Karita Alexander
Administrator
There was some concern over the idea of the capture of Nessa coming off a bit as a shallow stereotype of the helpless damsel who does nothing for the story except as something for the good guy and bad guy to fight over, show off the fighting skillz of the hero, and then be awarded as a trophy to the good guy for being so good and having such skillz.
Before the podcast discussion on Nessa and her potential capture, I had been imagining a long, leggy, athletic type of woman. It made sense, since she is associated with deer, and is a dancer who marries a wrestler. My imagination was pulling more of an Artemis vibe than a Persephone.
However, I like that idea of Nessa being a symbol of sorts for the innocence of the world and of the Valar, currently under threat of corruption. The underscoring of themes by telling smaller stories that illustrate a bigger story works, and I'd be willing to let go over my version of a more kick-butt Nessa if it would serve the larger story well since, after all, we have many kick-butt female characters on the horizon.
In light of the decision to have Nessa's power lay more in moral fortitude than martial prowess, I am in favor of casting an actress that is quite young. Big, innocent eyes (like a deer!), maybe a little bit on the diminutive side. Someone who could wear flowers in her hair and dance without the slightest bit of self consciousness, who we aren't expecting to throw a flying side kick to Ungoliant's face.
You and I both know that the Valar aren't actually young, but a younger faced actress can be a signal of innocence to our audience.
Any ideas? The only younger actress I know that might fit the bill are Amandla Stenburg (Rue in "The Hunger Games") and Elle Fanning (Aurora in "Maleficent"), both 17 years of age and very lovely.
Before the podcast discussion on Nessa and her potential capture, I had been imagining a long, leggy, athletic type of woman. It made sense, since she is associated with deer, and is a dancer who marries a wrestler. My imagination was pulling more of an Artemis vibe than a Persephone.
However, I like that idea of Nessa being a symbol of sorts for the innocence of the world and of the Valar, currently under threat of corruption. The underscoring of themes by telling smaller stories that illustrate a bigger story works, and I'd be willing to let go over my version of a more kick-butt Nessa if it would serve the larger story well since, after all, we have many kick-butt female characters on the horizon.
In light of the decision to have Nessa's power lay more in moral fortitude than martial prowess, I am in favor of casting an actress that is quite young. Big, innocent eyes (like a deer!), maybe a little bit on the diminutive side. Someone who could wear flowers in her hair and dance without the slightest bit of self consciousness, who we aren't expecting to throw a flying side kick to Ungoliant's face.
You and I both know that the Valar aren't actually young, but a younger faced actress can be a signal of innocence to our audience.
Any ideas? The only younger actress I know that might fit the bill are Amandla Stenburg (Rue in "The Hunger Games") and Elle Fanning (Aurora in "Maleficent"), both 17 years of age and very lovely.
