Saruman

[Rob Harding]

Hugh Laurie

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0491402/
Height: 6'2"
Age: 65
Known for: Blackadder, House M.D, The Night Manager, Arthur Christmas, The Personal History of David Copperfield



Laurie is an actor with an incredibly verstalie range. Having come up through typically comedic roles in Britain, he really got a chance to show the wider world his dramatic chops with House. He since has played a number of morally complex characters, notably villainous roles such as Dicky Onslow in the Night Manager (incredibly affable and terrifying) and the broken yet brave Etienne LeBlanc in All the Light We Cannot See (which I frankly need to watch again). He also has a wonderful quality to his voice. It's hard to find an actor who can do quite as much - his Gregory House is as far from Lt. George as one could get. To top it off, he also has a very characterful face. Just a solid 'look'.

 

[Ange1e4e5]

Charles Dance

Charles Dance | Actor, Producer, Director

Known for: Gosford Park, The Imitation Game, Game of Thrones

www.imdb.com

Age: 78
Height: 6'3"
Roles: Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones, Benedict in Last Action Hero, Lord Stockbridge in Gosford Park, Judge Lawrence Wargrave in And Then There Were None (2015), Lord Louis Mountbatten in The Crown (Seasons 3 and 4, replaced Greg Wise)

Dance is an actor with a long career, often playing villains and somewhat shady figures and with a low, sonorous voice that can get scary when he raises it. It's a bit of typecasting as Saruman but I think he could pull it off with aplomb. And there's something funny about him reading Fifty Shades of Grey.



Dance in-character as Tywin Lannister, narrating a featurette from Game of Thrones Season 1

 

[MithLuin]

Saruman should be a distinguished-looking older gentleman with a mellifluous voice who can play a rather self-important wizard.

For Silm Film, we have requested that there be some variety in appearance for the Istari. So far, we have only cast Gandalf, so we are fairly open for Saruman's actor. He needs to...not look like Gary Oldman. He does need to be taller (so more than 5'9"), but we have not specified a racial background.

I would like to nominate Ken Watanabe for Saruman.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0913822



Age: 65 years
Height: 6' 1/2" (1.84 m)

Ken Watanabe is a very well-known actor, so most likely everyone has seen him in something. He played Katsumoto in the Last Samurai, the villain Saito in Inception, Ras al-Ghul in Batman Begins (well, not Liam Neeson, obviously), and the love interest in Memoirs of a Geisha. He's Dr. Serizawa in Godzilla. He's even Lt. Yoshida in Detective Pikachu. The man has 85 acting credits listed on imdb. For this role, I think he would capture the gravitas and air of command that Saruman needs, as well as having a distinctive voice. We would need to add the wizard's beard, naturally.

Ken Watanabe as an AI robot in "The Creator" (2023)

You will notice his voice is quite distinctive and attention-getting, and thus this delivery can be used in the promotional material (click link).

Ken Watanabe in "Tokyo Vice" (2022)

 

[Ange1e4e5]

Jim Carter is primarily known for one role: Mr. Carson. His voice is smooth and sonorous, and despite Carson being a pretty serious character, he makes for pretty good comedy on occasion, as shown when someone tries to blackmail him for... being a stage actor.

Jim Carter

Jim Carter | Actor, Additional Crew, Soundtrack

Known for: Transformers: The Last Knight, Shakespeare in Love, Downton Abbey

www.imdb.com

Age: 76
Height: 6'2"
Roles: Charles Carson in Downton Abbey, William Hastings in Richard III (1995)

 

[Rob Harding]

Giancarlo is well-known for playing charasmatic, morally complex characters. He has a highly melifluous voice and has incredible range.

Giancarlo Esposito

Giancarlo Esposito | Music Department, Actor, Producer

Known for: Breaking Bad, The Usual Suspects, The Jungle Book

www.imdb.com

Age: 63
Height: 5'6"
Breaking Bad, The Boys, The Mandalorian

 

[Rob Harding]

George is something of a screen icon due to his seminal role in Star Trek, he has however gone on to act in many other roles, including horror, drama and other genre pieces. He can play kind and comforting or cold and distant. Also has a unique voice.

George Takei

George Takei | Actor, Additional Crew, Writer

Known for: Star Trek, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

www.imdb.com

Age: 83
Height: 5'6"
Star Trek, Heroes, The Terror

 

[Rob Harding]

Timothy Dalton
Age: 78
Height: 6'1"

Timothy Dalton | Actor, Soundtrack

Known for: The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill, Hot Fuzz

www.imdb.com

James Bond, Hot Fuzz, Penny Dreadful and Doom Patrol.