Who Would You Cast As OrsonJonathan Frakes

[Clive Dale]

If you were making a film about Welles today, who would you cast?

Here's some ideas:
Rupert Everet
Robbie Coltrain
Vince D'Nofrio
Danny Huston
Jonathan Frakes

[R Kadin]

Philip Seymour Hoffman |
Christopher Plummer |--- (all 3 bury themselves so deeply in a role it might be more like a resurrection than a performance)
Russell Crowe |
Jim Broadbent - (think more Topsy Turvy and less Moulin Rouge)
Jean Guérin (played Welles in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures)
Rosie O'Donnell (ha-ha! made ya look!)

[Store Hadji]

I don't think anyone's ever done the part justice. I can't imagine anyone alive who could. I've seen a few actors try:

Marcus Wolland in The Magnificent Welles
Paul Shenar in The Night That Panicked America
Liev Schreiber in RKO 281
Vincent D'Onofrio in Ed Wood
Angus MacFadyen in Cradle Will Rock
Jean Guerin in Heavenly Creatures

Actually, I liked all of their performances, but Orson had such supernormal intelligence and brilliance that only someone as or more unusually talented could really capture him.

I can't think of anyone.

Maybe Anthony Hopkins. He's a brilliant chameleon. I thought his portrayals of Hitler and Nixon were pretty d*a*m*n amazing.

[Michael]

How about Kelsey Grammer? He certainly has the voice for it.

[Phoebe Wallingford]

Danny Huston played him in Orson's Shadow, right? I saw it here in Chicago, and while he did Orson's mannerisms & voice very well, to me he looked more like Raymond Burr.

Vincent D'Onofrio, definitely; I plowed through Ed Wood just to see that scene, and was almost convinced they'd done some complicted CGI, he was so good.

Robbie Coltrane....hmmm....I suppose so, physically at least. I love Robbie, but somehow just can't see it.

Okay, here's one out of left field: Chazz Palmintieri. He has the height and the acting skill---and he (and Vincent D'Onofrio) have the added advantage that they could do a film covering Orson's whole adult life, not just 1950's forward.

Oh, and Angus McFayden (sp?) of course.

[Clive Dale]

Danny Huston plays Orson in the film 'Fade to Black', which will be released next year. He has been discussed as being considered for playing the role in other projects.

Austin Pendleton has said that he's resisting putting in celebrities in Orson' Shadow. So none of the actors listed above, to my knowledge has ever played Orson in Orson's Shadow. Julian Sands has been said by critics to be the definitive Olivier, yet he's never played in Orson's Shadow, etc.

How could we do a Wellesnet poll, 'Who best to play Orson? '

[Store Hadji]

Just hit the "New Poll" button. List every actor we've mentioned in the thread, anyone else you can think of, and leave a slot open to vote "other." Select to allow responses to be made to the poll so people could voice who they think "other" might be.