/me votes for holding QtM’s toes in the fire until he explains what he meant by that.
In my head, I see Coltrane’s Hagrid, but what with him being mostly just a bushy head with a huge beard, that’s not too much of a change from my original imagination. I also see Rupert Grint as Ron, in particular the younger, less awkward-looking Grint, but taller. (Grint really got hit with the ugly stick last time around, but in this movie I think you can start to see him grow into his face; he’ll be all right soon enough.) Watson and Radcliffe not so much. Other than Hagrid, I don’t really think of any of the professors as their actor couterparts. Certainly not McGonagall, who in my head looks more like my mom, and not Dumbledore, who in my head looks much more like he does in Grand Pre’s drawings. And Snape is younger-looking.
–Cliffy
Potter did a decent job, with the exception of Snape (who is younger and much thinner), and Hermione (who had ugly ducking syndrome, after she grew a bit and had her teeth magically straightened, however, Watson’s a good match). Sirius Black was also much younger, and thus more impetuous. I think I see Voldemort (once he gets his body back) as slightly less imhuman as he’s being portrayed in the fourth film, which I haven’t seen yet. My biggest problem is dumbledore, you I saw as more sprightly and fun (although that’s more perfromance than appearance). Like a dotty old man who nevertheless is very wise and at time terrible. Hagrid, Harry, Ron and most of teh supporting cast are dead on.
LOTR, while I adored the films, didn’t match up for me much at all. All the hobbits were older and chubbier (see Elijah Wood at 30 if he stops working out). Legolas is less fair, slightly more earth-toned, but still the same build. The Orcs I always saw as slightly more uniform and more amphibian-like, ditto for Gollum.
Gandalf was probably the closest match, looks wise, but he was written and performed much kinder and more friendly than I read him. Darned if I don’t prefer the film interpreatation, anyway.
I entirely do for Harry Potter. I see the actors from Prisoner of Azkaban(age-wise) in Half-Blood Prince, which is ridiculous since they should be 16-18 for that book.
A non-spoiler issue asociated with the new movie…
Mad-Eye Moody just doesn’t look like Mad-Eye Moody. Nor does he generally act like him (real spoilers below). He’s got a couple of moments, but mostly doesn’t come across as Mad-Eye Moody. He’s just another weird teacher at Hogwarts. I say that kind of thing very rarely, bu it is so.
Moody’s got a great scene showing him teaching (the real teaching moment) when he jumps so abruptly (and frightingly) from amused to intimidating. But usually, he just couldn’t pull off intimidating. He’s just not intimidating. He looks like a chubby uncle Ralph. He’s much too hale and hearty, and putting a few fake scars on won’t change that. This Mad-Eye just doesn’t look grizzled at all. Yes, I know it’s the fake one we mostly see, but that doesn’t change that he was imitating the real one so well that even Dumbledore hadn’t a chance.
I saw the Potter movies first. When I read the books I deliberately tried to get the movie-images out of my head and re-imagine the characters from scratch.
Radcliffe doesn’t really look a thing like Harry. I suspect he was chosen because he was quite good for an 11-year-old actor in the first film. Harry is supposed to look kind of creepy – he’s quite pale, but with pitch black hair, and striking green eyes. I realize it only says untidy hair, but I actually picture it kind of spiky. He’s short and scrawny, too.
Radcliffe has light brown hair, blue eyes, and he’s quite tall – taller than Grint.
I picture younger-Ron as gangly, and older-Ron as somewhat good-looking. He’s supposed to be very tall, with a long nose. Grint has the right hair and eye colour, but the build and face shape are all wrong.
Hermione is the closest, though Watson’s teeth were never right. Hermione was supposed to be somewhat horse-mouthed, until she got her teeth fixed.
Alan Rickman looks nothing like Snape to me, even with his hir dyed black. Snape needs to be much younger, and thinner. I picture him as the love-child of a sewer rat and a poser goth. I imagine him always being a little hunched over, his arms crossed as if he’s perpetually cold.
Harris’s Dumbledore looked right, but didn’t play the part well. That Dumbledore was no fun – no eccentricity there – and his wise advice/exposition scenes sounded like he couldn’t take the the role seriously. Gambon makes better Dumbledore in style, but doesn’t look right to me.
McGonagall looks right, but she really does need dark hair. I picture Neville as a lot shorter and a lot rounder. Draco, too, doesn’t look like I imagine him.
So I guess the answer is no.
For LOTR, I had far less-developed mental pictures (I seem to be the only person with amore active imagination as an adult than a child), except for Aragorn, who looked nothing like I pictured him. Sauron and the Nazgul were spot on, however.
For some reason, I don’t see the kids in book-Potter as the actors, but now I do see the adult characters as their actors, maybe because so many of them are portrayed by British acting royalty. I dunno. Also, I’m American and we do have the illustrations here at the beginning of every chapter and have since long before the movies started.
I’m one of those who can’t visually see a character when I read a book, but there is a subtle impression I get that goes beyond the descriptions.
That said, for LOTR, most of the characters work for me. The only one that didn’t was Aragorn. He was too scruffy and I never pictured that when I originally read LOTR. I liked seeing Liz Tyler in there, she is totally elf looking. One of those people who I initally see and then imagine that they would be a good LOTR elf. Katie Holmes is another.
As for Harry Potter, the actors are practically my vision now. The movie has influenced that for me. I do agree with other poster’s that Watson is a little too pretty for Hermione, but when I read the books I read her lines with that Watson delivery and facial expressions. One that’s really caught on for me is Rickman playing Snape. I can’t read the books withour hearing Rickman’s voice and his clipped lines. Just his delivery suits what I see when I read about Snape, and it really adds to Snape as a character. Got to love Rickman, though.
Sheriff or Nottingham: “You. My room. 10:30 tonight. You. 10:45… And bring a friend.”
That’s not correct. Daniel Radcliffe is only about 5’6", quite short and he looks it in the film where everyone (even Hermione) is taller than he is. Rupert Grint is 5’10".
I just checked and you’re right about the height. But I can see why I came to that impression: every promotional shot and most movie stills I can find have Radcliffe in such a way that he looks taller than Grint. For instance, the main promotional pic for the movie and the cover of the DVD.
So it’s not the casting director’s fault, but someone out there is trying to make the hero look taller than the best friend.
re LOTR - I have said many times that the excellent, spot-on casting was one of the factors of the success of these adaptations. I could quibble: Frodo too young, Denethor had the wrong look; but even in these cases the acting was excellent. Still, when I re-read the books for the umpteenth time, I don’t always see the actors from the films. Probably because I had read them so many times before seeing the movies so many times.
Harry Potter - only read the first book all the way through; only watched the first movie closely, so don’t really have an image of the characters at all. Do find it odd/coincidental that Daniel Radcliffe looks more and more like Elijah Wood. Someone who has seen the recent films will have to tell me if Radcliffe can act as well.
The biggest problem I had with LOTR was the casting of the hobbits. Not that the casting was bad, it’s just that the actors are too thin and pretty, especially Pippen and Frodo. Little too pixie-ish. The hobbits should have been fatter and homlier.
Also Viggo as Aragorn wasn’t burly enough. And he wore pants, he shoulda been wearing a minskirt like in the Bakshi animated film.
LOTR-Viggo was perfect for Aragorn. Samwise in my mind is neither chubby or blonde–and definetly not babyfaced. Gandalf was perfect, as was Eowyn. Not so Liv Tyler–too ethereal for me. Loved Legolas, though. And Pippin and Merry–perfect, as was Frodo.
HP-Hermione is too pretty but as bossy, so I forgive her. Rupert is excellent, as is Daniel. Liked Harris more than Gambon for AB–Gambon is NOT hitting his character in the least–he is not conveying the hidden power that Voldermort fears. Plus, he is as humorous and whimisical as a state driving facility.
McGonagall is quite good, as is Sprout and Flitwick (I liked him better with crazed white hair). Cleese is perfect as Nearly Headless Nick. Draco looks just like I pictured him, but the actor is wooden to me.
Nevill is also spot on and just gets better.
And the Weasley twins are divine.
So, overall, I would say yes.
I picture Frodo as a ruddy, dark-haired and hirsute Ian Holm, appearing to be a very healthy and youthful thirty – thanks to the twelve-hour BBC radio series, which is awesome, and much closer to the books than any film (no matter how flawless an example of the form) could ever hope to be.
Bilbo also looks like Ian Holm.
Sam looks exactly like Sean Astin, forever.
For some reason, Saruman has Bela Lugosi’s face. It’s just stuck that way.
Gandalf looks like a very old but hale Peter O’Toole, and Merry and Pippen look like half-sized versions of Rik Mayall and Nigel Planer circa 1980.
Go figure.