Netflix’s The Whisper Man star Owen Teague explained the disturbing real reason Francis Jr. made Jake his next victim. By the time The Whisper Man reveals that Francis Carter Jr. is the new killer, it becomes clear that he has been hiding in plain sight for much of the film. Francis works at Jake’s school, meaning he has easy access to children and can observe them without immediately raising suspicion. But there’s actually another reason Jake becomes such an important target. Francis genuinely thinks he can help the children Credit: Netflix One of the most unsettling things about Francis is that he doesn’t see himself as simply a monster. Teague explained that the filmmakers wanted Francis to have a gentle side around children, so that it would make sense why they trusted him in the first place. He told The Direct, “We wanted him to have this really gentle side where you could understand how the kids would go with him.” Teague said, explaining that Francis is caring towards the children in a “weird kind of way”. He added that there was “this element of gentle lovability” in the way Francis interacted with the kids. But Jake was different. The actor said that Francis has his own warped reasoning for what he is doing. He explained, “He’s like determined to give these kids a nice home until he kills them.” But when Francis meets Jake, something changes. Teague pointed to a specific scene between the two characters where Francis thinks Jake actually understands what he is trying to do. “There’s this little scene that Jake and I have that Acston [Luca Porto] is so good and there’s like a moment of Francis being like, ‘Oh, you understand what I’m trying to do, and that’s why he’s gonna make him the next boy on the floor, you know.” Jake’s understanding becomes part of Francis’ twisted logic Credit: Netflix Teague admitted that Francis’ reasoning is obviously completely warped, but said the character needed to have some kind of internal logic behind his actions. “So like, there’s this weird logic that we were able to apply to these completely insane things that Francis is doing.” That helps explain why Francis becomes so focused on Jake. Jake is already vulnerable. He is grieving his mum, struggling with his dad and having difficulty making friends. Netflix’s own character breakdown describes Jake as “always reserved” and says that his loneliness makes him the perfect target for the Whisper Man. But there is also this strange connection Francis believes he has with him. Jake is one of the first children who seems to understand what Francis is trying to do, or at least, Francis believes that he does. And that is enough for Francis to decide that Jake should become his next victim. Working at Jake’s school was a huge part of it too Credit: Netflix Francis works as a teaching assistant at Jake’s school, giving him direct access to children every day. That means he can observe potential victims without having to behave like a stranger hanging around outside the school. It also explains why the film sneakily shows Francis at the school before the big reveal. Once you know he is the killer, those earlier scenes take on a completely different meaning. And because Francis is naturally good with children, nobody has much reason to suspect him. Teague even said, “I do think that in another reality, he would have been a really good teacher.” He explained that Francis is “really compassionate” and has an ability to connect with children. “I think in another life, he actually would have been really good with kids.” The disturbing part is that this same quality is what helps him get close enough to hurt them. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
