MovieChat Forums > East of Eden (1955) Discussion > I can't quite get over the miscasting of...

I can't quite get over the miscasting of Julie Harris in this movie

posted 14 years ago by moviechicko_o
17 replies | jump to latest

James Dean and the other actors are fantastic in this. But the whole premise of the love triangle just didn't work for me because Julie Harris looked so much older than the two guys. Abra is supposed to be a girl they grew up with and rather innocent-looking (thus seeming like a perfect match for Aron). I just didn't buy Julie Harris as that. She looked more like their babysitter or stepmom than girlfriend and to be honest, she wasn't quite attractive enough to be paired opposite James Dean or Richard Davalos.

She does a good job nonetheless but I would've loved to see a younger and prettier actress in this role. Perhaps Joanne Woodward or Natalie Wood.

[–] vinidici 14 years ago

Elsewhere, I suggested Eva Marie Saint as a better casting choice, despite the fact she's even older than Julie Harris by a year! But she aged better and was/is equally talented as an actress.

Other possiblities:

Audrey Hepburn

Jean Simmons

Debbie Reynolds

Elizabeth Taylor

No disrespect to Miss Harris intended, but I'm inclined to agree the casting agents could have done better. (You think maybe budget concerns might account for why they settled for Harris?)

[–] moviechicko_o 14 years ago

Jean Simmons would've been a nice choice. Very sweet/innocent look in her youth.

[–] novastar_6 14 years ago

Julie Harris, to me, made it work...because anybody who has seen her in Member of the Wedding, it's kind of like watching Frankie grown up...and I've said that it's interesting that James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, he represented the misunderstood rebelling teenager thing, but Julie Harris in Member of the Wedding, which came before Rebel, she was one of the first if not THE first times in a movie that you had an adolescent, particularly a girl, who was so severely misunderstood and neglected, and the two seem to really work together.

[–] princesstinymeat 14 years ago

I disagree. When I first saw the film, I went in with the idea that Julie Harris was probably not the best choice for Abra. Her performance completely won me over, though. She does an outstanding job, and her relatively plain looks (compared to the other actresses you name) give her character an added dimension. She's not good enough, she's not pretty enough...JH nails it.

[–] britlitlover 14 years ago

I disagree also. I thought Julie Harris was very convincing as Abra - and true to the Abra in the book - a combination of childhood sweetheart/ mother to both brothers. Julie Harris and James Dean also had a powerful screen chemistry between them - one that in my opinion was more beleivable than that between JD and the more beautiful Natalie Wood in Rebel.

[–] theworldastage 14 years ago

I agree that Julie Harris wasn't quite right. She embodied the character okay, but something was off.

I think even the brunette that worked in Cal and Aron's mother's house had wayyy more chemistry with James Dean, and could have possibly worked if her acting was taken a level further. I think I would've liked even her better even if it wasn't as spot-on as an experienced actress. Although, she's probably a little young and inexperienced for the gravity of the role.

Guess my point was mainly the chemistry thing and secondarily the performance.

[–] Harold_Robbins 14 years ago

Points taken, but watching Harris in the film again tonight, I was really impressed by her concentration and the way she focused on and [i[listened to[/i] the other actors in a scene.

"In my case, self-absorption is completely justified."

[–] theworldastage 14 years ago

You're right. There was nothing wrong with her performance.

For me, there was just a little something there that wasn't quite believable. Again, it's just how she looked next to Cal and Aron or something.

I guess it comes down to what works for a viewer. In this case, it was distracting to me -- however illogical it is.

[–] stomaino 14 years ago

I watched the movie for the first time tonight and have long been a fan of Julie Harris.

I think she is absolutely perfect. Her "plainer" looks add gravitas to the role. I don't think she is unattractive at all, but the kind of girl I guy could open up to.

Audrey Hepburn? Elizabeth Taylor? Natalie Wood? Fine actresses, but they would not have been right for the role. Julie Harris was.

Sam Tomaino

[–] ellie246 14 years ago

I understand both points of view.

Harris was too old and certainly not pretty enough for these two to be attracted to her I suppose, and her performace was a bit loud and irritating at times. But when she got it right, she was superb. And I totally agree that her listening, concentration skills and her empathy, were amazing and I truely believe she helped bring out the best in Dean, you can see it on screen, (didn't Kazan say how much she helped Jimmy?).

My main gripe though we her awful wardrobe. The pale colours and the square shouldered dresses didn't suite Julie at all. I'm sure they could have made her more attractive as she's quite pretty in her other films!

I also wonder if Dean's impact would have been as big if he'd shared his first major film with a drop-dead gorgeous, well-known co-star. Wouldn't that have taken the limelight away from him a bit as Harris is completely forgotten now?

My God though, having seen Julie in "Member of the Wedding" she was a revelation to me and definately should have won an Oscar for it. Personally I don't think I've seen another film that represents childhood angst as good as that to this day. From my point of view who's never really fitted in, she nailed loneliness and confusion far more powerfully than Dean did in this but again, she hasn't got the looks.

Although looks wise Louis Smith would have been better, I'm afraid I find her acting too much to bare. Like Harris, her theatre training made even more loud and over expressive and a whole film of that would have driven me insane.

[–] bookwormdreamer 14 years ago

Interesting points on both sides of the debate. I split the diference.Harris did look too old for the role but her sensitivity for Cal and Adam is a key element to the character.
I wouldn't rule out that someone else would have done a good job but it wasn't a glam role you wouldn't cast soley on looks.

Lois Smith is good in her small role but I doubt she could have played Abra.Smith always has a nervous quality to her acting it would have been all wrong for Abra who had to have a stablizing influance on Cal and was basically the glue for the Trask family.

[–] spookyrat1 11 years ago

"Interesting points on both sides of the debate."
Yes, I feel much the same way as a lot of the other posters.

I also think she looked a little old in the part and to be quite honest early on in the film I was kind of wondering why Dean was exhibiting so much angst over her character (as she didn't appear deserving of it, nor that appealing IMO). But during the course of the film her character appears to mature a good deal, until towards the end she is quite believable as the truce-maker trying to create some sort of domestic harmony.

[–] bad_touch_granny 13 years ago

She was lovely & fresh-faced and added just the right notes of
warmth and nurturance to her character, but she did look too old
for either Davalos or Dean. And I did get the feeling that she wasn't
wholly committed to Abra. Still, given all the other qualities she
imparted to her character, I thought she was pretty good. Much better
than Massey, that's for sure.

[–] PrometheusTree64 12 years ago

Julie Harris' acting made her the right casting.

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[–] ellie246 11 years ago

We all know that with acting, it's the looks that are the most important thing & compared to Dean & Davalos, Julie didn't match up I suppose. I still think she had magnificent chemistry with Dean though !!

You know what, I read a story about Julie, asking if she'd got a part, (& not getting it), it went somewhere along the lines that she knew she wouldn't get it because she wasn't good-looking enough, it broke my heart. We humans are cruel aren't we but it's how we're made I suppose.

[–] PrometheusTree64 11 years ago

And why are we talking as if Julie Harris was a matronly mutt-face in 1954?

She was perfectly fresh and perfectly attractive -- certainly attractive enough to attract the two boys, even if she wasn't (as they used to say) flashy about it.

We all know that with acting, it's the looks that are the most important thing

Okay --- did you actually just say that?

--

Non-sequiturs are delicious.

[–] Skylightmovies 11 years ago

Unless you've seen this for the first time, recently, and I mean in the last 20 years or so, I agree , one may find Julie Harris a little bit of a surprise to be the 'love interest'.
Not for me...she embodies Abra perfectly, I wouldn't wish to imagine ANYONE else.
I always remember the first viewing, the sunlight on her hair as she played with the grass and asked James Dean about the hispanic(?) girl because she wanted to understand about passion that his brother lacked.

And the ending..well for that alone....Please Mr Trask, if you could only..

just finishes me off and then James comes in, places the chair, right there...to look after him..

No re casting necessary thanks