Who Is The Boroughs’ ‘Hank Williams’? All About The Guard And Actor That Left The Viewers In Chills

Netflix’s The Boroughs has been hogging the headlines ever since its release. The show has no shortage of antagonists. However, there are only a few that will make you feel the same amount of chills as ‘Hank Williams’. Played by Eric Edelstein, the character brings the head of security to life in this supernatural drama, and from the very first episode.

Eric’s command on the screen with the kind of low-key menace that gets under your skin and stays there. ‘Hank’ became one of the most talked-about supporting performances in the show. So, as he makes headlines for his role, let’s take a look at what it is about.

Meet the menacing antagonist of The Bouroughs, ‘Hank Williams’

‘Hank Williams’ is an irritable head of security who rules ‘The Boroughs’ with an iron grip, enforcing the community’s “perfect” facade. He serves as a menacing obstacle to anyone who dares to step out of line. He is neither a mastermind nor a supernatural. However, something still makes him far more unsettling. The same happened when ‘Renee’ strikes up a May-December relationship with security guard, ‘Paz’, whose boss, ‘Hank’, not-so-subtly looks down upon the greying men and women he’s sworn to protect. 

The dynamic creates a fascinating tension throughout the season. And ‘Hank’ appears to be a wall between the residents and the dark truth at the heart of the community. Season 1 follows how he trains ‘Paz’ to handle a resident reporting a robbery of rose quartz from the community centre, ultimately deciding that she simply misplaced the stones and refusing to file a report. What otherwise would have been a small moment perfectly illustrates his character, a man who would rather maintain order than seek the truth.

However, ‘Hank’ is not a good-on-the-face kind of person and doesn’t even attempt to hide his villainy. Meanwhile, the material’s real baddie, ‘Blaine’, conceals his malevolence behind a smile. This contrast makes the security chief an interesting narrative device, the visible threat, while something far darker operates in the shadows.

Meet the actor, Eric Edelstein, behind ‘Hank Williams’

Eric Edelstein is an American actor and comedian born on April 23, 1977. He is best known for his work in Jurassic World, We Bare Bears and Green Room. However, long before he stepped into the role of ‘Hank’ terrorising retirees in the New Mexico desert, he was building one of the more quietly impressive careers in the industry. Eric rose to fame as the voice of ‘Grizzly’ in We Bare Bears, a role that became popular for its comedic timing and has been cited by fans as his most popular voice performance.

Eirc’s film credits also include supporting roles such as the paddock supervisor in Jurassic World and ‘Big Justin’ in the thriller, Green Room, showcasing his ability to portray grounded, everyman characters. He also appeared in David Lynch’s revival of Twin Peaks. Eric Edelstein officially joined the cast of The Boroughs in November 2024 in a recurring role, alongside Ed Begley Jr., Jane Kaczmarek, Dee Wallace, Rafael Casal, and Mousa Hussein Kraish, and the filming for the show began in September 2024, giving the production a very narrow window to pull together its enormous ensemble.

What is The Boroughs about?

The Boroughs premiered on Netflix on May 21, 2026, and has since maintained a solid following among viewers. The story follows a seemingly perfect retirement community where a grieving newcomer’s monstrous encounter leads him to join a misfit group of “hardly heroes” who uncover a dark secret proving their golden years are more dangerous than anyone expects. The series has especially garnered attention after viewers noticed some similarities between the high-concept genre storytelling that Netflix brought with Stranger Things. Additionally, the show is even more connected to the series, with The Duffer Brothers serving as the producers of The Duffer Brothers.

The Boroughs was created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews and combines suspense, comedy, drama, and horror in a way that sets it apart from typical genre fare. The Duffer Brothers’ involvement immediately elevated anticipation for the project. What further made the viewers excited was the fact that the creators had a clear picture of the show’s philosophy, with Addiss stating that the age of the characters is not a joke and is, in fact, part of why they are the heroes, noting that when audiences meet them, their lives are already quite full before the adventure begins to change them and ‘Hank’, serves as a dark mirror of everything the show celebrates in its older protagonists.

How does ‘Hank Williams’ affect the story of The Boroughs?

‘Hank’ was designed to be more than a simple obstacle. Carlos Miranda, who essays the role of ‘Paz Navarro’, a charming former musician and current security guard, finds himself caught between his loyalty to his employer and his growing suspicion that the residents he is assigned to protect are in danger. However, that conflict would not have carried the same weight without ‘Hank’ looming over it as the embodiment of what “institutional compliance” looks like when it goes wrong. The push-pull between these two characters quietly anchors much of the show’s emotional and moral tension. While ‘Hank’ is not cartoonishly evil, he is the type of character the audience will relate to and even point to in their own lives. 

image credit: Netflix/YT, Eric Edelstein/IG

What are your thoughts on ‘Hank Williams’ from The Boroughs? Let us know.

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