Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Casting The Song of Achilles

So, some of you may know that a while ago I read The Song of Achilles and loved it. It probably became my favorite novel. It's about the Trojan War and it focuses on the relationship (a romantic one in this book) between Achilles and Patroclus.
What I will try to do here is cast the movie that I have no idea if it's even considered to get made. It should! Unless they make it less than pretty good. The book has the potential to become a great movie, I think.

I won't waste any more time.

For Achilles I was thinking:

(random order)

Alex Pettyfer - He looks the part but I'm not sure he can act it. His persona is just right, I think.

Aaron Tveit - He has what it takes actingwise and he is really handsome but maybe too old and/or not the right type?

Ryan Gosling - A few years ago I wouldn't even consider anyone else. Now, I dunno.

Trevor Donovan - He looks Achillean and from what youtube tells me, he has some homoerotic experience on TV but maybe too old or not good enough an actor? I really don't know much about him.

For Thetis (Achilles's mother, a sea-nymph):

OK, for this role I could imagine all of my favorite actresses above 35 (though, I think even, say, 38 is kind of young for this role) but I will limit myself to..we'll see..


Tilda Swinton - Yep, that's it. Neeeext. Miller herself would be more than fine with this choice.
Emma Thompson - Nothing to say here; if you don't see it...

Jullianne Moore - Ditto.

And Cotillard and Bening and Kidman and and and..

For Agamemnon and Chiron:


Here's the deal: We have Michael Fassbender and Mathew McConaughey. One of them should play Agamemnon and the other one should play Chiron (the centaur who taught Achilles and Patroclus how to be..well..many things). Or maybe
Édgar Ramírez for Agamemnon.

The only problem I see is that Fassbender's colors most suit Agamemnon's brother, Menelaus, but does it matter that much? 

For Odysseus I thought of Bradley Cooper but I'm not that excited about him and I'm too lazy to think more on the subject.

 The very interesting character of Briseis, a young woman (Not Trojan, I think, but certainly of origins closer to the Trojans than the Greeks) who was enslaved by the Greeks and became friends with Patroclus, could be brought to life by:

Shailene Woodley - A good actress that matched Briseis's sweetness.

Mia Wasikowska - A good actress that matches Briseis's uneasiness.


Well, an interesting character is more than one thing and I can imagine both those actresses being able to create a whole, faithful to the book Briseis.

Pyrrhus is the son of Achilles and princess Deidameia. We spend time with him when he is twelve but supposedly looks much older. He has fiery hair. I really have no idea. I did a silly google search and only came up with a guy named Brian Balzerini.

And the star of the show, Patroclus. Well, basically any kinda-dark-haired, under 33 who is not ugly will do.
I thought of Andrew Garfield who is probably my favorite candidate. Then, Emile Hirsch, Oscar Isaac and..nothing really interesting, to be honest.

I know it was a mostly lazy effort but what I was interested the most was not throw ideas (which is always fun) but just tell the world that I want this lovely book to become a movie. OK, one post in a world of a million (more? probably) posts a day isn't much  but I'm hoping it's something. You could say Im planting a seed. 
If nothing else comes from this, maybe one person will buy and read the book, which would make me happy. 

PS: Tell me if you're that person. 

2 comments:

  1. Briseis is explicitly stated as being dark-skinned and having black hair. The author made an effort to emphasize that a number of characters are racially ambiguous and/or not white.

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  2. Thanks for pointing that out. Somehow I missed it. Well, sorry Mia and Shailene! :p

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