriff as he questions brothers Hank (Bill Paxton) and Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton) about the plane. Hank and Jacob lie, saying they think they heard a plane engine in the woods a while back (when, in actuality, they came across the crash by accident and stole more than $4 million they found on site). The sheriff kindly tells the brothers they can go, and right as they’re about to get away clean, Baxter asks if Hank and Jacob can take him to where they heard the engine sound. It’s an unbearable moment of tension, made better by Cole’s playful indifference.

But there’s more going on here. Though, fully highlighting the subtitles of Cole’s performance would ruin the movie. What’s important is this: A Simple Plan is a masterful little film that deserves to be seen by everyone. And Cole’s performance is an chief reason why.

One Hour Photo (2002)

Bill Owens

The thing I love about Bill Owens is that he’s just a guy. An ordinary guy who takes his job as the manager of a retail store seriously. He doesn’t have any ticks that the audience can laugh at, he doesn’t have any noticeable aggression or exaggerated energy – he’s just… a guy. There’s a familiarity to performances like these that isn’t nearly given enough credit. Because, really, playing a guy is a damn hard thing to do. But Cole sells us immediately. He blends in and never calls attention to himself, which, in a film centered on a creepy, bleach-blond psychopath, is exactly what is needed.

Interesting, then, that Cole is responsible for One Hour Photo’s most devastating moment, when he fires Sy Parrish (Robin Williams) from his job as a photo technician. Too many extra photo prints have gone unaccounted for, and Bill has to let Sy go. Thing is, this job is Sy’s life, literally. So firing him is, in effect, killing his will to live. It’s a delicate scene that Cole plays with perfect apathy… the way a guy would.

Entourage (2008-2010)

Andrew Klein

One of my favorite character arcs on Entourage was the rise and fall of Andrew Klein. In Season 6, Hollywood powerhouse Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), hired his old pal, Andrew, to run the television division of Ari’s agency. It didn’t take long for Andrew to fail, as he quickly began having an affair with a much younger junior agent. Where Cole shined on the show was in his desperate attempt(s) to get his wife, Marlo, back. But it was too little too late. Andrew’s epic misdeeds led to a hilariously extended argument between him and Marlo on their front lawn, which resulted in Andrew driving his car into their living room, because, well, why the hell not?

Cole is no stranger to extended arcs on popular television shows (perhaps his stint as The West Wing’s Vice President being the most popular), but his work as Andrew will always be my favorite. Rags to riches to rags, in all its pathetic glory.

The Last Rites of Joe May (2011)

Lenny

We’ve all met guys like Lenny. At least in the movies. He’s the boss’s son – the young punk who’s moved in and taken over poppa’s criminal operation. When down and out, low level hood, Joe May (Dennis Farina, never better) goes to Lenny begging for some work, Lenny makes it a point to openly prey on Joe’s humiliation. But Cole doesn’t deliver Lenny’s smugness with hyperbolic glee; he’s far more understated than that. Instead, he lets Joe sit and suffer in his own self-pity, occasionally offering a word or two about how Joe is no longer cut out for this kind of work. Cole’s is a brief role (the film is really Farina’s show, and it’ll make you miss him dearly), but he does wonders with the little time Lenny is given.

And then something interesting happens. Just as the film is about to conclude, it curiously gives Lenny one final moment. A moment that I like to call a “huh” moment. Not “huh” like a question, more like, “Huh, that was actually perfect.” You know the one. It’s that little grunt of satisfaction; of knowing that the film simply couldn’t end any other way. Huh.

Veep (2013-2014)

Kent Davison

HBO’s Veep is one of the funniest television shows I’ve ever seen. Every episode of its first two seasons presented razor sharp, perfectly dry comedy. I’m likely to cover more actors from Veep in this column in the future, and I can all but guarantee that their respective contribution to the show will get a mention. Gary Cole is a great case in point. Kent Davison is a complete ball buster who loves barking orders at people, and is very skilled at never taking responsibility for his own mistakes. You could literally choose any of Cole’s scenes on Veep to showcase as great comedy. Doing Pilates with Reid Scott, screaming with/at Kevin Dunn, or, in one of my all-time favorite Veep moments, firing Timothy Simons’ Jonah in last week’s episode. There isn’t a false note in Cole’s comedic choices on the show.

The Best of the Best

Office Space (1999)

Bill Lumbergh

As obvious a choice as this may be, sometimes there’s no denying the power of That One Role. Gary Cole is going to continue to have a great career for many years to come, but, for better or worse, he’ll always be idolized and best remembered as the awkward, elitist, douchebag that is Bill Lumbergh.

One of the reasons Office Space continues to live on is that everyone involved completely owned their roles. Absurd though they may be, the players kept their mumbles and stutters and exaggerated “Yeaaaaahs” intact throughout. Very few of the performers in the film are actually going for the joke. Most, like Cole, are playing it straight and letting the audience do with it what they will. Initially, the joke appeared to be on the filmmakers, as Office Space bombed with audiences and critics when it was released. Now, try to find a person who can’t quote the flick endlessly.

Whenever I watch Cole’s hilarious performance in this film, I’m reminded that it really shouldn’t have worked. Yet it does, almost miraculously. It’s one of the most iconic comedic performances of the ‘90s; a performance so confident and ridiculous, that the mere sound of the first half second of (several) voicemails is enough to send us over the edge with laughter. Gary Cole’s work will be remembered long after we’re all gone, but Bill Lumbergh will live forever.

Other Notable Roles

With Rosie Perez in Pineapple Express

Midnight Caller (1988–1991)

In the Line of Fire (1993)

The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)

American Gothic (1995–1996)

From the Earth to the Moon (1998)

The Gift (2000)

Family Guy (2000-2014)

The West Wing (2003-2006)

Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004)

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

The Ring Two (2005)

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

Breach (2007)

Pineapple Express (2008)

Desperate Housewives (2008)

The Joneses (2009)

The Good Wife (2010-2013)

True Blood (2011)

The Chicago 8 (2011)

Suits (2011-2013)