#mr mccarthy

Jon Bernthal as Mr. McCarthy in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

Unsolicited backstory:

Drives a muscle car from the 60s. Probably a Mustang, definitely the color of pea soup

Wood paneling everywhere (the story is set in Pittsburgh, and having just moved to that area myself, I cannot stress the wood paneling enough)

Grandfather--who he worshipped growing up--was a flying ace in WWI

Expert thrifter

Digitizes microfilm archives for fun, even though it gives him migraines

MCCARTHY OMGGGG NO ONE EVER ASKS ME ABOUT MCCARTHY! YOU BET I HAVE HEADCANONS FOR THE HOT TEACHER WE’RE ALL HOT FOR

listen ok mccarthy is a BOOK AND HISTORY NERD. he’s bookish. catch him in museums and coffee shops on quiet afternoons reading. certain eras of history he’s an expert in, but he really enjoys it all. 

he’s like a hipster in that he’s into things that aren’t mainstream, but he wouldn’t consider himself a hipster. he just likes what he likes and that’s that. 

i can see him being interested in eating it hole in the wall restaurants, he’s into trying new things. but he’s a regular at that noodle place. 

when he was in school he enjoyed papers. research is his thing ya know? but i have the headcanon that he had to learn that in school. 

mccarthy is passion but mellow and chill. he challenges his students, but he’s a calm teacher and a good listener. 

he’s cool and smooth, but cracks dumb history nerd jokes. 

his house, office, and classroom all have historical documents and artifacts and books. it’s busy - but not cluttered. he’s organized and rustic. 

mccarthy bends the rules a little - i mean he’s covered in tattoos and wears jeans all the time. teachers don’t usually get to wear jeans all the time (i guess it just depends on the school).

that brings me to his fashion and aesthetic - classy and sharp but also carefree. bright colors and crazy patterns. but the shirts are going to be comfortable, and his jeans will be the relaxed broken in pair. he’s got nice watches and probably has a pair of reading glasses. and he also wears a few rings (a little jon thing carried over to the character) 

i can’t see him being judgmental. he’s chill with whatever, but if you’re wrong about some historical or literary thing, HE’S ON YOU. he’ll correct you with grace and sass and you may not even know you’ve been insulted. 

you can see it on the movie, but the trash can literally says - ‘suggestion box’ LIKE THIS GUY he’s a sarcastic asshole and i’m here for it. he’s got that great dry humor. 

the students make bets on the secret stuff in his desk. 

i just love mccarthy like he looks like a biker or something, but he’s a HISTORY TEACHER. he wouldn’t hurt anyone, but he knows how to throw a punch if needed. that’s something the students also wanna know - what’s his past like? 

he gets the tattoos when he travels somewhere new.

it’s a little headcanon i have, but i really like the idea of slick cool mccarthy being shy and flustered when he’s attracted to someone. 

his students have lots of bets LOL and another is what kind of person mccarthy would date omg

his friends call him ‘mac’ 

he’d be an excellent boyfriend, because if he’s all about research, think about how he’d translate that over to a relationship. he’s gonna pay attention and apply that to dates and stuff.