FEATURE
The Real Anson Mount Hell on Wheels actor Anson Mount (Sewanee 1995) discusses his career and his steps to preserve his chapter, Iota-Nu Zeta, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. By Michele James
The character Cullen Bohannon on AMC’s hit show, Hell on Wheels, is a straight-talking, ex-confederate soldier who carries a Remington pistol and sports a haggard beard and a tapered flattop crown hat over his long hair. In real life, Bohannon is played by actor Anson Mount (Sewanee 1995) and, while he’s far from the renegade outlaw he portrays on the television screen, Mount sees his role on the hit television show as an actor who is playing an elaborate game of make-believe. “You have to play make-believe really well and really consistently and you have to be professional,” he said.
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Despite the fictitious character Mount plays day-in and day-out, he has had some very real experiences professionally, personally, and through Lambda Chi Alpha that have shaped the person he has become.
Defining Moments As a freshman at Sewanee: The University of the South, Mount remembers himself as being an awkward theatre major who dressed differently than anyone else on campus and wore Buddy Holly glasses. Regardless of his appearance, the men from the Iota-Nu chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha accepted Mount for who he was.
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Cross & Crescent May 2013