There’s a big Trojan War film due out next year and the cast so far listed is impressive.
Achilles: Brad Pitt
Odysseus: Sean Bean
King Priam: Peter O’Toole
Paris: Orlando Bloom
Thetis: Julie Christie
Agamemnon: Brian Cox
Noticibly missing is the war’s McGuffin, Helen. In my mind the biggest casting challenge is to find someone to portray the woman whose face launched a thousand ships. So, in the intrests of being intresting I put it to you all. Who should play Helen of Troy?
Personally, I think the best course might be to not include her at all, or only show parts of her. Otherwise I’d go with Julianne Moore.
Sean Bean for Odysseus? This pleases me greatly, as does most of the other casting.
However, I do not like the looks of the guy they have playing Hector, or the woman playing Andromache. (but I am biased, Hector is my absolute favorite character in the Iliad.
As for Helen, I don’t think they should show her either.
Diane Kruger will be Helen in the movie. I’m not sure how big her part will be, but I tend to think that it should be a small role also.
I don’t remember if there was a description of Helen in the story, but I’ve always thought of her with dark hair, so Julianne Moore just doesn’t seem quiet right to me.
Sean Bean as Odysseus is awesome
Eric Bana as Hector? Isn’t he also the Hulk? Hmm…I find that one a little questionable, but oh well.
I’m excited about the movie. Besides Eric Bana, I find the rest of the casting to be pretty good. And I’d like to be presently surprised by him as Hector.
I agree about Robbie Coltrane being Poseidon. Did you hear what he said about playing Hagrid in the Harry Potter films? Being as he’s played a lot of heavies of various sorts, he said that because of kid’s expectations he’d never be able to play a pimp again.
Orlando Bloom for Paris! Ha! Perfect. Just the kind of limp-wristed pretty boy I’d see Paris as
I’m somewhat disgruntled by the whole pretty elf thing.
I can’t think of a current actress who rates more than the low triple digits in mili-helens. I certainly think it should be someone who at least looks Mediteranian. It would be kind of cool to cast an actual Greek actress in the part. I say go with an unknown.
(mili-helen = the amount of beauty required to launch one ship)
I will be using that unit from now on, Degrance. That may be the single most useful unit of measure I’ve ever heard of. : D
Seriously, though, I think not showing Helen is the only way to avoid endless discussions over whether or not the actress was beautiful enough to portray her.
I agree with Short Guy - Degrance’s mili-helen unit of measure is the best! I swear, some of the girls I dated in high school might be measured in negative mili-helens - which could be useful if you are trying to get ships back into the harbor…
(It does appear that they have cast Helen, but I find this topic interesting. As for the “don’t show Helen” bit - I see the point, and might agree, except I don’t think Hollywood would be willing to do that. How about the next best thing? Why not cast a supermodel, like Gisele, and let her have no speaking parts? Her beauty does all the talking and we can leave it to the actors ability to show us what they interpret in her silences.
Other than that, I vote for Natalie Portman. Stunningly beautiful and can act (Star Wars movies notwithstanding).
If any actor could be picked, I would go with Grace Kelly, hands down.
That’s a good point. Personally, I think someone like Catherine Zeta Jones would work. I’ve always envisioned Helen to be a dark haired woman, and rather curvacious, too, because skinny chicks weren’t really the rage back then, and my personal ideals of incredibly hot women are curvey brunnettes. Others dissagree.
A good example of this is I HATE the thought of Brad Pitt as Achilles. Achilles is the War Machine of the Greeks! This guy needs to be HUGE!!! I admit, Brad was impressively manly in Fight Club but he’s just too skinny and small for such a big man.
To me, the only one with more than six- or sevenhundred milli-helens is Laetitia Casta. So what if she’s not he world’s best actress. She looks Mediterranean, and I think she’d make a great Helen.
MGM version, 1932:
Helen: Greta Garbo
Paris, Prince of Troy: Clark Gable
Hector, Paris’ brother: Ramon Novarro
Agamemnon, King of Mycenae: Lionel Barrymore
Menelaus, Helen’s husband: John Gilbert
Zeus, Helen’s father: George Arliss
Leda, Helen’s mother: Mrs. Patrick Campbell
Clytemnestra, Helen’s sister: Joan Crawford
Theseus, King of Athens: John Barrymore
Castor and Pollux, Helen’s brothers: Phillips Holmes and David Manners
Paramount comedy version, 1932
Helen: Lyda Roberti
Paris, Prince of Troy: Groucho Marx
Hector, Paris’ brother: Zeppo Marx
Agamemnon, King of Mycenae: Jimmy Durante
Menelaus, Helen’s husband: Eddie Cantor
Zeus, Helen’s father: W.C. Fields
Leda, Helen’s mother: Margaret Dumont
Clytemnestra, Helen’s sister: Thelma Todd
Theseus, King of Athens: Buster Keaton
Castor and Pollux, Helen’s brothers: Harpo and Chico Marx
Anyone remember that old Cleopatra movie from television a few years back? It stared Leono Varela as the woman herself. She did a great job there, so we know she can act, she’s absolutely gorgeous, and I think she could fit the role.
Orlando Bloom is ideally cast, both because he looks like a callow, young pretty boy AND because he’s plausible as a master archer (after his stint as Legolas).
Thing is, Helen should be both beautful AND substantially older than Bloom. And her husband, Menelaus, should be a large, muscular, none-too-bright brute. That way,
When one-on-one combat between Paris and Menelaus is proposed, we see immediately that Paris has NO chance at all of winning.
We understand why Helen would find the attentions of a young foreign prince flattering. She should be a beauty who knows that her looks are just starting to fade, and who’s married to a testosterone-driven philistine who doesn’t appreciate any of her finer qualities.
It could never happen, but in theory, it would be great to have Sylvester Stallone as Menelaus and Michelle Pfeiffer as Helen.