Erin Cherloff (Jewel Staite) is the main villainess from "Much Ado About Murder," the antepenultimate episode of Castle (airdate May 2, 2016). She is a stage director whose version of Hamlet starred film actor Zane Cannon, who was murdered in the beginning of the episode.
Erin was encountered at the scene by Richard Castle and detectives Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan regarding Zane, who was revealed to be a classmate of Erin's at theater school. She spoke fondly of Zane and considered him a friend, and regarding suspects, Erin suggested that his known dalliances could have ended up getting him killed. She mentioned that one of Zane's flings was with the play's co-star, Naomi Fox, who went into a rage when they ended things, though Erin stated that while Naomi was immensely method ("actor-crazy," as she put it), she wasn't capable of murder.
Other suspects included notorious drug lord Jorge "El Oso" Zamacona, and even El Oso's brother, Hector, who was interrogated by Castle and Kate Beckett--after Castle was taken by El Oso and learned that a movie about him was in the works. Hector mentioned the movie and stated that Zane was set to direct, though he had previously promised that position to someone else. His words that whoever received the promise would lose out ended up revealing that Erin was not only that very person, she was also Zane's killer. As Esposito stated to Castle in the beginning of the episode, Zane was not a good actor, and Erin knew this, as he dropped out of theater school but ended up with a lucrative movie career anyway. When Zane asked Erin to cast him in her Hamlet play, Erin turned him down, but later accepted due to Zane's promise that she would direct the movie about El Oso.
However, it was revealed to be a "Hollywood promise," as Zane informed Erin that he would direct the film himself. This left Erin in a rage, as the film would be a big break for her, and she resented Zane for (in her mind) taking her golden opportunity from her. After watching Zane's bad attempt at reciting the Shakespearean dialogue, Erin grabbed a quill and stabbed Zane in his neck, killing him in a fit of anger. The villainess was confronted by Castle, Esposito, and Ryan in the climax, and after denying everything (even being denied the directorial position in the film), the evil Erin lashed out at Zane as part of her cryptic confession, which included revealing jealousy of Zane's success while she had to work and struggle just to become a stage director. Erin added that Zane killed her career when he informed her that he would direct the film, and claimed that she snapped after hearing Zane's faulty practice, after which she was handcuffed and arrested by Ryan.
Quotes[]
- "You have no idea what a risk it was putting Zane in this play. And the only thing that made it worthwhile was directing that movie. And then he tells me that he’s gonna do it, and I’m left with maybe the worst production of Hamlet in history! I mean, my career is as good as over. Do you have any idea how difficult it is as a woman to break into directing film? And he took away my shot like it was nothing! I heard him that night, torturing maybe the most beautiful words ever written for the stage, and I just...snapped." (Erin Cherloff confessing to killing Zane Cannon)
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