Who Plays Kerry Kane On Lanterns

"Lanterns" takes the Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) out of the space opera that the comic source material operates in. After all, that approach failed, hard, last time it was brought to live-action in Ryan Reynolds' career-changing 2011 film "Green Lantern."

Nope, Hal and John aren't on planet Oa, but in Rushville, Nebraska, investigating a murder. While extraterrestrials (like the evil Manhunters) converge on the town, they're in human disguises. But, honestly, this approach to a Green Lantern isn't as unusual as it first looks. "Lanterns" is a two-hander TV cop drama that evokes "True Detective," yet it draws easy comparisons to "Hard-Traveling Heroes." For those not familiar, Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams' 1970s comic book classic follows Green Lantern and Green Arrow as they drive across the U.S. together in a series of social justice-themed stories. 

Hal and John's third wheel on "Lanterns" is Sheriff Kerry Kane, an original creation for the series. (Although, since she comes from Gotham City, she might be a relative of the Kanes, Bruce Wayne's maternal side of the family.) Kerry is played by Kelly Macdonald — and if you're familiar with the actor's Scottish ancestry and past roles, the image of her in Sheriff Kane's cowboy hat might be harder to buy than rings that create glowing green magic.

Born in Glasgow, Macdonald broke out as an actor thanks to her turn in Danny Boyle's "Trainspotting," a film about young people with heroin addictions living in Edinburgh. Macdonald played Diane Coulston, the love interest to lead Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor). Macdonald reprised the role of Diane for Boyle's 2017 sequel "T2: Trainspotting," but her acting career was far from silent in that time in between.

After breaking out with "Trainspotting," Kelly Macdonald worked with filmmakers just as impressive as Danny Boyle. In Robert Altman's late-career 2011 murder mystery "Gosford Park," she played Scottish maid Mary Maceachran. And while "Gosford Park" is an ensemble film like most Altman movies, Mary proves to be the story's truest POV character.

Macdonald also worked with the Coen Brothers on their 2007 neo-Western "No Country for Old Men." (Incidentally, "Lanterns" has a "No Country" reunion you may have missed.) There, she plays Carla Jean Moss, whose hapless husband Lleweyn (Josh Brolin) stumbles onto the aftermath of shootout and steals money from the scene. Carla Jean could've been a thankless role, but she gets a memorable scene near the end. When the twisted hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) comes to kill her, she refuses to show him fear or play along with his games of chance, unlike his other victims.

Later, Macdonald dipped her toes into voice acting when she starred in Pixar's 2012 film "Brave" as Merida, a princess who challenges traditions in medieval Scotland to avoid an arranged marriage. Playing Merida allowed Macdonald to use her natural Scottish accent, and she even replaced original Merida actor Reese Witherspoon, who couldn't quite manage the accent.

"Lanterns" isn't Macdonald's first rodeo with HBO, either. From 2010 to 2014, she starred in the network's Prohibition-era gangster drama "Boardwalk Empire." There, she played Margaret Schroeder (né Rohan), an Irish immigrant living in New Jersey who becomes entangled with political boss Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi). A single mother and early feminist, Margaret rises and falls over the course of the show. Nevertheless, she proves to be a survivor, and Macdonald's strong performance greases the wheels of that story.

"Lanterns" is streaming on HBO Max.