Diksha Sundriyal
In Netflix’s ‘A Man on the Inside,’ Charles Nieuwendyk dives into the profession of a private investigator in his late 70s. The first season has him work undercover at a retirement home called Pacific View, where he makes new friends while uncovering a mystery. The second season takes him to Wheeler College, where he has to find the person who stole the college President’s laptop. He goes into the case with the mindset of suspecting everyone, but still, he tries to give, to some extent, the benefit of the doubt to almost everyone. The same, however, cannot be said about Dr. Ben Cole. Charles clocks him in as a major suspect, and this initial dislike between them sets the tone for their relationship for the rest of the season. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Dr. Ben Cole is A Major Suspect in A Man on the Inside Season 2
Dr. Ben Cole is an English literature professor at Wheeler College. He has been with the institute for the better part of four decades, and he is deeply dedicated to his job. However, he is not a very welcoming person and is known to look down on people who don’t match his intellectual prowess. Or so it seems in the beginning. It turns out that Ben’s harsh exterior is just a way to keep people out. Once he lets them in and befriends them, he is a very kind, considerate and loyal person. It takes some time for Charles to figure this out because his first meeting with the man does not go well. Ben mocks architecture, which in turn means insulting Charles. He even believes that because Charles is an architecture professor, he doesn’t read books.
This shows how much he works on his own assumptions rather than trying to attempt to know people. His Grinch-like behaviour makes him an intimidating person to talk to, and his strong words convince Charles that he has something to do with the theft. Over the course of the season, however, things turn out such that the PI discovers some details about Ben’s, making him wonder if he knows the man at all. One of the better things about Ben is his friendship with Holly, who happens to be the one who brought him to Wheeler. At the end of the season, he shows just how much he loves and cares for Holly by doing something that not everyone would be able to pull off.
David Strathairn Brings Ben Cole’s Complicated Nature to Life.
David Strathairn plays the role of the grumpy Dr. Ben Cole in ‘A Man on the Inside’ Season 2. The seasoned actor had worked on all sorts of movies and TV shows in his long career. Some of his more notable titles include ‘The Bourne Ultimatum,’ ‘L.A. Confidential,’ ‘Temple Grandin,’ the Syfy series, “Alphas,’ ‘Good Night, and Good Luck,’ ‘The Sopranos,’ ‘A League of Their Own,’ ‘Nomadland,’ ‘Blue Car,’ and ‘A Little Prayer.’ The Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated actor has been acting for the past few decades, and he continues to be in love with the craft. He sees every new role as an opportunity to learn something new about the people and the world. He feels fortunate to have been able to work on significant projects with great filmmakers behind the lens. At the same time, he also thinks that some level of innate confidence is necessary to be able to act with a vigor that reflects the authenticity of the role.
He also sees filmmaking as a position of power, privilege and responsibility. He sees creative arts like films and novels as the medium to “reinvestigate, interpret, but present and reflect on everything that makes up our human experience.” With every role, he intends to explore a different side of what it means to be human. He doesn’t shy away from playing villains, but at the same time, he humanises them to the point that the audience may empathise with them. He brings the same sensibility to the role of Ben Cole, who may start out as someone unlikable but eventually becomes a person that people can respect and admire.
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