Luthien
- Thread starter Ange1e4e5
- Start date
Personally, I tend to think that casting the child versions is kind of uninteresting. I guess Estel is an exception. Just because a girl or a boy is seen in a season, it doesn't mean we have to find a child actress or child actor to play her or him, especially since our channels only permits us to find a very small number of alternatives. I suggest we just say that Luthien should be played by an unknown child actress.
Ok so let's suggest some more actresses here.
Amanda Seyfried. She's a good actress who can dance and sing. I don't know aboout Edithness or Gemma-similarity, but she looks like she could be the daughter of Melian. I guess she's blonde so she'd have to dye her hair.
Amanda Seyfried. She's a good actress who can dance and sing. I don't know aboout Edithness or Gemma-similarity, but she looks like she could be the daughter of Melian. I guess she's blonde so she'd have to dye her hair.
Small? Who cares about size?? 😉
Keep in mind that Bettany's Elwë is *quite* tall, and Lúthien will have scenes with him. So, we probably don't want anyone too tiny.
Also, the discussion of how to introduce Lúthien will happen this Friday, most likely, and should cover the 'is-she-a-child-or-an-adult-when-we-first-see-her' question. Allowing a character to grow up is one way to show the passage of time, so it's possible we will want a child-intro, but it's just as likely we'll want an adult member of Thingol's court from the get-go.
It will also be interesting to see what type of personality we give to Lúthien. We are going to have her around for 2 full seasons (at least) before she meets Beren, so the audience will be quite familiar with her before her love story plays out. I mean, potentially. She may just be a minor background character. We'll see.
Lúthien should be a skilled dancer. Or at least someone who can pull that off. I realize a lot of actors are talented enough to sing or dance even if they never have had roles like that before, but I think that in her case, we probably want someone with some impressive portfolio when it comes to dance training, not the reliance that the stunt coordinator can make her look like a good dancer if she's not already.
Marielle - I agree that concepts of beauty are important here. There are some characters who are *supposed* to be stunningly beautiful. Snow White is a good example. Buttercup in the Princess Bride is another. If the narrator (or the other characters) are going to go on and on about someone's legendary beauty, then the audience is going to expect....a drop dead gorgeous actress. And almost no matter who you cast, you're going to get a lot of people saying, 'eh...she's not that pretty.' Which is annoying. But when you hold someone up as the pinnacle of beauty, there is an implied message there. Lúthien is a mixed-race character - that's an important part of her identity. While we do not have to cast mixed-race actress, we certainly *could* - and that would maybe be as faithful as an Edith Tolkien look-alike. It's certainly something that is worth keeping in mind. I think the more suggestions the better - we'll find someone who's a good match.
I have been trying to think of TV-casting-based-on-a-real-life-person, and all that is coming to mind is that Temperance Brennan of Bones is based on Kathy Reichs.
Here is Kathy Reichs:
And here is Temperance Brennan (played by Emily Deschanel):
...and standing next to each other:
They really don't look much alike.
(Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist and author of crime novels in which her main character - Temperance Brennan - is a forensic anthropologist who works with the FBI to solve crimes/cold cases.
On the show, Temperance Brennan is a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian who works with the FBI to solve crimes, and writes fictional novels about her life featuring the adventures of an imaginary character named...Kathy Reichs.
The show is not based on the books - rather, the show is meant to base it's main character on the writer of the books!
Oh - and Kathy Reichs had a guest spot on the show and served as a technical advisor. So there's all sorts of recursion going on there.)
Also, the discussion of how to introduce Lúthien will happen this Friday, most likely, and should cover the 'is-she-a-child-or-an-adult-when-we-first-see-her' question. Allowing a character to grow up is one way to show the passage of time, so it's possible we will want a child-intro, but it's just as likely we'll want an adult member of Thingol's court from the get-go.
It will also be interesting to see what type of personality we give to Lúthien. We are going to have her around for 2 full seasons (at least) before she meets Beren, so the audience will be quite familiar with her before her love story plays out. I mean, potentially. She may just be a minor background character. We'll see.
Lúthien should be a skilled dancer. Or at least someone who can pull that off. I realize a lot of actors are talented enough to sing or dance even if they never have had roles like that before, but I think that in her case, we probably want someone with some impressive portfolio when it comes to dance training, not the reliance that the stunt coordinator can make her look like a good dancer if she's not already.
Marielle - I agree that concepts of beauty are important here. There are some characters who are *supposed* to be stunningly beautiful. Snow White is a good example. Buttercup in the Princess Bride is another. If the narrator (or the other characters) are going to go on and on about someone's legendary beauty, then the audience is going to expect....a drop dead gorgeous actress. And almost no matter who you cast, you're going to get a lot of people saying, 'eh...she's not that pretty.' Which is annoying. But when you hold someone up as the pinnacle of beauty, there is an implied message there. Lúthien is a mixed-race character - that's an important part of her identity. While we do not have to cast mixed-race actress, we certainly *could* - and that would maybe be as faithful as an Edith Tolkien look-alike. It's certainly something that is worth keeping in mind. I think the more suggestions the better - we'll find someone who's a good match.
I have been trying to think of TV-casting-based-on-a-real-life-person, and all that is coming to mind is that Temperance Brennan of Bones is based on Kathy Reichs.
Here is Kathy Reichs:
And here is Temperance Brennan (played by Emily Deschanel):
...and standing next to each other:
They really don't look much alike.
(Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist and author of crime novels in which her main character - Temperance Brennan - is a forensic anthropologist who works with the FBI to solve crimes/cold cases.
On the show, Temperance Brennan is a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian who works with the FBI to solve crimes, and writes fictional novels about her life featuring the adventures of an imaginary character named...Kathy Reichs.
The show is not based on the books - rather, the show is meant to base it's main character on the writer of the books!
Oh - and Kathy Reichs had a guest spot on the show and served as a technical advisor. So there's all sorts of recursion going on there.)
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Ange1e4e5
Well-Known Member
Could try Summer Glau. She's got a dancing background and the hosts, who seem to be fans of Firefly, would like her too. There's a scene in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles with her dancing.
Height: 5'6"
Age: 36
Ange1e4e5
Well-Known Member
True.
Haerangil
Well-Known Member
Hmm... Luthiens character is ... Quite special. When we read the books we pretty much get the impression that despire her being some thousand years old, luthien is quite carefree and juvenile, or even childish in a way. She never has been out of doriath and her parents obviously try to keep all troubles away from her - quite sucessful! So luthien has never been far away, she's more or less a pure creature and lover of nature, far closer to her fairy side.
Question is if we want to show her that way... Or do we wish to show a luthien who also has other less known sides? A luthien who is into courtly life, who is secretly hoarding books about the history of the eldar, a luthien who is interested in the kingdoms politics. Could be interesting too...
I mean as soon as luthien leaves doriath... For someone who has never been abeoad or in adventure she does extremely well!
Question is if we want to show her that way... Or do we wish to show a luthien who also has other less known sides? A luthien who is into courtly life, who is secretly hoarding books about the history of the eldar, a luthien who is interested in the kingdoms politics. Could be interesting too...
I mean as soon as luthien leaves doriath... For someone who has never been abeoad or in adventure she does extremely well!
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Halstein
Active Member
The "innocence" that we humans perceive might be something else in elves. A part of their tra-la-la-lally-ness prehaps?
Jessica Brown Findlay was mentioned above. She is a skilled dancer. Also, she was discussed during the casting of Arwen.
I think she would be.....great.
I think she would be.....great.
This is my feeling, too. When dealing with somebody several centuries old who comes across as having a childlike sense of play and joy to mortal eyes, and the body of a svelte 25-year-old... that is part of the strangeness of Elves, not real childishness.
Somebody who is much younger, like Idril or Celebrimbor or Orodreth, is who I would picture as being actually innocent, or very naive, at this time. Although the Annals of Aman are problematic when it comes to Noldorin princes' birth dates, in the Annals Luthien is older than Finarfin. She is at least of his generation.