We will try to collect as much information about each main character here before it airs and then fill in what we could not afterwards.

JMS AT SCI FI MAGAZINE SAID:
APR.1.2003
I believe in changes. I believe in exploring characters who evolve over time rather than get locked into one mold, like the guys you'd see at high school reunions, who never came out of that [mold].

Jump to: jeremiah · kurdy · smith · libby

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Jeremiah (Luke Perry) IMDb Listing: Click Here -- Official Site: Click Here -- Fan Site: Click Here

Main Character (S1 & S2)

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION: Jeremiah must navigate his way through a world populated by the survivors of a deadly epidemic that spared only those who had not yet reached puberty. Now those same survivors must find their way in a decadent civilization and attempt to create a new world order of hope. Orphaned at 12 years old when the Big Death killed every adult over the age of puberty, Jeremiah has survived by his wits. Jeremiah, now 27, has managed to keep his compassion and sense of humanity, in a world wrought with brutality. He is haunted by memories of his parents, who died in the Big Death, and of his younger brother, Michael, whose life he failed to protect. Jeremiah, in his quest to find the Valhalla Sector, which he heard about from his father before the Big Death, is joined by the nave-but-colorful Kurdy. A loner by nature, Jeremiah senses inherent safety in an alliance with Kurdy. Together they set out on a journey during which they discover rival social factions at war and young people who must make decisions without wisdom from those who lived before them. ACTOR INFORMATION: Luke Perry was born Coy Luther Perry III on October 11th, 1966 in Mansfield, Ohio, USA. On November 20th, 1993, he was married to Rachel 'Minnie' Sharp and they have two lovely children. Perry is probably best known for his role on Beverly Hills, 90210 as Dylan McKay. RELATED PRODUCTS: See our selection of Luke Perry books, movies and posters. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS: Visit our Image Libray for more photos of Jeremiah. GREGORY NOVECK (CO-PRODUCER) AT CULT TIMES SAID: MAR.1.2003 Jeremiah is probably the last man of principle standing in this world. He's somewhat tortured because the last instructions he got from his parents were to take care of his younger brother and he failed in that task. When he encounters Kurdy, who is this young rapscallion who doesn't trust anyone but himself and is out for complete self-preservation, Jeremiah ends up ultimately taking him under his wing and trying to bring him back into a moral center. It becomes a very fraternal relationship over time. JMS AT RASTB5M SAID: FEB.18.2002 Our lead character, Jeremiah (Luke Perry) is a wanderer, trying to find out what happened to his father, who disappeared during the last days of the Big Death while en route to a locale specified only as Valhalla Sector. He wants to find out the end of the story. JMS AT MGM NEWSLETTER SAID: FEB.1.2002 Jeremiah is a loner. He's obsessed with finding out exactly what happened to his father, who disappeared somewhere in Valhalla Sector. He promised his father that he would take care of his brother. But, in a moment of weakness and annoyance, he turned his back at the wrong moment and his younger brother was killed. So, he's carrying around those two great burdens, and trying, as he says at one point, to find out the end of the story, to find out what happened to his dad. Luke brings out the wistfulness, that haunted quality the character needs to have. PERRY AT MGM NEWSLETTER SAID: FEB.1.2002 If I was going - if either of these characters were by themselves, a lot of the stuff that we talk about would have to be internalized. And it's just - that doesn't open up well filmically. It's good to have somebody to talk with and to talk to. And these two characters service each other in what I think is an interesting way. They do both have a very similar background. They come from a rough world. Jeremiah is a guy who, before he met Kurdy, he probably would have just seen it as a box of - you know. But now he knows there's a pony in there somewhere and he's going looking for it. And I think that's great. These two really compel each other to take action and move to the next place in the story.

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Kurdy Malloy (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) IMDb Listing: Click Here -- Official Site: None -- Fan Site: None

Main Character (S1 & S2)

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION: Kurdy is the one person whom Jeremiah can trust in this world. He is a colorful and cynical character but he is the one person who Jermiah can rely on. Kurdy has deliberately tried to bury all memories of life before the Big Death to focus on the brutal reality of the present world. Kurdy is surprised by Jeremiah's mercy and sensitivity. At times he is influenced by Jeremiah and forced to find his humanity. Sensing the benefits of this new found partnership, Kurdy befriends Jeremiah and goes along for the ride to uncover the truth about the past to ultimately prepare for the future. ACTOR INFORMATION: Malcolm-Jamal Warner was born on August 18th, 1970 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. Warner is best known for his eight-season portrayal of Theo Huxtable on the enormously popular series "The Cosby Show." After being cast on "The Cosby Show," Warner's interest in the operations behind the camera led him to directing episodes of "The Cosby Show" and "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" as well as numerous music videos. RELATED PRODUCTS: See our selection of Malcolm-Jamal Warner books, movies and posters. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS: Visit our Image Libray for more photos of Kurdy. JMS AT RASTB5M SAID: FEB.18.2002 Along the way, [Jeremiah] encounters our other lead, Kurdy (Malcolm Jamal-Warner), also a drifter, and the two are thrown together by circumstance into a duo. JMS AT DREAMWATCH SAID: FEB.1.2003 These guys are carrying the entire series on their backs. If they aren't getting along, if they aren't bringing that chemistry to the screen, you've got nowhere to go with the show. We began by casting Malcolm first. He just blew us out of the water as this character. We cast Luke as he became available. The performances have been great. They have a nice chemistry on screen. They work very hard and they bring all kinds of different strengths to the characters. WARNER AT CULT TIMES SAID: DEC.1.2002 But there's something that defines us as friends, whether it's the fact that we are both survivors or there is some spark of intuitive recognition, but for whatever reason, Jeremiah chooses not to blow Kurdy's cover [in the pilot episode] and that kind of cements a friendship that continues throughout the series. WARNER AT TV ZONE SAID: DEC.1.2002 In the comic [book] version of Jeremiah, both he and Kurdy are white. It was also mentioned in the original draft of the show's pilot script that Kurdy was also illiterate. That was an issue I felt had to be addressed even before I screentested for the role. I discussed this with Joe [Straczynski] and he said, "You're right." Kurdy has a conflict between looking out for number one and helping people. It's been his experience that when you go to someone's aid you usually end up getting screwed. Jeremiah, however, is a hero and heroes help people. So it takes time for Kurdy to wrap his head around that "concept", but he eventually does. That inner struggle was one of the things about the character that appealed to me. I also like that he and Jeremiah have become equals. I don't think that was necessarily their original intent. However, Kurdy is definitely not just a side-kick, and I think a lot of that is due to that collaborative effort I spoke of earlier. JMS AT MGM NEWSLETTER SAID: FEB.1.2002 Where Jeremiah is kind of hooked into the arc of the plot, Kurdy is more hooked into the world itself. He's the more grounded of the two, in many respects; he's more realistic. He's just trying to get by day-to-day. And, he is more apt to laugh and cry as well. In that respect he's the anchor of the show. WARNER AT MGM NEWSLETTER SAID: FEB.1.2002 Well, I think both characters, to a large extent, serve as each other's conscience. Because of the post-apocalyptic element of the show, everyone is a scavenger, every one is about survival. Everybody is really going out for self. And when my character, Kurdy, and Luke's character, Jeremiah, hook up, there's the sense of survival, but there's also a sense of wanting to have someone around to watch your back, because both of these guys have been on the road for so long. So they pretty much try to keep each other out of trouble, and they both tend to find themselves in trouble. A lot. ROSENBERG AT MGM NEWSLETTER SAID: FEB.1.2002 [Kurdy is] kind of cynical and rapscallion. Really, he plays him 'real.' You think he's always out for himself. But the truth is that if no one's looking, he'll help someone. Oh, and sometimes even when someone is looking. With Kurdy, you get a sense of reality. If things are screwed up, he'll colorfully describe it as such - and mean it. Kurdy's an awesome character on the show.

Mister Smith (Sean Astin) IMDb Listing: Click Here -- Official Site: Click Here -- Fan Site: Click Here

Main Character (S2)

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION: Mister Smith is a quirky colorful character who will partner with Warner's character, Kurdy. Together they will go out on the road to help forge new alliances that will help in the rebuilding of their nation. Kurdy meets Mister Smith in the opening episode for Season 2 of Jeremiah, and is immediately confounded. Smith says he has a message from God, delivers it, and then saves Kurdy's life. Mister Smith joins the Thunder Mountain group but he is an enigma to everyone there. He could be anything: a crackpot, a visionary, a spy or a genuine messenger from God to a godless world. What they learn about him over the course of the season's 15 episodes does little to settle the issue. Mister Smith ("First name Mister, last name Smith.") has an uncanny ability to predict future events. His comments are frequently cryptic but hold real meaning. He takes photographs of everything and everyone. He tells each person he meets that he is from their hometown — and knows enough details to be convincing — but appears to have no past of his own. He is quiet, gentle, unassuming and a complete mystery. ACTOR INFORMATION: Sean Patrick Astin was born February 25, 1971 in Santa Monica, California, USA. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Christine and daughters Alexandra and Elizabeth. Astin is best known for playing 13-year old "Mikey Walsh" in "The Goonies". Some of his other film credits are "Boy Meets Girl", "Rudy", "Where the Day Takes You" and "Toy Soldiers". However, he will be most recognized in his current portrayal of Samwise Gamgee in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy of movies. Sean Astin is a multi-talented young man whose credits include directing, producting and writing as well. RELATED PRODUCTS: See our selection of Sean Astin books, movies and posters. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS: Visit our Image Libray for more photos of Mister Smith. ASTIN AT SCIFI WIRE SAID: NOV.10.2003 I instantly loved the character. It was instantaneous. My appreciation for what it was that he'd created. I instantly knew that it was something that I wanted to do. When I heard him, at my lunch with him, telling me of the character that he was creating. I wanted to like the show before I started watching it, because my agents had communicated to me that Luke Perry had placed a telephone call and evidenced his great passion for my work as an actor and his desire for me to be involved, and that I found flattering and moving and so I instantly wanted to watch every episode of the first season, and I wanted to like it, and I wanted to see if there was a way to make it work. [Mister] Smith is one of the millions of people who were under the age of puberty when this horrible Big Death came around. I like to refer to him, and I'm not sure this is exactly right, but as "either an unwitting prophet, or a fool." [Mister] Smith is a figment of the incredible wellspring of creativity that is the mind of Joe Straczynski. He is a vessel through which the ideas of man's relationship to God, and the tensions his relationships to God creates, can be wrestled with and communicated. Joe [Straczynski] shared with me a few thoughts or ideas about Smith's background, but really not very much. So to me, Smith is a combination of me, Sean, and the kind of archetype of an idea of someone who believes that God is communicating to them, or rather, maybe it's better said, someone who God talks through. My character is basically a great litmus test against which the faith of the other characters are meted out, or amplified, or glimpsed through, so I think it's fair to say that throughout the course of the second episode, there will be times where Mr. Smith's adventures will take him into ... he isn't initially a part of the Thunder Mountain group and he's not really a part of their lives, so I can say this: The question is, is Mr. Smith going to be able to become a part of that, or is he not going to be able to become a part of their thing? I think that question, whether or not he's going to find comfort or solace or whether or not they're going to find him threatening, remains to be seen ... Read the full interview by Frank Garcia. JMS AT MGM SAID: OCT.2003 Mister Smith is kind of an enigma. This is a man who says he hears from God. He doesn't speak to God he doesn't pray to God. God speaks through him to other people. And we never really clearly establish if he's actually hearing these voices if he's making this all up, if he's a charlatan or if he's just plain nuts. JMS AT COMIC-CON 2003 SAID: AUG.8.2003 Mister Smith is a guy who hears from God on a regular basis. You're never really sure if he really hears from God or he's just nuts. We walk a very fine line. He's a really cool addition to our show this season. Tired of life and the horrible things that are happening to the world and himself, Mister Smith tries to commit suicide and is drowning, when he hears a voice say, "Not yet. We have work to do." And he is washed ashore. Why would a wave washing him up on shore scare everybody? Well, it was a lake. JMS AT SCI FI MAGAZINE SAID: APR.1.2003 His name is Mister Smith. That's his proper name, Mister Smith. No first name, just Mister. Mister is his first name. So they're addressing him as "So this is Mister Smith, who hears from God on occassion." This guy isn't particularly proselytizing, he's just this poor jamoke who is God's sock puppet from time to time and spitting out things that God thinks the world should hear. Whether he actually is hearing these things from God or if he's making them up--or if he's just plain nuts--is a question we kind of play around with. I would rather not define that for a while but he ends up being a very important ally to Kurdy and our characters, to whom he is drawn because, as he says, "You guys are going to make history; I'm here to record it." He's a very eccentric character, also at times a very funny character because he is just a full-tilt bozo. JMS AT RASTB5M SAID: OCT.3.2002 Here's the funny thing, and how I knew that Sean would be added to the cast the moment I heard his name in the running. Understand that I have not only never worked with a Sam before, I've never even MET a Sam prior to the past year. Never used anyone in a script named Sam (once a Samuel, but that's about it). I wrote a character named Sam into the Jeremiah pilot. Next thing you know we hired Sam Egan. Now on board comes Samm Barnes. And who does Sean play in LoTR? Sam. I'm up to my ass in Sams here. ASTIN AT SCIFI WIRE SAID: JUL.30.2003 I'm really excited to see how it turned out, actually. If Showtime picks it up [for a third season], they own me for eight more. I directed an episode of that. That was great. I play Mr. Smith. He's sort of an unwitting prophet or a fool. I, Sean, was an actor, a vessel, through which [series creator J.] Michael Straczynski could sort of explore his relationship with God. And the character, you know, claims that God is speaking through him. So it was richly rewarding and stimulating to my own spiritual [nature]. ... I loved it. ASTIN AT DREAMWATCH SAID: MAR.2003 The premise of the character is that he's either an unwitting prophet or a fool, and Joe [Michael Strazcynski] hasn't told me which. He wants the audience to make up their own mind about it. So either God is talking through me, as Mister Smith claims, or he's not. MAR.2003 I'm contractually obligated for a year and then, if it gets picked up, for half of next year, I think. That doesn't mean they couldn't kill me off, and that doesn't mean that I wouldn't agree to continue going beyond that. You can never tell what Joe will come up with. I'm prepared for any eventuality. I'm strapped into the seat and holding on for dear life and trying to keep up with the voice! ASTIN AT MGM NEWS SAID: JAN.2003 Mister Smith claims to be an emissary from God and the guy really does know a lot more than he should, so you have to wonder if he might be telling the truth. How does Mister Smith come into the picture? Well, he kind of pops up one day and inserts himself into Kurdy's life, certain that it is his destiny to serve as Kurdy's partner, or protector, if you will. He says it's God's will. You just don't know what to make of him. Is he nuts, is he an extremely clever spy, or is God really talking through him? I don't want to give away too much here, but we are currently shooting an episode called 'The Mysterious Mister Smith,' which is extremely revelatory. ASTIN AT SCIFI WIRE SAID: DEC.5.2002 You don't know which he is [an unwitting prophet or a Shakespearean fool]. He claims that God is speaking to him and he seems to know a lot more than he rightly should. [Mr. Smith is] a fun character to play. It came about because my name was on a list at MGM, and I'm sure I was higher up on the list after the success of The Lord of the Rings than I was before. It came to me as an offer. I watched a lot of the episodes from the first season, read the script, looked at the money, thought about my family, saw what the time commitment was and just said, 'Yeah, let's go.' Jeremiah is based on a Dutch comic book, which I went and got. I met with Joe Straczynski, the creator of the show, who'd done Babylon 5, and I thought I wouldn't mind allowing this guy to be my puppeteer for 13 episodes of Jeremiah. He seemed like a really intriguing, interesting guy who may have something to say.

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Liberty "Libby" Kaufman (Joanne Kelly) IMDb Listing: Click Here -- Official Site: None -- Fan Site: None

Re-occurring Character (S2)

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION: Unfortunately, we know very little about this character. We read the short news blurb on Variety which only said that Joanne Kelly will play "series regular" Libby, who will be "a potential love interest for Jeremiah (Luke Perry)". We don't know if she will still be a potential love interest for Jeremiah but we do know now from MGM's Sci Fi Newsletter that she is Devon's (Jeremiah's father) assistant at Valhalla Sector and "instantly takes Jeremiah under her wing." ADDITIONAL INFO: Originally, her character's name was referred to as "Thesp" when it was originally reported by Variety magazine but now MGM says it is "Libby". ACTOR INFORMATION: Originally from Newfoundland, Joanne graduated from Acadia University in 2000, and went on to spend six months with Shakespeare By The Sea, performing in Romeo and Juliet, (which toured to the Minack in Cornwall, England) as well as in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Measure for Measure, and Julius Caesar. Her film and television credits include Julius Caesar on Bravo! and Largo Winch for Paramount Productions. In addition, she has appeared in Tracker and Mutant X. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS: Visit our Image Libray for more photos of Thesp.

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Jump to: jeremiah · kurdy · smith · libby

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