Casting mistakes when books were made into movies
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TV ClubHouse: archive: Library - Miscellaneous thru May 2003: Casting mistakes when books were made into movies
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Archive through November 15, 2002 25   11/15 08:44am

Ophiliasgrandma

Friday, November 15, 2002 - 08:48 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Hummingbird, did you watch the original showing of TB's back in '83. If RC was a gay man at that time it sure wasn't common knowledge. Most of that was hidden DEEP in the closet as an actor wouldn't have dared been seen as openly gay in that day and age. So, being in ignorance of such a possibility, I fully accepted him as Father Ralph. If your first viewing has been at a later date and you were aware of his possible sexual orientation, then I can see how your perception of RC playing FR could be clouded.

Marysafan

Friday, November 15, 2002 - 09:46 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I have to agree. I read the book first and always saw the priest in the Thornbirds as tall and dark. I was quite taken aback by the Richard Chamberlain casting (he became King of mini-series). I eventually got used to it though and thought he did a good job with the part.

Fruitbat

Friday, November 15, 2002 - 10:10 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Turtle....yes. Tom Cruise as Lestat is the absolute worst.

Seamonkey

Friday, November 15, 2002 - 10:53 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I read The Thorn Birds and totally accepted RC as Father Ralph. I don't remember picturing the character in any particular way.. I tend to create my own picture, regardless of the description in a book.. for instance, when I read Gone With the Wind when I was 11, I just imagined Scarlett with lots of RED hair. When I saw the movie, I was shocked to see Vivian Leigh with her black tresses.. but I got over it and thought that movie was well casted, especially Clark Gable as Rhett Butler.

Hummingbird

Friday, November 15, 2002 - 04:54 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I saw Thornbirds when it was originally shown on TV. I had also recently finished the book before it was made into a TV movie. I was anxiously awaiting it because the book was fresh in my mind. I don't know if I suspected at the time that RC was gay. Probably not, but always thought he was a bit sissy. Maybe it was those eyebrows. Anyway, he was never Father Ralph in my mind. At first I didn't like the idea of Barbara Stanwick in the part of the old lady. She didn't seem old and ugly enough. But she did a good job.

Hummingbird

Friday, November 15, 2002 - 05:01 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
John Heard as an adult Lucas Haas in Rambling Rose. There is no way Lucas would have grown up to be a short stocky man with small ears. I think a better choice would have been Campbell Scott. They resemble each other. I know looking alike isn't everything but Heard was way off.

Tashakinz

Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 09:54 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Just in case no one ever heard this - when Anne Rice wrote "Interview with the Vampire" her model for Lestat was Rutger Hauer. = )

Hummingbird

Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 01:22 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
This is an older one, but it bugged me at the time -- Faye Dunaway in Cold Sassy Tree.

Gail

Thursday, December 05, 2002 - 05:42 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Meg Ryan in Kate and Leopold.

Webkitty

Saturday, December 14, 2002 - 08:56 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Daryl Hanna as Ayla in Clan of the Cave Bear. The whole movie was horrible and I don't blame Jean Auel for sueing the producers. Blech.
(and I loved that book so much!)

Btw, I thought the actor who plays David on SFU IS gay? (not that it matters, just thought he was)

And I have to say nix on Richard Chamberlin in the Thornbirds. I didn't know who I expected, but it wasn't him.

Hummingbird

Sunday, December 15, 2002 - 10:33 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Re: David on Six Feet Under

I heard him in an interview saying that he was not gay and that he is constantly asked that question. He laughed and remarked that people never ask, "Are you really an undertaker." He is a very good actor to be so convincing

Squaredsc

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 10:21 am EditMoveDeleteIP
i thought anne rice's model for lestat was her husband, stan rice? i think i read that somewhere. anyhoo, as i love anne rice's books and it looks like it has already been discussed, i am resurrecting(sp) it again. i have nothing else to do anyway...

so, tom cruise was an obvious mistake as was the whole cast except for claudia. kirsten dunst(sp) played the heck out of that role, very eery. i thought brad pitt was horrible as louis and so was antonio banderas as armand. armand was in the body of a 16 yr old for gods sake. louis had black hair and green eyes.

to be honest i haven't come across anyone who i could see as lestat, except for Laurence from CR but he has dark hair and eyes.

and the 2nd movie was worse than the first. they totally changed the characters around. marius did not create lestat. i don't know what the screen writer or casting director was thinking. were they drunk? did they not read the books at all? wtf? the only good part was the special effects. and lestat and akasha did not walk around in broad daylight, it wouldn't have killed them but they would have been burned a bit.

aaliyah as akasha was ok but it was a small part but she did have a sexy walk, (wish i had it.). all in all both movies were horrible. but i would add them to my collection 'cause and only because i love vampire movies. ok rant over.

Kaili

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 10:56 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I liked Interview, but I absolutely hated Queen of the Damned. It was so far off track it was ridiculous. To me, it was unwatchable. I think I watched the first 45 minutes and shut it off. Interview was not super accurate or anything but I thought it was a lot better than this more recent one. It probably would have helped to do the movies in the order the books were done.

I didn't mind Brad Pitt in the movie, or Antonio Banderas but Tom Cruise really didn't have the character. Especially later in the movie when they were drowning him and he was coming back all rotten. The first half of the movie was good up until Claudia died.

That's my opinion on this one.

Anyone see Where the Heart Is? Watching the movie after reading the book...the characters were so different than I had imagined them to be! It was a good movie but not what I was expecting to see I suppose.

Seamonkey

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 01:36 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Where the Heart is.. oddly I liked both book and movie very much.. but then I really love Ashley Judd, ever since I saw Ruby in Paradise and I thought Natalie Portman was good too, so I was happy.

Car54

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 01:56 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I thought both the book and movie were good, but Ashley and Natalie were a little too perfect to fit my mental image from the book. Had to just separate the two experiences.

Kaili

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 02:26 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
That was it- they movie I guess was way more attractive than I had in my mind. I did like the movie, and I do like the actors. They were just a lot prettier than I had expected. The library guy...I can't recall his name...but in the book I pictured kind of a weirdo guy who was nice- he was way more attractive on film than I had imagined.

Twiggyish

Monday, December 23, 2002 - 03:11 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Laurence as a Louis? I think he'd be a good Lestat. He has that panache and style.

Squaredsc

Tuesday, December 24, 2002 - 06:43 am EditMoveDeleteIP
no twiggy, laurence is lestat, just has dark hair. i haven't figured out who louis should be yet.

Hummingbird

Tuesday, December 24, 2002 - 12:50 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Help me out here. I have seen too many movies. Was "Where the Heart Is" the one about the Wal*Mart baby? If so,I didn't read the book so I can't comment on the casting but thought Stockard Channing was funny.

Seamonkey

Tuesday, December 24, 2002 - 03:06 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
You have it right on the nose, Hummer :)

Hummingbird

Friday, December 27, 2002 - 08:35 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I mentioned before that I loved John Irving novels. Last night I sat up to watch "Hotel New Hampshire" on Bravo. Why would anyone cast Rob Lowe and the red headed kid from "Fame" as brothers? The movie was just awful and and a waste of time. Evidently Irving's genius doesn't always translate to the big screen. Also, I'll bet Jodi Foster would like to omit this stinker from her resume. She was miscast too.

Hummingbird

Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - 09:18 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
We discussed Richard Chamberlain in this thread at length. I just read that he is writing his memoirs and will discuss his sexuality. He says that he as spent his career playing what he isn't. (As if we didn't know.)

Crazydog

Thursday, January 16, 2003 - 09:07 am EditMoveDeleteIP
It will be the biggest revelation since Rosie O'Donnell announced that she is - GASP - gay!!! I didn't see that one coming at all!

Kaili

Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 09:43 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I just got done reading "Message in a Bottle" by Nicholas Sparks and I rented the movie and watched it as soon as I finished the book.

That whole movie was a mistake. Granted, I liked the actors and Kevin Costner was good for the role, but what an absolute slaughter of a great book!!! They say it's based on the book- I'd say it's very loosley based on the premise of the book. The movie didn't at all catch the characters or their love, they changed names left and right (along with the entire story). The wonam in the book- Theresa- has dark hair and they cast a blond! Ugh- it was the worst movie from a book I think I have ever seen!

Mak1

Monday, March 03, 2003 - 10:46 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I caught Clan of the Cave Bear on TV this weekend. I loved the book, but found the movie such a letdown, in large part because Daryl Hannah was cast as Ayla.