  |
This article's content is marked as Mature The page contains mature content that may include coarse language, sexual references, and/or graphic violent images which may be disturbing to some. Mature pages are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. |
| “ | I did what I did, and that's all you need to know. From here on out I say nothing. | „ |
| ~ Hugo refusing to explain his motives. |
Hugo Goulding is the main antagonist of the 2001 drama film O. He is a high school student who concocts an elaborate plan to destroy his classmate and friend Odin James by making him believe that his girlfriend, Desi, is cheating on him. As O is a reimaging of William Shakespeare's Othello, Hugo is the film's version of that play's main antagonist, Iago.
He is portrayed by Josh Hartnett, who also portrayed The Colonel in Sin City.
Overview[]
Hugo is the cunning, ruthless son of Duke Goulding, his high school's basketball coach, and a point guard on his father's team. However, his father largely ignores him in favor of the captain of the team, Hugo's best friend Odin James, whom the elder Goulding treats as a favored son. Hugo takes steroids to improve his performance, but he remains in Odin's shadow. His feelings for his friend are complicated; while he claims to love Odin like a brother and is his closest confidante, he is enraged that Odin is more successful and popular than he is, and even occasionally denigrates him with racial slurs behind his back.
While his jealousy of Odin and drug use are suggested motives for Hugo's actions, he never states a primary motive for wanting to destroy Odin - much like Iago in Othello, it is left open to interpretation whether he is motivated by resentment or is simply a psychopath who enjoys tormenting people.
In the film[]
During a high school basketball game, Odin scores the basket that wins the game for his team. Later at an awards ceremony, Coach Goulding presents the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award to Odin for his efforts, an award he shares with his teammate Michael Cassio. In giving Odin the award, Duke passes over Hugo. At a party celebrating the victory, Hugo plans with school outcast Roger Calhoun to go to the school's dean, Bob Brable and tell him that Odin raped his daughter, Desi, whom Odin has been dating. Hugo promises Roger that Desi will be his after Odin is out of the way, but Roger is only a pawn in Hugo's ultimate plan to destroy Odin.
Later, in another game, Odin's team wins once again. At the celebration party, Hugo engineers a fight between Roger and a very drunk Michael, who is temporarily suspended from the team. Hugo tells Michael to ingratiate himself with Desi so that she will talk to Odin on his behalf. Soon afterward, Hugo tells Odin that Michael and Desi have been spending a lot of time together, and that she may be cheating on him. Odin doesn't believe this at first, but gradually comes to suspect them. Odin questions Desi, but she calms him down and he believes her. Nevertheless, the stress of the situation drives Odin to begin using drugs.
Hugo manipulates his girlfriend Emily into stealing a scarf for him that Odin had given to Desi. Hugo, in turn, gives it to Michael in hopes that Odin will believe that Desi gave Michael the scarf, and so is cheating on him.
After Odin assaults another student during a game in a drug-induced rage, Hugo tells him about the scarf, convincing him that Desi is cheating on him. Enraged, Odin vows to kill her; Hugo then promises to kill Michael. Hugo, with Odin and Roger, plans to kill Michael and Desi. Hugo and Roger attempt to kill Michael in a carjacking, but it does not go as planned: Roger and Michael struggle, Hugo hits Michael with a crowbar, knocking him unconscious. Roger shoots Michael in the leg, and then Hugo turns the gun on Roger and kills him after telling him that Desi is dead.
Odin and Desi are in Desi's room talking and Odin is pretending to make up with her. They are making out on the bed when suddenly Odin attacks her; Desi fights back, but he finally strangles her to death. Emily rushes into the room and sees Desi's corpse; she soon finds out what Hugo has done. She begins telling Odin that Hugo told her to steal the scarf and exposes his plot, and Hugo fatally shoots her when she refuses to be quiet. Odin finally realizes that Hugo has been manipulating him the entire time, and demands to know why; Hugo refuses to answer. When the police arrive, Odin tells them what happened and shoots himself, dying by suicide. Hugo is taken into police custody, he says in voice over that he will have his day in the spotlight.