Link Larkin

Link Larkin
[[ |250px]] (1988 | 2007)
Name:	Link Larkin
Gender:	Male
Family:	None revealed
Friends:	Penny Pingleton Seaweed J. Stubbs Corny Collins Little Inez Stubbs Motormouth Maybelle Mr. Pinky The Corny Collins Show Members (Some)
Enemies:	Amber Von Tussle (former girlfriend) Velma Von Tussle Franklin Von Tussle (1988 only)
Relationships:	Amber Von Tussle (former girlfriend) Tracy Turnblad (girlfriend)
Appearances:	Hairspray (1988 film) Hairspray (2007 film)
Portrayed by:	Michael St. Gerard (1988) Zac Efron (2007)

Link Larkin is a spunky and charming, but sweet and kind-hearted character who plays a major role in both the 1988 and current 2007 film.

Personality and Personal Life

Little is known about Link's early years prior to the events of both films, but we see him as a charming, good-looking, but also sweet and kind-hearted person in both films.

Roles (1988 & 2007 films)

In the 1988 film, he is first seen at the record hop watching Tracy Turnblad dance, whom the latter is later chosen to attend the auditions for the Corny Collins Show.

Link is also part of the show's committee, and he was impressed by Tracy's intellectual and all-rounded answers to the questions posed to her by the other committee members.

After Tracy is accepted into the show, much to the Von Tussle's chagrin, Link becomes closer to the "pleasantly-plump" girl. Then one day after a P.E class on dodgeball left Tracy disheartened by Amber's cruelty, Link advises her on the true knowledge of sportsmanship. He then asks Tracy to be his girlfriend, which she happily accepts.

From that moment, the two are hardly seen apart, and we see Link's attitude to black Americans come to light where he happily joins Tracy and her friend Penny Pingleton to the black part of Baltimore to attend Maybelle "Motormouth" Stubbs' record party.

After the race riot at Tilted Acres Amusement Park which led to Tracy's arrest, Link becomes distraught as he is forced to watch Amber being crowned as the winner of the Miss Auto Show 1963.

However, all is not lost as Tracy, with the help of Motormouth Maybelle, her daughter Little Inez, and all of her supporters, gate-crashes the competition. The pair are reunited, and share a kiss as Baltimore is integrated for the first time.

The two then join in the dance that Tracy initiates, but are interrupted when the bomb hidden inside Velma's wig explodes prematurely. They watch in shock as the Von Tussles are arrested and Amber is publicly humiliated by her former dance members.

As the film closes, Link hands Tracy the crown, and joins in the celebrations as Tracy invites everyone to dance.

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In the 2007 film, Link's role was expanded. Here, he is Amber's estranged boyfriend, and his first encounter with Tracy was when he watches her dancing in the detention room with the Negro Day dancers.

Impressed by her moves, he invites her to attend the upcoming record hop hosted by Corny Collins himself, and unbeknownst to Link, Tracy becomes instantly smitten with him.

At the record hop, Link is performing as the lead singer, but Tracy steals the show, and impresses both him and Corny, much to Amber's horror.

As the movie progresses, Link's relationship with Tracy becomes more apparent, especially seen when he stands up for Tracy when she was falsely accused of drawing a caricature of their teacher with breasts, all part of Amber's plot to get her into trouble. When Tracy is sent to detention, Link tells the teacher to "kiss my ass", shocking Amber and the class, but leaving Tracy grateful.

Later on, Link joins Tracy and her friend Penny at Motormouth Maybelle's house for a platter party. However, in one moment, his and Tracy's relationship becomes strained when Maybelle comes with the news that "Negro Day" has been cancelled, especially when Tracy proposes they stage a protest, but Link decides to stay on the show.

After the protest goes awry, Link becomes concerned for Tracy's safety, especially when he hears the biased news reports on the radio. He stops by the Turnblad's residence, feeling guilty that he should have joined her in the protest, and his is welcomed inside by Edna, as they are all worried about Tracy's predicament.

Soon after, Link explores Tracy's room, and it was at his moment that his heart doesn't belong with Amber, he is in love with Tracy, saying that he wants to kiss her.

The next day, Link reluctantly attends the Miss Teenage Hairspray 1962 pageant with Amber, but all the while he couldn't stop worrying about Tracy. His worries are unfounded however, when Tracy gate-crashes the pageant, her hair straightened and wearing a checkerboard dress.

As Tracy gets in Amber's face and steals the spotlight, Amber tries to get Link to comfort her. But Link decided that enough was enough, he dumps her, and joins Tracy in the dancing, leaving Amber distraught. The two then share a hug amidst the applause, Tracy then tells him that the audience loves him. But he denies this, and pulls Little Inez onto the stage.

As the pair dance, Little Inez's dancing is an instant hit with the whole of Baltimore, and she is subsequently crowned the winner of the pageant, thus integrating the Corny Collins Show.

In the end, Link and Tracy share a kiss as their friends and Tracy's parents watch on happily.

Stage version

Link is also one of the main protagonist in the Hairspray stage version, He's also the boyfriend of Amber in the two movies, but like the movies he also came to have feelings for Tracy. The stage is different than both movies. He refuses to protest against Vontusl. In the stage version when Tracy and her parents and Penny protested with Seaweed his mother and other black people, he sees what happens on TV. He feels remorse for not helping her when she was arrested by saying "Tracy, it was wonderful", knowing he should help her during the protest. In the movies, Link goes to the jail overnight to free Tracy, and escapes with Seaweed and Penny to Motormouth place. In the end of the show he arrives with Tracy and dances with everybody.