Yes, Tyler Durden Inspired Wiley's Look in Mrs. Davis - and Jake McDorman Loved the Jacket
Sure, Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) may have been a figment of the Narrator's (Edward Norton) imagination in David Fincher's 1999 classic, Fight Club, but his jacket was 100% real, and 100% fire.
So it just makes great sense that Mrs. Davis costume designer Susie Coulthard would turn to Tyler's red rust leather jacket for inspiration while dressing Jake McDorman's motorcycle-driving, stache-rocking Wiley, Sister Simone's (Betty Gilpin) old friend and new anti-AI revolutionary ally in Damon Lindelof (Lost, Watchmen) and Tara Hernandez's (The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon) critically acclaimed Peacock limited series. So much so that McDorman himself had a similar inclination towards dressing his character in Tyler's iconic style.
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According to Daily Beast, Tyler's Fight Club jacket was made by L.A. leather artisan Jonathan A. Logan. For Wiley, Coulthard asked Logan to create a similar looking jacket in suede. Only after that did she discover that McDorman was already a big fan of Logan’s, and had shopped his collections in the past.
"When I first spoke to Jake, he’s like, 'Oh, I’ve got this guy I want to introduce you to.' I said, ‘Don’t worry, we’re already there," Coulthard told the Daily Beast. "A wonderful serendipitous moment where that collaboration worked out nicely."
Prop Store CEO Stephen Lane inspects Tyler Durden's (Brad Pitt) red leather jacket from the 1999 film 'Fight Club' during a preview ahead of the Prop Store's Film and TV memorabilia Auction which took place in December 2020. Photo: Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images
Needless to say, McDorman was WAY into his new threads.
"He didn’t want to take it off… until it got hot. Then he was like, 'Oh my God, why am I wearing a massively heavy suede jacket?'" recalled Coulthard.
Mrs. Davis — which tells the story of Sister's Simone's quest to show the world that the titular A.I. that has gotten rid of war and famine isn't quite as magnanimous as everyone thinks it is, all set against the back drop of another important historical quest: the search for the Holy Grail — is a genre-defying show that takes inspiration from seemingly everywhere. Indeed, Coulthard wasn't afraid to pull from plenty of other sources as well, including another late-'90s touchstone, Luc Besson's The Fifth Element.
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In the show, JQ, the rebel resistance leader and Wiley’s co-conspirator played by Chris Diamantopoulos, wears suspenders with no shirt, which is a nod to Bruce Willis' character, Korben Dallas. "We moved that forward every time we did a fitting with him, it was like, ‘OK, Chris, who are we channeling today?" recalled Coulthard.
We're pretty sure we know what Mrs. Davis herself will be wearing for at least some part of the show's upcoming finale episode, a blue nun's habit she's in the habit of rocking. But there's lots more in store, costuming and otherwise, to behold when "THE FINAL INTERCUT So I'm your horse," directed by Black Mirror veteran Owen Harris, premieres May 18 on Peacock.
Episodes 1 through 7 of Mrs. Davis are now streaming on Peacock. For more wild and entertaining Peacock original series, check out The Resort and Poker Face too.
