Griselda:
The TV Series
Oliver
has been pondering what a TV series about
Griselda would be like. At Convulsion C2K in
July 2000 he included in The Griselda
Experience spot a discussion of how one might
go about casting the wide range of characters
from the stories. Some
updates below date from the time of Convulsion
CO2 in July 2002, where this matter was
discussed again during The Griselda
Experience, following reading of the latest
story, "Meet the Parents", to which there are
references below. Further updatings have been
made, up to May 2006. Any comments and
suggestions will always be welcome. Ideal Casting for a Griselda
Series This all
started when, having become quite suddenly (in
April 2000) hopelessly addicted to FRIENDS, I
wondered one day whether Jennifer Aniston
might not make a good Griselda. It is fun to
imagine one's characters in the guise of
familiar actors, and so I began to develop a
list of castings based on who might look
and/or play the parts well, in a series on the
lines of the Hercules and Xena series, but set
in and around Pavis. The Hercules\Xena actors
are obvious choices (though I have only used
some below), since they are used to playing in
fantasy already, but there are any number of
actors (e.g. several in Lord of the Rings) who
can play tough male adventurer types,
government and military high-ups, and lowlifes
who are just around, nor are tough female
adventurer types that hard to find. I have
relied mainly on the rather random sample of
films, videos, and TV series that I have seen
or encountered, and I am sure that I have
missed some whose names would be familiar in
the States. Comments below reflect some
responses when I read the original version at
Convulsion C2K and correspondence on the
matter with interested parties, including my
good friend and best Griselda-critic Philip
Kemp, an aficionado of film. One basic
problem with casting, which applies
particularly in Griselda's case but has
knock-on effects with Ferdie and Red Hot in
particular, since neither should be much
taller than Griselda, is that modern actors
are often quite tall. Colouring of hair etc.
is not such a problem, but the basic looks of
major characters like Griselda, Wolfhead and
Red Hot as described in the stories ought to
be adhered to. Griselda Obviously
this is is the big one. Griselda has to look
very short, red-haired and blue-eyed. She must
combine an appearance that is harmless at a
casual glance with the capacity to turn
extremely ferocious, not to say terrifying,
when she is angry, or even just displeased. It
is also important that she is in her
mid-twenties when the stories take place, and
there is a limit to how far any actress,
however good, can look young. Jennifer Aniston
was universally rejected at Convulsion C2K,
and I am forced to concede that she is a bit
too tall and probably could not come on fierce
enough; I have suggested a 'guest star' role
for her below. I also thought of Soleil Moon
Frye (once star, I have learned, of an
American series called Punky Brewster), who
plays Katie, Joey's girlfriend who keeps
hitting him in F·R·I·E·N·D·S Series
5 Episode 15; she has the right size and hair
colour, but doubt if she could come on fierce
enough either. Jodie Foster was the most
generally acceptable suggestion at Convulsion
C2K, but she is not as young as she was, and
was not approved at Convulsion CO2, where, of
other possibilities mentioned then or since,
Alyson Hannigan got some voices. My most
recent view, after seeing The Opposite of Sex
and the Ally McBeal episodes in which she
played the part of a vamp attorney with
immense enthusiasm, is that Christina Ricci
has far the best potential. Though naturally a
brunette, she is blond in The Opposite of Sex,
so changing her hair colour shouldn't be a
problem, and close inspection of some pictures
on the web shows that she has blue eyes, if
not as bright as Griselda's might be. She is
also closest to Griselda in height, at a
reported 5'1". But a problem noticed recently
(2005) is that she has become rather thin! She
had some support at Convulsion CO2, where
Natalie Portman (5'3"), who would have to
change hair and eye colour, was also
mentioned. Possibles:
Reese Witherspoon (5' 2") and Keira Knightley
(5' 7"); but I feel neither could
look ferocious enough Griselda's Relatives Hereward
(father) Bob
Hoskins? (maybe better as Rowdy Djoh Lo) Jodie
Foster or Gillian Anderson? Ferdie
(brother) Bruce
Campbell (Autolycus in Hercules\Xena)?
Drawback is that he is rather tall. Belladonna
(first cousin) Cameron
Diaz Lucilla
(Different Shades of Red; first cousin) Jennifer
Aniston (with hair dyed red, as during one
part of F·R·I·E·N·D·S
series) looks just about young enough still,
but better might be Alyson Hannigan (5' 6") Uncle
Brand (All in the Family; uncle, Belladonna's
father) Clint
Eastwood Wolfhead
(distant cousin) Having
seen his performance in The Whole Nine Yards,
I think Bruce Willis looks the definitive
Wolfhead, with a splendid air of controlled
menace and equally terrifying geniality. Other
possibilities suggested have been Sean Bean
(see also below), and Russell Crowe. Major Personalities in Pavis Sor-Eel
the Governor Danny
DeVito (this casting got the best laugh at
both Cons where this item was presented, so
agreed by acclamation) Jaxarte
Whyded (his nephew) Leonardo
di Caprio met general approval at both Cons,
but he is now getting more mature, and maybe
someone appearing more ingenuous is needed Constable
Jorjar Gene
Hackman Fleeter
Nemm Sean
Connery? Possibly too old now; Fleeter Nemm
should be no more than middle-aged. Broosta
('that smart priestess', Fleeter Nemm's wife) Courteney
Cox Arquette? (Anjelica
Huston, my original choice, has aged too much) Loud
Lilina Maggie
Wheeler (Janice in F·R·I·E·N·D·S) or Ellen DeGeneres Rowdy
Djoh Lo Bob
Hoskins Criminals and Adventurers (who
are generally around) Olaf the
Storyteller (I think
I look too old and not disreputable enough,
although I suppose makeup could change that!) Christopher
Lloyd of Back to the Future and a lot more was
suggested at Convulsion CO2, but he is now
closing on 68. (Olaf is no more than young
middleaged, a contemporary of Treasure Trove
Hurbi) Snakefang Billy
Connolly (in his Kroked Vinnie
Jones was suggested at Convulsion C2K (might
also do for Big Nygg) Hanufa Mira
Sorvino or Lisa Kudrow Hilda (first
appears as Viridia's companion in Bad Example;
now a fixture) Amanda
Peet (as in The Whole Nine Yards) or Lucy Liu Red Hot (first in
Red Hot, now an important character) Hudson
Leick (Callisto in Hercules\Xena) got general
approval at Convulsion 2K, but is now 37, and
at 5' 7¾" is rather tall. Other possibilities:
Fairuza Balk (played Nancy in The Craft; 5'
3"). Amanda Peet is also possible for this
part Sweet-Talking
Shamus Matt
LeBlanc (Tom
Selleck really is too old now, though most
like my description physically, and Brad Pitt
has the wrong colour of hair) Topknot (first
appears in A Tasty Morsel) Samuel L.
Jackson was suggested by Tom Zunder, but he is
really too tough (Topknot is a blowhard type)
and does not have much hair. Also, strictly,
the Llama Riders are not a 'black' people,
although others on the Plains of Prax are; but
he is a fine actor, so I do not consider this
an insuperable problem – the other points
weigh more. Steven
Segal or Sean Bean were suggested at
Convulsion CO2, and I
have thought of John Travolta (again, ageing). Elsa from
Adari Gina
Gershon (looking as she did as Corky in Bound) Characters
who generally play major roles in one or two
stories only (but one or two have become
fixtures) Treasure
Trove Hurbi (not around after The Great Chart
Caper) Johnny
Depp Felissa
(Hanufa's Little Sister, Meet the Parents) ? Renée
O'Connor, but she might be better as Hubba in
Holding the Baby; maybe someone younger like
Kirsten Dunst Carver
Donan (Carving Up Carver; referred to in
Shamus Gets a Case) Arnold
Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone
(considered to be getting flabby by some). I
have had adverse comment on Schwarzenegger's
accent, but Carver is a foreigner, from the
Pavic point of view. Ragna the
Wrestler (Down Among the Dead Men) Chyna
(well-known on the Viridia
Patroma (Bad Example) Charisma
Carpenter (Cordelia in Buffy the Vampire
Slayer and Angel) , my original casting, is
now getting too mature? A really young actress
like Lindsay Lohan or Keira Knightley could do
it, or Alicia Silverstone in her Clueless
persona. Litennor
(This Love Business) Antonio
Banderas suggested at Convulsion CO2 Avidius
Tiro (Serious Money) Matthew
Perry Batulco
the Great (The Hero Bit; The Matchmaker) Kevin
Sorbo, received general approval at Convulsion
C2K Redfox
(Worlds Apart) Drew
Barrymore in a red wig Rogar the
Matchmaker (The Matchmaker) Robert
Trebor (Salmoneus in Hercules and Xena) Hjorvis
the Mankiller (Respect) Another
possible casting for Amanda Peet, who could
alternatively do Elassia
in the same story Jareen
(owner of one of the best inns, had a crush on
Hereward; only really 'on stage' in Meet the
Parents) Madeleine
Stowe (Cody in Bad Girls) Needed (further
suggestions for most of above always
welcome) (1) in
more than one story, or generally in
background
(2) Have
significant roles in only one story
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© 2017 Oliver
Dickinson
"Glorantha,
RuneQuest and HeroQuest are trademarks of Moon
Design Publications and used with their permission."
updated 1st October 2017