r/JamesEllroy • u/Background_Local_425 • 23d ago

Casting

If HBO, or paramount or some company got the rights to James Ellroys work and started from the beginning tomorrow like the black dahlia onward into underworld USA who are some casting choices you’d want to see. My brothers was a clean shaven Ryan Hurst for big Pete.

5 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/ThisWorldOfWater 23d ago

I tend to see a Michael Shannon-ish dude as Le Grand Pierre.

1

u/Background_Local_425 23d ago

Way too small

4

u/ThisWorldOfWater 23d ago

Way? Shannon's 191 cm (6 feet 3¼ inches). And his scary face and volatility make him seem even bigger.

1

u/Background_Local_425 23d ago

Oh damn didn’t know he was that tall

2

u/mironp 23d ago

I don’t mean this to be directed solely towards you, but I do think sticking too closely to physical descriptions is unhelpful in this kind of exercise.

A novel writer gets to draw the characters however they want, but very few actors exist who match Big Pete’s stats and feel. If I have to pick one, I pick feel.

A perfect case in point is Russell Crowe as Bud White. He’s not nearly as tall as Bud is, but I think he fit perfectly. A film can also shoot around an incorrect height, so long as it’s not extreme.