All auteurs have a distinct imprint on their films and something that ties all of their work together. Whit Stillman has many signatures, but one of his trademarks, is not as apparent as it might seem. The name Rick (or a variation on that name), used for villains (Dickie Taylor is thought to be a jerk at first, but is found out to be a nice guy) is one such trademark. Stillman has discussed this in interviews before, so it is not just a coincidence. Take a look at the list:
Metropolitan:
Nick Smith on Rick Von Sloneker: “Rick Von Sloneker is tall, rich, good-looking, stupid, dishonest, conceited, a bully, liar, drunk and thief, an egomaniac, and probably psychotic. In short, highly attractive to women.” (Oddly enough, Will Kempe played Nick Smith first, but was smartly recast).
Barcelona:
Ted Boynton on Dickie Taylor: “I haven’t heard from Jack in ages and he’s put this terrible guy from marketing over us. Dickie Taylor. He’s this incredible jerk who…”
The Last Days of Disco:
Description of Rick from Whit Stillman’s The Last Days of Disco novelization:
“The guardians of the red velvet rope had noticed this and started giving me a lot of static about it, especially the number-two guy, Rick, who had recently started throwing his weight around a lot, much to Des’ irritation.
The common parlance for nightclub gatekeepers in those days was “door-Nazi.”
Damsels in Distress:
Violet Wister on Rick DeWolfe: “Oh. You’ll see. He’s one of those I was talking about — tall, probably considering himself very smart and handsome — and a “journalist” — so you can just imagine the mind-boggling arrogance and conceit.”
The Cosmopolitans:
Frédéric, “All I could to was…nothing.”
Chauvin is probably nothing like Frédéric so please give him a follow on twitter @_benOitCh
*IMDB has Will Kempe (Rick Von Sloneker) listed for an uncredited cameo in The Last Days of Disco.