[archive] from iFMagazine
ANATOMY OF A CHARACTER:
Alec Hardison (The HACKER)
Alec Hardison (played by Aldis Hodge) on LEVERAGE, called usually by his surname only, doesn’t look like a nerd at first glance. Standing at over six feet, muscular, and overall just a very attractive human being, he kind of throws the whole nerd stereotype right out the window singlehandedly. He can steal an entire bank by never leaving his chair (all while spelling “dead” correctly, mind you), and also has a probably unhealthy obsession with computer games such as the esteemed WORLD OF WARCRAFT.
Like Parker, Hardison grew up in the foster care system. But unlike her, his was a good experience for him. He had a foster mom he loved very much whom he called “Nana,” who taught him good values and how to be a genuinely caring individual. He also had another foster mom who was Jehovah’s Witness once, who used to dress him up in a bow tie and send him door-to-door. He attributes that to how he is able to talk to people now as an adult, whilst defending Parker’s lack of social skills to Nate. He is the heart of the group, fitting in and feeling more comfortable within them quicker than the rest did, or even have yet.
One thing that was obvious from the beginning was Hardison’s attraction to Parker. Spontaneous, unorthodox, and seemingly fearless; Parker seemed to be something Hardison had never encountered in his life. What’s surprising though, due to his good looks, is how hard it seems to be for him to let her know how he feels. It could be arguable that Hardison never really has had a good relationship with a woman, and that due to what he can do more than who he is, beautiful women could have used him for his monetary purposes instead of romantic. It’s not unheard of for “geeks” to be taken advantage of that way, and Hardison has such a good heart that it wouldn’t be surprising that he was walked all over once or twice in his life.
But Parker is the one person in the whole group that he can feel like he relates to the most. They were both foster kids, outsiders in their own right, so an attraction to that is understandable. It’s what he knows, what he’s familiar with. Due to him being such a caring person though, he might also have an attraction or just an instinctual need to help people who are a bit damaged. Whatever it is, the poor boy tries so hard and Parker still doesn’t seem to get it, or either chooses to ignore it. Even after they kissed during a con as a distraction, he tried to talk to her about it not once, but twice, and she acted like she had no idea what he was talking about. It must make it so much more difficult for him, since he doesn’t seem to have enough courage yet to just come right out and tell her that he really likes her, even though she might have finally gotten a hint in the season finale. When the team was about to split up and he asked where she was going, not wanting to lose touch with her, she seemed to be testing him on how much he really likes her by saying “let’s see how hard you look.” So the question is, will he find her in season two, or will they meet up by accidental chance?
He’s the reliable one though, even though he did have a bit of a mishap when he chose his computer game over the team one time. He’s the one that, even if Parker doesn’t know it or see it, she still comes to. He is the only one she’s ever really opened up to, which might give him a fighting chance come season two, if he ever works up the nerve to ask her on a date. But Nate and the rest of the team rely on him as well for his knowledge in all things computers and technology, and even when Hardison messed up once initially, Nate did remind him and coax him into believing in himself, because frankly, he is the best and when the chips are down, Hardison will come through in the end.
Hardison is the baby of the group, being in his early twenties while everyone else is in their thirties or forties. That also might pertain to why he’s a little afraid to let Parker knows how he feels - because she’s an older woman. It’s a bit intimidating. His age also shows through a lot by how he acts. He’s excitable, full of life, sometimes can seem a bit more innocent than the rest of them, and plays a lot of the comedy in the series just by how he will talk his way out of anything. He’s the freshness that the group needs, the one that knows all the ins and out about all the technology going on at the moment, and even trying to teach Eliot some of it, such as Photoshop. He’s creative, being not only a computer genius, but a skilled painter as well, much to Nate’s dismay about the “portrait” he created for the office. He seems to express himself a lot through his sense of humor and has a smile that can just draw people in. Everything about him spells trusting, even though he’s a thief.
Hardison seems to have some self esteem issues, some that mainly show up through his reluctance to be upfront with Parker, and when Nate is being almost fatherly to him, letting him know he can do anything he wants to if he sets his mind to it. While he is an attractive guy, there has been and probably always will be those stereotypes in school for “nerds” or “geeks.” They become outsiders due to their intelligence, other children become jealous and spiteful. For Hardison, to be a computer nerd and a foster child, it’s relatively safe to say that he didn’t have a smooth ride through school, unfortunately. But that would account for his self esteem issues with sometimes his own confidence and with women, because no matter how much we all try to ignore it, our school days, whether good or bad, will always impact how we go about things as adults.
Like Sophie, Hardison also likes to indulge in material objects. But while Sophie puts her interest in fashion and art, Hardison puts his into electronics and very modern things for his own flat and for the office. He designed the briefing room in the Leverage Headquarters, priding himself on everything it could do. Backdoors into every electronics banking system in the world, facial recognition from the CIA and FBI … the list goes on and on. He takes pleasure in seeing the impressed looks from the rest of the team, and as well he should. While he sometimes doesn’t like always being the guy behind the computer, he also knows it’s where he’s needed and if he didn’t do it, there isn’t another person within the group that could.
Hardison is the lovable one on the LEVERAGE team, and Hodge plays it well with his baby face and undeniable charm. He has us rooting for him to get the job done, pull off the impossible, and even get the girl. Will season two explore more of this young man’s past, or will it focus more on his future? It’s been said the team is reassembled by one of the members in the next season, and I think it would be a safe bet that Hardison ends up being the one to do it, seeing these people and all their relationships with each other more clearly than the rest of them seem to.
Alec Hardison (The HACKER)
Alec Hardison (played by Aldis Hodge) on LEVERAGE, called usually by his surname only, doesn’t look like a nerd at first glance. Standing at over six feet, muscular, and overall just a very attractive human being, he kind of throws the whole nerd stereotype right out the window singlehandedly. He can steal an entire bank by never leaving his chair (all while spelling “dead” correctly, mind you), and also has a probably unhealthy obsession with computer games such as the esteemed WORLD OF WARCRAFT.
Like Parker, Hardison grew up in the foster care system. But unlike her, his was a good experience for him. He had a foster mom he loved very much whom he called “Nana,” who taught him good values and how to be a genuinely caring individual. He also had another foster mom who was Jehovah’s Witness once, who used to dress him up in a bow tie and send him door-to-door. He attributes that to how he is able to talk to people now as an adult, whilst defending Parker’s lack of social skills to Nate. He is the heart of the group, fitting in and feeling more comfortable within them quicker than the rest did, or even have yet.
One thing that was obvious from the beginning was Hardison’s attraction to Parker. Spontaneous, unorthodox, and seemingly fearless; Parker seemed to be something Hardison had never encountered in his life. What’s surprising though, due to his good looks, is how hard it seems to be for him to let her know how he feels. It could be arguable that Hardison never really has had a good relationship with a woman, and that due to what he can do more than who he is, beautiful women could have used him for his monetary purposes instead of romantic. It’s not unheard of for “geeks” to be taken advantage of that way, and Hardison has such a good heart that it wouldn’t be surprising that he was walked all over once or twice in his life.
But Parker is the one person in the whole group that he can feel like he relates to the most. They were both foster kids, outsiders in their own right, so an attraction to that is understandable. It’s what he knows, what he’s familiar with. Due to him being such a caring person though, he might also have an attraction or just an instinctual need to help people who are a bit damaged. Whatever it is, the poor boy tries so hard and Parker still doesn’t seem to get it, or either chooses to ignore it. Even after they kissed during a con as a distraction, he tried to talk to her about it not once, but twice, and she acted like she had no idea what he was talking about. It must make it so much more difficult for him, since he doesn’t seem to have enough courage yet to just come right out and tell her that he really likes her, even though she might have finally gotten a hint in the season finale. When the team was about to split up and he asked where she was going, not wanting to lose touch with her, she seemed to be testing him on how much he really likes her by saying “let’s see how hard you look.” So the question is, will he find her in season two, or will they meet up by accidental chance?
He’s the reliable one though, even though he did have a bit of a mishap when he chose his computer game over the team one time. He’s the one that, even if Parker doesn’t know it or see it, she still comes to. He is the only one she’s ever really opened up to, which might give him a fighting chance come season two, if he ever works up the nerve to ask her on a date. But Nate and the rest of the team rely on him as well for his knowledge in all things computers and technology, and even when Hardison messed up once initially, Nate did remind him and coax him into believing in himself, because frankly, he is the best and when the chips are down, Hardison will come through in the end.
Hardison is the baby of the group, being in his early twenties while everyone else is in their thirties or forties. That also might pertain to why he’s a little afraid to let Parker knows how he feels - because she’s an older woman. It’s a bit intimidating. His age also shows through a lot by how he acts. He’s excitable, full of life, sometimes can seem a bit more innocent than the rest of them, and plays a lot of the comedy in the series just by how he will talk his way out of anything. He’s the freshness that the group needs, the one that knows all the ins and out about all the technology going on at the moment, and even trying to teach Eliot some of it, such as Photoshop. He’s creative, being not only a computer genius, but a skilled painter as well, much to Nate’s dismay about the “portrait” he created for the office. He seems to express himself a lot through his sense of humor and has a smile that can just draw people in. Everything about him spells trusting, even though he’s a thief.
Hardison seems to have some self esteem issues, some that mainly show up through his reluctance to be upfront with Parker, and when Nate is being almost fatherly to him, letting him know he can do anything he wants to if he sets his mind to it. While he is an attractive guy, there has been and probably always will be those stereotypes in school for “nerds” or “geeks.” They become outsiders due to their intelligence, other children become jealous and spiteful. For Hardison, to be a computer nerd and a foster child, it’s relatively safe to say that he didn’t have a smooth ride through school, unfortunately. But that would account for his self esteem issues with sometimes his own confidence and with women, because no matter how much we all try to ignore it, our school days, whether good or bad, will always impact how we go about things as adults.
Like Sophie, Hardison also likes to indulge in material objects. But while Sophie puts her interest in fashion and art, Hardison puts his into electronics and very modern things for his own flat and for the office. He designed the briefing room in the Leverage Headquarters, priding himself on everything it could do. Backdoors into every electronics banking system in the world, facial recognition from the CIA and FBI … the list goes on and on. He takes pleasure in seeing the impressed looks from the rest of the team, and as well he should. While he sometimes doesn’t like always being the guy behind the computer, he also knows it’s where he’s needed and if he didn’t do it, there isn’t another person within the group that could.
Hardison is the lovable one on the LEVERAGE team, and Hodge plays it well with his baby face and undeniable charm. He has us rooting for him to get the job done, pull off the impossible, and even get the girl. Will season two explore more of this young man’s past, or will it focus more on his future? It’s been said the team is reassembled by one of the members in the next season, and I think it would be a safe bet that Hardison ends up being the one to do it, seeing these people and all their relationships with each other more clearly than the rest of them seem to.