James marsters as Erik Northman ( True Blood)

[white avenger]

Am I the only Marsters fan in the world who didn't know this?

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s59/tr...ditioned-for-eric-northman-on-true-blood.html

This is almost exactly a year old, and I'd never seen it until today. Of Course, I'm not a fan of "True Blood," and I probably wouldn't have kn own about it if he HAD have gotten it, unless someone had mentioned it here, plus, I'm not really sure that I would have been thrilled about James playing another vampire, but, to be turned down because he was TOO F**KING SHORT?

Has anyone ever heard of Clark Gable? Alan Ladd? Humphrey Bogart? Dean Martin? Roy Rogers? Victor Mature? Yul Brynner? Audie Murphy? Bruce Lee? Chuck Norris? Sylvester Stallone? All of those performers did quite well at portraying some of the most manly, heroic characters in movie history, and none of them were over 5' 10" tall. Has the entertainment industry become so petty that an man's height is more important than his talent?

David Boreanaz actually doesn't wear lifts, by the way. Just very thick soled shoes. And high heels.

 

[Blaze]

I also had no clue about this. I don't watch True Blood, but kind of sad they didn't give James Marsters a chance because he was too short...what a bad excuse, like really?

 

[Black Eye Guy]

Thank god!

I'd heard this before, but Skarsgard owns that role couldn't see James in in. Plus James is shorter that David (Spike was actually the character that years the big soles on his boots btw), and his 5'9 puts him way shorter then Skarsgard who's like 6'5

 

[white avenger]

I'd heard this before, but Skarsgard owns that role couldn't see James in it.

My point was that an actor's height shouldn't be a deciding factor in whether or not he is considered for a role unless the height of the character is a factor. That kind of discrimination isn't allowed in any other type of employment, so why is acting exempt?

Since I am not a fan of the show, I'll take your word on the ownership thing.

And just about any time that you saw David's feet, he was wearing heavy cleated soled work shoes, even in Season 7 when he was supposed to be dressing more like an executive. I didn't believe it either until my wife pointed it out to me. The point about wearing them to increase his height was supposed to be a joke.

 

[Lyri]

People would have gone MAD if someone James' height had been given the role of Eric.

In the novels, Eric is a viking warrior, he's extremely tall and muscular, that IS his character, it's what he's known for, and the casting directors should have taken that into consideration when they were casting Eric - which is exactly what they did, and rightly so.

True Blood have actually done really well in casting people to represent the characters in the books, and for that I'm thankful.

James might been a terrific actor, I'm not denying that, but he is definitely, in no way, Eric Northman.

And [MENTION=5973]Black Eye Guy[/MENTION] is right, Skarsgaard OWNS that role. He's definitely the best thing about that show - but then again, Eric is my favorite characters in the books, too, and he represents Eric so well, so...

 

[Blaze]

People would have gone MAD if someone James' height had been given the role of Eric.

In the novels, Eric is a viking warrior, he's extremely tall and muscular, that IS his character, it's what he's known for, and the casting directors should have taken that into consideration when they were casting Eric - which is exactly what they did, and rightly so.

True Blood have actually done really well in casting people to represent the characters in the books, and for that I'm thankful.

James might been a terrific actor, I'm not denying that, but he is definitely, in no way, Eric Northman.

And [MENTION=5973]Black Eye Guy[/MENTION] is right, Skarsgaard OWNS that role. He's definitely the best thing about that show - but then again, Eric is my favorite characters in the books, too, and he represents Eric so well, so...

I had no clue True Blood was even based on books (as you can see I'm not a fan of the show lol). But thanks for clearing that up, it does change a lot. If the character was clearly written to be this tall muscular type, then James doesn't fit the part. Of course they could have still cast him, but I can see why they wouldn't want to displease the fan.

To me it could have still worked. Ron Wesley was suppose to be really tall and lanky in Harry Potter and ended up being shortish and stalky but they actor was stellar and I wouldn't want anyone else playing the role. But hey, if True Blood wanted to stay true to the character's description, then it's fine. It's not really discrimination at this point if the writers wrote the role like that.

 

[fredthe3rd]

If I was casting True Blood and James Marsters auditioned, I wouldn't choose him because he was already well known for playing a vampire, even if he did fit the character description.

 

[Kean]

The first thought I had when I read the thread was that JM would be too tiny to play Erik.

That character is all about being imposing which I can't say is a word I have used to describe JM, or Spike.

Regardless, I think it would have been a bad move for True Blood to transplant Spike into that show, because that is exactly what it would have felt like. It would have been a distraction to TR.

And FYI WA, James was the one wearing the lifts, not DB. 😉

Starts at 0:36

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9akP7-8Pnvo"]James Marsters Jealous of David Boreanaz? (Spike vs Angel) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Black Eye Guy]

My point was that an actor's height shouldn't be a deciding factor in whether or not he is considered for a role unless the height of the character is a factor.

As Lyri pointed out, the character is a Viking warrior so the tall Swedish Skarsgard is a much better fit.

But an actors height should be part of the casting process, an actor isn't a normal job, normal jobs shouldn't consider how a person looks, but an actor is a visual role, it's not just based on the actors ability but also considers how they are going to look on screen.

 

[Lyri]

I had no clue True Blood was even based on books (as you can see I'm not a fan of the show lol). But thanks for clearing that up, it does change a lot. If the character was clearly written to be this tall muscular type, then James doesn't fit the part. Of course they could have still cast him, but I can see why they wouldn't want to displease the fan.

To me it could have still worked. Ron Wesley was suppose to be really tall and lanky in Harry Potter and ended up being shortish and stalky but they actor was stellar and I wouldn't want anyone else playing the role. But hey, if True Blood wanted to stay true to the character's description, then it's fine. It's not really discrimination at this point if the writers wrote the role like that.

True Blood is based on the Sookie Stackhouse series of novels by Charlain Harris.

With a few minor excepts (Lafayette and Jessica, who don't appear in the novels, but I ADORE their characters on the show) I prefer the books to the show. There's a lot of stuff that was changed from book to show that I don't really agree with and the show is a lot more explicit and violent than the books, something I'm not usually a fan of. I'd definitely recommend you read the books.

Also, [MENTION=5973]Black Eye Guy[/MENTION] makes a good point. If there is source material that you are referencing for your 'new' show, you NEED to actually reference the source material.

I'm all for equal opportunities, if it's a colorblind role, with no reference made to race or any other specific details (such as height) then of course the best person should be cast.

BUT, if you are casting specifically for a 6 foot 5 Viking you CANNOT cast a 5 foot 9 man. That is not the character that has been created, and if James HAD been cast, I imagine Ms. Harris would not have been best pleased to see her hunky, Swedish, thousand year old vampire cut off at the knees.

And, if James HAD been cast....can you say type casting? I'm not even sure why he would want to take on this role.

 

[fredthe3rd]

I've just for the first time watched the video on the website linked in the initial post, when in the video does it say he was going for the role of Eric? It sounds like he was up for a role once the show was established. Eric Northmans been in it since season one episode four.

It says it in the article but not the video.

 

[white avenger]

BUT, if you are casting specifically for a 6 foot 5 Viking you CANNOT cast a 5 foot 9 man. That is not the character that has been created, and if James HAD been cast, I imagine Ms. Harris would not have been best pleased to see her hunky, Swedish, thousand year old vampire cut off at the knees.

And, if James HAD been cast....can you say type casting? I'm not even sure why he would want to take on this role.

http://listverse.com/2009/04/21/top-10-misconceptions-about-the-vikings/

In particular, this one.

Big and Blond

Asterix-And-The-Vikings.Jpg

Misconception: The Vikings were all big and blond

The Vikings are often shown as big, bulging guys with long blond hair, but historical records show that the average Viking man was about 170 cm (5'7") tall which was not especially tall for the time. Blond hair was seen as ideal in the Viking culture, and many Nordic men bleached their hair with a special soap. But the Vikings were great at absorbing people, and many people who had been kidnapped as slaves, became part of the Viking population in time. So, in Viking groups, you would probably find Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, French, and Russians "” a very diverse group built around a core of Vikings from a particular region, say, southern Denmark or an Oslo fjord.

As I said before, I don't think that I would have liked the idea of James playing another vampire, I just think that basing the choice on something as trivial as his height is unfair, especially in this case, considering the fact that "tall" vikings were closer to 5 feet tall than 6 feet, and almost never much taller than that. I guess it's like they said in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence," when the myth conflicts with the truth, go with the myth.

Luckily, all of those actors that I mentioned at the beginning of this thread, plus quite a few others, managed to find more forgiving directors and producers, otherwise there would have been a whole lot of great movies never made.

 

[Lyri]

http://listverse.com/2009/04/21/top-10-misconceptions-about-the-vikings/

In particular, this one.

Big and Blond

Asterix-And-The-Vikings.Jpg

Misconception: The Vikings were all big and blond

The Vikings are often shown as big, bulging guys with long blond hair, but historical records show that the average Viking man was about 170 cm (5'7") tall which was not especially tall for the time. Blond hair was seen as ideal in the Viking culture, and many Nordic men bleached their hair with a special soap. But the Vikings were great at absorbing people, and many people who had been kidnapped as slaves, became part of the Viking population in time. So, in Viking groups, you would probably find Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, French, and Russians "” a very diverse group built around a core of Vikings from a particular region, say, southern Denmark or an Oslo fjord.

As I said before, I don't think that I would have liked the idea of James playing another vampire, I just think that basing the choice on something as trivial as his height is unfair, especially in this case, considering the fact that "tall" vikings were closer to 5 feet tall than 6 feet, and almost never much taller than that. I guess it's like they said in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence," when the myth conflicts with the truth, go with the myth.

That's all well and good and it's okay that Harris got locked into a stereotype - but that '5"7 not-blond Viking' is still not the character she CREATED for her novels. She created Eric Northman, who, for storytelling purposes, might have, in her universe, been the origins of that particular stereotype. He is, after all, over a thousand years old.

In the books, Eric is describe as well over 6 feet tall, blond hair, blue eyes, well built and sculpted - THAT is the character that was being cast and THAT is what the casting director was looking for when they were holding auditions. James Marsters does not fit that character type when it comes to his height, and so he was quite rightly rejected.

Could it be that Skarsgaard's Swedish nationality gave him an edge above everyone else? Yes, quite possibly. But he's still closer to Harris' image of Eric than James was or is. In fact, I'm pretty sure he was just made for this part, lol.

 

[Kean]

There's also the possibility/probability that Skargaard was better in the role. If Marsters had been right, he would have gotten it. I doubt his height was the only factor at play here. JM doesn't have the patent on blonde vampires.

 

[white avenger]

If there is source material that you are referencing for your 'new' show, you NEED to actually reference the source material.

You I'll give you a dollar for every time that that has actually been done if you'll give me a penny for every time that it hasn't been done, and I'll wind up making a profit.

 

[Lyri]

You I'll give you a dollar for every time that that has actually been done if you'll give me a penny for every time that it hasn't been done, and I'll wind up making a profit.

And you know what? I won't care about how much money I win or lose, because in this case, I'll be collecting my dollar, because they DID stick to the source material, and James Marsters didn't fit it.

Now, what am I going to buy with my dollar? 😛 😉

---------- Post added at 12:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:30 AM ----------

@ItMustBeBunnies agrees: Actually, Lafayette does appear in the books, but only briefly

Yeah, I know that, but 'briefly', in this case, means...what? Less than three pages combined? It's why I lumped him in with the 'non-book' characters - he's pretty much just a plot device in the books, lol.

 

[fredthe3rd]

Seriously. When did he say he went for the role of Eric? The article says it but he doesn't. Sounds like he was up for a guest spot to me.

 

[white avenger]

And you know what? I won't care about how much money I win or lose, because in this case, I'll be collecting my dollar, because they DID stick to the source material, and James Marsters didn't fit it.

Now, what am I going to buy with my dollar? 😛 😉

Just out of curiosity, how close does the series follow the books? Because I can't recall a single movie or TV series that H have ever felt stayed true to the source material.

 

[Lyri]

Just out of curiosity, how close does the series follow the books? Because I can't recall a single movie or TV series that H have ever felt stayed true to the source material.

As far as characters go, they did pretty well with their casting as far as I'm concerned. The only REAL problem I have is Pam. The actress who plays her seems consistent with the character in the books as far as looks go, but it's her character that's actually been changed. In the books, she's depicted as what I would imagine to be more of an '60's housewife, as far as her dress sense goes, and she hates the idea of dressing up as the 'typical' vampire when she has to work at the bar - you know, all black leather and lace. She's usually 'seen' wearing a twin set and pearls.

In the show, Pam's basically the opposite, spends most of her time in that black leather and lace and cringes hard when she's made to wear a sweat suit from Target.

As for the story itself, each season is pretty consistent with the chronology of the books. Season 1 deals with the story line from book 1, and so on. There are a few times when story lines from later books have been added and a few things have been changed or left out completely (Jason's story line, for example, and Tara has a much smaller role in the books than she has in the show, and Jessica doesn't appear in the books at all) and the show is much, much more bloody, gruesome and explicit than the books, but I feel like that's mostly due to the fact that the books are written from Sookie's perspective (like Twilight and The Hunger Games) where as the show isn't.

On the whole, I think they did well with their interpretation of the books, but like I said, I'd really rather have the books than the show and I really only watch to see how they actually do deal with that transition.

 

[iShower4free]

I dont remember Tara being in the first book (the only one I read lol) but I could be wrong.