He’s rough and tough and acts as protector of the trailer park where he lives. This is Julian, one of the main protagonists of Trailer Park Boys. The well-loved character is played by John Paul Tremblay, and he is best known for his close friendships with Bubbles and Ricky.
As tough as he is, he is also the ‘brains’ of the park and this makes him a force to be reckoned with. He is able to problem solve, and there are many problems to be solved where he and his friends live! Here are 10 things ardent fans might not know about Julian from Trailer Park Boys:
10. The Initiator Of The Mockumentary
Unless viewers have watched the whole series from episode 1, they might not be aware that Julian is the character who began the whole mockumentary, or from his perception, ‘documentary’, of his life in the trailer park. What happened was he received a premonition from a seedy fortune teller forecasting he was going to die soon. Thereafter, he became a little paranoid, wanting the film crew to follow him around, documentary-style. Needless to say, nothing happened but the camera and crew remained… and the mockumentary continues…
9. A New Years Baby
Julian arrived with all the bells and whistles of the dawn of the new year in 1968. He was born on 1 January as the oldest of three boys.
The date of his birthday is a bit like his character – upfront and front of the line. Julian is arguably the protector of the trailer park where he lives and among his friends, could be considered the ‘alpha’ male. For this reason, a birthday on 1 January is suitable for the unconventional leader.
8. A Tough Upbringing
How did Julian come to be in the trailer park and what made him as tough and edgy as he is? He had a difficult start to life, having been brought up by an abusive father, who was often drunk and was somewhat of an alcoholic. At five years of age, he forced Julian to shoot his own dog for having an accident on the family’s carpet. He abandoned Julian when he was just six years old. This makes for a story as unglamorous as the trailer park which Julian calls home.
7. Dance Like No-One Is Watching
Not every man warms to the idea of being compared to screen legend Patrick Swayze, and Julian is one of these men. His pet peeve is being compared to the slick-moved ’80s actor, who is known for his brilliant steps in Dirty Dancing, a movie best-loved by the ladies.
Julian’s friend Bubbles likes to remind him of how he loved Dirty Dancing as a kid, and how he would imitate the actor’s slick dance moves as a child, when he thought no-one was watching.
6. Hobbies And Interests
If Julian had to list his hobbies and interests, drinking would more than likely appear as a list-topper. Viewers might have noticed that he is never without a drink in his hand. Still, the strong, muscular character would argue – quite convincingly – that he doesn’t have a drinking problem. Not like his father. In his opinion, he is far from being an alcoholic. Rather, he is more of a professional drinker; and when asked which drink he’d prefer, it’s usually rum and coke which feature top of his list.
5. Single But Not Ignorant
While he has been seen with numerous ladies and seems to attract them, despite his personal flaws, Julian is still single.
He does, however, have lots of experience with the fairer sex, having had his fair share of flings. Viewers might be interested to learn that during high school, Julian had a relationship with Ricky’s girlfriend, Lucy. The brawny character seems to have had quite a history and it’s always interesting to learn what a colorful history his has been!
4. Criminal Tendencies
Much as Julian is in denial about his drinking problem, he seems to excuse away his criminal tendencies. He sees himself as the responsible one of his crew, and in many ways, he is looked up to by the other characters in the series, especially Bubbles. Still, he is what one could call ‘a career criminal’. He has been arrested as many times as his friend Ricky, and fans of the show would have realized that you won’t see Ricky commit a crime without Julian by his side.
3. A Big Heart
Many people think of Julian as being the toughest in the trailer park in Sunnyvale where he lives. It takes a true fan of his to know that really he is a softie with probably the biggest heart in the trailer park. As a child, he became a father figure to Bubbles, who was left without a family, and he continues this fatherly role towards the character. He also looks out for the others in the park. They look up to him because while he has big muscles, he also has a big heart.
2. A Checkered History
Julian has dated all kinds of women: the good, the bad, and the ugly. He has dated both a con artist and a policewoman – opposite extremes. Ironically, the said con artist lured him in by pretending to be a Christian missionary. She influenced him to help her steal dope plants and to this day, Julian berates himself for his ‘poor judgment’. He met the policewoman while she was inspecting the park and through their relationship, Julian’s friends were pardoned for some of their offenses. The relationship with her was ended when she arrested him! Definitely a dating history worth writing about.
1. Moral Fiber
Despite his controversial story, his criminal history, and his shady dealings, Julian does appear to have some kind of moral fiber. He clearly knows right from wrong, which is why others often seek him for advice and regard him as a father or authority figure. To give an example, in one episode where the trailer park residents were in trouble, he was the one who bought back the repossessed trailers of residents and organized for them to be fixed up. This was at no personal gain to himself and purely out of a sense of moral responsibility.