Why Glenn Close?
I don't get it, she doesn't exactly ooz sex appeal. There must've been dozens of other beautiful actresses who could've played this part. Why did they go with Glenn?
shareClose was cast because she's a great actress. If they had cast a Playboy model with no acting talent, you'd be left with a second-rate film.
Moreover, Dan got involved with Alex because of her sexual aggression, not because of her exceptional beauty (not that the younger Close is bad looking by any means).
Close was cast because she's a great actress. If they had cast a Playboy model with no acting talent, you'd be left with a second-rate film.But then the question becomes– why didn't they just choose a sexy woman who could also act? Surely the two attributes are not mutually exclusive. But I think the answer has to do more with a combination of looks and acting, rather than just acting alone.
They didn't just choose her because she was the best actress – or else they could have chosen any number of people. A lot of people good actresses. And a lot of people are pretty. But it's the combination of the right acting with the right look that makes a good actress great.And it also has to do with context – who are her other cast mates? What is the story about? Does she look good alongside the other cast mates? Is it a beautiful cast altogether – and do they have chemistry? All of these things matter – it isn't just about who can act well. Apparently, the casting director of this film noticed that Glenn close and Michael Douglas had a good chemistry and looked good together. And that made it work.
As you so aptly pointed out in the second part of your post, Dan didn't get with Alex because she was necessarily the most beautiful woman (though I don't think she was bad looking either), he got with her because of her magnetism and her aggression. But again, that is it just because Glenn close was great acting it out. She did indeed have the right look for the part. People underestimate how important appearance is – especially in the movie business. They talk about so-called "great actresses" (as opposed to great beauties) Bette Davis and Glenn Close, like their looks don't ever matter. But they do.
Please excuse typos/funny wording; I use speech-recognition that doesn't always recognize! share
"Close was cast because she's a great actress. If they had cast a Playboy model with no acting talent, you'd be left with a second-rate film."
Because that's all that's available when movies are being cast--great unattractive actresses, or Playboy models with no talent. If only there were some nice-looking women who could also act. Oh, well.
That explanation falls apart immediately. In between "great actress" and "Playboy model with no acting talent" there are many, many women who are attractive, sexy, and good--even great--actresses.