On the Peacock drama “Joe vs. Carole,” which is based on the “Tiger King” docuseries, Brian Van Holt plays zookeeper John Reinke. “Like everybody else on the planet, I binge-watched the docuseries,” said Van Holt. “That was my introduction to Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin and the rest of the circus. But my favorite person happened to be John Reinke, who is the most levelheaded, the most grounded, the most practical person in that world.”
After watching hours of footage of Reinke, Van Holt said he discovered something that doesn’t always come through in the docuseries: “His incredible sense of humor. So I started playing to that part of the character and he became more of a comic relief in this intense and dark world.”
Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Van Holt moved to California when he was still a baby but said he frequently returned to the Midwest throughout his childhood. As an actor, his career began with an appearance in “A Very Brady Sequel” and has spanned the gamut since, from “Black Hawk Down” to “Sons of Anarchy” to the sitcom “Cougar Town.”
