Tyler Hoechlin as Derek Hale in Teen Wolf
There is an abundance of last names as first names among the cast of MTV's new series Teen Wolf. There is a Colton, a Dylan, a Holland, and two Tylers: one of which is the subject of this biography, Tyler Hoechlin. Hoechlin, a native of Corona, California (in Riverside County) got his big break in film with the role of Michael Sullivan, Jr. in 2002's Road To Perdition. Hoechlin was chosen from over 2000 candidates for the role and was only fourteen when filming began. Hoechlin, born in 1987, went on land a supporting role in 7th Heaven, one of the longest running family dramas in television history, wrapping up with its eleventh season in 2006. Hoechlin, an avid baseball player, headed off to Arizona State University on a baseball scholarship in 2005, and also played ball closer to home at UC Irvine, where he transferred in 2007. According to IMDB.com, Hoechlin was allegedly among the final two actors shortlisted for the role Edward Cullen in Twilight, losing out in the end to Brit Robert Pattinson.
Tyler Lee Hoechlin, standing at 6 feet tall, sticks out among the other members of the cast of Teen Wolf. For one thing, he appears to be significantly older than the others, even older than his twenty-three years. His role, as Derek Hale, is dark and sinister and mature, and this is contrasted to the light-hearted high schoolers that he finds himself interacting with on the show. Indeed, Hoechlin appears more aged than his peers because they all appear particularly young (unlike the thirty-somethings that usually play high-schoolers... cough... 90210... cough). Derek Hale, as we have seen thus far, has returned to a sleepy town in California to investigate the death of his sister. Initially, protagonist Scott believes (and with ample reason) that Derek is the werewolf that bit him, but in the third episode Derek reveals that there is a third werewolf around, an "alpha", and that it was this werewolf whose bite transformed Scott. Derek's suspicious behavior up to this point leaves the veracity of his statements in doubt (in particular, his claim that he is on Scott's side), but it seems readily apparent at this point that there is, in fact, a third werewolf on the prowl and that Scott and Derek may have to team up if this alpha wolf proves to be as strong as his dirty work so far suggests. At this point, Hoechlin's role as Derek is pretty one dimensional: all it requires is someone tall, dark, and handsome able to appear intermittently serious and sincere. And I have a sneaking suspicion that Derek may be killed off at some point in the 12-episode first season, but all of that remains to be seen. Stay tuned, folks. I know I will be.
Hoechlin has mastered that one "serious look" this role requires.
