Rilla of Ingleside 2012: The Dream Cast

In the beginning of February, Miss Laurie at Old-Fashioned Charm and Alexandra at Of Trims and Frills and Furbelows both hosted blog events celebrating Charles Dickens' 200th birthday.  At one point during the week, Alexandra posted a dream cast for a new film of A Tale of Two Cities.  I greatly enjoyed that post, and I'm afraid I got thinking. (A dangerous pastime, I know.) The wheels in my head began turning, and I decided to put together a dream cast of my own for Anne week.  

But of course we already have two perfectly lovely films based on the first few Anne books, and heaven forbid anyone should authorize a remake.  Ugh.  Do not speak to me of AGG remakes at this time.  Instead, I have created a dream cast for a film version of Rilla of Ingleside (the eighth book in the Anne series and my current favorite).  If you haven't yet read Rilla, do so immediately-- and be rawther careful reading this post, because I'll try not to spoil things, but... I make no promises.

I would like to offer my sincerest thanks to my amazing sister Anne-girl and my dear blogging friend Ally for their incredible help with this casting... they had a lot of awesome suggestions, which is good because I could never have done this alone!  And now, without further ado, My Dream Cast for Rilla of Ingleside (2012).

Carey Mulligan as Bertha Marilla (Rilla) Blythe.  (For the record, I still can't understand why Anne finds the name Bertha "beautiful" and "romantic".  Rilla is much, much better.)

(You might know her as Ada Clare in Bleak House or Isabella Thorpe in Northanger Abbey.)
When I first started casting for this movie, Carey Mulligan was the first actress to suggest herself to me for Rilla and I didn't have to look any farther.  She has that pixyish face, adorable dimples, creamy skin, brown eyes, and looks exactly like the description of Rilla in the book.  She's 26 now, which is a bit old to be playing a 15-19-year-old, but I think she could pull it off.

Aaron Tveit as Kenneth Ford (haven't seen any of his movies, but he's slated to play Enjolras in the Les Miz movie this December.)

As I said, I haven't seen any of Tveit's movies, but he fits the mental image I have of Ken Ford.  I'm afraid I have an atrocious habit of casting actors based on looks alone... which is something I frequently berate movie producers for doing.  Hypocrisy, thou art one of my many middle names.

Megan Follows and Jonathan Crombie as Anne and Gilbert.

(Ugh, for some reason Blogger will not allow me to put their pictures side-by-side. Humbug.
Oh, well, they can be on opposite sides then.)

I think this casting is a bit of a no-brainer.  I mean, in all seriousness, could anyone else play Anne and Gilbert? Sacrilege, sacrilege!  And they're the perfect age now, and everything... Moviemakers! Sit up and take notice!

Okay, now I think I'll just run through the families systematically and concisely, now that our heroine and Classic Couple are out of the way.

Dan Stevens as James Matthew (Jem) Blythe.  (Edward Ferrars in S&S 08, some guy in Downton Abbey)

Unfortunately he's not smiling in this picture (and Jem is supposed to smile, a lot, hello) but he's in a WWI uniform and so I couldn't resist using this one.  Of course he doesn't have red hair but then neither does Carey Mulligan.  Or Megan Follows, for that matter. Wigs and hair dye, peoples.

Patrick Kennedy as Walter Cuthbert Blythe (Richard Carstone in Bleak House)

I'm not entirely pleased with this choice, because honestly nobody looks like Walter except the Walter in my imagination when I read the book. :P But my sister and I couldn't come up with anyone better, and Patrick Kennedy is at least much better than Nick Jonas.  Yep, she had the nerve to suggest him and I metaphorically handed her a bar of soap.  For her mouth, y'know.

Emmy Rossum as Nan Blythe (Christine Daae in Phantom of the Opera)

This picture makes her look ridiculously plastic and Barbie-doll-ish, but I think she looks like the Nan of my imagination.  Nan's role in Rilla of Ingleside is, sadly, almost nonexistent, but she still needs to be there.  Creates the sense of family unity and all that.  Anyway, I've never actually seen Emmy Rossum in anything, but she looks the part so that's that.

Laura Pyper as Diana Blythe (Jane Fairfax in Emma 2009)

Di's part in this book is also sadly tiny.  Di was one of my favorite characters in the earlier stories, when the kids were all little, so I'm sad to see her so ruthlessly left out, but... oh well.  She and Emmy look like they could be convincing (fraternal) twins, I think, and that's very important, you know.

Max Thieriot as Shirley Blythe (Will Shepherd in Kit: An American Girl Mystery and Ned Nickerson in one of the gazillions of Nancy Drew films)

At first I thought maybe Max Thieriot was too young for this part, but then I remembered that Shirley is supposed to be all of eighteen.  Eighteen, yikes, that's only a little older than I am.  Anyway, Shirley is kind of a boring character (it truly is sad how three of Anne's kids are given such minimal parts in this story!) but Max Thieriot and Carey Mulligan definitely look like they could be siblings and that's a plus.

And now we come to the part where Anne-girl and Ally start squealing...

Anthony Andrews as Mr. Meredith (Sir Percy Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel, Steerforth in David Copperfield)

Not only is this guy one of my favoritest actors evah, he looks like the gentle, kindly Mr. Meredith of the books.   If this dream casting had been taking place in the late 70's, you can bet who I'd be casting as Jem, but sadly that is not the case.  Time marches on and all that.  But there is always such a thing as a little casting reunion, and therefore I have chosen...

Jane Seymour as Rosemary West Meredith (Marguerite Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel, Fraulein Rottenmeier in Heidi)

I actually came this close to picking Kate Winslet for the part, but I don't think Kate Winslet is really old enough yet, and besides, who wouldn't want to have the Scarlet Pimpernel leads reunited at last?? I ask you! Now, Jane Seymour is a leetle old to be playing Rosemary, I'll grant you, but makeup can do wonders.  And she'll get to wear her hair in a pompadour again--just not a Marguerite-inspired hairstyle, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.

Rupert Evans as Jerry Meredith (Frank Churchill in Emma 2009, Frederick Hale in North and South)

I really enjoyed Rupert's portrayal of Frank Churchill in Emma 09 (or Emmer as I often call it), and I think he'd fit Jerry Meredith's roguish personality quite well.  Except of course Jerry's not the scoundrel that Frank is.  :P  Far from it, in fact.

Charity Wakefield as Faith Meredith (Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility 2008)

I haven't seen Charity's performance as Marianne Dashwood in S&S08 yet (although I want to) but she fits my mental image of Faith Meredith.  Of course her face couldn't exactly be compared with a cheese.  (And if you haven't read Rainbow Valley that last sentence will make no sense... so go read Rainbow Valley.)  I've heard from reliable sources (y'all are reliable, right? I should hope so) that her performance as Marianne is rawthuh annoying, but I'm thinking she'd make a good Faith nevertheless.

Claire Foy as Una Meredith (Amy Dorrit in Little Dorrit)

I adored Claire Foy's gentle performance in Little Dorrit, and I think she'd do a beautiful job of portraying the sweet, shy Una Meredith (and she even matches the book's description! Huzzah!).  The whole unrequited love thing crops up again... pardon me while I go bawl into my pillow.  Because, y'know, whereas Little Dorrit has a happy ending... 

I better shut up right now before I spoil anything.

Harry Lloyd as Carl Meredith (haven't seen him in anything, heehee)

I honestly know nothing about this actor, except for the fact that Ally suggested him for Jem (or was it Ken? now I can't remember) but we ultimately decided on other actors for Jem and Ken, and I thought this guy would make a better Carl.  But like I said, I knows nothings 'bout him.

Eileen Atkins as Susan Baker (Miss Deborah Jenkyns in Cranford)

I was seriously quite wary of this choice at first, but the A's won me over, and I'm glad they did, because the more I think of Eileen Atkins as Susan, the more I like her.  Can't you just picture her catching up a pot of blue dye and racing after Whiskers-on-the-moon with it, berating him for sucking his orange proposing to her? :D And though her Miss Deborah character doesn't resemble Susan, I think in this picture she does.  Minus the modern hairstyle, of course.

And speaking of Whiskers-on-the-moon...

 John Alderton as Mr. Pryor, aka Whiskers-on-the-moon (Mr. Casby in Little Dorrit)

Okay, okay, I admit it... this casting choice was simply because I felt that the role of Mr. Pryor was very, very similar to that of Mr. Casby.  The old slimeball.  My initial choice for this part was actually Eddie Marsden (who you might know as Mr. Pancks) but Anne-girl suggested John Alderton instead, and I was won over. Quite quickly.

And now for the lesser characters...

Katie Hall as Miranda Pryor (Cosette in the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert)

Poor Miranda is so boring (and labeled as such) but I do like her, and her war-wedding, though not at all romantical, is sweet in its own way.  And funny.  Especially the part where Rilla swoops into the kitchen and nonchalantly asks Susan to bake her a wedding cake... heehee.  Anyways.  I really enjoyed Katie Hall's performance as Cosette, and though she's a little too pretty to play Miranda, I think she'd do a nice job.

Michelle Dockery as Miss Oliver (Lady Mary Crawley in Downton Abbey)

Yet another actress who I'm picking based on her looks alone.  Shame, Miss Dashwood.  Shame.  Ah well. I am not perfect you know-- I never was.  I ask only an adequate actor or actress who will keep me from being a burden to my parents... um, okay, I'll stop butchering P&P quotes now.

Laura Carmichael as Mary Vance (Lady Edith Crawley in Downton Abbey)

This choice was unbelievably last-minute, but it's quite nice to have sisters and friends you can count on to come up with somebody at the Final Hour and all that. :D  I haven't seen any or all of Downton Abbey, so I know nothing about Laura Carmichael's acting skills, but she looks like the Mary Vance I imagine.  She doesn't have the pale blue eyes Mary is supposed to have, but she has the sharp pale features, and overall she strikes me as looking the part.  

I never did find anyone to play Bruce Meredith-- the actor I had in mind was a little boy I saw in the trailer for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the 2005 one, a movie I haven't seen and don't wish to see) but when I looked him up on IMDB I found that he's older than I am and is no longer eligible to play a seven-year-old.  Heh.  I'm sadly ignorant when it comes to child actors.  I also left out Miss Cornelia Bryant, because a) she barely appears in the novel at all and b) I couldn't think of anyone who would do her justice.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  Did I leave any characters out that you think should have been included?  

This was great fun. :) I shall have to do it again sometime... and thanks again, Anne-girl and Ally!