Michael Emerson starred in Arrow as terrorist hacker and villain Cayden James between 2017 and 2018, but moved on from the role when his character was killed off — but what has the actor done since? Emerson is a beloved character actor who often plays villainous roles. Following his stint in the Arrowverse, Emerson moved on to play other iconic television antagonists, as well as some interesting eccentric side characters.
After appearing in Arrow season 5, James returned as season 6’s main antagonist and the leader of two dangerous criminal teams: Helix and Panopticon. James thereby recruited a host of criminals and vigilantes, including Black Siren (Katie Cassidy) and Ricardo Diaz (Kirk Acevedo), to help him in his plan to wipe out the world’s internet and to seek revenge against Oliver Queen, whom he believed was responsible for his son Owen Post’s death. Emerson exited Arrow after his character was killed by Diaz, right after Diaz revealed himself to be the one behind his son’s death.
Prior to his seven-episode stint in Arrow, Emerson was best known for his lead role as reclusive software genius Harold Finch in Person of Interest and as Ben Linus (formerly known as Henry Gale) in Lost. Since Arrow, Emerson has been cast in three television series: Mozart in the Jungle, The Name of the Rose, and Evil. He also has an upcoming project as ‘Evil Wizard’ in the movie Man & Witch, about which little is yet known and which is currently in pre-production.
Morton Norton In Mozart In The Jungle
Michael Emerson’s first role after Arrow was in the fourth season of Amazon’s comedy-drama web television series Mozart in the Jungle. The show was inspired by oboist Blair Tindall’s memoir, in which she reflects on her professional career in New York, playing high-profile shows which included ones on Broadway. In it, Emerson appears as Morton Norton for a short two-episode arc as an eccentric collector of classical music relics and curiosities, a collection he keeps locked away in his mansion.
The Abbot In The Name Of The Rose
The next year, Emerson joined the cast of The Name of the Rose, a historical drama miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Umberto Eco. The story is set in Italy in the 14th century and centers on a dispute over the evangelical counsel of poverty between the Franciscan Order and the Avignon papacy. As the Abbot, Emerson plays an ambiguous, greedy, and irritable head of the Abbey who seeks help in solving the murder of one of his monks.
Leland Townsend In Evil
Premiering in September 2019 and since renewed for a second season, Evil is a supernatural drama series following the partnership between a forensic psychologist, a Catholic priest-in-training, and a contractor to investigate suspected supernatural occurrences. Emerson stars as Dr Leland Townsend, an expert in the occult who manipulates others to act on their base impulses and commit evil acts. It is later revealed that his real name was Jake Perry, and that Townsend is currently under the influence of a demonic force.