Actors who 100% embodied character from book

[NEtoN10]

I was just thinking today about book to film adaptations and actors who I thought 100% embodied the character as I imagined them.

For me Helena BC as Bellatrix Lestrange, Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort, the whole cast of Matilda!

Who does it for you? Interested to hear !

I know this isn't in the true spirit of the thread but Stephen Tompkonson as Alan Banks is absolutely bloody awful and nothing like as described in Petere Robinsons books

Alan Rickman was great as Snape, but so different to book-Snape, who was 31 when Harry started at Hogwarts.

This is something that has always bugged me about the HP movies.

Snape would have been 31 in book 1 and 37/38 in the final. Lupin and Sirius would have been 33 when they turned up in PoA. They are all obviously fantastic actors but too old.

Similarly, Harry’s parents were 21 when they died. In the final book where they appeared from the resurrection stone, they would have looked a very similar age to Harry. The actors who played them were far too old.

Jk Rowling wanted Alan Rickman for snape despite him being to old when they filmed the books as she had written snape with Alan Rickman in mind.
She told him future details about his character that the directors etc. Weren’t told. Directors were told to let him play the scenes how he wanted even if it was nothing like how they wanted him to act.

Helena bonham Carter was perfect as bellatrix but she wasn’t cast as her originally.
Helen mcrory was to be bellatrix but she became pregnant just before they started to film as since bellatrix was quite a physical character she had to be recast. Helen mccrory was then cast as bellatrix sister for later films. I would have loved to see how she was planning on playing bellatrix.

David tennant in good omens

Kathy Bates as Annie in Misery. EXACTLY right.

Although I remember the first time I saw Misery being even more startled by the fact the that the room where most of the action takes place looked exactly as I imagined reading the book. I mean, not even one thing out of “place”. Must have been described to the letter!

Not a film but David Tennant as Crowley from good omens while not precisely as I imagined him, is perfect.
I don't usually like 'goblin' /sci-fi films. DH does. I didn't think DT was in the least bit good looking- a boring son of the manse with a weak chin. However I watched Good Omens with DH and DT was a revelation. So striking and mesmerising in this

Ryan Reynolds as deadpool was also a great call from casting, as is Robert Downey Jr as Tony stark in the mcu

However I watched Good Omens with DH and DT was a revelation. So striking and mesmerising in this

^ This. I particularly liked the scene in the church/cathedral.

Sean bean as Ned stark in GOT was spot on I think

The scene in the church completely cemented the idea of ineffable husbands for me.

He was in actual physical pain just to make sure aziraphale didn't die!

I agree with Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser in Outlander. Also think Caitriona Balfe does a fantastic job in portraying Claire.

over the Peter Robinson adaptations are a travesty!

Thank goodness. I was starting to think that I was the only one who thought Sam was the actual embodiment of Jamie Fraser.

Actually don't like the Rebus ones either. (picky!)

I couldn't watch when I found out the started from the middle of the series @Over60now It would have been so much better to have started at the beginning and seen how the character and his family life developed.

chocolate I don't know why they buy up a series and ignore the whole point of the character development. The Peter Robinson books should have been an easy one to do right.

True, the TV Bosch is a revamped version and I do like the way they have adapted it, but it is such a long running series Book Bosch is pretty old now!

Somewhat off topic, sorry!

Does anyone ever see a random actor and mentally "cast" them?

I'm enjoying the latest adaptation of Catch 22, which is excellent btw. The lead actor, Christopher Abbott, fits my mental image of Marcus Didius Falco. He has a touch of the young Marlon Brandon, but not too pretty!

Brando bloody autocorrect

I can see really see that @SlocombePooter but as I love Anton Lesser's voice I usually visualise a slightly younger buffer version of him.

David Suchet as Poirot
Robbie Coltrane - Hagrid
David Bradley - Argus Filch

In fact pretty much everyone from the Harry Potter films

I hate Helena BC as Belletirx. She is too over the top. Like a baddie in a pantomime. There is something comical about her and that is 100% wrong for someone as purely evil as Bellatrix.

Maybe Anton Lesser has a handy relative!

Similarly, Harry’s parents were 21 when they died. In the final book where they appeared from the resurrection stone, they would have looked a very similar age to Harry. The actors who played them were far too old.

I always thought this! I was so confused by how old everyone looks in Harry Potter. It's funny, like you can't be a parent and still look youthful 😂

Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon... A few other GoT actors have been mentioned, but he really got it spot on I think.

Christopher Lee should have played Merriman Lyon in that excrescence of an adaptation they did for the Dark is Rising... but then they should have made it properly with a British cast and set in the English countryside.

YES. Was genuinely gutted by that travesty.