Kevin Pollak gives disagreeable men a dry humour that makes them worth listening to. We rate him in abrasive ensembles; the familiar casting as a friend or confidant has too often asked less of him.
Fi1m perspective
In the police line-up in The Usual Suspects (1995), Kevin Pollak's Hockney gives us another reason to listen to men we ought to avoid. Gabriel Byrne's Keaton supplies the seriousness, while Pollak and Stephen Baldwin's McManus keep the conversation abrasive. We enjoyed their company because Christopher McQuarrie's dry dialogue lets them be funny without becoming agreeable. Each man has a different temperament, and Pollak does not need to soften Hockney to hold our attention. The group is more interesting for having him in it.
Pollak came to films from stand-up and impressions, with an early substantial part as Rool in Willow (1988). Playing Lt. Sam Weinberg in A Few Good Men (1992) helped establish him in dramatic supporting roles. The Usual Suspects and Casino followed in 1995, with Pollak playing Phillip Green in the latter. The important step was finding work where his comic instincts could be useful without obliging the whole film to behave like a comedy.
Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects also shows the limits of a distinctive supporting turn. The plotting holds our attention more firmly than the people, and Hockney shares that thinness with the other characters. Pollak helps make us enjoy listening to them; he cannot supply a fuller character on his own. Martin Scorsese's Casino earns our recommendation too, chiefly for its account of the casino business and Sharon Stone's handling of the personal turmoil. Neither film needs Pollak to dominate it, and we would not pretend that he does.
The long stretch of film sidekicks and confidants is the less satisfying part of the career: being dependable can become all a part asks. Recurring television work in Better Things (2016–2022) and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023) brought different demands. As Moishe Maisel in the latter, he was tackling eight-page monologues, a substantial assignment for an actor so often employed in support. We would welcome more parts that ask that much of him, rather than another best friend. Start with The Usual Suspects, but do not expect it to tell us much about Hockney.
Biography
Kevin Pollak is an American actor, comedian and impressionist. Born in San Francisco in 1957, he began performing stand-up comedy as a child and turned professional at the age of 20. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting after establishing himself on the San Francisco comedy circuit.
Pollak is known for supporting roles in films including Willow (1988), A Few Good Men (1992) as Lt. Sam Weinberg, The Usual Suspects (1995) as Hockney, and Casino (1995) as Phillip Green. On television he has had recurring roles in series such as Mom (2014–2020), Better Things (2017–2022) and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023).
