Vincent Freeman

Grew up… in a new era, where babies are genetically engineered to be flawless. Unless you’re an in-valid like Vincent, who was conceived naturally in Detroit. Vincent was a small child wore glasses and suffered from a weak heart, setting him apart from his valid younger brother, Anton. His parents tried in vain to prepare him for the inevitable truth: that he could never achieve success due to his genetics.

Living… as another person. Vincent is genetically disguising himself as the genetically-gifted Jerome Morrow, which allows him to pursue his dream of going to space as an astronaut. Every day he wakes up, scrubs his entire body to rid it of excess skin and hair, and covers himself with Jerome’s superior genes. This allows him to get past the ID checks at work. It’s hard, but worth it.

Profession… navigator first class at Gattaca Aerospace Corporation. Of course, at work everyone calls him Jerome. He’s cheating the system, but it works: in the guise of Jerome Morrow, Vincent has risen quickly through Gattaca’s ranks. He’s currently preparing for a one-year flight to Titan, Saturn’s 14^th moon.

Interests… space. Vincent has a singular devotion to space travel, which he has had since he was just a child. He went from making models of the solar system to cleaning the windows at Gattaca – but that was as close as he could get without using someone else’s genes.

Relationship Status… hopeful. Irene Cassini, a fellow navigator at Gattaca, has taken an interest in Vincent—or, more accurately, an interest in Jerome. There’s a lot of chemistry between them, but Vincent’s not sure their courtship would survive if he told her his secret, and he doesn’t want to blow his cover at work.

Challenge… maintaining the charade of his genetic code. Living as Jerome requires Vincent to push his body to the limit: he has to carry pouches containing Jerome’s blood and urine, mask his heart rate with Jerome’s, and diligently vacuum his keyboard to avoid leaving his own DNA behind. He’s always nervous that some day he’ll slip up; it would only take one mistake to give himself away.

Personality… driven, idealistic, and clever. Vincent has complete faith in the human spirit, and is willing to go to any lengths to get what he wants. He’s already past his life expectancy, so he’s thrown himself into his one shot at space travel. Vincent is constantly striving for heights beyond his reach – but that also means that he has a long way to fall.