this subject has always intrigued me, if YOU were the director/casting agent who would you have cast as the lead actors for this movie???
IMO, John Goodman a.k.a. from the Roseanne TV series would have made a better Kelly. Don't be afraid to post other alternatives for leads as well.....
Cathy from Canada :O)
I don't think you could, or should replace Julianne Moore...I think she did a great job.
But I do agree John Goodman would have been a much better choice. I didn't think Woody Harrelson was an appropriate choice.
With Julianne??? Not John Goodman! I am not sure who I would pick, but my grandma, Dortha Schaefer (Laura Dern in the movie) had a suggestion of Alec Baldwin.
shareWhy? Because Woody Harrelson is thinner and/or more attractive? Alcoholics come in every size and shape. The only ones who would know what he was really like were folks who knew the family.
Interesting that the suggestion of Alec Baldwin came up from someone who would know. I could see that.
Samantha
"Nobody's perfect."
The real life Kelly Ryan was similar in size to John Goodman, but I dont think he would have played the character with the same kind of subtle, innocent, alcohol induced rage that Harrelson did.
though I do wonder what they had to make the shrimp and spam out of so that supervegan would eat it...
This is interesting, it's been said that it was important that Kellys persona come across as weak, which it did. John Goodman is capable enough to pull that off, but his size over Julianne Moore might visualize him as more scarry
and dangerous.
An alcoholic can certainly be those things but if emphasized in this story it would change the dynamic intended between the couple and the children.
They were certainly scared, and he was dangerous, but the story wasn't meant to be all about physical abuse.
I believe Woody Harrelson was quite good, But the great Randy Quaid might have been better as Kelly.
shareWoody was an absolutely fine choice for the role. I can't see Goodman in the role because I cant think of him playing a dramatic part. If Woody wasn't available at the time I would have chosen Chris Cooper (presently, America's best living actor). As far as the part of Evelyn goes, now hear this! JULIANNE MOORE WAS PUT ON THIS PLANET TO PLAY THAT PART!
share-hi folks,
seeing that I started this line of discussion, thought it was time to let you all in on a interesting tidbit of ALMOST casting. When Terry the author was still with us, we were e-mailing back and forth. Apparently, the powers that be (i.e. movie casting folks, producers, etc.) offered the role of Evelyn to Renee Zellweger, but she turned it down because she felt she wasn't old enough to be the mother of so many children.......
Cathy from Canada :o)
Renee as Evelyn? Oh no no no no. I was surprised that Julianne (who always strikes me as cold) could summon the warmth to make her believable to me in this role, but she did it well. VERY well. However, I think Woody as Kelly was superb (his was the performance that made this film worth watching for me) and would have made almost any actress (at least, one old enough to have teenagers) look good. He pulled off sweet/weak/tortured beautifully, and I don't think any of the other actors mentioned here could have done it quite so well. John Goodman, who I otherwise like, could have presented as too much of a slob, and Alec Baldwin has too much recent public baggage as an opposite kind of person.
Kevin Spacey and Jeff Daniels are names I'd put in the hat.
The part of Kelly required someone who could portray inner conflict and mild dysfunction without dominating the scene and upstaging Evelyn's character. Harrelson pulled it off - he's basically unbalanced in real life and never has been dominant on the screen. Goodman would have shifted the focus from the main character, and Baldwin's ego and overplaying would have destroyed scenes. The story was about MOM - and that's how it came off.
share