TV Series: Law & Order: Skate or Die (#19.21) (2009)

Jonah Appelbaum

Loved this episode. Brian Gant as Jonah Appelbaum aka the Bipolar Roller, steals every scene he's in with a swift and wicked sleight of hand. Jeremy Sisto thinks he's got a handle on it, blinks and it's gone, folded and put away in the pocket of Jonah's purple striped hoodie. He's totally mesmerising, incredibly believable (if that's not oxymoronic) as the roller-skating, sweetly psychotic anti-hero of this piece, disarming his interrogators and viewers alike. The part is very well written and beautifully realised with a skill so consummate, it seems there's nothing as ordinary as acting involved.

Kudos to whoever plundered the rainbow to create Jonah's outfit, which can only be called an 'ensemble', manifesting such diligent attention to detail, from accessories (the gold lamé scarf and the jewellery), the aforementioned hoodie, resulting in an effect that perfectly complements Jonah's psychedelic trip of a personality.

Brian Gant

Gant invests Jonah with so much idiosyncratic charm, such gusto and unexpected athleticism as he alternates between intense focus and utter distraction, somehow making it all seem so natural that if the plot hadn't worked out the way it did, I would fully expect to see the Bipolar Roller next time I come to New York and perhaps items from the clothing line will be in the shops soon.

To see Jonah, go to Brian Gant's showreel, here. He's a few minutes in.

More on acting/performance from the Squirrel at secretsquirrelshorts. 

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