![Joel Kinnaman - Image crdit - By Sandra Birgersdotter [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/3/20/660x290/b_502x220x82/joel-kinnaman-httpscommonswikimediaorgwikifilejoel-kinnaman-2014-croppedjpg_1894275.jpg "Joel Kinnaman - Image crdit - By Sandra Birgersdotter [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons")
Last month, "Altered Carbon" premiered on Netflix. It was their answer to "Game of Thrones." It is full of action, special effects, and of course, intimate moments. The lead actor for Season one the is Swedish-American actor, Joel Kinnaman. You might recognize him from his role as Rick Flag in "Suicide Squad" or the "Robocop" remake or his guest starring role on "House of Cards." You might even have watched his other show, "The Killing," which aired on AMC then Netflix picked it up when it was almost cancelled. But here, we look at specific shows and how they have changed modern storytelling for the better.
His roles and shows
"The Killing" was about two detectives who were very different but had one thing in common, the passion to solve the case. This one thing led to them overcoming their own personal demons. Kinnaman played the young Detective Stephen Holder who had just become sober at the start of season one from drug addiction.
His leading lady was the talented Mireille Enos who played Detective Sarah Linden, a single mom who grew up in foster care. Throughout the four seasons, we watched as these two argued and joked as they tried to stay dry in Seattle weather, solving murder cases. The most interesting aspect was that they both had equally interesting backstories, subplots and were overall, well written.
This is rare for TV, where the female and male character have flaws and strengths that work well together.
In "Altered Carbon," Kinnaman is put 500 years into the future where people are now safely loaded onto a chip that can be inserted into another body. This allows for eternal life, or so it is the thought. When a Korean-American fighter’s chip is on storage and brought back to Earth years later, he is put into Kinnaman’s body to solve a murder case.
Kinnaman therefore plays two characters, Kovacs, the human that is brought back to life and Ryker, the person that was born in the body. Both characters have awesome love interests. Kovacs leader was a mixed race, bad*ss fighter who he remembers and often imagines guiding him while he is back in this new body.
Ryker was in love with his co-worker, a Mexican hot-head who has a lot of heart.
She helps Kovacs solve the case and tries to make sure that Ryker’s body stays in tact. Accompanying these two leading ladies is Kovacs sister, who is somehow tied to the whole reason why he is brought back to Earth. These leading characters are diverse, intriguing and a fresh take on telling stories. In the years since television has exited, there hasn't been many examples of multi-racial, thawed out characters. Add to the mix, they are female characters to boot!
Why this is important
It’s unique to see a tall, white, attractive actor who is the leading man in his work to share the screen with such diverse female characters. On top of that, the female characters and their storylines are just as involved as the males.
How many shows, films, even actors (or actresses) can say that?
Kinnaman has a new show that will stream on Amazon Prime, based on the film, "Hanna." He plays the father of a teenage, assassin-trained daughter. He will also be reunited with his leading lady, Enos. Even if you haven’t seen the original film, the plot itself proves that Kinnaman continues to work on shows that have complex female leads and they don’t take the sidelines. This means he will have three shows where he plays the leading male lead in a story where the female characters sit in the front seat too. What a lucky career to have!
