Who would best play you in the movie of your life?
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You mean my life isn't a movie already?
We have become so attuned to the cinematic techniques used in relaying life experiences that we often quote lines from movies in significant or surprising situations, knowing that the people around us will instantly know the allusion and understand the reference. I used to have a great pair of Reservoir Dog sunglasses. Anytime I get the chance, I like to say dumb stuff like "Yeah, but it's a dry heat" or "that's it; game over, man, game over!" (both from Aliens). Whenever I am on an airplane I feel so encapsulated in the aircraft (i.e. the seating is so damn claustrophobic) that I could well be at a movie instead of hurtling throught the air at a gawd-awful speed with no shoes on.
When teaching literature at the freshman level (and sometimes in upper level classes, too) I always used to ask students who we would get to play the roles of the characters we were discussing, to get the kids to talk about characterization and specific attributes -- figures of authority were always Sean Connery (surprisingly -- even as late as last year, kids were casting him in King roles). But other suggestions would prove useful and would lead to the obvious question, why? Who would you cast to play Antigone, and why? Scarlett Johannson or Kate Winslet? Who would make a better Young Goodman Brown -- Aston Kutcher or Steve Carrell? These questions always sparked lively debate.
She's got Bette Davis Eyes
Who would I want to play my character?
This question usually elicits one of two answers: either we choose someone cool whom we would like to emulate, or we choose someone we believe to be like us, either from a role we have seen or from just plain wishful thinking. When I was a kid, I used to watch Bette Davis movies and wish I could act (not to be famous like her, but just to know I could do it). She seemed to me to be the epitome of great acting. In the make-believe world of the movies, then, she and I (in my mind) were interchangeable; since she could play any role she chose (or that the studio forced her into, I guess), she would be able to play someone as mundane as me and get away with it.
Funny Girl
But she's way too glamorous to play me. Most "movie stars" are. That's what a movie star is -- someone rich, talented, and supremely conscious of style. So it then becomes a different kind of choice: if my life were ever made into some kind of movie, who could best deal with all the occurrences of my life; or, alternately, who could make all the episodes of my life look more interesting than they actually were? I'm going to go for a little of both, here, and present a list of actors who I admire, and who might play parts of my life with sympathy, understanding, or wit.
Katherine Hepburn
Hepburn knew how to handle whatever was thrown at her in a movie. Her talent as an actor is irrefutable, and she always makes me laugh; no matter how many times I see The Lion in Winter, I always hope I will age as well as she does. And with the same kind of humor.
Lost in Translation
I spent two years in Japan trying to come to terms with a mixture of culture shock, severe loneliness, and the growing impression that I was, actually, invisible. Therefore when I saw Sofia Coppola's movie with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannson I understood her character's feelings, and was sooo jealous that she got to have a friend like the Bill Murray character, that I cried even harder all the way through the movie.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Another scene from life -- the crazy behavior we sometimes exhibit (ok, I used to exhibit) when we fall for men. Add the fact that I lived in Madrid for a year, and then factor in Antonio Banderas (yes, he's in this movie), and here's a great movie that I can relate to and use to describe some of my actions and part of my life. Pedro Almodóvar's choice of soundtrack was better than mine, though, as I was going through a Dylan phase back then (the song that plays at the beginning of Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios is "Soy infeliz"). Carmen Maura is great.
Chips'n'egg, anyone?
Shirley Valentine
I once had the great good fortune to be cast in Shirley Valentine, a one-woman show that was made into a movie with Pauline Collins, Tom Conti, Bernard Hill, and Joanna Lumley. Yes, I said one-woman play -- Willy Russell also wrote the screenplay, and added the other characters, that Shirley mimics or alludes to onstage. I learned a lot from playing Shirley about living life in the moment and to the fullest. Her bravery is exemplary, her wit is engaging, and her honesty is inspiring. Exhausting! I also peeled and sliced several potatoes each night on stage (without cutting my finger, a real fear that I had) that the director got to take home to make chips (the potatoes, not my fingers).
Shakespeare Who?
I've studied Shakespeare since I was eleven, taught him for many years, directed his plays on stage, and acted in several. Rehearsals really make you understand how he put the plays together, and hearing the language over and over let me soak up some of the great lines of several of the plays. What is so enduringly great about Shakespeare is that he humanizes every single one of his characters, so that you feel you are telling the truth about yourself when you recite the lines. Lady Macbeth watching her husband become a cold shell who grows away from her pained me every night, and calling on dark forces to gird my strength felt natural. Gertrude, heartbroken because her son is not only not talking to her, but raining scorn on her with his very looks, was achingly difficult, and when I had to strew flowers on Ophelia's grave I usually was crying real tears. Glen Close would not have been my pick, and I prefer watching Julie Christie in the role (in Branagh's version).
Move over, Thelma and Louise
Postcards From the Edge
I couldn't let this Hub go without mentioning Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine in Postcards From the Edge, Carrie Fisher's attempts at dealing with some of the complexities of her own life by committing them to film. There are some coincidences in thought and action here to my own life, which is a very vague way of saying that I've been through some of the same shit myself. Two lines stick in my memory: "I hate instant gratification. It takes too long"; and MacLaine's "I'm not an alcoholic. I used to be an alcoholic; now I just drink like an Irish person." And to finish up, two songs: Meryl Streep singing country and MacLaine doing a show tune. Always end with a song.
Meryl Streep can sure sing
- I'm Checking Out of this Heartbreak Hotel
I ain't gonna live on Lonely St. no more (no more).
Shirley MacLaine is still here
- I'm Still Here
And I won't stop singing
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Comments
I love the way you kick off this article!! Damn if this isn't my favorite by you yet! 10 thumbs up!
I guess Lost in Translation would have a special meaning to you, wouldn't it? On "Mujeres" I think Almodovar captures desperation and heartbreak better than a first seat through the movie would let one appreciate, 'cause it's so hylarious the desperation takes a bit to take hold.
I could go on, your choices and explanations are GREAT!
Thanks for dropping by, Sandra. It's a great question, isn't it?
Hey, Elena: thanks for your kind comments. Yeah, Mujeres is really painful when you think about it. The older woman who has lost her life and her mind; the younger woman who is so desperate she throws the phone off the blacony, and the youngest girl who falls for a Shiite terrorist. . . . But it's black humor, isn't it?
It is! Almodovar's movies are full of it, he has a way to paint tragedy of the biggest proportions with a coat of "such is life" humor that makes his movies very special. And, as yourself in this hub, he always has very stong female leads in his scripts --that's something the two of you have in common! :-)
I showed the movie once at a Women's History Month conference and three local (prominent) women got up and left, ostentatiously, after the screening, saying that they would never behave in such a manner. Liars! What's so good about this movie is that it is telling the truth about many of the motivations we have. Or used to have. (I like to think that I've grown up into a grandmotherly kind of woman.) (I can dream.)
Couldn't I just play myself and have Daniel Day Lewis as my leading man? Oh please say I can! Oh, Okay. I'll settle for Antonio Banderas. (LOL!)
But seriousl,y this is a great hub, and a great question. One I'll have to ponder on.
I never saw the Mel Gibson/Glenn Close Hamlet, but I have to agree that she would not have been my first choice. Having said that, I would never have picked David Tennant to be Dr Who, and actually I think he's turned out to be superb!
He did, didn't he? Much better than the guy who was on All Creatures Great and Small (forget his name). I liked the guy before Tennant -- what was his name -- great actor, seen him in several things -- Chris something?
Christopher Ecclestone. Yes, I liked him too. Tom Baker was a sweetie in the part as well, but Peter Davison should have stuck to being a vet!
I grew up with Patrick Troughton and then Tom Baker, and seriously thought that no one could be better than Baker. But Ecclestone was excellent.
It's Tom Baker's voice that always gets me. I love it when he does voiceovers. He's instantly recognisable.
I saw him in Educating Rita, the Willy Russell play, with Julie Wotshername. He was brilliant.
I think I would be Chris Farley because many people tell me I look like him.
Hehe
Talking of plays, I saw Shirley Valentine at the Theatre Royal in Brighton, but I can't remember who was in it. Someone from Brookside I think. You must have great concentration to sustain that role. It's so long, and no cues!
Hey, Dave -- Chris Farley was a great comedian, it's a pity he's dead.
Amanda -- I sure couldn't do it now. It took me months to learn the lines. But by the same token, if I messed up I could fix it myself, without throwing another actor off his lines, so it was kind of liberating.
Teresa, I just asked my husband who should play me if a film were to be made of my life. Straight away he said 'Kelly McGillis' Should I be flattered? I think he's seen Witness once too often!
Be flattered, and admit that it'd be great if he looked just like Harrison Ford!
If only! (LOL!)
Looky here, chicas, I've been following your comments with interest but was reluctant to open my big comment-mouth again --There is always a moment in one's life, however, that one can't help but speak her mind:
Amanda, you husband LOVES you! Cheers to him, and you, woman, BE FLATTERED! Laugh!
I'm still trying to come up with whom would play me! Laugh!
Thanks Elena. I am flattered, and we've just agreed that Bruce Willis would be good in the role of my husband! (My first suggestion was Danny deVito, but I had to withdraw that quickly, in case he thought I was serious!)
Elena is right. Incidentally, I added another capsule to the Hub, as I couldn't leave out mention of Streep in Postcards from the Edge.
Did you see her in Mamma Mia? What a laugh! My teen and I have had a couple of cosy girlie nights watching it while the boys play chess.
Didn't catch Mamma Mia -- didn't know if I could handle all those ABBA lyrics again (I know every single song, it's maddening!)
Teresa -- I'll have to be gracious here and hand it to you: I still can't figure out a single actress to play me, and you've actually added a godanged capsure, and what a one at that!
It's very cheesy, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.. And yes, I know every word too. Acquired by osmosis?
I had fun with that ABBA revival movie -- caught it on flight to Argentina, it sure helped pass the 14 hours flight! For me that is, the passengers around probably went bananas with my muttering all the lyrics! Laugh!
My husband just came up with another suggestion for an actress to play me; Emma Thompson. I think I could go with that one. We're a similar age, and we've other things in common too, plus she's a brilliant actress.
Brilliant actress, never mind a frigging diggable woman, Amanda!
Oh my, I think we've hacked this hub. Is this how it's called? I feel a bit guilty about it. Teresa, I apologize, but then again, it's your fault for writing this article to begin with! Laugh! No no, really, I feel slightly bad about it, to be posting here as a teen woud in a chat room! And I feel worse not to come up with an actress to play me! Laugh!
Ms. McGurk: I had no idea you and I shared such similar backgrounds. Stage roles, Shakespeare, etc. Loved this piece! I had never posed the question to myself, but I quickly decided Tom Hanks. He's everyman in remarkable situations I guess, but not really sure of the subtleties of the choice without further thought. Certainly, I admire his acting and his success (coming from a silly TV show (Bosom Buddies) to Superstardom.) It's fun--and telling--to ponder the question.
Thanks for a lovely article. I loved it wholeheartedly!
Elena: You hubjacker, you!
Very interesting read and very funny comments. I would like to think of myself as a Pacino or a De Nero, but my friends would say I'm a David Duchoveny which makes my wife sick which means she acknowledges the similarities as she absolutely will not watch Californication with me. With my luck though, I'm sure Jack Black would play me.
Guys -- thanks for all your comments and for dropping by.
Elena and Amanda -- from now on I'll refer to you as Thelma and Louise, , , lol
Christoph -- what Shakespeare have you played? I have been mis-cast in all kinds of places!
And Goldentoad -- Duchoveny ain't so bad!
Now that you mention it, Ms Sarandon could play me and make me proud! Or were you thinking about me as Thelma? Oi! I don't think Geena Davis cuts it... Amanda, you're stuck with Thelma then! Laugh!
Nah -- they're both great actors. I think we've got a match, then -- Sarandon and Davis it is.
Well, Theresa, at the risk of boring you and everyone else, I'll give you the Reader's Digest version of my bio: Graduated from the Nat'l Shakespeare Conserv. in NY. Well-paying, professional Shakespeare productions are few, but I've done Aron the Moor in Titus, Macbeth, about 5 small parts in Hamlet, Henry IV, part II, A Midsummer's Night (Bottom), Two Gentlemen (Speed), uh...all that comes to mind in Shakes., but similar stuff like Moliere, Cyrano; drawing room comedies like Noel Coward stuff, The Boyfriend, A Flea in her ear, etc. Mosty modern plays though, Stanley Kowalski, American Buffalo, Heidi Chronicles, Cuckoo's Nest, etc., and lots of musicals such as Man of LaMancha, Godspell, Grease, A Funny Thing Happened, and on and on. Ta-da! There you have it.
Although I didn't ever play Hamlet, I love that play. I didn't think I was good enough to play him when I was the right age. Now I could, but I'm too old. Ain't that the way!
That's quite a list! You must be a very talented comedian as well as actor to have played Speed and Bottom.
Ah, Hamlet. Yeah. There's always more to learn, isn't there? I'm kinda glad I didn't have to worry about playing all the best Shakespearean roles, since they're mostly guys. Would have liked to have played Cleopatra, though.
Teresa:
Thanks so very very much for answering my hub request. What a brilliant hub! I was hoping someone would pick it up and have fun with it. It's a fun question to ponder.
Thanks for requesting the Hub, KCC -- as you can see, we've all had a blast!
Teresa, what a fine job you did here. I'm getting so much enjoyment out of your hubs and in getting to know you better. :) This is an incredible idea for a hub topic.
I studied Shakespeare heavily in college. In fact I specialized in that period of English literature thinking I'd be assigned a project on Willie, but the faculty gave me Ben Johnson instead. Bleck! lol! Don't ask me to recall much now, it's been many moons ago!
So, if I had to pick an actress to play ME, I would have to choose Sandra Bullock. Did I spell that correctly? I picked her because out of the movies I've seen, she seems to play characters who are very low maintenance, earthy, witty, approachable, and real. While she (in the movies) seems to be very pulled together on the outside, there's always an element of softness and vulnerability on the inside that often comes from some kind of history of trauma that she tries to keep locked tightly inside. Know what I mean?
What I like and identify with about the characters she plays is that she's always the one who isn't overly made up in a high glamour way with fake lashes, makeup and jewelry. Anyway...
Very wonderful thought provoking hub idea Teresa. Big thumbs up! :)
Sandra Bullock! Great choice. I thought maybe you were going to say Judi Dench, after all the mention of Shakespeare. I like Bullock a lot, and admit in public that I watch Speed any time it's on!
KCC deserves the thumbs up -- he requested the topic, so I get none of the credit, here; it sure is an interesting subject. Thanks for dropping by, and taking the time to comment.
LOL.......except KCC is a she. :) The K is for Karen.
Hey, Karen! Glad to know the K in KCC! And thanks again for requesting the Hub!
Speed is one I haven't seen! Thanks for mentioning that one. :) When thinking of her I reflected on Murder by Numbers, Miss Congeneality, Mystic Pizza, and a couple other good ones that the title escapes me. ;)
I had to go back to read the comments. I didn't do that the first time because I didn't want to be influenced. lol!
Elena and Amanda as Thelma and Louise...now that is a very entertaining thought! :) I loved that movie too. Hey Elena, the next time you hubjack give me a shout!
I like goldentoad's choices for himself too, and even if he ended up with Jack Black, I think Jack is wonderfully funny. I love him.
I love Tom Hanks too, and he would be great for Christoph since both men are so funny, diverse, and have depth that never cease to amaze me.
Oh, and I meant to mention before that you really get around don't you Teresa? Wow, I'd love to hear more of your travels.
Louise the hubjacker, at your service!
Speaking of travels, I'm heading to Dublin, Ireland tomorrow, be there for the week -- don't think they don't have internet up there, I'll return to reaffirm my Louise/hubjacker status as often as I can!
Teresa, you've done a superb job with this hub and I'm glad others have enjoyed it as well! Perhaps it can inspire others to do their take on it as well. I think the world needs a bit more playfulness and thinking outside the box. We take life way too seriously sometimes.
LOL Elena! Have a safe and wonderful trip! Take lots of pictures to share with us! I'm gonna miss you. :( *sniffle*
Thanks, guys, for all the comments -- and Elena, have a safe trip. Don't get eaten by a sheep or fall into a bog! Dublin is another great city, you are right (youmentioned that in a comment for another Hub?). Pam: Speed is a movie that gets a lot of bad reviews because it's so dumb, but I love it anyway. There's a scene where she gets to take out a whole line of cars with the vehicle she's driving (don't want to give away the miniscule plot): my favorite bit.
I am with Amanda--can I star across from Daniel Day-Lewis, pleeease??? The man is descendent from poets and is smart and...he looks like that! It would have to be Last of the Mohicans and I could be Madeleine Stowe as Cora Munro. There's a slight resemblance; it could work--yeah. And there is something about the very American fighting-to-survive thing and that emotional musical score that very much appeals to me.
Thanks, Teresa. Very original & I think people can really relate.
Ok, Cora Munro -- go for it! Just don't get lost in the wilderness while you're engrossed in the music (or Day-Lewis, for that matter).
it seems we have a lot in common when it comes to movies. love bette davis - her margo channing is up there with the bestest! :D
Oh and I must hasten to add that i think i'd settle for Robert Downey to play me - now that he can open a movie! :D
I would want Gary Oldman to play me because he could play just about anybody. Oldman is one of the greatest actors living today (Daniel Day-Lewis a close second).
Two great actors -- Robert Downey Jr and Gary Oldman -- you guys have great taste! Thanks for dropping by!
Don't ask your other half who should play you if he's in a silly mood. I got the answer, "Jo Brand". Thanks, sweetheart!
Woody Harrelson, love this stuff, I'm your fan you beautiful thing you, and Irish like my wee one. woo-hoo
Well, I don't know who would want to play me, but I'll tell you the name of an actress I would love to play. The late Audrey Hepburn, and the movie would be Breakfast at Tiffany's! She was so great as Holly Go-Lightly(spelling?). Actually, she was fab at everyting she did. I'd have to give some thought to the guy I'd like as my leading man!
Well, I'd like to see a movie with Audrey Hepburn and Woody Harrelson in the leads! So, CC and Vintage, you have both managed to come up with a fascinating couple. . . .
Hi Teresa -- guess what, Louise is in the house!
Here I was debating between Cary Grant and Johnny Deep for Cris, and we get Robert Downey instead. Oh well! :-)
Just a thought: Many of the comments, as well as you article, mention "classics", mostly elegant and with a strong personality. It makes me wonder whether in 2 or 3 decades people playing this game will pick today's actors or will still go back to the "classics". I wonder how, say, Anjelina Jolie will "compare" to Audrey Hepburn for the future viewers :-)
Now there's an interesting thought. . . Who Will Be Tomorrow's Classic Leading Ladies? Sounds like a hub topic for Cris A.!
It does, doesn't it? But it's got to wait in line as I gave Cris a previous assignment: The 10 Most Enigmatic and Mysterious Actresses!
I can bet one classic of tomorrow will be none other that Susan Sarandon :) In fact, I'd compare her to Bette Davis, which I guess proves there can be classics in each period!
First I'd have to know who they'll get to be my stunt double! ;)
Awesome article, and it's got me to thinking. Who WOULD I want to play me in a movie??
nice article
What a fun thought! I bet your classes are great! I would choose Jennifer Beals to play me. She's biracial (black like me) and yeah, I think she could play someone as mundane as me! Thanks for provoking the thought.
SandraBean says:
11 months ago
I LOVED this hub! Very insightful and informative. Hmmm...who would play me?