Fargo Connection

Imagine a pregnant police chief with a husband who paints ducks for postage stamps. Add a financially-troubled car salesman with plans to hire someone to kidnap his wife. Throw in some inept crooks and a deadly woodchipper. Are these the elements of a fascinating movie? You betcha, especially if it comes from filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen. In 1996, their Fargo took critics and moviegoers by storm. While watching the press screening of this film, I noticed the actor playing Frances McDormand’s sensitive husband looked and sounded familiar.

Checking through the press notes, I found his name was John Carroll Lynch. My husband Larry and I both remembered a high school friend of ours, Dan Lynch, who once worked in a political campaign for Colorado senator John Carroll. Could this actor be related to Dan?

Hoping our friend still lived in Colorado, I called Information for his number. There were twelve “D. Lynch” or “Dan Lynch” listings in Denver, but the first one I called turned out to be the right one. After filling me in on his son’s acting career, Dan gave me John’s phone number. Obtaining a Fargo-related telephone interview proved quite interesting to me, and I learned something about how the Coen brothers work with their actors. John expressed his admiration for the precision of their writing and direction. “There’s no room for improvisation,” he said. “The Coen’s know exactly what they want.”

I am not surprised that John Carroll Lynch has continued to turn in splendid performances in many more films, including Shutter Island, Zodiac, and The Things We Lost in the Fire.