Diksha Sundriyal
Prime Video’s ‘Scarpetta‘ unfolds over two timelines separated by three decades. In 2026, chief medical officer Kay Scarpetta is put in charge of investigating the murder of a woman whose brutalised body is found by the train tracks. The details of the case lead her back to the case she solved back in 1998, and the more she digs in, the more she realizes that the two cases are connected. Unsure of who to trust, there is only one person that she can lean on, Pete Marino. He was the detective who worked with her on the 1998 case, has been her close friend ever since, and is now her brother-in-law. Pete’s dedication to her is one of the factors why she trusts him so much, but over the years, he, too, goes through significant changes. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Jake Cannavale Brings Pete Marino’s Younger Version to Life
Jake Cannavale plays the role of the younger Pete Marino in ‘Scarpetta,’ while his father, Bobby Cannavale, plays the older version. Jake has made a name for himself through his work in projects like FX’s ‘American Sports Story,’ Disney+’s ‘Star Wars’ spinoff ‘The Mandalorian,’ and Paramount+’s ‘The Offer.’ He has also starred in various films, including the indie crime thriller, ‘Inside Man.’ Growing up in a family of actors and filmmakers, Jake believed that his turn into Hollywood was expected. As a child, he used to run lines with his father and often visited him on set. It was in his mid-teens that he discovered that he could pursue other career paths. However, it didn’t take him much to conclude that acting is what he was made for.
He landed his first major role in Showtime’s medical comedy drama series, ‘Nurse Jackie,’ which is also where he first shared screen with his father, playing his character’s son for seven episodes. Apart from films and TV, he has also worked on Broadway, appearing in ‘Fish in the Dark,’ the 2015 comedy by Larry David. His love for acting is rivalled only by his love for music. He is the frontman for ‘Vixen Maw,’ a grindcore band that has developed a dedicated fanbase. Playing the same role as his father in ‘Scarpetta’ meant that Jake had to collaborate with him, unlike anything they’d done together before. While they appeared alongside each other in ‘Nurse Jackie,’ they played different characters, giving them the freedom to work individually.
However, playing the younger and older versions of the same character meant that they had to develop Pete Marino together, ensuring the continuity of his character in the two versions. The father-son duo had lengthy conversations about Pete’s core nature, the things that would stay the same for him no matter how much time had passed, while also leaving space for the changes that are expected to develop over the course of three decades. He relished this unique opportunity that not only allowed him to collaborate with his father but also challenged him as an actor, something that he looks for in every role that he intends to inhabit.
