It was an okay movie for what it was, but one thing that really bugged me was the sheer blahness of Diane Kruger’s Helen. She’s not an unattractive woman by any stretch, but nor is she outstandingly pretty, and all the heavy eye make up in the world couldn’t convince me that a thousand ships would have sailed for her.
But I can’t quite come up with an actress that could pull it off. Diane Kruger wasn’t it. Who could have been? Who in Hollywood, today or at any time, could have played Helen of Troy, and been right. Some one not just B-actress-pretty, but truly, startlingly beautiful.
Anyone who wants to defend Diane Kruger’s milliship worthiness is welcome, but I’m far more interested in hearing ideas on who would have been better.
To me, Helen has to be more than just beautiful, but also personally attractive: charismatic, riveting, someone charming who you can’t take your eyes off of. Angelina Jolie, a little; Nicole Kidman circa 2001, a little. Monica Belluci is the closest, I think.
I don’t think one face can in itself can ever be be **THE FACE ** to carry this flick. The role called for some good acting and I would have dropped a degree of beauty for presence.
At first glance she isn’t quite classically beautiful enough - so I would screen test her but my WAG is that Cate Blanchette would have pulled it off better than what we got – she had the presence and acting chops to do it.
I would also like to see what Jennifer Connelly could have done
How about Aishwarya Rai? She was the female lead in the current Bride and Prejudice and is jawdroppingly gorgeous. She had presence, dignity and I think she would have been a great choice.
Charlize Theron and Salma Hayek, though they look nothing alike save in numbers, are the twin magnetic north of whatever metal filings of heterosexuality linger in my system. Whenever I think of Helen I think of one or the other of them (though I’d give the nod to Hayek since she’s the more believablle as the mother of a teenaged daughter).
Of course Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck would have been interesting as Helen and Paris (or Ben could be Menelaos and Mark Antony could be Paris, but it’s wrong to miss Greek and Roman).
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Monica Bellucci are both stunningly gorgeous, and also both dark and exotic enough to be good Helens. I’d say they are both quite shipworthy! Good call on the goddesslike and very shipworthy Aishwarya Rai, too.
I believe the filmmakers’ original choice was another model - a buxum Corsican by the name of Laetitia Casta. She certainly seems better for the part (she’s much more beautiful that Kruger, and could actually pass for Greek), although I can’t tell you much about her acting skills.
I, too, was very disappointed by Miss Kruger. She’s very pretty – but she’s no Helen. The role of Helen begs for someone with legendary beauty, someone like Isabelle Adjani or Grace Kelly. No Hollywood actresses really come to mind. Were there no Greek actresses or models who could’ve fit the bill?
Diane Kruger didn’t bother me too much when I watched Troy, however, because I was too distracted by how terribly boney poor Saffron Burrows was.
I don’t know if she would fit the bill for the character, but I’d be happy watching Kate Beckinsale portray anyone that is supposed to be famous for their beauty.
Interestingly, Diane Kruger had to put on weight to portray Helen.
The role for Helen in that film was pretty much written so that all the actress had to do was look sad or worried and not say much.
A well-known actress wouldn’t have wanted the role. All she would have been judged on for that role would have been her looks. Not that other actresses aren’t, but in this case, ravishing beauty is the only requirement.
Why not go with a Greek woman? There are many beautiful Greekesses out there - two are residing here in Sweden: Alexandra Pascalidou and Elena Paparizou. Of course, Jen Aniston is of Greek heritage. With dark hair maybe…?
Yeah, I know. Achilles too. But I think that’s poetic license rather than a factual description. Helen was described as fair to further enhance her mythic beauty. Homer wasn’t exactly trying to do a historical accurate narrative.
