Dennis Quaidstars in Paramount+’s latest crime showHappy Face, and it’s a great follow-up to his most recent horror movie that just won an Oscar. Dennis Quaid has done a bit of everything in his acting career, which began in the 1970s with an uncredited role in the action comedy movieCrazy Mamaand the detective TV seriesBaretta. Quaid’s big break arrived in 1983 when he played Gordon Cooper in Philip Kaufman’sThe Right Stuff, which he followed with a starring role inJaws 3-D.
After Quaid’s successful streak calmed down in the early 1990s, he regained force when he appeared inDragonheartandThe Parent Trap.Quaid has since been a well-established actor who has explored different genres– from rom-coms likeIn Good Company, family-friendly movies likeYours, Mine & Ours, disaster movies likeThe Day After Tomorrow, and even biopics likeReagan. Quaid recently took part in an Oscar-winning horror movie, which he’s following up with the true crime drama TV seriesHappy Face, continuing an interesting streak.
Dennis Quaid Continues His Villain Role Streak With Happy Face After The Substance
The Substance Saw Dennis Quaid As A Very Real Villain
Dennis Quaid has mostly played good guys and likable characters, and it’s the type of role he’s mostly known for, though he has also gone for some darker roles. Most recently, and right after the failure ofReagan,Quaid had a small but very memorable role in Coralie Fargeat’s body horrorThe Substance. The movie follows Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), a fading celebrity who decides to try a black-market drug that creates a younger version of herself. This version, played by Margaret Qualley, goes by “Sue”, and revives Elisabeth’s career, fully taking over it.
The Substance Serum In Demi Moore’s 2024 Movie Explained: How It Works & Who Created It
The way the serums work in The Substance is terrifying in a lot of different ways, even beyond the movie’s overt body-horror moments.
However, there are strict rules on the use of the “substance” that must be followed by all users, but Sue is too fascinated by her life to follow those rules.Quaid plays Harvey, Elisabeth’s producer, who fires her from her long-running aerobics TV showdue to her age… and he does so on her birthday. Harvey begins to find her replacement and hires Sue, boosting her career. Harvey is a villain inThe Substance, representing control and manipulation in the entertainment business, as well as the gender hierarchy.
The Substancewon the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling in 2025.
Now, Quaid is continuing this villain streak with the TV seriesHappy Face, where he’s playing Keith Hunter Jesperson, known as the Happy Face Killer. Jesperson was given that name as he drew smiley faces on the letters he sent to the media and authorities. Jesperson was arrested in 1995 and is currently serving a sentence of life without parole. Although Harvey and Jesperson are completely different, both are villains rooted in reality in different ways.
Why Dennis Quaid Was Originally Hesitant To Star As A Serial Killer In Happy Face
Playing A Serial Killer Is Never An Easy Decision
The Substance’s Harvey is a fictional character, though surely with some very real inspirations, but Jesperson is a real person, currently serving time in prison for his crimes. Because of that, it’s understandable that Quaid was initially hesitant to play the lead role inHappy Face. At the show’s premiere at SXSW, Quaid revealed he gave it a lot of thought becausehe didn’t want the real Jesperson to “feel any kind of glory about himself being out there”, and that playing this type of character has an effect on the actor (viaVariety).
Happy Face True Story: Keith Hunter Jesperson’s Crimes & His Daughter Melissa Moore’s Life Explained
Paramount+’s Happy Face fictionalizes the narrative, but the true story of Keith Hunter Jesperson’s crimes and Melissa Moore’s life is equally tragic.
What convinced Quaid to joinHappy Facewas that it’s told through the point of view of Jesperson’s daughter, Melissa Moore, played by Annaleigh Ashford.Happy Faceis adapted from Moore’s podcast of the same name and her autobiographyShattered Silence, giving the TV show a personal perspective.Happy Faceis an interesting follow-up to Quaid’s role inThe Substance, and it’s to be seen how his performance is received.
