[identity profile] anbyrobanby.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] hh_clubs


Activity name: Character Replacements
Points: 24hr debate: Participation 10pts, Additional comment: 5pts. 30pts limit.
End date: Monday 1st April @ 14:00 UTC
Details: Over the course of the films, some of the characters were written out, assimilated into others, or played by multiple actors. Do you feel this is the right approach? Does the change of face affect how you feel about that character? A 24 hour debate to end the month.



So I was considering my next activity for the Smarmy Society, when I read on the news that the actor Richard Griffiths, who played Vernon Dursley, passed away on Good Friday following surgery complications.

I was reading some of the assosciated articles related to this, and one thing that came up was how he was perceived as "perfect" for the role of Uncle Vernon. This got me thinking- without doubt he was excellent in the role, but had someone else played the part, would it have still been as good? The thought reminded me of when Richard Harris was replaced by Michael Gambon and the ensuing dissonance.

I would like to invite a quick discussion about the synergy between actor and character. If an actor or actress becomes unavailable, walks away from the project, etc, how would you think this impacts on the character role? Would it change? Does a strong actor or actress fit into the role smoothly, and would a transition be smooth? More importantly to the Smarmy Club, would your view change if it were a major role versus a minor one?

I'll give 10 points for a substantial, thought-out comment (let's say about 200 words, minimum). Further comments of at least 50 words will be awarded five house points.

As it's a topic with broad scope I shall not be assigning debate motions here. I would just like to see some free chatter. But of course, feel free to play devil's advocate with each other. I love to see a bit of that over a circle of people nodding among themselves. ;)


The Smarmy Society: Because loving the Trio is too mainstream.

Date: 2013-04-01 01:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] slumber.livejournal.com
This is pretty interesting, and I have a couple of random thoughts that may not string together so bullet points!

Do actors become the characters, or is it just great typecasting?

I was actually talking to a friend about how the cast members of a series that we watch (Teen Wolf) seem to perfectly fit their characters, esp from what we see of them outside the show. Even one cast member who seems to be completely different from his character, we think, would have fit that character at a different point in his life. Would they have been able to play their roles as well had they had different personalities? Did they bring a piece of themselves to their characters or was it a case of great typecasting, where casting directors were looking for actors who just fit the mold their characters were made of?

When you think about it, how many actors can you really imagine playing roles other than the ones they have played? I've heard Johnny Depp referred to as versatile, or a method actor, but lately it seems even he's fallen into the "does weird roles" category. Cillian Murphy has done action, drama, suspense and even an indie romcom, but you will never see him opposite Anne Hathaway in a romantic comedy released for Valentine's. So even so-called method actors are limited in what they are able to do, but what's hard to pinpoint is where the dissonance stems from. They can probably act the part, but do they look the part we imagine the role to be? Is that because it just doesn't fit them, or have we been influenced by what we've seen in the last few years re: what a romcom leading actor should look like? Is the issue with the actor, the middlemen (studio, casting directors, etc), or the audience?

Are our opinions influenced by suspension of belief?

Another factor here that I touched on briefly in the section prior is where the audience comes in. There are times when a character is minor enough that I'd have had no preconceived notions about what they would look like (okay, that's actually a lie-- Seamus' hair has been described as sandy which I took to mean blond, and until I saw Tom Felton I was under the impression Draco Malfoy had sleek black hair DO NOT ASK ME HOW I MISSED ALL THE BLOND REFERENCES, I wasn't exactly paying much attention when I first started reading <.< >.>) so that when I actually see who they've cast, I'm more of the side to happily accept this decision. I think Katniss is a particularly explosive casting controversy because she was not only the main character, but there were serious racial implications to the casting decision (personally, however, I always thought she was... not white, but not black, just because her mother and sister were both blonde. IDK.).

I went a bit off-tangent there. I guess what I'm saying is if I come into a theatre or TV show expecting little, then the reality of the actor+role I see onscreen is all I really have going for me to shape my opinion of the character and how well the actor chosen was. I didn't have anyone else in mind for Vernon Dursley. If Colin Firth had put on a black wig and played Snape, I don't think I'd have really thought differently of it, unless I knew that Rickman had turned down the role, or something like that.

On character evolution through recasting

I think my point is actors become the characters through a confluence of factors, but primarily because they are the ones playing the role. They have their take on the character and because usually, it is the only take we get to see, it is easier to accept. The problem arose when Michael Gambon's version of Dumbledore is so oddly different from Richard Harris', but even then, at least Gambon had the next 6 movies to acclimate us to his role. He became Dumbledore in the end, but whether it was because of him adjusting how he played him or me adjusting how I viewed him, though, is hard to tell.

Evyclaw

Profile

hh_clubs: (Default)
Hogwarts is Home Clubs

January 2022

S M T W T F S
      1
234567 8
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031     

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 27th, 2025 07:59 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios