Hiran: Re-evaluated
Hiran gave me a whole lot of shit about who I chose for him in the first post and after I thought about it I found that it was actually Jason Schwartzman who was perfectly suited for him. Think about it: the eyebrows, the height, that slight awkwardness, that aura of being permanently unimpressed. If anything, Schwartzman may be a little to whimsical to play Hiran, but then again this is a guy who calls them 'sweeties'. That second photo represents possibly the most inspired casting choice for Hiran.
Manekha
When choosing someone to play my sister, I'm of two minds: do I play to her bubblier girly side or to this newly found bohemian attitude? Or is there an actress who exemplifies both? While Kate Winslet would get down the boho spirit and artistic temperament, I find a her little too severe to play Mon. Kate Hudson, on the other hand, has just the right mix of Boho chic and sprite-like aura to get down my sister.
Ma
Hiranti Welandawe's a lot of things: mother, architect, businesswoman, she's at once level headed and overly dramatic, which requires the talent of an actress able to scale that fine line without tipping into hysterics. There's only one actor I can think of who can tap into characters with a tendency to be drama queens, without chewing the curtains, all the while imbuing them with a great intelligence and grit and that actor is Annette Bening.
Pa
This is quite possibly the easiest casting choice I could think of. Jeff Daniels has the look, mood and temperament to get Madhura Prematilleke down exactly. There's the air of intelligence, a dry dry sense of humour, the positive outlook- its all right there. I'd say this match was perfect.
Jenny
Jenny, my step-mom, was one of the harder to cast. Jenny has a real sense of warmth in her which is no small part due to her distinct voice. I needed an actress who certainly had that earthy quality as well a more vibrant brighter side. Julianne Moore with her bright red locks, high voice, and explosive talent would probably get every single beat right.
Shaneen
Uhh...I just can't take how much they fit. The look, the voice, the temperament. Shaneen is Sandra Bullock and Sandra is Shaneen. Nothing more needs to be said.
Bugoy
Aaah..It was pretty hard to find anyone who really encapsulated Boogie, or the phat one as he's know in the blogsphere, completely. Philip Seymour Hoffman was the name people came up with most of the time, but anyone who knows Bugoy would see that there's very little similarity. Harvey Firestein, on the other hand, has just the kind of vibrancy and larger than life attitude that Bugoy has. He could easily portray the unhinged exuberance that Bugoy exudes. However Bugoy also has bouts of sadness and a vulnerability that is at once hidden but also visible, and I doubt Firestein would have the dramatic chops. Perhaps, Hoffman wasn't a bad suggestion after all.
Tashi
For Tashi I've chosen two actresses who could probably do well in portraying that child-like aura she gives out. Sissy Spacek made her name playing characters like that (so much so that as she grew older she found it hard to find parts) and her striking beauty and charisma make her even more suitable. Winona Ryder seems to radiate that same sort of other-worldly quality that Tashi does too.
Ashira
When choosing an actress for Ashira there was certain criteria they needed to meet: talent, beauty, intelligence, a slight naivete and that fast talking urgency that she has. Toni Collette's enormous talent meets all this criteria. Collette especially has the urgency to play Ashira's almost one track need to know everything and her tendency to carry all the weight of her problems herself. Reese Witherspoon becomes the first actor to be mentioned twice. Her performance in Election has me convinced that she'd know exactly how to portray Ashira.
Bianca
For B there's only one actor I can think of that has the accent, the mannerisms and the open vulnerability. That actor is the little-known Lysette Anthony who you may remember as Sidney Pollack's girlfriend in Husbands and Wives or as John Travolta's boss in the awful Look Who's Talking Now. Anthony just seems to have a quality that screams Bianca. If there is anyone else then its probably, the brilliant, Mary-Louise Parker who also possesses the same lackadaisical charm that B does.
Tharika
Chloe Sevigny and Sarah Polley seem like perfect fits for Tharika. There's the droll, docile and almostpermanentlyy stoned quality juxtaposed with that girly-ness that I feel lies somewhere in Tharika. Both actresses seem to have all these qualities down but Polley is probably a better fit, she seems to find a balance between the traits whereas Sevigny is far more the former than the latter.
Mika
Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) seems like the perfect fit for Mika:statuesquee, beautiful, intelligent, and funny. She could probably hit every single note right, perfectly portraying every facet of Mika's personality.
Chanch
The thing that strikes me most about Chanchala is that she seems like she's knowledgeable about most everything. With that in mind I chose two actresses who possess that same quality but also had an undercurrent of emotions floating around to portray Chanch's almost unstable hold of her emotions. Those two women and are Hope Davis and Laura Linney.
Adam
Adam is Ashton Kutcher. The voice, the look, the attitude- this is a cake walk. Even someone as talentless as Kutcher could pull this off.
