Wednesday Writings

Dream Cast: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Before we get into my picks, I totally get this is a book about animals. I do not care. I'm dream casting humans to do the voice-overs based on the sound of their voices and personality. So anyways...

Napoleon:

Napoleon is the leader of the farm after the animals take over. He is intimidating, powerful, crafty, treacherous, and devious. So clearly Joaquin Phoenix. Do I have to explain this? Have you seen Gladiator? So yeah. Joaquin. He is all of these things. He can do devious creep well. I don't really feel the need to explain this one.

Snowball:

Snowball challenges Napoleon's power over the farm. He is intelligent, passionate, eloquent, and wins the loyalty of the other animals on the farm. Kenneth Branagh plays these powerful men who aren't all muscle and militant. Like Hamlet. He plays smart guys. I think his voice would contrast well with Phoenix's Napoleon.

Boxer:

Boxer is a strong, dedicated work horse. He is incredibly loyal and even when he is being carted away to his death, he holds all of the animals together. He likes to help but he is not smart like the pigs at all. He is always saying how he can work harder. I chose Jim O'Heir because Boxer kind of reminds me of Jerry from Parks and Rec. He isn't seen as smart but he does more than his fair share and come backs for more even when the group is unbearably mean to him. His voice would be slow and purposeful like I imagine Boxer to be.

Squealer:

Another pig, Squealer is exactly what his name says. He talks. A lot. He spreads the pigs' propaganda and justifies the pigs unfair claim over resources. Orwell utilizes Squealer to show how language can be used to maintain control. Um hello. Hunger Games. This is so Caesar from the Hunger Games. The voice of crazy land.

Old Major:

Orwell wrote Old Major as a mixture of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. He is source of inspiration of the revolution. He dies and leaves Napoleon and Snowball to fight for his legacy. I just like Liam Neeson. He's got a great name.  Well and I think he could play the old, inspiring pig's speech really powerfully. It would be loud and full of inflection.

Wednesday Writings

Dream Cast "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

Lennie:

Lennie is a big, clumsy, childlike migrant worker. He has a mental disability that causes him to be completely dependent on his friend George. He is gentle and kind but does not understand his own strength. I chose Jason Segel because even though he mostly does comedy, I think he would be absolutely amazing as the giant Lennie. The point is you have to love Lennie even though he can hurt small animals and people unintentionally. Segel would instantly make the audience love him.

George:

Quick-witted and wiry, George shows devotion to caring for Lennie despite all of the trouble it gets him into. His ultimate desire is to protect Lennie. You have to really believe that George loves Lennie and yet you can understand why he says he would be better off without him. You have to still love George in the end. I picked Michael Shannon because he fits the look I was imagining with Segel. I think they would look like real friends together on screen.

Curly:

Supposedly a champion prize fighter, Curly is the boss's son. He is confrontational, mean-spirited, and aggressive. He picks fights with bigger guys and is extremely possessive and suspicious of his young, flirtatious wife.  Tom Felton has played this character a couple of times in a little movie series called Harry fucking Potter. That's right, I'm gonna say Curly is muggle Draco Malfoy. 

Curly's Wife:

Described as "a tart" and "tramp", Curly's wife is the only female and is never given a name. She represents female sexuality and is not a villain but just another victim like the ranch-hands. I wanted someone who looks a little ominous and whose flirtatious attitude is clearly going to be trouble. She reminds me of Dr. Reed Adamson in Grey's Anatomy so clearly Nora Zehetner would be a great choice to play a similar character. Thanks to Joey for throwing this name out there.

Crooks:

The black stable-hand gets his name from his crooked back. He is isolated from the other men because of his skin but he takes a liking to Lennie. Even though he claims to have seen countless men with empty dreams of owning their own farm, he still asks Lennie if he can go with them and hoe in the garden. Don Cheadle. Do I need to explain?

Wednesday Writings

Another Dream Cast! I have never actually read this book but I would love to and I have seen the movies. So here's my next dream cast.

Dream Cast "Anne of Green Gables" by L.M. Montgomery

Anne Shirley:

Anne is an orphan, adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. She is smart, witty, passionate, stubborn, and loyal. She struggles to learn the rules of society that her peers have grown up understanding. Okay, so in all of my Dream Casts, I've seen the actor in something. This is the first one that I've not seen in something but I think she has the right look. Deborah Ann Woll has such a young, fiery look. 

Marilla Cuthbert:

The unmarried woman who raises Anne. She is Matthew's sister and is morally and emotionally severe. She is described as being all angles and straight lines. She has a very wry sense of humor and a loving heart. I think Judi Dench could play a very stern, moral grandmother figure. My second choice was Meryl Streep but let's be honest, I could cast Meryl Streep as a rock and would be the best damn rock you've ever seen. Judi Dench is just so pretty and I think the best part of Marilla is that mystery of why she is unmarried.

Matthew Cuthbert:

The 60 year old, unmarried brother of Marilla. Matthew is incredibly shy but instantly loves Anne. Anne comes to Matthew as her kindred spirit and confidant. Hear me out, okay. Tommy Lee Jones does amazing work. He could totally play the quiet farmer. With the right make up, he would definitely look the part.

Diana Barry:
Anne's bosom friend is agreeable, but lacks Anne's intelligence. She is sweet and was raised in this highly religious, moral society so she sometimes doesn't get Anne but loves her anyways. Claire Holt is a little too blonde but I think she has that really sweet face to pull off Diana. With the right make up, I think she could really work as the sweetheart.

Gilbert Blythe:
Anne's handsome, smart rival. By the end of the book, they are affectionate friends and by the end of the series they are married so he has to be able to play that affectionate rivalry. By far the easiest person to cast, Andrew Garfield is sweet and boyish and we know he can do smart from his role in The Social Network. Plus he's easy on the eyes.

Bah this one was hard! But really fun! I think I'll do these for a couple more Wednesday Writings. 

Wednesday Writings

Remember last week when I dream cast The Importance of Being Earnest? Well this week I'm trying again. This time with a novel.

Dream Cast "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

Esther Greenwood:
Protagonist and narrator, Esther is a college student who is both pretty and talented but deals with mental illness. I chose Emma Watson because I think she could play the descent into mental illness well. I think it would be a more serious role and so different from the powerful female girls she played in The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Harry Potter. I think it will be really hard to play Esther in a way that we would still root for her because if you don't understand mental illness, it can come off whiny but I think Emma would do a great job.

Mrs. Greenwood:

Esther's mother lives a difficult life since her husband died. She is practical and teaches shorthand and typing. She doesn't understand Esther but she loves her. I chose Laura Linney because I think she could play a mother that you believe is just trying her best with a daughter she doesn't understand but still has that slightly cold edge of the mother that really doesn't understand.

Buddy Willard:

Esther's boyfriend who is athletic, smart, and in medical school. Values traditional gender roles and doesn't understand Esther's love of poetry. He is everything that Esther feels she should want but doesn't. Armie Hammer has that really clean cut, all American look to him. I think he would play that sweet guy you could understand why she wants to want him but still he just doesn't seem right for her. Plus I think he looks just old enough compared to Emma Watson that you could understand why she feels inadequate around him.

Doctor Nolan:

Esther's psychiatrist at the mental hospital. She become a loving, nurturing surrogate mother for Esther and really understands her unusual thought process. Emily Deschanel could play the young, unconventional psychiatrist well. Plus I think she could be really believable is as Emma Watson's confidant. She could play an understanding but removed doctor.

Doreen:

Esther's friend in New York. Doreen is southern, blonde, witty, and cynical. She represents the rebel that Esther wishes she could be but can't fully become. When I was reading the Bell Jar, I couldn't quite understand why Esther likes Doreen. I feel like Hayden Panettiere would be that for Emma Watson. You can see why she she thinks she wants to be Doreen but not why they are friends. Hayden could play this pretty young woman who seems to get everything so easily.

Wednesday Writings

This Wednesday Writings is a little different. Instead of coming from the "642 Things to Write About", this is something some students in my theater class got to do for our group projects and so I decided to do it too.

Dream Cast "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde

John (Jack/Ernest) Worthing, J.P.: 

Seemingly responsible and respectable but leads a double life. Has to be a little older because he is the guardian of teenage Cecily. I chose Daniel Craig because duh, he plays James Bond so we know he can do smooth with a dark side.

Algernon Moncrieff:

Brilliant, witty, selfish, amoral, charming. Has to still be a little likeable because we have to understand why Jack/Ernest and Cecily like him. I chose Hugh Laurie because he is incredibly funny and loveable. Plus he plays the very selfish, amoral House so well.

Gwendolen Fairfax:

A model and arbiter on high fashion and society, sophisticated, intelligent, intellectual, cosmopolitan, moral. Loves Jack/Earnest because of his name Earnest and insists she will not marry anyone without the name Earnest. Algernon's cousin.  I chose Emily Blunt because she does comedy well and she is classy.

Cecily Cardew:

Jack's ward and Gwen's antithesis. Imaginative and pure. Naive like 17 year-old girls can be. Obsessed with wickedness. Very sweet. I know I've chosen all British actors up until this one but I could not get Amanda Seyfried out of my head while I was working on this project with my group. She is very sweet and I don't think she would seem too young for Hugh Laurie like my second choice, Mia Wasikowska, might.

Lady Bracknell:

Algernon's aunt and Gwen's mother. Snobbish and domineering, unknowingly prone to hilarious pronouncements. Meant to satirize the hypocrisy and stupidity of aristocracy. Prefers ignorance over intellegence and would like to marry Gwen off to someone high society. Maggie Smith obviously does humor well and I think we can all say she would look great in Victorian costumes and play the old Victorian-valued mother well.

There are four other minor characters: a nanny, two butlers, and a reverend but I don't think it is necessary to cast huge actors into these parts because they each have very few lines. This was fun! I'm going to have to do this again!