In February I told it it was coming and now the mysterious John Noble short film has surfaced in full. The man who played Walter Bishop for five years on Fringe steps into a new, not-so-different role in Friend, an eight minute short produced and written by Noble’s daughter Jess. “A labor of love,” Friend reunited Noble with many behind the scenes players from his FOX sci-fi series.
“The amazing thing about Friend was our entire production team was made up of Fringe crew. That’s what made it such a unique and personal project,” Noble shared with TV Guide. “Our director was Fringe director of photography David Geddes; our editor was Ari Margolis, who created Fringe‘s wonderful online trailers; and our original music was composed by Jeremy Little, who contributed that wonderful cover of “If I Only Had A Brain” heard in “The Firefly” episode from Season 3.” Additionally, “the cameramen, grips, lighting, sound, catering, script supervisor, makeup, hair, wardrobe, props — they all came from the Fringe family and brought this project to life. Jasika Nicole [who played Astrid Farnsworth] even designed and handmade the paper flowers used in the film. It was a family project in every sense.” The balloon seller at the end? That’s Noble’s wife Penny.
As a refresher, Friend follows “a lonely, grief stricken man of wealth [who] finds a new lease on life after an unusual ‘friend’ is mysteriously delivered to his door. A unique and unexpected relationship quickly forms, bringing hope and color to the man’s bleak existence. But will tragedy strike again?”
It doesn’t take long to discover the mystery behind the door, and in such a short period of time you will connect with Noble’s heartbroken protagonist through his emotional performance that’s sprinkled with some subtle humor. The actor describes it succinctly: It’s “sad, and funny, and special.” From the disorienting mental breaks to the piano-heavy score, Friend is a treat for Fringe fans who recognize Noble’s unparalleled capabilities when he’s placed in a mysterious setting and lost his way.