People love to hate Terrence Howard in his now signature role as Lucious Lyon on Empire. But there are more facets to Howard than the cutthroat music mogul he plays on the hit hip-hop drama.
The Oscar-nominated actor proves this on the new Fox miniseries, Wayward Pines. Howard costars as Sheriff Arnold Pope, a rum raisin ice cream loving, shotgun toting despot of sorts with a small Cornel West quality Afro.
As viewers try to figure out the deal with the bucolic by creepy town of Wayward Pines and why Special Agent Ethan Burke (Matt Dillion) and others around him can’t leave, Howard has more than a few answers as he mischievously keeps them as close to his vest as the shiny badge he brandishes.
In time for the May 14 debut of Wayward Pines, executive produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, (The Sixth Sense) here are five things that separate Sheriff Arnold Pope from Lucious Lyon.
1. The Hair: India Arie told us we are not our hair. But when it comes to the roles he plays, Howard is a chameleon who is able to slip into character based on the way his hair is combed. Because Wayward Pines is a damp, mountainous, Pacific Northwest town in Idaho, permed curls would frizz up fast. Although there is one eerie scene in the third episode where Howard’s hair looks frighteningly straight, Sheriff Arnold Pope is Team Afro Sheen through and through.
2. The Source of Swagger: Where Lucious Lyon is all about his money, power and sexual conquests, Sherriff Arnold Pope is all about law and order. Pope believes everyone should follow the rules and he’s also a big supporter of capital punishment – exacting it whenever and however he can.
3. Don’t Sing. Eat Ice Cream: Sheriff Arnold Pope is not interested in music. He does however love eating ice cream and in one of the most amusing scenes in Wayward Pines, Pope interrupts Special Agent Burke to trumpet and savor the taste of rum raisin.
4. No Cookie, No Boo Boo Kitty and No Family: Love is the furthest thing from Sheriff Arnold Pope’s mind and he seems to derive the most pleasure from exacting his own brand of justice.
5. Ascots Or Not: You know those ascots Lucious wears all the time? Yeah. That’s not something you’d ever see on this sheriff. In fact, there might be one scene where this guy isn’t in uniform. It’s possible that he even sleeps in it.
Check out the trailer: