Ta'veren Tuesdays: Casting Matrim Cauthon

Mat Cauthon is a really fun character in WoT.  At the beginning of the series, he is a scamp--a girl-crazy prankster who is always in trouble.  He always tries to take the easy way around any task, and doesn't like having to exert much effort for anything.  He strikes readers as extremely self-interested and somewhat lazy.  As the series progresses, the pranks give way to gambling, and he is a rogue who is always trying his luck with the ladies--and he does fairly well.  His aversion to effort seems to shift more to an aversion to trouble and dangerous situations--and who can really blame someone for that? In any case, we are told that he has a wiry build. He is tall, but not as tall as Rand, and I don't remember much about his hair or eye color--so it isn't really mentioned all that often.  Since he is from the Two Rivers, it is likely that his hair and eyes are some shade of brown. Given all this, here are my casting picks:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

 I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt would emphasize the boyishness of Mat's character--women often treat him as if he still is a boy, even though he is the same age as Rand.  Other characters don't always take him seriously, likely due to his preoccupation with gambling, drinking, and flirting.

Tom Hiddleston

 Mat is said to have a charming smile, and Tom Hiddleston has a face that really comes to life when he smiles.  I think he could pull off the boyish charm (though in this picture, those creases around his eyes may give him away as too old to play Mat).  I think he would make an excellent Matrim Cauthon.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

 

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is showing up in more and more movies these days, but most will be familiar with him from Kick-Ass.  He has a self-assured smile that I can easily imagine on Mat Cauthon's face.  He may be a bit too er...beefy...to really call "wiry"--but that's fine because if he isn't appropriate for Mat, he might do very well for Perrin Aybara.  We'll be considering casting picks for Perrin next week.  In the meantime, any suggestions for Mat Cauthon? 

Ta'veren Tuesdays: Casting Rand al'Thor

So, the first character to cast for the Wheel of Time series has to be Rand al'Thor.  When the series begins, I think he is around seventeen years of age (if memory serves).  He is described as tall, with red hair and gray eyes.  He isn't bulky, and the impression you get of him in the first few books is one of a lanky, gangly teenager.  As the series progresses, it becomes clear that he is considered attractive--though not uncommonly so.  I take this to be an indication that he is likely not classically handsome.  Rather, it may be that he has an interesting, compelling face.  Here are my casting picks for Rand al'Thor:

Cillian Murphy

 Though he may be getting a bit long in the tooth to actually be selected for the role (he is around 37 years of age at this time), he can pull off red hair and grey eyes, and his facial features are distinctive and compelling.  I also believe that as an actor, he could pull off Rand al'Thor's range of emotions.  Movie magic would have to make him seem taller than he actually is (he is 5'9'').

Eddie Redmayne

 

 I admit that I haven't watched much of Eddie Redmayne as an actor, though in the few things I have seen him in, he seems to give it his all.  He is yet another who could easily pull off the red hair, the gray eyes. He isn't all that tall (5'11'')--but movie magic could likely take care of that.  If he weren't picked for Rand, I could also see him in the role of Gawyn Trakand.

 Nicholas Hoult

 

Nicholas Hoult is both the tallest (6'2'') and youngest (~24) of my casting picks.  I admit I didn't think too much of him in X-Men: First Class, but I loved him in Warm Bodies.  I haven't seen him in much else, but looks-wise I can definitely see him as Rand al'Thor.  

Well, that's it for this Tuesday--next Tuesday, I'll be casting Matrim Cauthon.  If you (assuming anyone reads this) have any suggestions for casting, feel free to leave them in the comments!

 

Wheel of Time Dream Casting Project

So...I adore Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.  A friend encouraged me to read it, and I couldn't stop once I began.  I love epic fantasy--I'm always in awe of people who are good at creating whole worlds with their own language and history.  As a writer, I cannot fathom doing such a thing--the details that have to be hammered out and the hard work that must go into lovingly crafting the cultures and races and traditions and customs is simply staggering.  I love reading it and getting engrossed.  I love that usually, these stories have many, many volumes and take forever to read (because I read a lot).  I'm currently on book twelve of the fourteen books in the series.  You can really get to know a character after you've read thousands and thousands of words about them.  Their personalities (if done well) are so distinct and just...gorgeous to read.

In any case, this series hasn't been made into a movie or TV show yet (and I'm not sure it ever will--I don't see how it could be any less expensive or troubling to make than Game of Thrones, and though the HBO television adaptation of that series is wildly successful, I'm not sure anyone would dare undertake something this massive), but I can't stop thinking about a dream cast for the characters.  Many, many fans of the series have already done this, but I thought it would be fun to do the same from time to time on this blog.  I figure the posts will each focus on casting for one character, and I'm going to try to provide several actors who might be good for that role.  I will also try to provide descriptions of the characters from the books so that we can see how appropriate the casting choice might be.  It's going to be tons of fun (for me, at least)!