The Book Movie Connection

It's Friday and I'm in a cracking good mood, so I thought I would have a little fun on the blog today.

So... Do you ever think about what your book characters would look like if it was dramatized? Maybe I have too much time on my hands, but I think a lot about who would play who on the big screen. Plus it's easier to describe my characters to people by saying, "If Julienne was a real person, she would be this actress..." So if I was casting "Rebel Heart," I would so be demanding that these actors play some of the roles!

Let's start with Alex because let's face it, I've spent my fair share of time visualizing what he looks like. For the longest time, I thought he would look like a love child of Daniel Craig and Paul Bettany.
         

But I was recently having a conversation with one of my co-workers about hot British actors (the only type, right?) and one of my perennial (but often forgotten) favorites came up.



Rupert Penry-Jones. Oh yes, I do believe this is Alex. And he's perfect, right? Period drama actor already, blondish hair, etc. This was taken from the most recent version of "Persuasion". I think he really gave Ciaran Hinds a run for his money.

 

And now for Julienne... For whatever reason, I've never thought of any actress parallels for her. So I'm going to have to dig deep for this one. I love Michelle Dockery (from Downton Abbey) and she can play prickly to the tee. But she also has that rare gift of playing vulnerable. And she can ride a horse! Ha! But I'm not sure if she can do spy--I have a sneaking suspicion she can. I also like the look of Vanessa Kirby from the newest adaptation of "Great Expectations." She's got Julienne's lighter color eyes.

From "Enchanted Serenity of Period Films" blog, which quite awesome
if you're a period films geek like me!

But I also think I should give a nod to Julienne's nationality and pick an American as well. So who could handle her... My hubby would say "Emma Stone! Emma Stone!" But I think she lacks sufficient gravity. Leighton Meester has a nice look to her...she would look good in a hoop skirt. I love her as Blair Waldrof (closet "Gossip Girl" watcher here) but I don't know if she has the sufficient acting chops to pull off a period drama. Of course, I think she really limits herself with the roles she plays.

 

 

Lastly, there's poor Richard Ashby. You won't be able to help feeling sorry for him when you read the novel. Poor BSC British aristocrat that he is. Toby Stephens would rock. And oh! how I love him. I think he may be a *bit* too old (don't worry Toby...I have a thing for older guys!) but I suppose it would depend on how he is styled. He is absolutely, hands-down my favorite Rochester from the myriad of "Jane Eyre" adaptations. He does angry so well. He smoulders pretty well but not as well as Matthew MacFadyen. He definitely can act the heck out of a period drama. He does moody and contained well and Richard is definitely moody and contained.

 

Toby Stephens as Rochester. From Charlotte Rubarb's Tumbler.

So that's all for actors. Next time I will write about some of the places that inspired me while writing "Rebel Heart."

And what about you all? Do you ever have fun with casting your novels?