# Who would you cast as Roland of Gilead? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965 "2006-12-13T15:48:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/21 "2006-12-14T14:23:54Z")
I know he sucked in the Star Wars movies, but I blame that on bad writing more than bad acting. How could you pull those lines off seriously? That being said, I always pictured the younger Roland (like The Wizard and Glass) looking something like an innocently grizzled Hayden Christensen. Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/22 "2006-12-14T14:33:54Z")
I’m thinkin’ Ed Harris in a good toupee. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/23 "2006-12-14T15:33:58Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Lance Henricksen? [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Snickers] Scott Glenn. [/QUOTE] These two sure look the part. So does Sam Elliott. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/24 "2006-12-14T16:22:59Z")
If we can get away with “a young Clint Eastwood”, how about a young Rutger Hauer? He certainly has the “bombardier’s eyes” for it. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/25 "2006-12-14T16:47:30Z")
[QUOTE=malkavia] Well, yeah. BEFORE House, he was Fredrick Little, the bow-tie sporting adoptive father of a talking mouse. I wouldn’t have recommend him pre-House. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Funny–when I started reading this thread, Hugh Laurie was the first person to come to mind, but I thought, “Nah, I won’t mention him. After three years of \*House \*-love, I see Hugh Laurie as the answer to _everything_. They’ll laugh at me.” But I guess I’m not alone. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/26 "2006-12-14T17:32:53Z")
[QUOTE=Priceguy] Which one? [/QUOTE] I want to say the third one, _The Wastelands_. There’s a charming description of the weather, something about it being the kind of day where Spring looks over her shoulder and sees Summer standing there watching her, a cocky smile on his face. In any event, there’s a color painting/drawing of Roland shooting his gun, and with his dark hair and facial features it looks an awfully lot like Timothy Dalton. I’m not saying Dalton could pull it off (I’d go for Clint Eastwood about 20 years ago) but the resemblance struck me. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/27 "2006-12-14T19:13:20Z")
We also need a 12-year-old Roland for _The Gunslinger_ and a teenage Roland for _Wizard & Glass._ ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/28 "2006-12-14T22:23:19Z")
[QUOTE=crazyjoe] The piercing eyes are a requirement, though, and I don’t think Viggo has them. I’d say Hugh Jackman, as I always pictured Roland as a young, but weathered, Clint Eastwood, and Hugh could probably pull that off. I don’t know about his acting ability, though. [/QUOTE] Jackman was my first choice. Viggo Mortenson has a high, reedy voice that just does not fit the character. Jackman’s far more versatile than the Wolverine character would suggest. Hugh Laurie is an interesting pick, but I have trouble imagining him as an adventure hero, which Roland has to be. I just want to make sure they stop making movies before they get to the fifth book. Lord Jaysus, those last three books were awful. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/29 "2006-12-14T23:01:11Z")
[Daniel Day Lewis](http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0115988/ScanImage08.jpg.html?path=pgallery&path_key=Day-Lewis,%20Daniel&seq=3), perhaps? Viggo isn’t a bad choice either. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/30 "2006-12-15T00:08:32Z")
What, no love for Nathan Fillion? ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/31 "2006-12-15T01:28:47Z")
Billy Bob Thornton? I’m going out on a limb and say that there will be some sort of film version of this, either as movies or television, in the next five years. ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/32 "2006-12-15T02:28:51Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] I’m thinkin’ Ed Harris in a good toupee. [/QUOTE] I like this answer. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/33 "2006-12-15T03:48:00Z")
Hugh Laurie? I never would have thought of him. I can’t imagine him as Roland, but I’d certainly be willing to consider him. He does have the tall skinny physique that I associate with Roland. For now, I’ll just call him The Heparinslinger.\* \*Seriously, it seems like they give that stuff to every single patient. Possible stroke? Give him Heparin. Heart attack? Heparin. Rabies? Heparin. Scabies? Heparin. Ebola? Heparin. I’d be afraid to go to that hospital for fear that someone would come after me with a syringe full of heparin as soon as I stepped in the door. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/34 "2006-12-15T03:55:16Z")
Another thought… would Kurt Russell be too old? ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/35 "2006-12-15T04:43:20Z")
Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Olyphant. Can we merge them? I want Timothy’s posture, walk, body language from _Deadwood_, and Pierce’s eyes and his world-weary look. Let the ridiculing begin! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/36 "2006-12-15T17:16:18Z")
…or Dennis Quaid? ---
**Author:** ![sapientfanny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@sapientfanny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sapientfanny)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/37 "2010-04-30T22:12:27Z")
Sam Elliot ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/38 "2010-04-30T22:22:14Z")
I know he’s mostly known for comedic roles, but I always pictured Bruce Campbell. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/39 "2010-04-30T23:15:08Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Lance Henricksen? Came here to post this. Curse you. ---
**Author:** ![rolandgunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cdc98d/32.png) [@rolandgunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rolandgunslinger)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-cast-as-roland-of-gilead/383965/40 "2010-05-01T02:14:52Z")
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