Who would you cast in a movie?

[bloodandashes]

Whoa. Okay folks, let's settle down a bit, yeah? Just a gentle, friendly reminder that other people use these forums too and don't necessarily want to read or get caught up in a flame war. Everyone has their differences, that's cool, that's the way things go. But try not to drag the rest of us into it, okay?

 

Getting back to the subject at hand...

 

If we were just talking about a film version of The Eye Of The World, rather than the whole WoT series, then I'd like to see David Duchovny as Balthamel. Not because I think he's a good actor, or I'm a fan, or anything like that, but because I would sell a testicle to see David Duchovny get his butt kicked by a giant tree.

 

Jensen Ackles as Rand al'Thor

 

Okay, so I'm a big fan of Supernatural. IS THAT SUCH A CRIME? :D

 

(photo from imdb.com)

[Inara]

jensen ackles is great, but with that smile....he's mat...ever since he was in dark angel that is how i saw mat.

and no, supernatural is awesome.

you sound like you have it in for poor old david...actully i think it would be great to see almost ANYONE get gotten by a giant tree.

 

so who for rand then...its so hard

i can never 'see' rand when i read his chapters, in fact mat and moiraine are the only ones i see as actual people (moir is a girl i went to school with...she is PERFECT), all the others are vague sketches of my own devising.

[Kaznen]

I agree with Bloadandashes with Jenson Ackels(?) And I too love Supernatural. I also love Veronic Mars. And I think Jason Dohring would be an awesome Mat. As I've said before. I also think Kristen Bell would be good for Elayne. And Dohring and Bell have the Mat and Elyane bickering down already.

 

And Ackels is way to tall to play Mat. I think on the FAQ that Mat is just under 6 feet. Ackels is closer to Rand's height.

[Leafburner]

I disagree with pretty much everything John has said.

 

Don't let him get to you, Inara. i agree that animation would be the best medium for these films.

 

And before you all get on your high horses, No. Manga is not the answer IMHO.

[Jonn]

I disagree with pretty much everything John has said.

 

Don't let him get to you' date=' Inara. i agree that animation would be the best medium for these films.

 

And before you all get on your high horses, No. Manga is not the answer IMHO.[/quote']

 

What specifically do you disagree with?

[Krista Borba]

As beutiful as Emma Thompson is she is not Morrianne...too aged looking, too blond, even when shes brunette. Sorry. Maybe Katherine Zita Jones, it depends how tall she is, Mirrianne has to be very petite.

 

everyone else needs research.

[Guest cwestervelt]

As beutiful as Emma Thompson is she is not Morrianne...too aged looking' date=' too blond, even when shes brunette. Sorry. Maybe Katherine Zita Jones, it depends how tall she is, Mirrianne has to be very petite.

 

everyone else needs research.[/quote']

 

5' 7½" (1.71 m)

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001876/bio

 

That, in my opinion, would make her too tall.

[Krista Borba]

5'7 1/2" too tall...Morianne needs to be at the tallest 5' even, more like 4'11".

 

Thnx! 8)

[Jonn]

Well, I agree. A lot of people are basing their decisions on weird criteria.

I think it's pretty ironic to call me out on my picks because of race, meanwhile others are picking totally inappropriate actors age-wise and height wise.

[Inara]

age and height can be tweeked with makeup and effects, they are relative, but race is not. first, the actor has to look like the character, as close as possible in age and height also, but they are not so important as the overall look.

[heartsbane]

right now i cant think of many actors to fit other parts

 

i think vigo mortsen would be a awsome lan. thats wut lan always reminded me of. what do you guys think :?:

[Jonn]

age and height can be tweeked with makeup and effects' date=' they are relative, but race is not. first, the actor has to look like the character, as close as possible in age and height also, but they are not so important as the overall look.[/quote']

 

 

As for overall look, what is wrong with who I picked?

 

The biggest problem you had seemed to be my pick of Zhang Ziyi as Moiraine.

How off is her look?

She's about 5'3", very petite with large, dark, expressive eyes. In one glance she can look like a girl and the next very wise and introspective. She's a good actress. What's wrong with her besides her being Asian?

She has pale skin, almost flawless. She's graceful.

 

What about that doesn't sound like Moiraine's description?

 

The only thing about it is that it goes against the convention of casting Caucasians as the principle roles in a movie.

 

If she were a crappy actress or if she were too old, tall or blonde or something completely physically against what Moiraine is described as, I would understand your stance here.

I've never read anywhere saying that Moiraine had dark hair and eyes, was short, but definitely wasn't Asian.

 

So, I have to conclude that your argument is very thinly veiled racism.

 

Why? Because your argument against who I picked as fit to play these roles is based solely on race.

 

And don't act like I'm the one making a big deal out of it. You're the one who mentioned race here in the first place. Instead of getting defensive about someone calling you racist, maybe you should check your perspective before you refute how you appear to be.

 

I mean, go back and look at your original response to my picks and tell me that you weren't going to at least partially offend someone of Asian or Pacific Islander decent.

 

At the least, you were totally insensitive to me and I happen to be of both Pacific Islander and Asian decent. Maybe I'm partial, but hell, I've spent most of my life dealing with an image of media skewed towards the white audience. Now with my favorite series of books, I can't even picture the characters as otherwise? I'm not allowed to? That's BS.

 

And don't look at me like I'm looking for any effin pity or sympathy. I'm strong enough to take s*** and bold enough to dish it out. I just think it's a GD shame how limited some people are, that they have to impose their closed-mindedness on everyone else.

 

If RJ does end up getting the rights to guide the casting of a movie version and he does cast the principle roles with white actors, I'll live with that, because he is the Author. As it stands though, he hasn't. So I can be reasonably liberal with my personal choices for roles, and given the descriptions in the book I feel that is what I have been.

[Inara]

ok enough with the swearing

so i dont agree with your choices, and yes i'm not afraid to say that it is based solely on the appearance of the proposed actors. but id just like to say that if you knew me personally, you would know i'm not the least bit racist...ever. i'm sorry if i offended you, but i think you might be a little over-sensitive about this issue, i was prepared to move on, but you seem to want to provoke something.

i will not back down or retact anything i said, they were honest opinions devoid of any ulterior motives you may have imagined.

 

just so you know Zhang Ziyi is one of my favourite actors, and i frequently go and get movies in chinese just because she is in them. the movies is ALL about what people look like, and if the actors LOOK wrong for the role, they should not be cast in that role. i have no issues with you imagining those actors when you read the series, just like nobody seems to have major issue with my imagining jensen ackles as mat, despite his being way too tall.

 

again, id like to apologise for any offence i may have given you, i assure it was nothing more sinister than expressing a dissagreement with your choices.

 

lets leave this behind, as i said, i would much rather an ernest and impersonal debate than the slandering match you have concocted.

[ryan707]

Wow, this was a cool thread for a while. How about we just name some actors and actresses and say that's our choice?

 

Stop the bickering or just stop posting. This was supposed to be a fun idea about casting for a movie.

[Krista Borba]

Hi, Ryan is right! :) This is supposed to be fun!!! So, Ryan WHO would you cast for your favorite characters :?: 8)

[Jonn]

just so you know Zhang Ziyi is one of my favourite actors' date=' and i frequently go and get movies in chinese just because she is in them. the movies is ALL about what people look like, and if the actors LOOK wrong for the role, they should not be cast in that role. i have no issues with you imagining those actors when you read the series, just like nobody seems to have major issue with my imagining jensen ackles as mat, despite his being way too tall.

[/quote']

 

Oh god, not the "I happen to admire those people"/"some of my best friends are (blank)" back-pedal...

 

In any case, it IS NOT all about what people look like. It's the feel they have, and their acting ability that matter just as much if not more so. A good actor can pull off amazing things through will and talent. On the flip side, I;ve seen actors who look right for the part, but just phone it in for the performance, thus completely ruining the role. Performance trumps looks in most cases.

 

BTW the reason some people (namely myself) haven't commented on Jensen Ackles is because not everyone knows who this person is. I looked him up and still don't know who he is. Maybe I'm limited, but I think not because he isn't exactly a household name or even a slightly recoognizeable name where I'm from. That's fine though. No one said that these actors had to be known, it's just harder to envision a choice if a face doesn't come up at the mention of the name or the work they've done.

 

That said, I'll have to retract my pick for Mat, as I didn't realize that Adrian Grenier was almost 27. That makes him a tad too old.

After seeing Sky High, I'm going to go with Steven Strait who played Warren Peace, the pyrokinetic in that film. He's about 20, played a bit of a bad boy in that film but had a good sense of humor. He has a bit of a brooding look to him, but I prefer that to someone who would make Mat look like a complete goof. Dark hair and eyes. The only problem is that he's 6'2" which makes him about 3 or four inches too tall in my opinion. Still, I think he's an ok pick. I could come up with someone else maybe later. I guess Steven Strait would be a pretty good Jahar Narishma if not Mat.

 

again, I'd like to apologise for any offence i may have given you, i assure it was nothing more sinister than expressing a dissagreement with your choices.

 

lets leave this behind, as i said, i would much rather an ernest and impersonal debate than the slandering match you have concocted.

 

Nice apology especially since you couldn't help throwing in the parting shot.

You think what you think though, so I guess it's not too hard to swallow.

 

In any case, it wasn't cool for you to make that statement that you never would imagine Moiraine or and Cairhienin noble having Asian features. Not in the way it came off. Also, your reasoning as to why just didn't stand up in my opinion. If your intention really wasn't to appear racist then you should have just dropped the subject instead of getting all defensive about it and trying to explain away something that sounded bad enough to be questioned as racist. If you say you aren't racist, I'll give the benefit of the doubt, but please don't expect me to sit by and let that kind of sentiment pass. If you think I'm being overly-sensitive, please consider that maybe YOU'RE a being a bit insensitive.

At the very least, I was in my right to defend my choices regardless of their race.

[Kadere]

She did drop the subject quite a few posts ago after you told her to "get real", and then after she made a comment about makeup and height having the ability to be changed, you picked it up again.

[Jonn]

She did drop the subject quite a few posts ago after you told her to "get real"' date=' and then after she made a comment about makeup and height having the ability to be changed, you picked it up again.[/quote']

 

Yeah, it's ok to be flexible about hair color, age and height, but not on someone's racial background. I certainly better not point that kind of hypocrisy out.

 

At this point no one is refuting the points I'm touching on. People are complaining about me bringing the subject up, not whether I'm wrong or if so, on what grounds.

 

Tell me that Hollywood convention and the general public don't tend to be more accepting of largely Caucasian priciple casts. You're dreaming if you think that. It's the sad truth, and it's rather telling that when I put up my choice of actors who are non-white, someone immediately jumps on it and shoots it down.

 

Look, I didn't go into this looking for a tussle over the subject. Just look at my original set of posts. I was enjoying the subject like everyone else. I was pretty annoyed to be criticized in the first place, but given the fact that it was based on my choices' racial profiles, I had to take exception to that.

[Inara]

the reason that most movies have a principally caucasian cast is because most of the stories are about caucasian characters.

 

i never had any intention of 'back peddling' on my comments, every word was true, i meant every one and im sticking to them.

this is over, and i wont make any more more comments on this subject, however you try to bait me.

[ryan707]

Krista Borba: you asked me my picks. I listed some on page 3. I also have seen other good choices people said since then, i.e. for Lan.

 

Two I have to stick with, well one at least, is Aviendha/Kristanna Loken. When she had red hair for Bloodrayne it convinced me. Plus she's almost 6' tall (182cm) and can show a quiet, strong personality like Aviendha. In another movie she was in called "Dark Kingdom: Dragon King" she fights with a big spear. It gets cut in two and she fights with two short spears. You can't get better than that!

 

I like Natalie Portman for Min, maybe because she seems to have an energy or something reminding me of Min. I guess other actresses could cut their hair short and pull it off too.

 

Anne Hathaway is a good Egwene. Beautiful and big eyes.

 

Katherine Heigl for Elayne. It was tough but I could also see Elisha Cuthbert as Elayne. If you go with KH then Melora Hardin is a good Morgase because they have a similar face structure. Plus she is in The Office.

 

Okay everyone, this is for you to answer:

 

Who would you pick for Birgitte? Remember she is shorter than Elayne, older looking I think. Of course the height won't matter a lot because when Birgitte wears her heeled boots she is taller than Elayne. Anyway, who is your pick? Thanks!

[Krista Borba]

Definatly Anne Hathaway - I think (young) Winnona Ryder would have been a great Min, but since her "clepto" problems we haven't seen anything from her. Rand Is really difficult, I keep picturing him as really good looking, but by description he is supposed to be just "ok", I think he should be handsome. Sam Elliot would make a great Thom M.

 

THNX!

[Guest cwestervelt]

Definatly Anne Hathaway - I think (young) Winnona Ryder would have been a great Min' date=' but since her "clepto" problems we haven't seen anything from her. Rand Is really difficult, I keep picturing him as really good looking, but by description he is supposed to be just "ok", I think he should be handsome. Sam Elliot would make a great Thom M.

 

THNX![/quote']

 

Sam Elliot... I can see that.

http://www.stewartsattic.com/Marx/specials/whosjohnny/samelliot.jpg

[Inara]

what has sam elliot been in?

he looks PERFECT

[Guest cwestervelt]

Quite a bit of stuff.

 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000385/

 

I always thought Richard Farnsworth would have been a good fit for Thom too. Unfortunately, there's the slight problem of him having died a several years back.

[Vicious Circle]

Lan - Viggo Mortensen (no brainer)

Moiraine - Jodie Foster (short and great actress)

Amys - Meryl Streep (love both of them)

Galad - Jude Law (too pretty)

Gawin - Ryan Philipe (pouty boy)

Moridan - Ewan McGregor (plain looking but awesome)

Ishamael - Alan Rickman (of-course)

Demandred - Ralph Fiennes (he's a cad but I love him)

Semirage - Grace Jones (I get scared just typing her name!)

Padan Fain - Brad Dourif (Grima Wormtongue, ick)

Andy Serkis - Mordeth (Gollum, 'nuff said)

Noal - Harrison Ford (Ha)

Old Cully - Clint Eastwood (Ha Ha)

Lady Shiane - Kate Moss (With breast and butt implants, Double Ha Ha)

Birgette - Angelina Jolie (she pulled blond off pretty well in Gone in 60 seconds, and she looks like she could put an arrow in your eye)