Reading to Prepare for a Movie Role, How Novel!

According to a recent interview Henry Cavill, the actor who will take on the title role in Zach Snyder’s Superman: Man of Steel is doing some background preparation.

As a child he was a fan and read Doomsday: The Death of Superman and Red Son but once he was cast in the upcoming 2013 title role he said “”I read as much as I possibly could”.

I have a soft spot for fans being put into movies and I think that having a good actor who has a true love for the work a film is being based on makes a difference in the performance they are able to give.

For example, I am one of those fans who have always been a bit disappointed with Micheal Gambon’s portrayal of Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films. I felt that he was unable to capture the multi-dimensional, dichotomous nature of the character (which embodies grandfatherly, twinkly eyed mirth AND immense power, strength and badassery).  I am also one of those fans that blames this lack of the true depth of the character on Gambon’s refusal to read any of the books while working on the project.

Does it make a difference if someone is a fan or has studied the basis on which a film is made prior to playing it?  Discuss.



1 thought on “Reading to Prepare for a Movie Role, How Novel!

  1. Yes Yes Yes! I agree it makes a MAJOR difference – see Richard Harris vs. Michael Gambon portrayals of beloved Dumblydore- quelle diference. What would happen to our beloved childhood friends and characters if actors and actresses did not intimately know Anne of Green Gables, Ulysses, Thor, Bilbo Baggins, etc? Just see movie magic history. If I hear myself saying “I wish they had made a mini series instead”, or “do you think she had any idea she was playing a villain?”, or “siiiiiiiigh” as I come out of a movie theater one more time after going in all excited to spend time with childhood friends. I mean seriously! Classically trained actors/fan’boy’ actors are unfortunatly underrated in our crank ’em out movie factories. Sigh.

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