Curtis Donovan
Encyclopedia
Curtis Donovan is a fictional character
from the British Channel 4
science fiction
comedy-drama
Misfits
, portrayed by Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. His storylines include being sentenced to community service after being caught in possession of cocaine which led to him gaining the power of time manipulation
. He has also been involved in a relationship with Alisha Bailey
and later with Nikki. He later gains the power to swap gender.
. Stewart-Jarett went through an audition process for the part in which he commented on saying "I always thought your audition for drama school was meant to be the hardest you would ever do, but Misfits trumped that. I had to get through four auditions and five meetings before I got the part. The fourth audition was the worst. They placed around 20 of us in a house in Fitzrovia and we all had to work in groups so they could see the dynamics between us. We started in the morning and as the day wore on people were plucked out one by one and sent home. It was quite brutal." Fellow cast member Iwan Rheon revealed that Overman who created the character discussed how to write their parts with the cast and later began writing for them as actors. Stewart-Jarett later added that Overman "gave us a licence to do that and it was actually quite nice in a way".
Stewart-Jarrett described the character as "a serious guy. He's disappointed in himself and the demise of his athletic aspirations. There's a real sense of frustration about the character it's like he's a fallen angel.". The Times
described him as a "shamed athlete who can stop and rewind time" a description which is similarly used by the The Daily Telegraph
who describes him as "shamed sports star Curtis".
(Robert Sheehan) —- were killed in Tony's rampage without him present to undo their deaths and provide advance warning, he once again resets time. In this iteration he willingly sacrifices his career by allowing himself to be caught with the drugs while ensuring that Sam stays clear. But no matter how he alters events, Sam still believes that they are in a relationship, whereas he now considers himself to be with Alisha Bailey
(Antonia Thomas
). He eventually breaks up with Sam after using the line "the ones I love will always be the ones who pay" from the film Spider-Man
.
At the start of the second series he and Alisha are still in a relationship and Curtis acts very affectionately towards her, even to the point of violently threatening Simon Bellamy
(Iwan Rheon) when he believes he received oral sex from her. Superhoodie later saves Curtis' life when he is nearly suffocated to death by Lucy. When his power acted in reverse during a drug trip, Curtis 'flash-forwarded' to the future where he was standing on a rooftop dressed in a black costume and green cape while being approached by an unfamiliar woman named Nikki. Although he attempted to reject her apparent desire for sex, Curtis was subsequently surprised to encounter her past self while the Misfits were tracking Superhoodie. At the end of the fourth episode of the second series, Curtis and Nikki meet up after being held hostage with the rest of the Misfits and they kiss, resulting in a relationship, the two later experiencing the events of Curtis' 'flash-forward' again while attending a fancy dress party.
It was revealed that Curtis is lactose intolerant, which resulted in him being the only member of the group left after they were attacked by Brian, a former 'tea boy' who could control all dairy products. Brian was able to suffocate others by manipulating the dairy products that they had eaten earlier, including 'strangling' Nathan's brain with mozzarella cheese to give him brain damage as his immortality made it impossible to kill him directly. Curtis, having never consumed anything for Brian to use against him, was able to drive Brian off, albeit after Simon sacrificed himself to stop Curtis being stabbed. Curtis travelled back in time to save his friends by preventing Brian from going public or learning about his power.
Curtis has lost his power after selling it to a 'power dealer', who states that he has already passed his power on to an old Jewish man who wanted go back in time to kill Hitler.
of The Guardian
described him as the "angry one" of the group of "foul-mouthed young criminals". Boxcutters
commented negatively on the characters of Misfits saying it was "filled with unattractive and very annoying characters" although they responded positively to the show asking "why do we find it so strangely compelling?"
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the British Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
Misfits
Misfits (TV series)
Misfits is a British science fiction comedy-drama television series about a group of young offenders forced to work in a community service programme, where they obtain supernatural powers after a strange electrical storm. The first series started broadcasting on 12 November 2009 on E4, and was...
, portrayed by Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. His storylines include being sentenced to community service after being caught in possession of cocaine which led to him gaining the power of time manipulation
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
. He has also been involved in a relationship with Alisha Bailey
Alisha Bailey
Alisha Bailey is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 science fiction comedy-drama Misfits, portrayed by Antonia Thomas. Her storylines include gaining an ASBO for constant drink-driving which leads to her gaining the ability to make those who make bare contact with her skin go into a...
and later with Nikki. He later gains the power to swap gender.
Casting and character creation
Casting for the part was announced on 17 August 2009 by Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
. Stewart-Jarett went through an audition process for the part in which he commented on saying "I always thought your audition for drama school was meant to be the hardest you would ever do, but Misfits trumped that. I had to get through four auditions and five meetings before I got the part. The fourth audition was the worst. They placed around 20 of us in a house in Fitzrovia and we all had to work in groups so they could see the dynamics between us. We started in the morning and as the day wore on people were plucked out one by one and sent home. It was quite brutal." Fellow cast member Iwan Rheon revealed that Overman who created the character discussed how to write their parts with the cast and later began writing for them as actors. Stewart-Jarett later added that Overman "gave us a licence to do that and it was actually quite nice in a way".
Characterisation
E4's official website depicts him as "a rising sports star whose goal was to compete in the 2012 Olympics. But his career is left in tatters after he’s caught with an illegal substance and is publicly shamed as he’s made an example under the eyes of the law".Stewart-Jarrett described the character as "a serious guy. He's disappointed in himself and the demise of his athletic aspirations. There's a real sense of frustration about the character it's like he's a fallen angel.". The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
described him as a "shamed athlete who can stop and rewind time" a description which is similarly used by the The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
who describes him as "shamed sports star Curtis".
Storylines
He is the first Misfit to use his power for the benefit of someone else, being inspired by a meeting with his just released from prison, more-or-less former girlfriend Sam to undo the drug charges that led to their arrest. However, after he learns that the other Misfits —- with the exception of the unknowingly immortal Nathan YoungNathan Young
Nathan Young is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 science fiction comedy-drama Misfits, portrayed by Robert Sheehan. He first appeared in Series 1 Episode 1 and departed in an online spinoff entitled Vegas Baby! after Sheehan quit the role. He serves as one of the main protagonists...
(Robert Sheehan) —- were killed in Tony's rampage without him present to undo their deaths and provide advance warning, he once again resets time. In this iteration he willingly sacrifices his career by allowing himself to be caught with the drugs while ensuring that Sam stays clear. But no matter how he alters events, Sam still believes that they are in a relationship, whereas he now considers himself to be with Alisha Bailey
Alisha Bailey
Alisha Bailey is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 science fiction comedy-drama Misfits, portrayed by Antonia Thomas. Her storylines include gaining an ASBO for constant drink-driving which leads to her gaining the ability to make those who make bare contact with her skin go into a...
(Antonia Thomas
Antonia Thomas
Antonia-Rose Laura Thomas is an English actress best known for her starring role in the E4 comedy-drama television series Misfits as Alisha Bailey. She studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School where she studied for a BA in Acting, graduating in 2009.Antonia was a member of the National Youth...
). He eventually breaks up with Sam after using the line "the ones I love will always be the ones who pay" from the film Spider-Man
Spider-Man (film)
Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film, the first in the Spider-Man film series based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp...
.
At the start of the second series he and Alisha are still in a relationship and Curtis acts very affectionately towards her, even to the point of violently threatening Simon Bellamy
Simon Bellamy
Simon Bellamy is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 science fiction comedy-drama Misfits, portrayed by Iwan Rheon. His storylines have included being sentenced to community service for attempted arson which leads to him gaining the power of invisibility, reflective of his personality...
(Iwan Rheon) when he believes he received oral sex from her. Superhoodie later saves Curtis' life when he is nearly suffocated to death by Lucy. When his power acted in reverse during a drug trip, Curtis 'flash-forwarded' to the future where he was standing on a rooftop dressed in a black costume and green cape while being approached by an unfamiliar woman named Nikki. Although he attempted to reject her apparent desire for sex, Curtis was subsequently surprised to encounter her past self while the Misfits were tracking Superhoodie. At the end of the fourth episode of the second series, Curtis and Nikki meet up after being held hostage with the rest of the Misfits and they kiss, resulting in a relationship, the two later experiencing the events of Curtis' 'flash-forward' again while attending a fancy dress party.
It was revealed that Curtis is lactose intolerant, which resulted in him being the only member of the group left after they were attacked by Brian, a former 'tea boy' who could control all dairy products. Brian was able to suffocate others by manipulating the dairy products that they had eaten earlier, including 'strangling' Nathan's brain with mozzarella cheese to give him brain damage as his immortality made it impossible to kill him directly. Curtis, having never consumed anything for Brian to use against him, was able to drive Brian off, albeit after Simon sacrificed himself to stop Curtis being stabbed. Curtis travelled back in time to save his friends by preventing Brian from going public or learning about his power.
Curtis has lost his power after selling it to a 'power dealer', who states that he has already passed his power on to an old Jewish man who wanted go back in time to kill Hitler.
Reception
Stewart-Jarrett was nominated for Outstanding Actor in the fiction category at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival in 2011. Den Of Geek described Nathan as "an all-round good egg, is Curtis, and his relationship with Alisha is lovely, if a little bizarre". Tim DowlingTim Dowling
Tim Dowling is a journalist and author. Dowling moved to the UK at the age of 27 and currently lives in London with his wife and three children....
of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described him as the "angry one" of the group of "foul-mouthed young criminals". Boxcutters
Boxcutters (podcast)
Boxcutters is an Australian podcast dedicated to the discussion of television. It is produced weekly, and usually uploaded on a Monday. Shows average around 70 minutes, although there is no set length, and it is recorded at the studios of 3RRR...
commented negatively on the characters of Misfits saying it was "filled with unattractive and very annoying characters" although they responded positively to the show asking "why do we find it so strangely compelling?"