Count me among those who don’t see the hot in that picture of Luna from the movie. Not at all.
I can understand the complaints about Hermione being too cute too soon (way before the ball in GOF) because Emma Watson is definitely cute and they didn’t really try to hide that. (But they DID make her hair pretty frizzy in the first movie)
[QUOTE=WhyNot]
Or maybe Chiwetel Ejiofor, The Operative from Serenity, also in Dirty Pretty Things, Kinky Boots and Children of Men.
[/QUOTE]
This? Would have been awesome.
In re: Hermione - I guess part of the problem is that if you cast a very, very plain actress in the role, then effecting that “Hermione becomes a babe at the ball” moment becomes more difficult from a practical standpoint.
[QUOTE=WhyNot]
No no no, shoulda been that guy from Manchild and Doctor Who…whatsisname? Don Warrington. Or maybe Chiwetel Ejiofor, The Operative from Serenity, also in Dirty Pretty Things, Kinky Boots and Children of Men.
[/QUOTE]
Again the wrong nationality, but Djimon Hounsou would have worked really well.
I don’t think the girl who plays Luna is a knock out, just a bit above average. And as someone pointed out, she’s just described as weird, not ugly, anyway.
As for Kingsley Ron Selmour is probably the closest real person to my mental picture, while Tonks still looks like this even though I realize she’s a real person in the movies.
About Hermione: I keep thinking they hit the mark with Ginny where they missed it with Hermione–they cast an actress (IMDB isn’t working on my computer right now) who’s not conventionally Hollywood pretty, but who could’ve easily made the transition to ‘hot babe at the ball’ and is growing up quite pretty.
If we’re just talking about casting in general, I never agreed with David Thewlis as Lupin. He just gives off the creepiest vibe. (Luna looks great, though, and–if I remember Vera Drake right–Imelda Staunton is going to be fantastic.)
[QUOTE=Pazu]
Seamus Finnegan has a stereotypical Irish name.
Cho Chang has a made-up-sounding “Chinese” name.
It’s not racial stereotyping, but it does seem a very poor effort that would have been simple to avoid, and was (for me, at least) quite jarring to read. Imagine the derision if the Irish character had been named “O’Toole Abernathy” instead.
[/QUOTE]
I have a Chinese friend whose name is Cho-Li. Cho isn’t an unknown Chinese name, it may not be common.
[QUOTE=Only Mostly Dead]
Again the wrong nationality, but Djimon Hounsou would have worked really well.
[/QUOTE]
mmmmm…Djimon…
I’m sorry, what were we talking about? 
[QUOTE=Pazu]
Seamus Finnegan has a stereotypical Irish name.
Cho Chang has a made-up-sounding “Chinese” name.
It’s not racial stereotyping, but it does seem a very poor effort that would have been simple to avoid, and was (for me, at least) quite jarring to read. Imagine the derision if the Irish character had been named “O’Toole Abernathy” instead.
[/QUOTE]
When you get down to it, ‘Harry Potter’ is almost sounds like some kind of joke parody British name.
I suspect any kid named Harry Potter in a US school would be made fun of every day for his name alone.
[QUOTE=Queen Bruin]
I had always hoped for Samuel L. Jackson, but I suppose they wanted to keep the cast mostly British.
[/QUOTE]
I’m in yr school killin yr horcrux…wait, wrong Internetmeme.
[QUOTE=elfkin477]
As for Kingsley Ron Selmour is probably the closest real person to my mental picture…
[/QUOTE]
Perfect - he’s hired! Er, or would be if I were doing the casting.
Kythereia, I totally agree with you on Lupin, too. I have no idea who I would cast, but def. not David Thewlis.
[QUOTE=Queen Bruin]
Kythereia, I totally agree with you on Lupin, too. I have no idea who I would cast, but def. not David Thewlis.
[/QUOTE]
It’s sad, because he’s a great actor and probably a nice, decent guy, but just so creepy… shiver
I still think that if he’d dyed his hair brown, like he did in Master and Commander, Paul Bettany would’ve made a fabulous Lupin.
[QUOTE=Dangerosa]
I have a Chinese friend whose name is Cho-Li. Cho isn’t an unknown Chinese name, it may not be common.
[/QUOTE]
Is your friend named Cho Li, or is she named Cho-Li <surname>?
Had the Harry Potter character been named Cho-Li Chang, it wouldn’t have stuck out at all.
Kingsley Shacklebolt should definitely be played by Colin Salmon ( Colin Salmon - Wikipedia ) - he was excellent in Prime Suspect 2.
I love Thewlis as Lupin! (although I think he might have been better played by someone not so solid of physique).
I am having problems with LeStrange–her hair is all wrong. It is described in the book as heavy, silky etc-not like some demented mental pt. She is pure evil (IMO, more evil than Voldy, because she believes in him-he knows he’s just using people)–and she should look menacing, not like some Halloween costume gone batty.
I am not sure about Tonks–if they do some movie magic and let her hair presto chango, then I’m fine with her. If she stays that noxious purple, then, no.
I like Luna’s looks. I think she resembles the book one–a lot will depend on her acting.
I like Selmour as Shacklebolt, too. Guess we’ll see how well this guy does it.
[QUOTE=Pazu]
Is your friend named Cho Li, or is she named Cho-Li <surname>?
Had the Harry Potter character been named Cho-Li Chang, it wouldn’t have stuck out at all.
[/QUOTE]
I knew a Korean girl in high school whose name was Ha Lee. Except her younger brother was Hoon Ha. She had been registered in school korean-style with the family name first, he’d been registered western-style with the family name last. She went by “Ha”, her brother by “Hoon”.
And how do we know that Cho Chang is supposed to be chinese? And why can’t her name be “Cho-Li Chang”, except she goes by “Cho”?
[QUOTE=Pazu]
Is your friend named Cho Li, or is she named Cho-Li <surname>?
Had the Harry Potter character been named Cho-Li Chang, it wouldn’t have stuck out at all.
[/QUOTE]
It is Cho-Li Surname - but she is native Chinese. A girl of Chinese decent raised in Britain and given a Chinese name by her parents might believably just go by Cho. Though her chances of being named Caroline Chang are significantly higher than being named Cho to start with.
Its awkward, and sloppy, and Rowling could have done more research, but it isn’t an inconceivable name.
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried]
Kingsley Shacklebolt should definitely be played by Colin Salmon ( Colin Salmon - Wikipedia ) - he was excellent in Prime Suspect 2.
[/QUOTE]
That’s the look I was talking about. And British, to boot.
[QUOTE=Kythereia]
It’s sad, because he’s a great actor and probably a nice, decent guy, but just so creepy… shiver
I still think that if he’d dyed his hair brown, like he did in Master and Commander, Paul Bettany would’ve made a fabulous Lupin.
[/QUOTE]
I haven’t seen M&C, so I can’t comment there although a little googling (and ogling) convinced me. I think with Lupin they were trying to go for sickly and ended up with creepy (my inner 14 y.o. death rocker girl has a crush on the literary Lupin :o ).
[QUOTE=Lemur866]
And how do we know that Cho Chang is supposed to be chinese? And why can’t her name be “Cho-Li Chang”, except she goes by “Cho”?
[/QUOTE]
You know what? After a little digging, I’ve found that “Cho Chang” is at least a theoretically-possible girl’s name in Korean (assuming “Chang” is the surname), so I’ll let it be. It still looks odd enough to make me do a double-take, but that’s probably just because I don’t know as many Koreans as I do Chinese.
Clearly, it looks “generically-Oriental” enough not to bother most folks. Apologies for the hijack.
Edit: Fixed typos.
[QUOTE=mobo85]
am I the only one who thinks “Cho Chang” sounds somewhat racist?
[/QUOTE]
No, no. It’s very simple: “Cho Chang” is perfectly acceptable. “Ching Chong” is horribly racist.
Unless you’re talking to someone whose name really is “Ching Chong,” in which case it’s perfectly acceptable. Unless you place too much stress on the “Ching Chong”— for example, “how’s it going, Ching Chong?”— which makes it horribly racist.
And naming a character “Ching Chong” is horribly racist. But only if he’s fictional. If it’s based on a real-life person named “Ching Chong,” then it’s perfectly acceptable. Probably. To be absolutely safe, I would probably ask Mr. Chong whether he’s offended by his own name.
Really people, it’s not brain surgery.
