Saturday, March 17, 2012

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!

29 comments:

Hanna-col said...

Haven't read "Rilla" yet, but I love it when people create dream casts. Really need to read the rest of the books in the series this summer.

Michelle Dockery is in "Return to Cranford" by the way. She plays Erminia Whyte.

Melody said...

Um! You were going to cast ME as Miss Cornelia Bryant, remembuh???
Tsk Tsk.
And I do everyone justice who deserves to have justice done to them.
*snicker-snort*

Anyways.
You cast Harry Lloyd! Missie will love you forever.
BTW, he's young Steerforth on the 1999 David Copperfield. =)

Oooh! Claire Foy!
What?? No 'appy endings, no Melody reads.

Kidding. Kidding. I will read it. One Day. When I finish Poplars and Dreams and Inglesides and Valleys.

There's someone named Faith? That's swelliferous! I've named characters that before, haha.

He-HE! Now you're finally saying you want to see S&S08. :D

Well, I will definitely be looking at this again after I read the book. =)

Are you sure it wouldn't be Rilla of Ingleside 2013? If they were casting right now, you know.

Oh! I've often wished there was some sequel to RTA, because the actors would be the right age now to be parents.
(I mean a GOOD sequel. I've heard rumors that there is one, made a couple years after it ended, but I refuse to acknowledge its existence.)
;D

Oh, and I was going to mention that actress was on Return to Cranford too, but somebody already did. =)

Livia Rachelle said...

Skandar Keynes for Walter-perfect dark hair and eyes and fair skin and looks dreamy-eyed like Walter is supposed to be-granted he is several years too young-but yes, I think he looks the part which is how I also would pick roles because it drives me up the wall if they DON'T look the part. Oh, and Max Thierot is really like 24 even though he looks like he is fifteen. I know he could play the role, but thought I would point out how young for his real age he looks.
I only read part of the article before I started the comment. Skandar Keynes could be Carl Meredith and Harry Lloyd could be Walter.
Fun, fun post. I don't know most of the actors you chose and I really dislike Charity Wakefield as Faith-I am trying to think of an alternative. Yes, Emma Watson. I like Jerry, Jem, Una, and Rilla (even though I have never seen "Una" in anything she looks like she really could be her), but the rest I do not know. I need to plan remakes and first versions like this; this was fun!

Alexandra said...

YAYAYAYAY! Soooo excited and all that sort of thing!!! It looks so good!!!

Carey is so awesome. She would be the perfect Rilla. And hahahaha about NJ. :-P

I squeaaaaaled sooooooooo loud over the Mr. Meredith casting (I'm sure you could hear it :-D), even though I knew good and well *who* you had cast as him. It was just actually seeing it up there on screen...siiiiiiigh. Lovely. And of course love Mrs. Meredith. If no one else will cast them together again...we will! :-D Happy sigh...

The cast all looks *awesome*. Hurrah, hurrah! And so happy I could help. :-)

Rachel Heffington said...

Perfect! I am seriously lovin' all these Dickens actors...I mean, Ada, Rick, Mr. Casby, Amy Dorrit...not to mention other BBC favorites like Frank Churchill, Jane...Wow. This would be an amazing movie! (Provided they could all drop their British accents. :P)

Charity U said...

Delightful! Rilla is one of my favorite books too...I like the 2nd, 3rd, 4th Anne books best, I think -- then Rilla. :) I love how I knew so many of these actors!

P.S. My review of the '05 P&P goes out tomorrow morning, along with the character comparisons a little later in the morning. :)

P.P.S. You should see the '08 S&S -- other than the opening scenes, and a kiss between Willoughby and Marianne, it's very good. :) Not to mention it has a Charity... ;)

Miss Dashwood said...

Hanne-col,
I think I had heard that Michelle Dockery was in Return to Cranford, but I didn't know which part she played... that's so neat! I want to see that movie soon (I've seen Cranford, but not the sequel).

Melody,
But... we discussed that on the phone, remembah? I'll cast you as Miss Cornelia in a play if I ever direct one (and provided you still want to do it, haha) but you aren't old enough to play her in the movie. *scrolls up and checks* Oh, wait, you wrote that comment before we talked last night... haha. Never mind then.
It does too have a happy ending! For some of the characters, that is. *sobs*
You're right, it probably would be Rilla 2013... I just didn't want it to be too far into the future or people would get too old for their parts.

Rachel Olivia,
I just looked up Skandar Keynes, and he definitely does look like he could play Walter if he were a little older! Too bad he's not.
Well, I haven't seen Charity Wakefield in anything yet, so I was just picking her based on her looks. :)

Ally,
Heehee. I thought you'd get a kick out of the NJ thing.
So THAT'S what that faint screaming-across-five-thousand-miles sound was that I heard last night. :P It all makes sense now. (Kidding. I didn't really hear you. But you probably realized that.)
Thanks for all your help, I couldn't have done it without you!

Rachel,
I know... I picked so many British actors it's really rather embarrassing! My knowledge of Canadian actors is practically zilch. Too bad...

Charity,
Thank you so much for all your comments, and for following! I'm off to read your P&P05 post now.

AnnaKate said...

Your casting was perfection! Really, I loved every decision, although I agree that Walter is a tough guy to nail. He's my absolute favorite character of the series, and so I can't find anyone who really captures the Walter of my imagination. Thus is the curse of us period piece lovers... ;)

And Rupert Evans, YES. Huge fan.

Emily said...

I haven't read "Rilla" in a long time but everyone I remember looks pretty close to the actors you picked :) Someone contact a producer! ;)

Melody said...

Haha, I was going to say "But I commented before we talked, remembuh?" But you figured it out all by yourself. How clever of you. ;-)

Well, I knew the thing in general had a happy ending, tootuz you told me that a long time ago... but there seems to be an awful lot of sobbing going on on your part when it comes to that novel. ;)

Yeth, I know what you mean about the ages. ;)

Hayden said...

Oh, I love Rilla!!!!!

WARNING: This is an extremely long comment because I am so excessively fond of Rilla of Ingleside. just so you know. Many opinions ahead.

I really don't know who I'd personally pick to play Rilla. Carey Mulligan didn't come directly to mind, but now that you mention it I COULD see her as Rilla. (and yes, the name Rilla is a million times more romantic than Bertha...never understood her reasoning there, either)

Anyway...of course Megan Follows and Jonathon Crombie would be Anne and Gilbert...is there any OTHER Anne and Gil out there???

Aaron Tveit...never seen him in anything, but he does look like Ken. Agreeing with you on this one :)

I don't know about Patrick Kennedy as Walter, though. I can't think of anyone better, exactly...but IS there a perfect Walter out there?

Jem, Nan, Diana, and Shirley all look like good choices- especially Nan, in my opinion.

Okay...Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour as The Merediths...most brillant thing I've heard all day. Honestly- they would be PERFECT. Especially Jane Seymour as Rosemary- oh, can you hear my squeals?

Claire Foy as Una!!! More brillance from the brain of Miss Dashwood!!! I've always loved Una...umm...if you DID make a movie of Rilla of Ingleside...couldn't you, like, NOT make Walter die, and have him marry Una, or something? Or at least have them get married before he goes off to war...Okay. maybe that's not a good idea. But nowadays I skip a *certain* chapter of the book because I'm not overly fond of crying...

Eileen Atkins as Susan Baker ....hmmm....thinking....thinking...I really do think it could work. I really do. And I would love to see her chasing Mr Cas... Whiskers-on-Moon :)

Michelle Dockery would really be perfect as Miss Oliver. I would never have thought of her, but really- she'd be great.

And Laura Carmichael DOES look like Mary Vance :)

I'm drawing a blank on who could play Miss Cornelia, though. Hmmm. Can't help you there. Not sure on who would play Bruce, either. (oh, and I avoided Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as well, but when I finally watched it I thought it was less creepy than the original, even if it does have Johnny Depp in it. Go figure :)

Thank you for this wonderful post!!! I feel my own inspiration coming on...maybe a Dream cast of all my fav Anne characters. Like Phil and Leslie and Rebecca Dew? Do you have any suggestions for them? I'd love to hear your opinions! Do you have my email?

Anna said...

You did an amazing job!! I'm still not sure if I would like the movie. I love the book so much and have it all visualized... But if you casted it I would. : )

Gil and Anne need to be the same. Period.

Not sure about Rilla, I can't think of anyone who could be Rilla.

Kenneth is perfect!!! If Jem had dark hair it would be perfect.

I'm with Rachel Olivia that Skandar Keynes would be great. Walter needs to be soft, and thoughtful.

Diana and Nan are great. Not sure about Shirley. But they do all look that they can be siblings. Agree on Mr. Meredith.

Perfect Jerry Meredith! Lovely Faith.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Una. She is absolutely perfect! Perfectly shy and quite. Carl is great too.

Susan looks perfect, I can totally imagine her as a housekeeper. Might have to alter her voice though.

Whiskers on the moon- can't be anyone else.

Miranda Pryor is great too. I can see her as very indecisive.

Not sure about Mary Vance. I see Mary Vance as slightly plump and just snobby but can seem sweet. Edith in Downton Abbey seems too nice.

You seriously need to make this movie. You need an AMAZING dream cast!!

Anonymous said...

lol... instead of doing an amazingly long post on the merits of each and every actor/actress (just trust me on this one - it'd be LOOOOONG!!), let me just say that I LOVE every single person you chose. I've never read any of the Anne books (sorry; I'm planning on it, though!), but I've seen practically all of the movies the actors were from and I love them to death. I especially like the Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour pick... I'd LOVE to see them together again! : ) Also, *I* don't think Charity Wakefield as Marianne Dashwood was annoying... but that's just me. (I'd say that you need to see it, but I think I've said it before, lol!)

Someone contact a director!!!

Eowyn

Lit~Lass said...

Another enjoyable post. I'm going to be carefully reading descriptions of Susan to see how much Eileen Atkins suits her, because Atkins is one of my favorite actresses, but I love Susan so much I'm not sure if even Atkins could content me.;)

Personally I like Charity Weakefield for Faith. I also think that a young Kate Winslet would've looked the part, so I guess that says something about my views of Faith and Marianne.

Yes, I'll probably occasionally wonder from now on who could do our full-rigged-ship Miss Cornelia-- I mean Mrs. Marshall Eliot. ;) Thanks again for spreading the Anne-love!

Diana said...

I luuuuurve Eileen Atkins! I think she would win me over in any role she played.

Elizabeth said...

My Dear Miss Dashwood,
What an excellent cast!! I had never thought of Carey Mulligan as Rilla, but now that you mentioned it, she's purrrfect! :)

And...i must say...i nearly DIED when you said "Claire Foy as Una"
She is ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT A DOUBT the BEST - not a bit of nonsense about her!
Anyway, thank you so much for this post, i've never thought about making up a "dream cast" but i think i'm going to try it myself. :)

Jessica said...

I would love a movie based on this book! I adore the book.
As for the actors, many of them will do very well. However, I fear that I would either swap the ones you picked for Jem and Walter, or pick different people altogether. Walter needs to be more "classically" handsome. ;-)
The actor you picked for Walter looks more jolly, so he might do for Jem. Ha

Melody, you do not want to be Miss Cornelia Bryant. Haha Just take my word for it....

Katie Edwards said...

I must ponder on the casting for Walter Blythe, because that is a role that must NOT be miscast.

I actually gasped when I saw your choice of Michelle Dockery for Gertrude Oliver. She doesn't look at all like I imagine Gertrude - but she could be perfect! She's got the attitude for it.

Claire Foy looks just right for Una - but could she pass for Una's age?

Kellie said...

I dont think Carey Mulligan is pretty enough to play Rilla imo. Rilla was supposed to be the beauty of her family, who managed to capture Ken Ford's attention with her looks. Rilla was also, at the beginning of the book, quite vain because she knew she was pretty. I can't see Carey Mulligan ever being the belle of the ball, simply because her looks are quite plain to just cute at best. In contrast, Rilla grew into a beautiful young woman at the end of the book. The best actresses I can probably imagine playing Rilla with her beautiful dreamy eyes, dented lip and creamy skin are Leighton Meester, a young Geena Davis or Nicole Kidman,I can even picture a young Marilyn Monroe when she was just the auburn haired Norma Jean Baker. She certainly had those alluring and questioning eyes that made men notice her.

Kellie said...

I think Ben Barnes would be the perfect Walter, not only is he dark and handsome, he also looks like a sensitive poet. I think Matthew Bomer or maybe a less bulky Henry Cavill would be great for the dashing and handsome Ken Ford.

Anonymous said...

Hi! wow love the casting and Di was also my favourite character as well...poo they left her out in the book. I love the thought of having Claire Foy as Una. REALLY GOOD CHOICE! and I was just wondering, do you think Molly C. Quinn would make a good Di Blythe as well? I think she is a bit too young but she looks old enough to fit in.
thnx :)
from Lillian

Anonymous said...

I think that a Rilla movie would be the most wonderful thing in the world! I love your blog, and you are very wise and inspirational. Now submit this book to be made into a movie!! And HURRY!!!!!

Serenity said...

I love this post - I've been to it several times as it's a dream of mine to see Rilla on film. You have some great choices. I had always imagined Emmy Rossum as Rilla, so it's very cool to see you had her as Nan. I'm thinking maybe Kathy Bates for Miss Cornelia.

Hope the dream comes true someday!

Michelle said...

I love this! I absolutely love the Anne of Green Gables series, and they MUST make one for Rilla of Ingleside. Of course, Megan Follows and Jonathan Crombie play Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe. They were perfect then, and they'll be perfect now!! For Walter, there must be someone better. I don't think he fits the part. We need a brooding, poetic, thoughtful man with a wide features. Kind of like Gilbert if he were more serious. For Diana, I would like someone with more freckles and smaller eyes. Otherwise, I think the characters you picked were amazing. If I think of someone better, I'll definitely post.

Michelle said...

Ok so I thought of who Walter could be! He's Ian Harding! Click the link for a picture
http://teenchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ian-harding-pll-actor.jpg

Katie Hanna said...

I'm so happy you came up with this dream cast! I LOVE Rilla of Ingleside--I only read it this Christmas, but it's one of my new favorite books. It does such a wonderful job of making you feel what it's like to be a girl in wartime and have your brothers and sweetheart on the front lines.
I think your Rilla choice was absolutely perfect. She's lovely and cute at the same time, if that makes sense. Which is how she's supposed to be (at least in my mind). Una Meredith is also just right, and so's Walter. That part of the story is sooooooooo sad . . . I don't usually cry over books (that's just my constitution; I can't help it), but I definitely cried over Walter. Especially his last letter. "The Piper will pipe me West tomorrow. And I'm not afraid."

Layla said...


Hi! I know, it's too late to the party, but I can't help but pitch in!

I do agree with Rachel Olivia re: Skandar Keynes for Walter. He's 25 now, but still looks young--but not too young to play the part of a young twenty-something poet soldier. ;)

Claire Foy at present looks too old to be Una (I think she's currently starring as the young Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix' The Crown), so may I suggest Sophie McShera (aka Daisy Mason from Downton Abbey)? She may be in her early thirties (yes, she is! you wouldn't believe it by looking at her!), but she can still be Una. She has dark hair, large, dark blue eyes and delicate features--words which are used to describe Una (I don't remember if it was dark brown or black hair, but that was described in Rainbow Valley). :D

Oh, and Richard Madden (he was in Game of Thrones, and Cinderella's Prince Charming) for Ken Ford. I've always thought of Ken Ford as an intense, and smouldering ladykiller. I personally think that Richard fits the bill! :)

May I suggest Thomas Howes (He played the now-dead footman William Mason, aka. Daisy's dead husband in Downton Abbey) for Jem? His hair may be blonde, but there's nothing hair dye can't fix. ;) Case in point was his short appearance in the 2012 production of Anna Karenina as Yashvin, whose hair was red. You can check him out here,
http://fuckyeahthomashowes.tumblr.com/post/47364041824/pendragonness-thomas-howes-as-yashvin-in-anna

...although his hair looks more brown than red there. :)


And yeah, there's nothing more fun than making up dream casts! ;)

Anonymous said...

I am torn 50-50 !

Anonymous said...

HATCH OPEN BEEP BEEP BEEP.