Randall Hartzog as Friend #1 in 21 Grams (2003)

In Alejandro González Iñárritu’s 21 Grams (2003), Randall Hartzog, who is also credited as Randy Hartzog, plays Friend #1. It is a small supporting part in a film whose weight rests on three leads, and the character has no name in the credits.

A small part in a crowded ensemble

Friend #1 is one of the background figures who give the central characters a social world. In the cast list the role sits beside Friend #2 (Verda Davenport), Female Friend #1 (Dorothy Armstrong-Miles) and Male Friend #1 (Barclay Roberts). These are people who appear around the main characters rather than drive the plot.

Hartzog’s role has no spotlight scene to point to. The work is in making an ordinary gathering of acquaintances feel believable around the film’s three principals.

The film around the role

21 Grams was directed by Iñárritu from a screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga. Sean Penn plays a critically ill mathematician, Naomi Watts a grief-stricken mother, and Benicio del Toro a born-again Christian ex-convict whose faith is tested after the accident. Each of the three has “past”, “present” and “future” story threads, shown as non-linear fragments that converge as the story goes on.

The film premiered at Venice on September 5, 2003, and reached the United States on November 21, 2003. Critics gave it generally favorable reviews, praising Iñárritu’s direction, Arriaga’s screenplay and the performances of Watts and Del Toro. Del Toro and Watts were nominated for Oscars at the 76th Academy Awards, for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress respectively.

What came next

Hartzog’s other screen credit is Nothing But the Truth (2008), where he is listed as a principal. His two film credits, 21 Grams and that later film, show a modest screen career next to the stage work for which he is known to local audiences.

The header image is an AI-generated illustration, not an actual photo or film still.