Benjamin Bratt Talks His Poker Face Character and Season Finale: ‘He’s a Poet’

Warning: Spoilers for the season one finale of Poker FaceBenjamin Bratt recently discussed his character’s actions during the finale of Rian Johnson’s Poker Face. He played Cliff LeGrand (Bratt), a casino security chief/enforcer for Sterling Frost Sr. (Ron Perlman). After protagonist Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) runs afoul of the family, Cliff spends the whole season, about a year in-universe, chasing Charlie, to his increasing frustration. In an interview with Vulture, Bratt explained the henchman’s feelings:

“Cliff is not aware of the level of disrespect Sterling Sr. holds for him until he’s deep into this hunt for Charlie. Cliff, more than 25 years as an employee for Sterling Frost and his family, has become somewhat complacent—maybe even immune—to that disregard. It’s not until he’s out on the road and expresses over and over again, ‘I should be there with you, helping you to run the business,’ that we realize he’s got hurt feelings. He’s seen as nothing less than a dog, an obedient servant to the needs and whims of Sterlin Sr. It belies an emotional center that Cliff didn’t necessarily display in the pilot. He feels emotionally betrayed and disregarded.”

After finally catching Charlie in the finale, Cliff reveals to her that he’s a Blues Traveler fan, at least enough to be able to recite the entire third verse of “Hook” from memory. Bratt said he was shocked when he read the latter because of how “perverse” it was. Early on, he had told Johnson he wanted to have a “head-to-head” battle with Lyonne like the guest stars and was told to wait while Johnson figured out what it would be.

“I had no idea it was going to pay off on the level he gifted me with. It remains to this day one of my favorite roles on TV. We’ve seen this guy before, the movie tough guy: They don’t really say much with words; they say a lot with their eyes. I was working off that idea and then was handed this 90-degree turn in the tenth episode—Cliff, if you get him going, is actually quite loquacious.”

Related: 8 TV Shows and Movies to Watch if You Loved Rian Johnson’s Poker Face

More on Cliff In the Finale

Another turn the finale takes is Cliff turning on Sterling Sr. due to the disrespect mentioned above, teaming up with Serling’s rival and head of the Five Families, Beatrice Hasp (Rhea Perlman). They conspire to assassinate his former boss and frame a patsy for it. The thought of which causes Cliff to burst out into an evil laugh as soon as he decides Charlie will do perfectly.

“He’s a poet! We learn about this inner life going on; it makes him human. It reveals that his villainy is not born of evil intent—it’s pragmatism. He’s good at his job and he’s very unemotional about it. But what’s fun in this episode is the discovery that he actually is quite emotional, so much so that this betrayal is heartbreaking to him. F–k it, I have loved and taken care of this family for more than a quarter-century and they do not love me back. I’m going to kill this man. As an actor, that really landed hard and gave me the perfect idea of where to go with this thing. There’s no relish in the killing, but payback is a b—h.”

Of course, as is often the case with Charlie, the villains’ plans don’t go accordingly, and Cliff ends up with a bloodied eye thanks to being punched with a glow-in-the-dark penis ring (it’s a long story). Bratt asked Johnson if he could get a double of the ring to keep as a souvenir, but he didn’t.

Poker Face has been officially renewed for a second season.