Some members of certain fanbases become enraged over the casting of their favorite book characters in adaptations or retellings of the original. Often enough, it doesn’t have to be a favorite character or one they care about. It’s the principal of the thing, they’d say. They don’t welcome change. Disney stories, including Star Wars, seem to be at the top of that list. Seeing fans direct their anger and vitriol at the actors portraying these characters is sad and, frankly, inexcusable.

This topic came to mind because I’m working on a fantasy/horror series—something I’ve always wanted to do. (For whatever reason, I had to get all the other stuff out of the way—the stuff that was haunting me.) I created a slew of characters for the series.

Interestingly, authors now lean toward briefer character descriptions in many genres. Every so often, I’m reading a thriller where the author never describes the characters physically. Me? I like depicting my vision of people and things. However, if I were to have my work chosen for a film adaptation, I’d simply want the first film version’s casting to have the same effect I aimed for with my book characters. For example, I’d prefer the character to be as likable or unlikable as I’d intended, with the right amount of sex appeal and charisma regardless of their hair, eye, skin color, etc. Of course, I’d prefer creative oversight, but that goal would apply either way.

In further retellings, I’d want whoever puts one together to go with a version that feels right for them. I’d say, let your imaginations run wild! The original is always there for anyone who prefers it.

I celebrate diversity. What’s wrong with learning from and about each other? And who can deny that all people, especially children, need positive and accurate portrayals of themselves in books, film, and every other medium? That’s even more critical for underrepresented groups in our society. Inclusion, in a good way, is crucial to one’s self-esteem. 

So, I’m okay with having a brown or black person playing the part of a character described in the book as “having the fairest skin of the land with skin as white as snow.” That was just a physical description. It has nothing to do with the plot. I don’t care if some fable was a Danish tale, and the assumption by a person who isn’t even Danish is that the character should be blah blah blah. We’re talking about fictitious characters here, so I’d need far better reasons to complain. Like an ethnicity, race, gender, or sexual orientation changed or unchanged to provide representation for the underrepresented. And like when it’s essential to the story that a person be this or that.

It’s important to note that sometimes, with casting, you get to see a more appealing, more powerful character than the one from the book. Apparently, when Stephen King saw the film Stand by Me based on his novel, The Body, he was completely blown away. He was speechless, I read, and when he found the words, he said it was the best adaptation of any of his works. I don’t know if his impression included the film’s cast, but I think so because those kids were amazing!

I read, too, that, at first, Anne Rice wasn’t pleased with the casting of Tom Cruise as her beloved Lestat in the film adaptation of Interview with the Vampire. Lestat was her baby and based physically on her husband, who passed away. I can understand that. As a fan, I can say that Tom Cruise was not how I pictured Lestat, but I felt he got the effect she was going for with that character, and he did a good job. Evidently, Anne came to the same conclusion.

I was never going to be disappointed that the teenage Armand from The Vampire Chronicles got ditched for Antonio Banderas. I’m not sure what Anne Rice thought about that, but I can understand how it was quite a leap for some. In at least one version of Armand’s story, he was distressed that Marius had turned him into a vampire when he was so young. In the Interview with the Vampire, he appeared livid about Claudia being a vampire child for the same reason. So yeah, the casting of Armand in that movie could be a legitimate beef. It was a substantive change. At the same time, Armand was a relatively minor character, and it’s not as if he needed a reason to find turning a child into a vampire unacceptable and appalling. Or maybe that was an excuse because he wanted to get her away from Louis and have Louis all to himself. 🤔

But then, again, Antonio. 🔥🔥🔥

He gave us an excellent and entertaining performance.

The bottom line is that we should have fun with all this stuff and enjoy things as much as possible, and some people could be more lighthearted and open-minded. There’s no reason for anyone to get their knickers in a twist, and certainly no reason to be mean.

That’s just what I think, so what do you think when it comes to the casting of your favorite characters? Were there disappointments? Pleasant surprises? As an author who creates characters, I’d love to know.

Black hair Ariel image by John Huxtable from Pixabay

Top image of male fiction character by u_sqyc105ho4 from Pixabay

Antonio Banderas gif from https://media.giphy.com/media/ZOuFj6MYyPL9e/giphy.gif