*siiiigh* Are we still talking about Tom Cruise’s casting? I recognize that I’ve been in this fandom since before the movie came out (so it’s been officially 21 years of hearing this question), and that there are new ppl to fandom every year with their own headcanon of the character.
When anyone comes across AR’s very strong initial negative opinion of Mr. Cruise they may even agree with her at first. However! She published another opinion after seeing his performance (in the test reel even, thanx @annabellioncourt!) in which she praises him to high heaven even more strenuously! She still occasionally mentions him on her FB with affection, even now.
“ON TOM CRUISE: From the moment he appeared Tom was Lestat for me. He has the immense physical and moral presence; he was defiant and yet never without conscience; he was beautiful beyond description yet compelled to do cruel things. The sheer beauty of Tom was dazzling, but the polish of his acting, his flawless plunge into the Lestat persona, his ability to speak rather boldly poetic lines, and speak them with seeming ease and conviction were exhilarating and uplifting. The guy is great.“
And I agree with her 110% *u*
You can find some other options for casting Lestat in my #VC casting tag, but what I think it all boils down to is that an actor’s job is to ACT. Since a fictional character exists in our imagination, there is no perfect physical casting for him EVER. Not even illustrated in graphic novels or animation. We can all agree that there are certain physical characteristics he should have, like having blond hair, but there are so many shades of blond. Even then, that one thing we can all agree is necessary for Lestat was TOTALLY DISCARDED in the Queen of the Damned movie sooo… *shrugs*
It’s up to the director to choose who they want to act out the story they want to tell.
Bonus: Neil Jordan, #certified vampire therapist
Anthropologist David Gilmore has proposed the idea that, in most cultures, monsters assist people in “awakening…to their own values and moral traditions.” If so, then in a communal society, perhaps the wendigo is the embodiment of hunger’s selfishness. It does not run in packs or pair off to mate and raise offspring; rather, the wendigo stalks the wilderness alone, attuned only to the black hole of its gullet.
But monsters leave the liminal space of one culture’s nightmares and enter the rest of the world where they are appropriated and changed to suit other fears and fancies. For those of us raised on the tender vampires of Anne Rice and Stephenie Meyers, there’s also a strange romance in untrammeled hunger. After all, ravenousness is metaphoric as well as literal. We conflate physical hunger with romantic desire in ten thousand pop songs, and who among us has not looked at a beloved and wanted to consume them?
In a different mirror, the wendigo’s insatiableness might be a manifestation of loneliness, a kind of desire for connection that has metastasized.
Does anyone follow AR on FB who knows if she’s mentioned anyone she might like? I don’t always agree with her reccs on this topic, tho. She wanted Matthew Bomer for Louis and I just can’t agree. Yes, he looks great in a suit, and he’s cute and all, but he’s too manly, he has a kind of ballsy confidence that’s overshooting Louis.
i-want-my-iwtv So, back in 2010 she named Simon Woods for Armand (and Matthew MacFadyen for Marius, along with Richard Armitage for Lestat and Matt Bomer for Louis, god help us).
Here’s Simon Woods and Matthew MacFadyen (yes, yes, we are talking Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy lol)…
ooc; An update on the state of things from Anne’s Facebook. I’m excited to hear that Universal seems to actually be moving forward.
oh yeah? A script for the first movie is being wrITTEN NOW? WELL I WILL BELIEVES IT WHEN I SEES THE FRICKIN’ IRIDESCENT BLUE-GRAY-VIOLET EYES STARING OUT AT ME FROM THE TRAILER OF THIS ALLEGED FILM.
I-want-my-IWTV 