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Found: Mark-Paul Gosselaar's Sir Was Based on This Real-Life Serial Killer
Sir's charm and mastery of manipulation were directly inspired by a famously charismatic killer.
With his dangerous charm, extraordinary powers of manipulation, and a clear lack of empathy for other human beings, Mark-Paul Gosselaar's Hugh Evans — better known as Sir — gives off some serious serial killer vibes on Found (new episodes air on NBC every Thursday).
While the character has insisted over and over again that he isn't a cold-blooded murderer, series creator, showrunner, and executive producer Nkechi Okoro Carroll did take some inspiration from a notorious mass murderer.
RELATED: What Do Mark-Paul Gosselaar & Sir Have in Common? "The Fact That He Could Live in a Basement..."
Mark-Paul Gosselaar's Sir on Found was inspired by a famous serial killer
"I just wanted to know from [Nkechi] if there was a person in history or present that she was basing this character off of, and she said, ‘Well, if you were going to look at anybody and understand the makeup of them, look at Ted Bundy,'" Gosselaar reveals over a Zoom call with NBC Insider. "So I did dive in on Bundy and fortunately/unfortunately, there's a lot of material out there on him. I was able to sort of grasp what she meant by someone who used his charm and intellect to disarm his victims, and why, even though he was able to do some horrible, horrible things, people still found him either attractive or wanted to have some connection to him and thought that he was better than what he was."
Bundy, of course, infamously relied on his disarming charisma and good looks to lure young women to their dooms and bewitch the public. Despite the fact that he ultimately confessed to 28 murders before his execution by electric chair in 1989, it is speculated that his body count may have been in the hundreds (check out Peacock's Ted Bundy: In Defense for more).
Why Mark-Paul Gosselaar doesn't see Sir as a madman on Found
Sir may be unhinged, but he is absolutely convinced that what he's doing is right. In his mind, the means, however nasty and callous, justify the ends, because he and Gabi Mosely (Shanola Hampton) are meant to be together.
"I never play him as a madman," Gosselaar explains. "If you strip everything away, he's still a human, so I can't play him as a caricature. I play him as someone who's deeply disturbed, but then I also have to understand where he's come from and his backstory and things that he appreciates. He appreciates art and literature. The way he talks and the way he converses with somebody. He loves Shakespeare and so, I've used some of his cadence off of how he would perform Shakespeare. There's people in my life that I've met that I've said, ‘Oh, that is a component that I could use for Sir.’ I'm sure they wouldn't like to hear it. I would never say, ‘Oh, that person is [the basis for] that onscreen!’ But as an actor, we use our life experiences to create characters, and I certainly did that with Sir."
RELATED: Mark-Paul Gosselaar on Sir and Gabi's Relationship on Found: "It Could Be Romantic..."
He concludes: "It was just another character that I knew was going to be a challenge and something that I would like to do for the next five to seven years, working with very specific people that I enjoy."
How can you watch Found?
New episodes of Found Season 2 premiere on NBC every Thursday at 10 p.m. ET before making their way to Peacock the following day. The complete first season — comprised of 13 episodes — is now available to stream on the NBCUniversal platform.
Peacock offers two monthly subscription plans: Premium ($7.99 a month with ads) and Premium Plus ($13.99 a month with no ads and download access for certain titles). If you're a student, you can enjoy the Premium plan for just $1.99 for an entire year!
