Armands are hard for me to stumble upon in real life, bc the whole ~Botticelli angel~ thing makes my headcanon of him so illustrational that few humans can achieve the look! I’m sort of married to Bjorn Andresen, who is not a Botticelli angel. WHY DID HE HAVE TO AGE it’s so unfair.
I also really like Matthew Clavane, who is a model but looks like someone you might just see on the street:
@sheepskeleton likes Clavane as Armand. Check out their archive to see more models and other non-model ppl that have an Armand feel ;D
You might also try my Armand+cosplay search, and you’ll see some human ppl cosplaying as him mixed into that search, does that count?
Just out on the street, it’s easier for me to find Claudias, bc there are plenty of young girls with excellent blonde hair with the perfect amount of curls, I live near Alvin Ailey, a famous dance school, so especially in the spring/summer there are girls of all ages in that area. I like to consider what kind of backpack she’d wear, what outfits. I saw a kid with a backpack covered with sharks today, I think Claudia would love that.
Lestat lookalikes are easy to find, too. 6 foot tall blond guys, especially with an arm slung around another guy, since I live near Hell’s Kitchen in NYC, a LGBT+ friendly neighborhood. I love seeing them in the summer sitting at outdoor tables, their hair in manbuns or half-buzzed looks, tank tops showing off their biceps *u* Shades and wolfy smiles.
Who else? Um, idk, I almost always feel like I’m VC casting. There’s one homeless guy that I pass on a regular basis that always makes me think he’d be great as Lestat’s father. Ornery-looking. But great silver hair.
“Don’t do this, they’re innocent. Don’t kill them. Don’t.” No matter how loud I cried out I could hear the dying cries of the boys who burned, Amadeo, save us, whether there were words to the final terror or no. Finally all the living took up this chant. “Amadeo, save us!” but their band was not halved and soon only a fourth remained, squirming and struggling, as they were finally heaved up to the unspeakable death. […] I called their names. At the top of my lungs, I called out: “In Heaven, my brothers, in Heaven, you go into the arms of God!” – tVA p.273
I understand, and I sympathize, we’d all love to have someone who’s closer to our headcanon for Armand *hugs* (I also appreciated Banderas’ Armand*, and @vraik had a post worth checking out re: the casting of Banderas instead of someone who fit the canon description better).
That said, an “accurate representation” is pretty tough to ask for bc actors are all human, and there will always be room for improvement. This is especially true re: a character like Armand who may be one of the furthest from being human than any of the other VC characters. Angel, demon, coven leader, youth, imp, etc… he is many things. And AR is not totally wrong, people do age, and it would be unfortunate to have to recast a character bc their actor “aged out” of the role, extra sad if they had built up good chemistry with the other actors!
What we need is someone who’s a little older than necessary who has that elusive *~forever-young gene~* (you know, like Keanu Reeves, someone who doesn’t age), and there are such ppl! I have it. I’m 33 and people still think I’m 17:
^This was before I got my haircut, but it’s pretty recent, no airbrushing, the mirror’s a little dirty tho OH WELL. I’m also posting it w/ this response bc really, the only VC character I could cosplay would be Armand, it’s just the face shape I have, being half Russian and all.
You can dig around in my #VC Casting tag for more ideas but here’s a few, under the cut.
Casting Armand is gonna be tough, bc not only does he need to look that young and stay that young, he also needs to look like a painted portrait, I mean who really looks like a Botticelli angel?! And even then, we don’t all agree 100% on what these characters look like, we’re all influenced by our own culture’s ideals of beauty, our own aesthetic tastes, etc. So my choice of Botticelli angel might not even be yours.
But let’s assume we all agree on THIS angel for the sake of argument, and we hand this over to a casting agent:
Fortunately, there are ppl out there who refuse to age, who look younger than they are already, and that’s the kind of actor I’d want ;3 so…
Hit the jump for some options, cut for length.
Levi Miller – AR’s choice at one point.
Jaco Van Den Hoven
Matthew Clavane
Thomas Brodie-Sangster
Kirill Nikolini
(leaving out the fan fave, Bjorn Andresen, bc he is not an option, too old now!)
^Levi Miller,AR’s choice at one point, not sure if she still wants him. I think he’s 15 now, but that face, very childlike. Too childlike? idk.
^XJaco Van Den Hoven, model, is 26 now, but looks like he could pass for ten years younger.
^X Armand by @teambratprince (hit the X for larger version!) which is really one of my fave fanarts of him ever, and it was based on Jaco Van Den Hoven.
^XMatthew Clavane, a current fandom fave, idk how old he is. Could pass for 15 but he’s a working model so I assume he’s 21+?
^Thomas Brodie-Sangster is 26 and could pass for 15. Idk how old he is in this gif.
^Kirill Nikolini, also a model. @faceofabotticelliangel‘s FC for Armand for awhile. Idk how old he is in the pic or now but… an option? Maybe.
*The book version of Armand, IIRC, was not really developed as much in IWTV, yet another reason they could cast Banderas (preeeetty sure you know by now that I have a place in my heart for his Armand, too <3). I’m pretty sure that his physical appearance is sketched out (auburn hair and brown eyes) in IWTV, the focus is more on his attitude and what he says. His description is clarified in TVL and the later books.
[X] Idk about that guy in particular as Daniel, but still, I like the idea of Armand insisting on taking tons of selfies w/ Daniel and Daniel mostly just tolerating it on the outside (but being pretty psyched on the inside) ❤
First of all, omg you are one of my fave VC fanartists *appreciative flailing* thank u so much for asking my opinion on this!
You guys, this is one of @muirin007’s fanarts [X] and still one of my absolute faves, from when I began this blog:
Yes, I have been asked this before but my opinions do change over time, and it’s always worth taking a fresh stab at it *,….,*
Some of this is a dreamcast for obvious reasons, and I’m limiting it to The Vampire Lestat, since it looks like that’s the focus of the new adaptation (And I’m also giving myself the difficulty of not recasting anyone from movie!IWTV bc u all know how attached I am to all of those actors by now). And I tried to pick ppl that would mesh well together as a set. Some characters get alot of commentary and some get none. These are the ppl that give me that “THAT’s exactly how I picture Lestat/Louis/Armand etc.?” feeling.
There are alot more options in the #VC casting tag, if you have some time to kill!
Lestat de Lioncourt: Brett Scallions from Fuel, circa the 90′s.
His singing voice is close to my headcanon of Lestat’s. Yes, somewhat nasal, vocal growl, some range. IMO, he has the perfect build, and yeah, he’s attractive, but what makes him so magnetic and not just another slab of manflesh are his huge soulful eyes and that generous mouth, which really can look cruel at times. He just needs a little dental work and a quality hairstylist. [Some more of my fave pics of him here]
Runner ups: Taylor Hanson circa the 90′s (VERY CLOSE SECOND CHOICE), Gaspard Ulliel,
I’ve only seen him recently in The Walking Dead, and you have to see him in that, bc he’s as sweet and tender and intense and depressive as Nicolas needs to be. Physically, these full lips and dark brooding eyes, the wide smile that’s
almost manic and the frown that speaks to a deeper well of misery
that no one can hope to touch. Am I praising him too much? PROBABLY BUT I DO WHAT I WANT. [I wax on poetic about him a little more here]
Actually I haven’t found my perfect headcanon of Louis yet, but for now, he’s a placeholder. While Louis isn’t a ~starring~ character in TVL, he is mentioned, and what with being compared to Nicolas, I have to include him.
I feel like Miles has the slender build, the soulfulness to his expression, and he looks great dressed up w/ disheveled hair. [X]
Marquis Valère de Lioncourt: Timothy Omundson, 2016
I can’t explain. JUST WANT. He is a very likable bully in Galavant and tbh I imagine Lestat’s Dad would have a sense of humor, and that’s partially where Lestat got it from. Unfortunately, that wasn’t all he got from his father. [Moar gifs and pics I’ve gathered of him here]
Marius de Romanus: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, 2016
I can’t explain. JUST WANT. A better father-figure for Lestat, one he would have given just about anything to stay with for awhile.
And that’s just my opinion, you guys are free to disagree, but please do so w/ respect bc this took alot of guts and alot of time and ALOT of effort to put together!
I-want-my-IWTV 