VOLPONE: Michael Gambon
Michael Gambon plays Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series, so this choice might seem strange. However, I recently saw Gambon play a guest role in a British television show as a greedy, older man, and it actually fit him really well. I feel like Volpone is pretty snarky, and I think Gambon would be capable of bringing just the right amount of dark humor to the table as money-obsessed, hedonistic character.
MOSCA: Jesse Eisenberg
Hopefully most people who have seen Eisenberg in last year’s The Social Network understand why I chose him for this role. Mosca was really interesting to me, because I feel like he was so convincingly loyal and obedient to Volpone until he made a complete turn-around to betray him. I feel like Eisenberg has the acting chops to pull off Mosca’s deceitfulness and duplicity. What I love about Eisenberg is that his physical appearance makes him seem very young and harmless, but as we’ve seen in The Social Network, he can overturn all of harmlessness with a single look.
CELIA: Amy Adams
Celia struck me as a woman who is resolute and firm in her morals. However, she is also ultimately subservient to her tyrant of a husband, so there needs to be a balance of strength and surrender with Celia. I think Amy Adams could pull this off well.
VOLTORE: Daniel Bruhl
Daniel Bruhl played a German soldier in Inglorious Basterds, and I really like him for the role of Voltore because he is really diplomatic, well-spoken, and pleasant in Inglorious Basterds yet it is also clear that he has ulterior motives and he is not the good guy he makes himself out to be.
CORVINO: Michael Fassbender
I picked Fassbender for Corvino because I honestly just want to see Fassbender play an unapologetically vicious character. I would have chosen him for Volpone, but I felt like Volpone needed to be older. Fassbender’s got the look and the acting chops to play Corvino, as evidenced by his roles in Inglorious Basterds and Jane Eyre.
CORBACCIO: John Noble
John Noble is really good at playing mentally unstable fathers – he played the insane Lord Denethor in Lord of the Rings series and he currently plays mad scientist Walter Bishop in the television show Fringe. Noble is just generally good at playing the kooky old father figure who is completely disconnected from reality and subsequently hurts his son(s).
BONARIO: Joshua Jackson
I’m cheating a little bit here, because Joshua Jackson plays Noble’s son in Fringe, but I can’t get the image of him as Bonario out of my head. Just like Noble is good at playing insane father figures, Jackson is adept at playing sons with father issues in both Dawson’s Creek and Fringe. Jackson’s got a friendly face that would fit well with Bonario’s hero qualities, but can also portray the agony of being rejected by his father very well.
I enjoyed your rumination! There was another rumination about who would play which character but it was interesting to read who you chose and why. I think if everyone thought of actors to fulfill the roles, everyone would come up with their own cast. Great rumination!
ReplyDeleteThis was very creative the way you did this rumination. I felt like I was reading a playbill for a play with the way you described the characters. I specifically like Mosca's character being Jesse.
ReplyDeleteI loved your rumination! It was very creative, and loved your use of pictures. I also thought of Jesse Eisenberg for Mosca, but was having trouble explaining exactly why I saw him in that role. You did an excellent job with your description. Thanks :)
ReplyDelete