[Dragaera] Dragaera Casting

[Eugene Zaretskiy]

On Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 1:07 PM, Howard Brazee <howard at brazee.net> wrote:
> On 6/10/2010 11:00 AM, Eugene Zaretskiy wrote:
>> Depp has a very recognizable way of delivering sharp sarcasm and that
>> sort of quirky comedy that I'd be afraid the character would be more
>> Depp than Vlad.
>
> Vlad delivers sharp sarcasm and sort of a quirky comedy.

That's exactly the problem. Casting someone known for their sharp
sarcasm and quirky comedy in the role of a character who is also known
for the same thing is a bad idea. Unless you want to make a quick buck
by having another "Depp vehicle" (or whatever other actor). I don't
know about you, but I couldn't stand Alice in Wonderland, for exactly
that reason. The book is sarcastic and quirky, but it's charm lies in
the style and unique voice, not merely the content. The movie has the
content but loses the voice. If you agree, carry this through to Vlad.
It wouldn't be Vlad any more, it'd be Depp as a crime lord in
Adrilankha, like it was Depp having a whacky tea time with Alice.

> I guess anytime
> you have a famous actor playing a role, no matter how close that actor is to
> the role, we see the actor.

What effect that has on our enjoyment of the movie could vary based on
what you mean by "see" there.

Sometimes the actor plays a role that's similar to what they've done
before, or that's similar to a type of "character" that actor has done
before. Depp's comedy falls into this designation, but so does someone
like George Clooney. I think if it's overused, this technique lessens
the value of the movie. The actor is essentially performing on-stage,
and its being recorded.

Other times, you may recognize the face and identify the actor, but
their performance is good enough that you are completely sold on the
character, and the performance adds something to the overall movie.
Famous actors that do this well, in my opinion, are Gary Oldman and
Matt Damon.

I'd prefer seeing an actor who plays Vlad in the role, not an actor
who wants to use the movie as a means of displaying his own character.

-- 
Eugene Z
http://blog.eugenez.net