ABSURD ACTING
In chapter 16, Holden talks about seeing Hamlet with his siblings as a kid. Sir Laurence Oliver played Hamlet, and Holden tells us that he has a fantastic voice and he's very good looking. However, Oliver's acting disappointed Holden because D.B. had said Hamlet was a "sad, screwed-up type guy", but according to Holden, Sir Laurence Oliver was too much like a "goddamn general".
On the left, Sir Laurence plays Hamlet, and on the right, a book cover illustration shows a complete different look for Hamlet. Casting directors often cast actors that act completely different than we imagine, and sometimes this can be great, and other times, like Holden, the audience leaves the movie theater very frustrated. For example, many expected Katniss in The Hunger Games as different races because Suzanne Collins never gave a specific race to Katniss. Because Katniss' appearance wasn't specific, Katniss became someone everyone can relate to. However when they made it a movie, Katniss was a white female, which may have been a shock to some readers. Jennifer Lawrence is naturally pretty and more real looking than other actresses, which may have been a shock to some people expecting to see a tiny little model-looking actress. Casting decisions can greatly impact the success of a film. Can you think of an example where a casting director cast someone in a movie that contradicts how you pictured them to be? Do you think it was successful? Explain why or why not.
In the movie Django Unchained, director Quinton Tarantino wrote the script with Will Smith in mind for the lead role of Django, but Will refused, saying he felt Django was an anti-hero, and he really needed to to be the conventional good guy. This casting choice really impacted the film, in my opinion. I didn't love the movie, but I liked Jamie Foxx as Django. He was able to pull of Django's stoic nature, which I think Smith would have struggled with. Right or wrong, when I think of Smith, I think of him as a womanizing character. Django was far from that. So in this case, I think the casting choice was successful, even though Tarantino didn't get his first choice. Sometimes, though, it can be unsuccessful. To me, the casting choice of Lenny Kravitz as Cinna in the Hunger Games was a failure. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but Lenny Kravitz didn't look like the Cinna I pictured in my head as I read the book. It's tricky to cast the right person, and when the director fails, it can really hurt a film.
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