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Book characters and your imagination


BrainFreeze

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Ok bear with me on this one (and sorry if this is in the wrong place - I think it should be here?).

 

When you read a book - especially when they're in a series - do you ever try to visualise them how they'd be on the television or in a film? Or imagine which actors would play them?

 

Have there been any books made into films or programmes and you've thought the actors fitted the role perfectly or was just totally wrong for the part?

 

For me, while I liked Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross in Kiss The Girls and Along Came A Spider I didn't picture him as Alex Cross when I read the books.

 

My other one is Jeffrey Tolliver in Karin Slaughters Grant County series - through nearly all the books so far I pictured Matthew McConaughey as an ideal Jeffrey. Then I found out he was a swarthy, dark haired character...:P I'm still trying to figure out who I see playing Sara Linton if the series was ever made into films/a series but I definitely see Michelle Rodriguez as Lena Adams!

 

So anyone else do this?

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My other one is Jeffrey Tolliver in Karin Slaughters Grant County series - through nearly all the books so far I pictured Matthew McConaughey as an ideal Jeffrey. Then I found out he was a swarthy, dark haired character...:she: I'm still trying to figure out who I see playing Sara Linton if the series was ever made into films/a series but I definitely see Michelle Rodriguez as Lena Adams!

 

I definately agree with you about the Michelle Rodriguez match and I would sort of picture Jeffrey as Matthew, with short darker hair. I cant really think of an actress who would be ideal for Sara either, I never really get to see their big feet! (I will keep my eye out though) :P

 

One of the characters from book to big screen who I thought really didnt fit was Lestat from Interview with a vampire. I'd pictured him more like Antonio Banderas who played Armand, maybe if Tom Cruise hadn't have done the part blonde it would have been better, although Brad Pitt as Louis was spot on for me! ;)

 

 

Great thread topic btw! :lol:

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Yes - I usually get a very definite idea of how the charchters look when I'm reading and if I'm enjoying it, the whole thing gets played out like a film in my head.

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I actually loved Tom Cruise as Lestat (BTW, Lestat is supposed to be blond), but HATED Antonio Banderas as Armand (who is my favorite vampire). They should have cast a much younger actor, with reddish hair. Anne Rice was very particular about Armand's hair!

 

EDIT: Why am I so hung up on hair? LOL!

Edited by Echo
because I'm weird
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I actually loved Tom Cruise as Lestat (BTW, Lestat is supposed to be blond)

 

 

I absolutely adored Stuart Townsend as Lestat in Queen of the Damned, have you seen it? I know he's supposed to be blond, but he played the part so well!

 

maybe if Tom Cruise hadn't have done the part blonde it would have been better, although Brad Pitt as Louis was spot on for me! :P

 

I always think of Louis as Brad Pitt now! ;)

Edited by Echo
double post :-)
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I think Stuart Townsend is cute, but I didn't buy him as Lestat. I think Tom Cruise looks much more aristocratic, which fit the character better. It would have been better if he's been younger, though.

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but HATED Antonio Banderas as Armand (who is my favorite vampire). They should have cast a much younger actor, with reddish hair. Anne Rice was very particular about Armand's hair

 

I saw IWAV before reading 'The Vampire Armand' so before I had read the book I saw him as Antonio because of the film, I had a few cross words with myself I have to say everytime I caught myself on thinking like this! :motz:Even on the cover of the book I had he had the reddish hair too :P

 

I honestly thought Lestat was dark haired! Why on earth did I think that? I must have made that bit up in my own head cause thats how I wanted him to be ;)

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When I heard that Denzel Washington was going to play Lincoln Rhyme in 'The Bone Collector' I was amazed. I had it in my head that he was white. I actually went back through the book to see if there was any reference I missed. There wasn't. I still don't picture Denzel Washington when I read a Lincoln Rhyme novel even after seeing the film !

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When I heard that Denzel Washington was going to play Lincoln Rhyme in 'The Bone Collector' I was amazed. I had it in my head that he was white. I actually went back through the book to see if there was any reference I missed. There wasn't. I still don't picture Denzel Washington when I read a Lincoln Rhyme novel even after seeing the film !

Oh I didn't realise that was a book! I will have to look out for it because I love the film.

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It's the first in a series of books. I have The Bone Collector on my tbr - I'm told it's excellent.

 

I always remember reading The Beach by Alex Garland, and then watching the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio. Somehow, he just didn't fit the role (not for me, anyway) in any way, shape or form. In fact, I thought the film was awful.

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I always remember reading The Beach by Alex Garland, and then watching the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio. Somehow, he just didn't fit the role (not for me, anyway) in any way, shape or form. In fact, I thought the film was awful.

 

I agree. Ewan McGregor was tipped for it. I think he'd have been much better.

 

While reading Far from the Madding Crowd I'm kind of picturing Catherine Zeta Jones as Bathsheba.

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It is!!

 

The only film character who fits the book for me is Aragorn from Lord of the Rings (sigh)

 

Absolutely! The hobbits were great, Gandalf was fab, but my goodness....

Aragorn! :)

 

I hated the casting of the film 'Bonfire Of The Vanities' ny Tom Wolfe. It was totally miscast with Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis - they may have been

better off swapping roles!

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My imagination is let loose when reading but film/tv never seems to live up to my imagination. Thats okay since everyone's imagination is subjective but it still gives me a chance to see how someone else interprets a story and how they solve the problems of conveying it on film/tv with whatever budget they have available.

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I like this thread ;). I find that if a book I've read gets turned into a film/TV they never look anything like I imagined them. I'm always like 'Noo, that's not [insert name here]!'. Hehe, but obviously I understand that everybody would have completely different 'versions' of the same character in their mind.

 

I also find that even if the author describes the character in detail, I create them in my mind completely different. For example, (I'm using Twilight as it's the most recent example) even when Stephenie Meyer described Edward as having bronze hair...I imagined him with black hair, dunno why. I find that watching a film adaptation always ruins that. If I re-read the book, then I imagine the actor and it's never the same after that.

 

I never imagine characters as current people or celebrities. I sometimes wonder who would play that character in a film but it's never a perfect fit, obviously :).

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When I heard that Denzel Washington was going to play Lincoln Rhyme in 'The Bone Collector' I was amazed. I had it in my head that he was white. I actually went back through the book to see if there was any reference I missed. There wasn't. I still don't picture Denzel Washington when I read a Lincoln Rhyme novel even after seeing the film !

 

I felt exactly the same! I was racking my brain, trying to think whether I`d got it wrong, because in my mind Lyncoln Rhyme is white. It really spoiled the film for me, though I`ve seen it since and I`m ok with it now, but it hasn`t changed my impression of LR, in my mind he`s still the same as I first pictured him. :)

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Film makers rarely get it right. I have a very clear picture of them in my head- but the funny part is: I don't always picture them as the author describes them. I get an idea how someone is supposed to look, like for example blond hair and even if it clearly says in the book that they have black hair I just can't change my inner picture of them.

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Film makers rarely get it right. I have a very clear picture of them in my head- but the funny part is: I don't always picture them as the author describes them. I get an idea how someone is supposed to look, like for example blond hair and even if it clearly says in the book that they have black hair I just can't change my inner picture of them.

 

Inner picture - yep that's definitely the term! :)

 

So many factors come into play when we are reading, the characters can

become any shape, size, colour, colouring etc, despite the best efforts of

the author!

 

We all make and have a first impression of others, and we make rapid

judgements about their character when we meet, despite what they may

actually be like.

 

It's just in reading I form the physical from what is given about their personalities and actions.

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Film makers rarely get it right. I have a very clear picture of them in my head- but the funny part is: I don't always picture them as the author describes them. I get an idea how someone is supposed to look, like for example blond hair and even if it clearly says in the book that they have black hair I just can't change my inner picture of them.

 

It is difficult to change the image once you`ve got that picture in your head isn`t it?

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When I heard that Denzel Washington was going to play Lincoln Rhyme in 'The Bone Collector' I was amazed. I had it in my head that he was white. I actually went back through the book to see if there was any reference I missed. There wasn't. I still don't picture Denzel Washington when I read a Lincoln Rhyme novel even after seeing the film !

 

I felt exactly the same! I was racking my brain, trying to think whether I`d got it wrong, because in my mind Lyncoln Rhyme is white. It really spoiled the film for me, though I`ve seen it since and I`m ok with it now, but it hasn`t changed my impression of LR, in my mind he`s still the same as I first pictured him. :)

 

I saw the movie before I read the book & Denzel seemed like a really good choice. Then I read the book & while I obviously knew that Rhyme was black in the movie, to me he's most definately white. I didn't have a problem with imagining what Rhyme looked like or with the black version getting in the way. Where I did have the problem was with Amelia - they soooooooo got it wrong casting Angelina Jolie as Amelia Sachs!

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