MovieChat Forums > The Astronaut Wives Club (2015) Discussion > Desmond Harrington as Alan Shepard

Desmond Harrington as Alan Shepard

posted 10 years ago by pinoko
8 replies | jump to latest

Being a Desmond fan I might be a bit biased but I thought that his casting as Shepard was an especially good one.I liked the rest of the cast too (particularly Garcia Swisher) but for some reason I thought that him as Shepard more than just made sense. There is something in his presence and mannerisms that makes him fit for this particular role. He was totally like Scott Glenn in the Great Stuff. The show may not be the finest on television but the cast is stellar so far.

[–] sandman_exe 10 years ago

He is playing the same character as he was in Dexter

[–] pinoko 10 years ago

I didn't see it that way. I thought he was closer to Scott Glenn's portrayal of Shepard than Quinn. Much calmer and steely and also a lot more rational.

[–] CosimaValkyrie 10 years ago

I barely recognized him! It looks like he's lost a fair amount of weight. Glad he's in something new tho.

[–] Rose-74 10 years ago

I thought the same thing. He looks really skinny.

[–] doLLish 10 years ago

I only know him as Jack Bass from Gossip Girl so I too was shocked to see him so skinny. Big departure from where he used to be.

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[–] JaeBianca 10 years ago

It's so funny. I hadn't seen Right Stuff since the mid-80s, so I had no idea of who was who, just a vague memory of who was in it. But at one point I during the pilot, I commented to myself how drawn Desmond Harrington looked compared to his younger days. Then I squinted an eye, and said that he sort of reminds me of Scott Glenn, though. As soon as the episode was over, I had to look up the real astronauts. So, I was tickled pink that they had both played Alan Shepard.

[–] pinoko 10 years ago

It is not a coincidence. They both resemble Shepard as well as each other. Ted Levine (Buffalo Bill from silence of the Lambs) also played this role on the HBO mini but he was not such a great choice. Desmond and Scott Glenn were inspired choice though.

[–] JaeBianca 10 years ago

I'm sure it wasn't! But for me, it was just weird for Scott Glenn's name to pop into my head, because he's not an actor I've seen much of (definitely not in his younger days, mostly in crusty, old man roles), and I was probably 7 or 8 when I saw The Right Stuff.