Superman Returns Unknown Routh is new face of Superman

[VGPOP]

Unknown Routh is new face of Superman

Iconic characters often work better when an unknown fills cape.


LOS ANGELES - Imagine Leonardo DiCaprio as the young Darth Vader, Haley Joel Osment as Harry Potter, or Nicolas Cage as Superman (that one really almost happened). No, sometimes Hollywood needs a fresh face up on screen, like Marlon Brando in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Harrison Ford in “Star Wars” — or Brandon Routh in “Superman Returns.”

“A known actor comes with baggage, and Superman as a character is much larger than any actor,” said “Superman Returns” director Bryan Singer, who settled on Routh, an actor with just a soap-opera stint and a handful of television guest spots. “He looked like he stepped out of a comic book. Brandon’s an extremely fine actor, but he also needed to have the physical presence of someone who steps out of the collective perception of who Superman is.”

Borrowing from the look and style of the Christopher Reeve “Superman” franchise that took flight in 1978, “Superman Returns” also follows that movie’s pattern in casting. Reeve was an unknown who took third billing to Brando as Superman’s Kryptonian dad and Gene Hackman as villain Lex Luthor.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12975877/

 

[M.E.H.Z.E.B]

Thanks for the link!

 

[Superman \S/]

Awesome.

 

[Matt]

I disagree. A good actor can make you forget they are that actor and see their character.

 

[VGPOP]

I disagree. A good actor can make you forget they are that actor and see their character.

I disagree with your statement. That's exactly what I wanted for Superman. AN UNKNOWN.

I don't want to be thinking, oh yeah, Nicholas Cage as Superman.

Superman is BIGGER than anybody. And an unknown character is the PERFECT choice.

JUST PERFECT.

 

[CGHulk]

I whole heartly agree VGPOP, I'm sick of seeing Tom Hanks, there's other great actors out there who have yet to be discovered yet!

 

[SuperFerret]

I disagree with your statement. That's exactly what I wanted for Superman. AN UNKNOWN.

I don't want to be thinking, oh yeah, Nicholas Cage as Superman.

Superman is BIGGER than anybody. And an unknown character is the PERFECT choice.

JUST PERFECT.

That's not disagreeing. It's just stating what you wanted for Superman Returns.

But Matt's point is a valid one, the mark of a good actor is that they disappear in their roles. Take, for instance, Gary Oldman. Watch any three of his movies, I'll guarantee he is so different in each role that it's hard to distinguish that it's even him.

 

[M.E.H.Z.E.B]

Oldman is an amazing actor. That is for sure.

 

[dark_b]

there is no way. it doesnt matter how good of an actor you are. for example cavil. he is no jezus. he will always be. if he would have been casted as superman than in everymagazine yo uwould get: jezus is no superman,jezus is playing superman.

 

[Kane]

Caviezel you mean....

 

[M.E.H.Z.E.B]

there is no way. it doesnt matter how good of an actor you are. for example cavil. he is no jezus. he will always be. if he would have been casted as superman than in everymagazine yo uwould get: jezus is no superman,jezus is playing superman.

Please elaborate. I'm kind of having trouble understanding what you want to say.

 

[SuperFerret]

there is no way. it doesnt matter how good of an actor you are. for example cavil. he is no jezus. he will always be. if he would have been casted as superman than in everymagazine yo uwould get: jezus is no superman,jezus is playing superman.

Then guess what? Caviezel must not be that good of an actor to disappear in his roles.

EDIT: Thanks for the real name, Kane.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

I disagree. A good actor can make you forget they are that actor and see their character.

Then why did producers choose Chris Reeve instead of:

Clint Eastwood
Burt Reynolds
Al Pacino
Sylvester Stallone
Bruce Jenner
Paul Newman
James Caan
Jon Voight
Steve McQueen
John Travolta

even Richard Donner himself on the DVD explained why he couldn't see Robert Redford as Superman.

 

[Milkman95]

Yeah, the unknown angle works the best for this character. It makes it more believable and the actor can disappear within the role better.

 

[SuperDaniel]

I disagree. A good actor can make you forget they are that actor and see their character.

Why i`m not surprised you said this?

 

[M.E.H.Z.E.B]

Why i`m not surprised you said this?

Coz those of us who've been here long enough know how Matt responds to stuff like this.

 

[BareKnucklez]

I disagree. A good actor can make you forget they are that actor and see their character.

Yeah people forget how good Keaton & Bale were for BATMAN, and they were FAR from unknown when they took on the roles.
I dont buy that whole mess about a known actor having to much baggage heck an unknown can have just as much if not more!
Have we forgotten the baggage that Routh has??? Fired from a soap for bad acting, only had a handfull of tv roles mostly smallparts, and mostly played characters who liked the same sex.
Oh, and he was on MTV for a short stint... That alone takes anyone off my list for possible superman candidates.
So this whole its better to go with an unkown is total b.s...

 

[Pickle-El]

Yeah people forget how good Keaton & Bale were for BATMAN, and they were FAR from unknown when they took on the roles.
I dont buy that whole mess about a known actor having to much baggage heck an unknown can have just as much if not more!
Have we forgotten the baggage that Routh has??? Fired from a soap for bad acting, only had a handfull of tv roles mostly smallparts, and mostly played characters who liked the same sex.
Oh, and he was on MTV for a short stint... That alone takes anyone off my list for possible superman candidates.
So this whole its better to go with an unkown is total b.s...

Yeah....that's why the latest Wolverine, Batman, and the 1st Superman were ALL SOOOOOOOO well known when they were chosen.

 

[Matt]

Then why did producers choose Chris Reeve instead of:

Clint Eastwood
Burt Reynolds
Al Pacino
Sylvester Stallone
Bruce Jenner
Paul Newman
James Caan
Jon Voight
Steve McQueen
John Travolta

even Richard Donner himself on the DVD explained why he couldn't see Robert Redford as Superman.

Well, actually Robert Redford was rejected for wanting too much money, Clint Eastwood and James Cann were offered the role before Reeve as well, Eastwood was too busy and Cann said "I can't see myself in those silly tights".

So yea, even if they weren't considered, you can't use one person's opinion as justification.

 

[Matt]

Yeah....that's why the latest Wolverine, Batman, and the 1st Superman were ALL SOOOOOOOO well known when they were chosen.

Neither Bale nor Jackman were "unknowns". JAckman was fairly well known in the broadway circuit for his work on Oklahoma and a pretty prominent name in Australia if I'm not mistaken (not famous in the US does not equate to not being famous. Hell, before Lord of the Rings most people in America probably could not tell you who Ian McKellan is).

As for Bale...he had some notoriety in the US, he was critically acclaimed and huge in the Indy market.

 

[Matt]

Why i`m not surprised you said this?

How the hell is that a criticism? Saying that a good actor can make you forget who they are?

 

[Matt]

That's not disagreeing. It's just stating what you wanted for Superman Returns.

But Matt's point is a valid one, the mark of a good actor is that they disappear in their roles. Take, for instance, Gary Oldman. Watch any three of his movies, I'll guarantee he is so different in each role that it's hard to distinguish that it's even him.

Exactly. Anthony Hopkins is another example. While Silence of the Lambs is his most famous movie, and Lecter his most famous role, when you watch him he is neither Hannibal Lecter or Hopkins...he is that character...because he is that damn good.

I'd feel a lot more comfortable about this movie if someone like Jim Cavaziel or someone I knew could act had the lead role as opposed to someone fired from a soap opera.

 

[The Kid]

Depp too.

 

[Matt]

Depp too.

Yep. The mark of a good actor, is that no matter how big the name is...you can forget who they are...and lose yourself in the role they are playing.

 

[CConn]

Eh, the article's point sorta sucks. Actors should be chosen for roles because they fit them, not because of a "oh! no one knows him, he's perfect!" factor.

Bale was hardly an unknown, yet did spectacularly as Batman. Tobey Maquire had a successful career before Spider-Man. God knows Harrison Ford was known before Indiana Jones, and yet he still worked perfectly.

If Routh, an unknown, was the best choice based on his acting etc. then great, but being an "unknown" really means nothing to me.