stateofdecay | edgar de leon

[orator]

BASICS

NAME

José Edgardo de León Molina

ALIAS

"Edgar de Leon" — his stage name, and what everyone knows him as.

AGE & DOB

37 / June 2, 1976

PRONOUNS

He/him

COMMUNITY

Travelling Lantern Theatre Company
Whitney Field Depot

OCCUPATION

Actor
Third-in-command

HOMETOWN

Los Angeles, CA

BLOOD TYPE

A-

CONNECTIONS

BLYTHE troupe member

EVENING troupe member

MARA bad business rlship

NAT better business rlship

GIDEON shared a mentor

APPEARANCE

HAIR black EYES dark brown HEIGHT 5'9"

Edgar is remarkably vain for someone living in a post-apocalyptic ruin, but the face is an actor's greatest tool and needs to be kept well-moisturized. He takes great pains to keep his appearance close to the global movie star that he was (tousled curls, roguish facial hair) but sometimes falls short (lost access to his hotel room during the outbreak; his wardrobe is entirely scavenged).

He's a Big Personality: dramatic hand gestures, artful posing (get his good side), every word enunciated like it's part of a one page monologue. He's unfailingly enthusiastic and friendly, as he's never too sure who might already know him and have a bad opinion of him. This often comes across as performative; he rarely "turns it off," even around members of the theater troupe. In his more genuine moments, he can be serious, restless and self-deprecating.

TRAITS & SKILLS

MOVIE STAR

In my last film, the plague was an alien technovirus and a metaphor for Internet brain rot, but basically the same thing.

[ + ] recognizable face [ + ] confident liar [ + ] charming [ – ] insincere [ – ] craves public approval [ – ] will do anything for money

SHAKESPEAREAN ACTOR

I was desperate to prove I'm a serious actor. What's more serious than fighting through zombies just to perform Macbeth?

[ + ] sword fighting [ + ] inspirational speeches [ + ] can manage melodramatic people [ – ] melodramatic [ – ] seeks spotlight [ – ] extremely vain

THEATER TROUPE LEADER

For some reason, they put their faith in me. I mean, I am incredibly handsome and charming. Important qualities in any leader!

[ + ] spokesperson [ + ] protective of his people [ + ] opportunistic business sense [ – ] likes being in charge [ – ] new to having people rely on him

WELL-TRAVELLED

Single best part about doing big movies was that I got to travel all over the world. Sometimes I'd spend hours wandering the streets of whatever city I was filming in.

[ + ] distance hiker [ + ] hefts an extra large backpack [ – ] ready to run at any time [ – ] claustrophobic

TABLOID HEADLINE

Rumors abounded that I cheated on my actress girlfriend with my married co-star. Maybe I turned to the stage to escape the heat for a bit.

[ – ] scandalous reputation [ – ] self-sabotaging

HISTORY

FAMILY

Edgar's family was scattered around the country, with only his older sister and her family still living in California. Some of them he's pretty sure are dead, some of them he's not. He fell out of contact with his sister when cell service cut out, and doesn't want to go looking and confirm his worst fears. They are Schrödinger's Family so long as he doesn't try.

Susanna Lovering, girlfriend (sort of). They agreed to "revisit things" after he completed his stage run and she finished filming in Greece, but the world ended.

cw: setting-typical death and violence ➔ Before switching to the stage, Edgar spent a decade starring in highly lucrative genre films (sci-fi, fantasy, horror, video game adaptations, you name it). He was a charismatic screen presence, but popular opinion was that he'd accept any shit role so long as he was paid well. The last things people remember Edgar for is The Omega Virus (2011), about an alien plague that turned humans into mindless techno-zombies, and a cheating scandal with his female co-star on the same film.

➔ The Travelling Lantern Company was a touring Shakespearean theater troupe originally from Los Angeles. They were staging Hamlet in Sacramento, with Edgar de Leon stunt-cast in the titular role, when an audience member turned and began biting people. The company's managing director, Carnelian Ecochard, got everyone out of town in a hurry, saving most of their number.

➔ Under Carnelian's leadership, the Travelling Lantern made their way north, stopping at whatever safe enclaves that were left. Edgar's famous face was instrumental in buying passage into wary communities, and with the collapse of TV and the Internet, it was easy to pitch the troupe's services to people starved for escapism. They staged shows in exchange for shelter and supplies, but moved on as soon as things got a little too dangerous. Edgar sharpened his prop sword and learned how to kill zombies to protect the others.

➔ Six months ago, the troupe ran into a bear feral and a zombie horde on the road. They suffered losses, and Carnelian was seriously injured. Edgar volunteered to mercy-kill him as the worst of Black Fever set in, and unexpectedly, the players looked to Edgar to lead them next. The Travelling Lantern arrived at Whitney Field Depot to recuperate, and have camped there since. Edgar started off on the wrong foot with Whitney Field's leader, Mara Kaufman, and relations have been steadily worsening as he pushes for a lieutenant position in the community.

➔ In late October 2013, Edgar was made third-in-command of Whitney Field in exchange for giving Mara creative control of the theater troupe.

MISCELLANEOUS

➔ The troupe caravan is made up of a large RV (sleeping quarters), a horse trailer (wardrobe), a truck (to pull the trailer), and a crossover SUV (Edgar's "dressing room"/personal quarters). These vehicles are encamped in the parking lot of the Whitney Field, along with a number of pop-up tents and a makeshift fire pit.

➔ Insists on reminding people of the "correct" spelling of "Travelling Lantern Theatre Company" and that it is not absurdly pretentious for an American company to use the UK spelling.

➔ Carries a carbon steel sword, originally made for stage combat but had its blade sharpened to better dispatch zombies. Also owns a M1 Carbine rifle (inherited from Carnelian), but he's better at looking cool carrying it than hitting targets.

➔ Just before he died, Carnelian told Edgar that he took the entire troupe north because he was trying to reunite with someone named "Gideon," who lived in the PNW area. Edgar is the only one who knows about this.

PLAYER marin (she/they) TIMEZONE pacific PB oscar isaac CONTACT here

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Filmography

[orator]

Edgar de Leon got his start as a theatre student at UC San Diego, and would spend most of his twenties doing TV guest spots and minor film roles until his breakout hit, Leviathan Rise (2007). He worked steadily and indiscriminately throughout his career, and often netting 2-3 credits per year in the last few years pre-outbreak. His reputation was of a charming actor with a handsome face, who did mostly big budget popcorn entertainment.

Highlights from his filmography:

The Monte Carlo Game (2002) ... Paschal Cara

A stylish casino heist thriller with an international cast. 26-year-old Edgar had a relatively small role as a croupier/inside man of the heist team, but was praised by critics for his scene-stealing charisma. This film was also when he first met actress Susanna Lovering, whom he'd start dating in 2007.

Dolls (2004) ... Ralph Morris

Remake of 1980s horror movie in which a group of travelers take shelter in an English mansion full of haunted dolls. Edgar's first starring film role of note, as an American businessman who protects a young girl after her parents are killed (by dolls). Mixed reviews but became a financial success by leaning into its ridiculous premise and serving up tons of gruesome murders-by-doll.

Show No Mercy (2005) ... Jesse Gallio

A limited release drama about a small town man who accuses his lifelong best friend of killing a hitchhiker. Edgar de Leon fans often point to this little-seen film as proof that he can "really act." The ambiguous ending hinged on his performance of the friend, who hides a dark side underneath his charm but might still be wrongfully accused.

Evil Exposure (2006) ... Mason

American adaptation of a Japanese video game, heavily criticized by fans for taking liberties with the original plot. A young woman searches for her missing boyfriend, armed only with a camera that can capture ghosts. Edgar played the boyfriend, under the thrall of a powerful ghost who believes him to be her dead lover. Arguably Edgar's worst movie.

Leviathan Rise (2007) ... Lorenzo Valdes

Giant robots battle alien monsters in this box-office smash. Edgar is a veteran pilot who becomes the mentor to the 20-year-old prodigy heroine. In the emotional high point of the movie, he's forcibly retired after a harrowing battle, due to accumulated brain damage from a decade of mech piloting. Edgar's most well-known role.

Dragoncrest (2008) ... Prince Diovo

Generic European fantasy setting, dragon-riding knights, and a courtly love triangle. A fairly bad movie featuring unconvincing CGI dragons and a scenery-chewing villain performance from Edgar as the hero's scheming half-brother, who badly burns the heir's face with dragon fire and usurps the kingdom from him.

Leviathan Rise: Echoes of the Abyss (2009) ... Lorenzo Valdes

Seen as either a cynical cash grab or a guilty pleasure favorite. Echoes shifts from the first movie's darker, serious tone to indulge in over-the-top mecha vs kaiju action, with all the giant robots getting cool new weapons. Two controversial points: Lorenzo Valdes' medical issues are totally retconned so he can pilot again, and the movie ends with a blatant sequel setup.

Leviathan Domination (2010) ... Lorenzo Valdes

Third installment and the worst-reviewed. Lorenzo, previously the fan favorite character, pulls too much focus with a confusing, distracting subplot in which his once-retconned brain damage results in vivid hallucinations. There were rumors of executive meddling by Edgar de Leon, who was supposed to either have a much smaller role or die in a heroic sacrifice. A fourth Leviathan movie was announced, but never started production.

The Omega Virus (2011) ... Dr. Frank Barlowe

Late summer sci-fi horror about an alien technovirus that spreads online and turns humans into zombie-like monsters. The movie's dubious attempt at social commentary in the Internet age were overshadowed by a rumored on-set affair between the two leads. Rebecca Westwood divorced her husband while promoting the film, and Edgar de Leon went to the stage in a twelve-week run as Hamlet.