I have a fun question for you all, and I really hope I get some responses on this.
The Question: Do you ever envision certain actors playing the roles of your characters and, if so, who would you cast in the different roles?
I’ve always thought it would be fun to figure out who would play my characters in a movie. I even envision different actors playing roles in other people’s books. The one that I have the most trouble with is Agent Pendergast in the books by Lincoln and Child.I can’t for the life of me pick a good actor to play him.
How about it? Any ideas?
lauralynnelliott.com 
I love imagining who would play my characters on screen. For Hunters (which may never see the light of day) I imagine Canadian actor, Brendan Fehr in the role of tough-talking, protector, Ethan.
Now I need to go look up a pic of Brendan. š
I like this idea, but rarely actually employ it. It’s fun to see who authors envision as their characters. The one time I really had one person in mind was the first book I wrote (may never see the light of day). The character is a young but badass shapeshifter, and Kelly Monaco was it!! I know Kelly from General Hospital, still my favorite soap. Although I hear she was awesome on Dancing with the Stars š
I wonder if writers EVER get any input about who plays their characters. I think maybe the parts would be played even better if the envisioned actors were actually hired. I hate it when a character is miscast. For instance, Morgan Freeman is a GREAT actor, but he shouldn’t have played the part of Alex Cross in a couple of James Patterson movies. The character is much younger and should have been played by a younger actor. And now I’m rambling….
I’ll have to look up Kelly and refresh my memory.
By the way, my one-year-old just caught me looking at your blog and says, “Ooh, Mom. Shiny.” So she likes the look of your blog. And there you go. š
A child’s approval is always good to have since they are so honest. š That makes me feel good.
I used to collect actor pictures before starting to write, as it gave me a vivid image to describe. I find I don’t do that so much anymore, but sometimes I still have an actor in mind, one who shows up while I’m working to play the part. The part of Gene Marshall is played in my head by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, aka Papa Winchester.
And speaking actors I have a heart-on for, would you consider Damian Lewis for Pendergast? Not because he’s perfect for the part (he could be! I don’t think we’ve seen his full range yet), but just because there should be more of him. Check him out in “Life” on Netflix: http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/70157360
That sounds like a good choice for Gene Marshall. He’s really a…unique…character. LOL.
Damian Lewis still isn’t quite what I’m envisioning. Pendergast is an enigma. So strange, so compelling. White-blond hair, pale eyes, pale skin. Someone who looks kind of delicate, but really isn’t. I actually kind of thought about Matthew Gray Gubler from Criminal Minds, but he’s really too young. The search goes on. This is something my best friend and I used to discuss, and we never came up with anyone.
One character of mine I’ve never been able to find an actor for is John from Haunted Lake. He’s scarred, both inside and out. He went through a lot of trauma. I just can’t find an actor for him.
This did happen to me with my latest book….I picture Thomas Masterson as Matthew Goode – (He played in Leap Year …and was just so cheeky!). And I can’t picture him any other way now…lol. That’s never happened to me before. In an interview I did for The Third Fate, I had to select stars who might play my characters – and I struggled to find any who ‘did-it’ for me.
Ooh, now I can picture him when I read! š I like knowing how the authors picture their characters.
Oh, man, who could play that sexy Highlander? That one love scene in The Third Fate is one of my favorite love scenes in a book. I think it had a lot to do with what Cael was saying. š
I have imagined who would play my characters!! I’ve never settled on any one actress for my protagonist, but I’m leaning toward Jennifer Lawrence, Holland Roden (Teen Wolf), or Taylor Swift. For my star quarterback, probably Zach Roerig (Vampire Diaries) or Colton Haynes (Teen Wolf). I could go on and on…
I love imagining the actors. I tend to always cast actors who play vampires in the roles of my vampires. I don’t know if that’s because it’s kind of natural to picture those actors as vampires. I like to picture Alex O’Loughlin as Adam in the Libby Fox books.
I’m really finding that having an actual person as a model (whether a movie star or a random stranger’s photo online) is helpful to creating characters. It literally puts a face on what you’re trying to sculpt in your imagination. I think the challenge with finding an actor to cast for John in Haunted Lake is that it’s hard to find that attractive/ugly mix in a character that you like, and also someone with the ability to be deep and brooding. What about Jake Gyllenhaal? Scars can always be added in the makeup room š
Hmmm. Jake Gyllenhaal…I hadn’t thought of him. I think he’s really cute. I just have to NOT think about Brokeback Mountain. That kind of ruins it for me. LOL. His face is almost too young. I loved him in Day after Tomorrow, and I think that’s why I think of him as young. It’s hard to believe that movie is 8 years old. I don’t know. John is so hard to cast. I CAN see Jake G. as deep and brooding. Of course, if you want deep and brooding, there’s always David Boreanaz. š I didn’t have any trouble casting Daniel. That gorgeous Tim Kang on The Mentalist nails it.
Yep. Sometimes the actor pops up automatically and sometimes I have to think about it. It helps me visualize the characters and their actions if I can connect it to an actor. My favorite actor was Jonathan Frakes. I had a big crush on him in Star Trek TNG for the longest time. š
Ah, Jonathan Frakes. Now that’s a sexy man. š
I’ve never really had the inclination to picture actors for any of my characters. It’s not that I wouldn’t, but I have a hard time with face recognition, and often can’t even picture faces of some famous people. Even my own characters’ faces are hard for me to visualize, despite the detail I try to put into them.
I have a writer friend who draws out her characters, and uses these portraits for descriptive consistency. I may eventually have to come up with a more concrete method, but I don’t think that picturing famous actors or actresses will ever be something I adopt.
And it’s not necessary to picture your characters in that much detail, physically. It’s just something some writers like to do. The important things are mental and emotional. The physical characteristics are just a bonus. š