Why Myn Weaver From Ahsoka Looks So Familiar
In the ever-expanding "Star Wars" universe, fans continually see the return of favorites and the introduction of brand-new characters. "Ahsoka" has found a way to bring some of our favorite animated characters to life in a live-action storyline deepening our knowledge of the galaxy far, far away. Myn Weaver, played by TV veteran Peter Jacobson,is one of the new characters we see pop in the series.
Appearing in "Part 2: Toil and Trouble," Weaver is a regional supervisor for the New Republic. He oversees a factory focusing on the repurposing of Empire resources to create supplies for the New Republic. When Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) and Hera (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) visit the factory, they uncover Weaver's loyalties are not with the Republic; instead, he is an Imperialist in hiding. When an assassin droid flees the factory, Ahsoka engages in a battle against Marrok while Hera chases the ship to employ a tracker. We last see Weaver taken into custody by the Republic, along with his cohorts.
Fans also noticed his appearance, with Reddit user u/thunderSilent posting, "Am I the only one who was hyped when I saw Peter Jacobson in the latest episode?" Jacobson made a name for himself across the industry by appearing in nearly 100 projects reaching back to the early '90s. If you think you recognize him, he likely showed up in some of your favorites.
He sat next to his idol in A Civil Action
The 1998 film "A Civil Action" starred a who's who in Hollywood. John Travolta ("Grease," "Saturday Night Fever") stars as an attorney who takes on a class action lawsuit against large corporations whose negligent waste practices allegedly cause medical ailments and deaths in a nearby town. The film stars William H. Macy ("Shameless," "Jurassic Park III"), James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos," "Get Shorty"), John Lithgow ("Dexter," "Pet Sematary"), and Robert Duvall ("Deep Impact," "Lonesome Dove").
Peter Jacobson appears in the film as Neil Jacobs, a co-defendant of the companies being sued. He spends the majority of his time sitting at a table next to lead defendant Jerome Facher, played by Duvall. One of the more enjoyable moments in the film is listening to Facher teaching a law class in the form of a voiceover and giving the advice to object to a motion if you fall asleep; all the while, Jacobs wakes him up with an elbow nudge.
When speaking about his role in the film with The A.V. Club, Jacobson raved about sitting next to a legend. "I sat next to Robert Duvall at the lawyers' table for six weeks, and it's still probably the best six weeks of my life. [Laughs.] He, to me, is the greatest film actor ever. I just think Duvall is it. Everybody else they're wonderful, but Duvall sets the tone for all of cinema acting. So just to be in his space was amazing. And he's just a guy. He talks about steak, and cars, and cattle. He's just a really funny, normal guy. That was great."
He haggled Sam's grade in Transformers
The "Transformers" films brought the animated franchise to live-action, with the titular robots changing from ordinary vehicles to warriors from another planet doing battle on Earth. While these films helped launch the big-screen careers of Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, they also feature many other familiar faces like Tyrese Gibson, Anthony Anderson, Josh Duhamel, and John Turturro. And, of course, Peter Jacobson made a tiny but memorable appearance.
Jacobson appears in the first installment of the franchise as Sam Witwicky's (LaBeouf) 11th-grade teacher, Mr. Hosney. During Sam's presentation on his great-great-grandfather, Archibald Witwicky, Hosney looks to be very bored, but not so much so that he misses the opportunity to raise a "quiet" sign every time Sam says a word like seaman or sextant. By the end of the scene, Sam is haggling with Hosney over his B- grade, as he needs an A for his dad to give him a new car.
Jacobson spoke about his small role in his interview with The A.V. Club. "That was just a day, but that was fun," he said before continuing to talk about what it was like working with the actors. "Shia was great. He's just high-energy. He's into really playing, and I had to be on my toes in a way that I wasn't necessarily expecting. He's a very instinctive actor, and—I mean, it's not like this was a scene from On The Waterfront, but even a little scene, when you're working with an actor who's really focused and really in it and throwing a lot at you, you've got to keep on your toes. And that's a lot of fun."
He was the voice of reason on House
Medical shows have been all the rage since the massive success of series like "E.R." Since then, we've gotten everything from the ultra-dramatic "Grey's Anatomy" to the more fun and satirical "Scrubs." But one of the genre's best is a middle ground between the two called "House." The series follows a group of doctors who spend their days trying to solve difficult and unusual medical cases before the patient succumbs to their ailment. Throw into that Dr. Gregory House's (Hugh Laurie) abrasive bedside manner and sarcasm, and you have an instant hit.
Peter Jacobson appeared in 96 episodes from Season 4 onward as Dr. Chris Taub. While the team of doctors is made up of many different personalities and consequently squabbles over virtually everything, Dr. Taub is often the voice of reason, very easily being considered the one true stable adult on the team.
Jacobson spoke with Absolute Music Chat about his continuing audition for the role. "I was told it would be nine episodes in which my character would be trying to get chosen for House's new team," he explained. "Which also meant that I, the actor, would essentially be auditioning through all those episodes. This seemed like it might be pretty stressful for me. Few actors are immune to that voice in your head that questions or judges your own work, wondering whether or not you're doing a good job, whether people like your work or not. So here was a chance to worry about that for three months in a row. Yay."
He was a hot-shot in Ray Donovan
"Ray Donovan" gives a fictitious look at the life of a celebrity fixer, one where the titular character, played by Liev Schreiber ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine," "Scream 2"), spends his days arranging any number of illegal activities like bribes, intimidation, crime cover-ups, and more for his celebrity clients in Los Angeles and New York. His life is complicated more when his father, Mickey (Jon Voight) is released from prison. Ray has to navigate his family while avoiding the radioactive investigation into his father's criminal enterprise.
Peter Jacobson appears as Lee Drexler, a hotshot attorney who sometimes needs Ray's help. Drexler begins as a partner to Ezra Goldman (Elliott Gould), but after the character's death, he becomes more of a boss to Ray. They are not always on the same page, and they may not even like each other, but they are always on the same side.
During his Random Roles conversation with The A.V. Club, Jacobson spoke about his time working with Schreiber. "I love working with Liev," he said. "I've known him for a long time. I'd never worked with him before this, but he is one of the most intense actors you can work with. I just think he is a master. Few actors are so self-possessed and so focused and so confident. It's great to be around him and work with him because we also have a lot of fun because we go back to getting out of grad school at the same time and knowing a lot of the same people in New York."
He was a proxy governor in Colony
Carlton Cuse is one of the biggest names in TV you may or may not know. He served as creator and showrunner on multiple huge TV hits like "Lost," "Nash Bridges," "Bates Motel," and "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan." He also brought "Colony" to the USA Network and reunited with his "Lost" star Josh Holloway. The story follows a militant future where humans are forced labor for the Hosts, later described as an alien race using us to help them fight a war of their own.
Peter Jacobson landed the role of Proxy Alan Snyder. His position as the Proxy Governor of Los Angeles puts him in a place to be a villain as he works for the host, but eventually, he goes on the run. As is typically the case with Jacobson, his portrayal is relatable and real, making it difficult to know if you should trust him or not from beginning to end.
In an interview with Talk Nerdy to Us, Jacobson shared his thoughts on the character. "Not at all. He is villainous, but he's also a father, a collaborator, and somebody struggling to survive, just like everybody else," he said. "I think probably any good villain has different levels and has a human side, but Snyder, more than most, is probably not your classic villain. In regard to me, I don't think I come across as a villainous person, unlike some actors who always play villains. I can be honestly smarmy, but that's another matter. He's complicated, and that's what I love about him!"
He had a crisis of faith in Fear the Walking Dead
You would be hard-pressed to find a bigger phenomenon in the TV world than "The Walking Dead" and its spin-offs. While series like "Game of Thrones" or "Stranger Things" may have had a stranglehold on the world, "The Walking Dead" was the only one that featured a talk show following the episode, "Talking Dead." One of those spin-offs, "Fear the Walking Dead," focuses on a blended but dysfunctional family as they deal with the aftereffects of the zombie apocalypse. Of course, you have to eventually see someone from the original series, and that happens with Morgan Jones (Lennie James), who gets the focus in Season 4.
Jacobson appears as Rabbi Jacob Kessner beginning in Season 4. While his status as a rabbi makes him seem religious, viewers discover he lost his faith when he found all of his people dead. He only keeps up the traditions of his faith because he believes it is all that he has left.
In an appearance on the podcast "Dead Talk," Jacobson talked about what attracted him to the role that is very different from the rest of his career. "It sort of came out of the blue," he said. "They told me they want you to play a rabbi; this isn't my first rabbi." He added that he went way back with some of the people involved, including Garrett Dillahunt, who plays John Dorie. He then praised the experience, saying, "I took to killing zombies very quickly."
Even though it was a very different tole for the actor, he continually shows that he is always a welcome addition to any series.