The Full Salt Lake Cast

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Bob Lear

Bob Lear is the CEO of an innovative company that manufactures unique wood treatments that use new tech/ingredients. Although the business has been successful internationally, there were some setbacks early on that he is still dealing with. Bob is facing a crushing financial loss that will destroy all he’s built, and his narcissistic intolerance for failure, for looking bad, is destroying him from the inside.  He is THE main character for the show, and while he's likable at first, the audience will begin to dislike him more and more as time passes.

Motivation:

• Lawsuit debt is excessive but still a secret – not even wife knows

• Needs to keep appearance of success to friends and family

• Overwhelming fear of failure or losing face

Flaws/Weaknesses

• Big-time (Trumpian) narcissist & hypocrite

• Extremely self-righteous

Strengths/Redemption

• Polished, organized, well-dressed, classy, devoted family man

• Intelligent, kind, inspiring

Actor Comp: Jon Hamm

Matt Donaldson

Friend of Bob’s who has kids at Oppenheimer Academy (same school as Bob’s kids) and works for his father-in-law. Wife Brittany has expensive tastes, has grown up with money. She has expectations of Matt that he has difficulty living up to. He was a former college athlete who loved his independence, but now feels trapped and can’t break from his rebellious ways. Always seems to need money but can’t stick with a steady job.  A screw up in every way, one who's mistakes cost others everything. His character does the biggest U-Turn in the show... but is it a good thing?

Motivation:

• Excessive spousal pressure to be successful

• Adrenaline junkie, thrill-seeker 

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Disorganized, weak spirit, lazy

• Hot tempered, short fuse, no filter, philanderer

• Disheveled appearance always

Strengths/Redemption:

• Intelligent, loyal to friends

• Wants to do good, determined to turn life around

Actor Comp: Vince Vaughn

Steve Chow-White

Steve is a pleaser who is recently divorced from his Type-A Caucasian wife. She collects alimony and child support from Steve even though she has a very high paying job and keeps taking him to court for more. Steve works as a telecommunications manager but still has trouble keeping up. He is a push-over and his friends, particularly Matt, always remind him of it.  He grows as a person rapidly as the money they earn provides him with the means to take his life back into his own hands..... but a shocking turn awaits him.

Motivation:

• Needs money for child support and alimony

• Needs to stand up to his wife any way he can, needs to see his kids more

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Passive and non-confrontational

• Always wants to please people

• Mommy issues

Strengths/Redemption:

• Highly intelligent

• Great dad, loyal to everyone

• Just needs one break to regain that control

Actor Comp: Randall Park

Sanj Chopra

Sanj is a brilliant IT specialist of Indian descent. He manages technology services for Oppenheimer Academy but is highly overqualified. Sanj is homosexual and left India because his parents didn’t approve of his sexuality. Previously worked in IT for Indian Intelligence and big pharma in Utah. His partner is named Pascal Lafleur, a female hockey goalie from Montreal who is in the process of ‘transitioning’ to a man and requires several key, expensive surgeries. Easily the most stable of the "crew", he is a silent force keeping things together.

Motivation:

• Needs money for his partner’s gender reassignment surgeries

• Dealing with family disapproval

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Insecurity about sexuality

• Very withdrawn, introvert

Strengths/Redemption:

• Highly intelligent

• Typical tech nerd mentality

• Can keep secrets

Actor Comp: Aziz Ansari, Kunal Nayyar

Angie Lear

Angie, Bob’s wife, does not have a job but helps to raise the children and keep the house in order. Angie also keeps herself busy by keeping in shape by going to a local CrossFit gym no less than five days per week. This fitness routine also helps keep her manage her depression and overall mental health, as addiction and mental health issues run in her family. Born in Puerto Rico, worked as a nanny before getting her accounting designation and a job at a large accounting firm.

Motivation:

• Focused on her own body image issues

• Everything revolves around her gym community and kids

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Anxious, often distracted

• Emotional, prone to outbursts

Strengths/Redemptions:

• Very moral, loyal churchgoer

• Helpful, intelligent

• Perky, upbeat

• Great mother

Actor Comp: Roselyn Sánchez, Denise Quinones

Brittany Donaldson

Brittany is Matt’s wife. She doesn’t have a full-time job but sells crappy jewelry and figurines on eBay. Her parents are wealthy, and she went to Oppenheimer Academy as a youth and wants the same afforded to her kids. She is very entitled and accustomed to a rich lifestyle, but Matt is not good at providing for her needs, and she makes sure he hears about it constantly, comparing their life to others. Her behavior drives Matt to seek attention from other women, although he wants to keep the family together.

Motivation:

• Wants a wealthy lifestyle but puts the burden on her husband

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Entitled and self-absorbed

• Not a hard worker but expects more of others

Strengths/Redemptions:

• Very devout LDS church member

• Strong moral beliefs due to church

Actor Comp: Anna Faris

Stephanie Chow-White

Stephanie is a Type-A, Caucasian Tiger Mom. She identifies with the strong Asian mother archetype and pushes her children and herself to high levels of achievement. She divorced Steve because he never met her “standards” and is demanding greater and greater financial commitments from Steve. Stephanie still berates Steve in private and public, and she uses the substantial financial resources of her family to keep screwing it to him.

Motivation:

• Determined to draw funds from Steve as a commitment to her, but also enjoys humiliating him incessantly

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Extremely aggressive and confrontational

• Vengeful beyond the pale

• Manipulative and hypocritical

Strengths/Redemption:

• Extremely intelligent

• Focused, determined

Actor Comp: Michelle Monaghan

Pascale Lafleur

Pascale is Sanj’s transgendered partner who is in the process of transitioning from female to male. Pascale is from Montreal and has a strong French-Canadian accent. Plays pro hockey from Montreal’s WNHL team. She began the initial stages of gender reassignment when she first met Sanj via an online matching app, Transdr. Their relationship has flourished, and they have discussed trips to Bangkok to complete the transitioning process once they have the necessary funds.

Motivation:

• Motivated to complete the gender reassignment process.

• Dedicated to supporting Sanj in lieu of his family’s banishment of him.

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Intolerant of anyone who questions his/her lifestyle choice

• Quick to anger

• The fivehole, high stick-side

Strengths/Redemption:

• Extroverted, flamboyant

• Savvy, been around, street smart

• Comfortable in own skin

Actor Comp: Marc Andre Grondin

Max Bayer

Max is Bob’s former best friend, college roommate, and partner at GWT. He was responsible for getting Bob into the investment company in Seattle where he was the one who came up with the way to get funding to start GWT after Bob first met with the inventor, Sam Tilford. Sam had originally been a calm, analytical type, but after a skiing incident that nearly killed him he became paranoid, irrational, and angry. He also became addicted to opiates, which he eventually overdosed on (while Bob was on his honeymoon). While Max is dead by the time the series begins, he is seen often as a figment of Bob’s imagination and acts as both Bob’s angel (pre-accident Max) and devil (post-accident).

Motivation:

• No motivation with this character; he’s here as part of Bob’s conscience.

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Pre-accident: Easily swayed, particularly by Bob

• Too soft-spoken, won’t rock the boat, won’t make sure he gets his equal share

• Post-accident: Angry, addicted to drugs, paranoid (Alex Jones type)

Strengths/Redemption:

• Pre-accident: Loyal friend, smart, analytical, sees big picture easily

• Post-accident: No longer a push-over

Actor Comp: Tim Olyphant / Michael Shannon

Gerry Gruber

Retired vice cop in his mid-sixties from Miami that has had enough of the sun and big city life and has settled in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. His wife was from Utah, but passed away from cancer shortly after they moved. He befriends Bob after they combine to prevent an assault at the coffee shop. Gerry shares his past stories with Bob who seems harmless and is a captive audience.

Motivation:

• Still restless after all of these years and has a story to tell anyone who will listen

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• No loyalties to anyone, let alone law enforcement

• Has a dark, secret past that keeps us guessing

Strengths/Redemption:

• Extremely wise and confident

• Laid back and reflective

• Tons of experience with “bad dudes”

Actor Comp: Tim Matheson

Maria Fuentes

Maria is a young and upwardly mobile DEA agent in the Salt Lake City office who has been assigned to the DEA Metro Narcotics Task Force to identify, investigate, and dismantle major drug trafficking operations in the Greater Salt Lake area. She is a 10-year vet but still eager to learn and make a difference in this position. She is determined to do it all ‘by the book’ and move up in the organization. Her older brother overdosed on coke and died when she was in high school.

Motivation:

• Determined to clean the streets of drugs, save kids and move up in the law enforcement field.

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Loner with few relationships outside of work

• Not an “out of the box” thinker

Strengths/Redemption:

• Smart, cunning, impossible to shake off a case

• Loyal, incorruptible

Actor Comp: Zoe Saldana

Jorge Fuentes

Jorge, or Georgie Boy as he’s known in Salt Lake, is the son of DEA agent Maria Fuentes (born to her when she was 16). Jorge was a strong student until he got recruited into a gang when he was in high school. His gangmates got him to get info from his mother that they used to evade the authorities. Maria found out and sent him off to a “boot camp” to fix his mind. He’s still angry with her for this, and has fallen out of touch with her, though she still constantly watches over him without him knowing.

Motivation:

• Holds a grudge against his mother

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Dismissive of authority

• Addictive personality

• Attracted to gang life still

Strengths/Redemption:

• Determined to make something of himself on his own

• Still loves his mother despite his anger at her

Actor Comp: Childish Gambino

James Calloway

James is a somewhat troubled veteran police officer from the Cottonwood Heights Police Department who is a brought in to liaise with the DEA Metro Narcotics Task Force and is paired up with Maria Fuentes. In the distant past, he was suspended from the department for soliciting a prostitute. His wife had been suffering from hereditary mental health issues and ended up committing suicide from the shame that Calloway had caused the family. They had one son together – Marty – who still blames his father for the loss of his mother. 

Motivation:

• Trying to make good on future cases to prove to his worth to his son

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Tends to cut corners and not follow the rules.

• Blonds and bars

• Easily manipulated, corruptible

Strengths/Redemption:

• Born again - COLDS

• Street smart, lots of connections in bad places

Actor Comp: Sean Penn

Javier Reyes

Javier is Bob’s primary Cartel contact in Episode 01. Javier is in complete control and appears to be the darling of the Cartel in terms of his ability to move product and produce revenues. However, due to some mistakes he makes in dealings outside of our Salt Lake group, Javier is disposed of at the end of Episode 01 because of his error, but also to show Bob that failure is not an option.

Motivation:

• Longtime reliable agent of the Cartel that has never slipped up

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Confident, possibly overconfident

• Trusting to a fault

Strengths/Redemption:

• Calm, methodical, patient

• Extremely intelligent if not totally street smart

Actor Comp: Benicio Del Toro 

Hector Gonzales

Hector the main cartel boss for the cartel Bob provides his services to. Hector demands loyalty above all else. Smart, cunning, been in the business a long time. Can come across as brash and unhinged, or calm and classy, depending on what he’s after. 

Motivation:

• Grow his empire at the expense of rival cartels

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Violent and unpredictable

• Unrealistic expectations

• Skeptical and not trusting of others

• Completely lacking of remorse

Strengths/Redemption:

• Smart, experienced

• A survivor

Actor Comp: Benjamin Bratt

Pedro Perez

Pedro is Javier’s replacement and determined to show the Cartel bosses that he is going to lead them into new markets, generate greater revenues and not leave them vulnerable to law enforcement agencies or rival cartels. He had spent time in Australia during his younger days and is determined to make inroads into that difficult market because of the significant profit margins available.

Motivation:

• Wants to move up in the cartel at any cost

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Violent, impulsive

• Believes in shoot first…

• Trusts no one, especially Bob

Strengths/Redemption:

• Uses tech to control his region

• Loyal

• Incorruptible, can not be turned

Actor Comp: Clifton Collins Jr.

Julio Rodriguez

Julio is Hector’s nephew and has been thrown into a role within the Cartel to give him some responsibility and to learn the ‘family business’. He has very few skills and abilities but is still given significant responsibility that makes Bob nervous and could destabilize the whole operation with the Colombians.

Motivation:

• Wants power within the Cartel and more responsibility

• Desires to show Hector that he deserves a primary role in the family business

Personality Traits:

• Short-fuse, unpredictable

• Reckless, emotional and irresponsible

• Hates English-speaking Americans

Actor Comp: Omar Avila

Sam Tilford

The original inventor of the GWT wood treatment product formula that was stolen by Bob Lear. Sam came to Bob for money when Bob worked for an investment company in Seattle. Bob did not secure funding for Sam but did fund Sam himself at first. Sam was a chemist, not a businessman, and Bob took full advantage of that, eventually ending up with all the intellectual property in his name, and he went off and started GWT.

Motivation:

• Revenge against Bob

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Anti-social, extreme introvert, possible autism

• Huge mood swings

• Uncontrollable temper

Strengths/Redemption:

• Extremely intelligent, genius

• Righteous

Actor Comp: Giovanni Ribisi

Tom Cheong

Also known as “Happy Tom”, Tom Cheong is a distant cousin of Steve’s from Hong Kong. Has tight Communist Party connections in China to get things done. He also has connections to Chinese community in Australia, as well as extensive real estate holdings there. Tom wants to live permanently in American and find a wife to settle down with and experience the American Dream.

Motivation:

• Wants to meet a nice white American girl and get married

• Hates most things Chinese including chopsticks and Chinese food

Personality Traits:

• Impulsive and loud, but happy and cheerful

• Speaks better English when drunk or high

• Loves classic American Rock & Roll and Actors

Strengths/Redemption:

• Loyal to those he knows

• Cunning, entrepreneurial, understands the business

Actor Comp: Bobby Lee

Bishop Demille

Bishop Demille is the leader of Bob’s local Church of Latter-Day Saints. Demille is everything Bob isn’t but wants to be, and that drives Bob nuts. Demille has been at their church for many years, and knows the community well, and when the church burns down and Bob offers to rebuild it at his own cost, Demille offers to help Bob and his company through his many connections.

Motivation:

• Trying to do good wherever and whenever possible

Flaws/Weaknesses:

• Too trusting

• Can be a bit “preachy”

Strengths/Redemption:

• An open book who will help anyone 

• True to the church and word of God

• Faithful, devoted LDS leader

Actor Comp: William Hurt

Janice Sorenson

Local Salt Lake City reporter that has been covering business related stories for years in the area and is curious about Bob’s business growth.

Motivation:

• Trying to find out why Bob’s business is booming when other manufacturing companies in the area are stagnant

Personality Traits:

• Very annoying personality

• Doesn’t pick up on social cues and is a close talker

• No inhibitions about getting the story and asking tough questions

Keahi Taagatoloa

Extremely large and intimidating female MMA competitor who trains at Angie’s Crossfit gym. Keahi’s cousin is Solosolo but she has no affiliation with his gang and their immediate families have not be on great terms in recent years.

Motivation:

• Getting fit for competition

Personality Traits:

• Strong female character that intimidates most males she encounters

• Loyalty to family

• Makes friends easily with other women

Ku Taagatoloa

Brother of Keahi who also trains in MMA at Angie Lear’s Crossfit gym and has a background in security. Solosolo has consistently tried to lure Ku into his gang, but Ku has remained disciplined and loyal to Keahi and their immediate family. He is determined to lead a clean life and avoid the mistakes of his cousin. Ku ultimately is accidentally killed midway through Season 01 in a deal gone bad with the Tongan Crip gang organized by Solosolo.

Motivation:

• Leading a clean life in the security business away from his cousin’s reach

Personality Traits:

• Strong and disciplined

• Committed to the Church and Family

Solosolo

Solosolo is the one-name leader of the local Tongan Crip gang that moved from Los Angeles to run drugs in the Salt Lake City area. They are a brutal gang but also have ties to the Mormon religion and church. He likes to perform the Tongan Haka (war dance) before engaging in his criminal activities and intimidate his foes.

Motivation:

• Wants to solidify his ‘territory’ in Salt Lake and intimidate and eliminate competition

Personality Traits:

• Loud and obnoxious

• Clearly addicted to steroids and other enhancement drugs