While I love This Side of Paradise (which I own a first edition copy of thanks to an amazing Valentine's Day gift from my ex-boyfriend) the most, The Great Gatsby is his most famous novel. A few bad attempts at bringing that novel to life have occurred , but recently I heard that director Baz Luhrmann (of Moulin Rouge fame) is working on a new adaptation.
I was pretty stoked about that until I heard who read the parts during a read through. Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby, British-soon-to-be-famous actress Rebecca Hall as Daisy, and Tobey Maguire as Nick.
Hmmm. Interesting?
I think DiCaprio is a great actor, but physically I would never picture him as Gatsby. I'm not sure he's the best choice, but it wouldn't be a complete deal breaker for me if he were to play the part.
Rebecca Hall is actually one of my favorite actresses. She's in an amazingly little known in America flick, Starter for 10. Love it, but again, even with voice lessons and such, I'm just not sure that one of the greatest roles in American literature should be brought to the screen by a Brit. However, if that is the case, she'd be lovely.
My least favorite of the three is Maguire, both as an actor and being right for the part. I just don't think he fits well in this role.
If I ran the world my picks would be...
Gatsby-I always have pictured an attractive, lean guy with a perfect summer tan and light brown hair.
Top Choice
Ryan Gosling-This guy is Gatsby. Probably one of the best younger actors out there, he fits the part so well it's crazy. Also, I can see him delivering that line about not being able (or being able) to repeat the past with an awesome intensity.
Runner Up
Timothy Olyphant-He might be slightly old to play Gatsby, but he definitely has the Gatsby swagger that you infer from reading the novel. Swagger can make anything happen.
Long Shot
Bradley Cooper-Physically spot on when I think of Gatsby(maybe slightly darker hair), but he's mostly known for his comedic work, so that would probably make him a huge long shot. And he might not have the chops to carry such a mega role.
Daisy-Most people think Daisy had blonde hair, due to a passing comment she makes about her daughter's hair and also the light way that Fitzgerald described her, but actually there are two different points in the book that comment on her dark hair. Tough call for this one.
Top Choice
Michelle Williams-I think she has the ability to pull off to complexities of Daisy's character traits. She looks the part and is American, which I really feel like Daisy should be. Plus, she looks great as a blonde or brunette.
Runner Up
Rebecca Hall-Okayyyy, if Daisy is not going to be played by an American, I can see her playing the part well.
Long Shot
Olivia Wilde-Not sure why, but she is pretty much the physical representation of what I picture Daisy to be. Plus if you used to watch The OC, you know that she can rock blonde hair, if needed.
Nick-I always have pictured him as a good looking guy with dark hair and a medium build. Could be way off base there, though.
Top Choice
John Krasinski-He's a good actor and physically looks the part of the image in my head. Plus he's a star, but he's not a huge star that will overshadow the role. Also, he just kinda looks like he should be living in the jazz age, right?
Runner Up
Jake Gylenhaal-He has that Nick Carroway vibe, but he's such a huge star that he might overshadow the part.
Long Shot
Cillian Murphy-Well, he's Irish, so there's that whole thing working against him for this role, but this guy has one of the most convincing American accents I've ever heard. Oh, yeah, and he's ridiculously pretty to look at, which helps.
Guess we shall see what happens in the next year or so concerning this flick. No matter what, I'll be first in line to see it. Hope it's even half as amazing as the book.
Who do you think should play the parts?
3 comments:
Timothy Olyphant, Michelle Williams, and John Krasinski - Done. Great blog post - good read!
haha thank you for commenting!
I approve of all your choices!
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