Why Teddy From The Equalizer Looks So Familiar
In 2014's The Equalizer, Denzel Washington stars as Robert McCall, a former member of the Marines and the Defense Intelligence Agency who uses his skills to take down the Russian mafia growing in power and influence in Boston. A widower, McCall has very little to lose. He's willing to do whatever it takes to stop these men and free a young woman named Alina (Chloe Grace Moretz) from them.
As he battles against the Russians, McCall comes face to face with a man known as Teddy Rensen, played by New Zealand actor Marton Csokas. Teddy is the main enforcer for the mafia kingpin Vladimir Pushkin (Vladimir Kulich), sent to find and kill McCall. He is a brutal and ruthless man who tries many times to catch McCall. Thanks to help from McCall's friend Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo), he discovers that Teddy's real name is Nikolai Itchenko. Itchenko was formerly a member of the secret police in Russia and has Russian Spetsnaz, or special forces, training.
Throughout The Equalizer, Teddy is a threat to McCall and his drive for vengeance. But in the end, he is no match for the Equalizer. For many fans of the film, Csokas is likely a familiar face, as the actor has already had an extensive acting career. If you aren't sure where you've seen him before, let us jog your memory.
Marton Csokas played Celeborn in The Lord of the Rings
In The Lord of the Rings trilogy starring Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, the innocent Hobbit sent to destroy the One Ring before the Dark Lord Sauron can take its power, Csokas plays Celeborn. His character is Lord of Lothlórien, the Elven realm, and he is the husband of Galadriel, played by Cate Blanchett. Like many other elves the group meets along their journey, Caleborn is quite old and known to be one of the wisest elves alive.
During the War of the Ring, Celeborn defends his realm from enemy forces and leads the assault on Dol Guldur, the enemy castle that is Sauron's base of operations. According to the original novels by J. R. R. Tolkien, Celeborn and Galadriel have a daughter named Celebrían. She is the spouse of Elrond, played by Hugo Weaving in the movies, and the mother of Arwen, played by Liv Tyler.
Celeborn's main appearance in the series is in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first film released in 2001. Csokas' character was originally supposed to appear in all three Lord of the Rings films, but his scenes in The Two Towers were cut for time, and he only has a small appearance at the end of Return of the King.
Marton Csokas took on the role of Trevor Goodchild in Æon Flux
In 2005, Csokas took on another pre-existing character when he played Trevor Goodchild in the movie Æon Flux, based on the animated series that ran from 1991 to 1995. The film is set in 2415, centuries after a virus kills 99% of the world's population. It stars Charlize Theron as Æon Flux, an assassin working for a rebel organization known as the Monicans.
When Æon is sent to kill the leader of a city-state called Bregna, she meets Trevor, a scientist on a mission to solve the problem of infertility caused by the virus's antidote. Æon feels a strange connection to Trevor and begins to question everything she knows. Soon Æon discovers that everyone in Bregna is a clone, rebuilt from old DNA that maintain some of the past lives' memories. Through this knowledge, Æon learns that she is a clone of Trevor's original wife, Katherine. As they learn more about each other and their collective past, Æon and Trevor uncover a web of lies built to keep everyone under the control of Trevor's brother, Oren (Jonny Lee Miller). Together, they are able to tear down the system of control and let the world grow naturally again.
Unfortunately, Æon Flux bombed at the box office got really bad reviews from critics, with a 9% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Into the Badlands starred Marton Csokas as Baron Quinn
From 2015 to 2017, Csokas starred in the post-apocalyptic martial arts drama Into the Badlands for AMC. The story is set around 500 years in the future, when an apocalyptic event leaves the world in ruins. In the aftermath, society is rebuilt as a feudal system, with many reverting to melee weaponry and hand-to-hand fighting over guns. Csokas plays Quinn, a ruthless and calculating Baron of the Badlands who doesn't care who he has to kill to maintain his power and get what he wants. He is a skilled fighter with a longsword, even though he prefers to let others do the fighting for him.
Quinn trains his own "Clippers," a samurai army of sorts, who fight on his behalf. His Clippers are led by a man named Sonny, played by Daniel Wu, an extremely deadly fighter who is known across the Badlands for his skills and strong morals. At the beginning of season 1, Sonny encounters a boy named MK (Aramis Knight) and takes him under his care. Sonny quickly discovers that MK has a special gift that the Barons will want to use and control, so he protects him from Quinn and the others.
Baron Quinn is a part of the main cast in seasons 1 and 2. Into the Badlands also stars Orla Brady, Emily Beecham, Ally Ioannides, and Nick Frost, and was cancelled by AMC after three seasons.
Marton Csokas plays Francis Carver in the period drama The Luminaries
Most recently, Csokas joined the period drama The Luminaries, set during the 1860's Gold Rush in New Zealand and based on the book of the same name by Eleanor Catton. The Luminaries stars Eva Green as Lydia Wells, an American entrepreneur who is self-assured and resilient, but greedy. Csokas plays a character named Francis Carver who has a history with Lydia. At the beginning of the series, Francis is just out of prison, reuniting with his love. Lydia is the dominant force in the relationship, leading Francis down a risky path for gold and riches against his better judgement.
The Luminaries also stars Eve Hewson as Anna Wetherell, a mysterious woman who arrives in New Zealand for unknown reasons and has no interest in gold. Anna immediately meets a man named Emery Staines, played by Himesh Patel, who she has an instant connection with. Sadly, the two become separated, and despite their efforts to find each other again, things keep getting in the way and messing up their plans. As of right now, the show has not been cancelled or renewed for a second season. Starz picked up the series for US distribution and is currently airing the first season with new episodes weekly (via Deadline).