Paul Giamatti's Character
Was Ralph a real person, a collage of real people, or just a vehicle for the movie?
shareMost likely made up for the movie. Nailed it, though.
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MovieChat Forums > Saving Mr. Banks (2013) Discussion > Paul Giamatti's Character
His character was purely fictional.
shareHe was my favorite character in the movie. I've never loved any Paul Giamatti performance more than this one. Small part, understated, emotionally powerful.
shareI like Giamatti better when he plays an ahole, like in Big Fat Liar. Just this year he was hilarious as the Russian gangster in Amazing Spider-Man 2.
shareThey way that Paul Giamatti plays the part of Ralph reminds me so much of a previous actor, but I can't remember who. Can anyone else figure out who?
I really enjoyed his performance in this movie, though. The fact that he can play such a sincere and nice character and a jerk like in Big Fat Lyer and the manager in Rock of Ages, shows that Paul Giamatti is really a versatile actor.
--Sandi
And let's not forget - he was John Adams (probably the most unsung, yet most influential founding father)!
Wrong topic, I know, but it's kind of weird that Adams was:
A major driving force behind the American Revolution;
Served on the Declaration of Independence Committee;
A staunch Abolitionist for his entire life (while Ben Franklin, another well-known Abolitionist, actually owned slaves at one time!);
One of the newly founded United States' first delegates to France & England;
The first Vice President under George Washington;
The second President of the United States;
The father of the United States Navy;
The first President to occupy the White House in Washington D.C.;
In office when he averted war with France;
The first President to be the father of another President...
...and yet his face is on none of our money and there are no monuments or statues dedicated to him in Washington D.C. while there are ones dedicated to founding fathers and Presidents who came before and after him.
And it is from John Adams that I have my reference point for Paul Giamatti. Ralph is probably my favorite Giamatti role since Adams.
I don't mind you falling asleep my wife as I begin to snore
The fact that he can play such a sincere and nice character and a jerk like in Big Fat Lyer and the manager in Rock of Ages, shows that Paul Giamatti is really a versatile actor.
Agreed. The same year, he was in 12 Years a Slave, playing a vile slave trader.
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To me, he represents the ideal Disney Cast Member. I used to work at the Jungle Cruise in WDW with a guy who was exactly like Ralph. He had the same bright personality and the same backstory. I love this movie specifically because of Giamatti's character.
"The end of the shoelace is called the...IT DOESN'T MATTER!"
My two favorite Giamatti moments in this film are his bemused and somewhat confused delivery of "So does the sun" when Travers said the rain brings life and his almost childish enthusiasm when he sees Walt Disney waiting for Travers at Disneyland. "Wow! There he is!" Totally encapsulates what an icon Disney was and what he represented to Americans of the day in the delivery of just a few words. Brilliant.
"Nothing is more ill bred than trying to steal the affections of someone else's dog."
His character was entirely fictional, and was invented for the film. He was the *only* American in the film who tried to understand Travers, and recognise that she was being true to her own experiences and expectations. Disney had the "I understand you" scenes, but he was just trying to get her to do what he wanted, which was precisely why she was so wary and evasive in the first place.
I love Giamatti as an actor, and am happy to see him in any cast (even San Andreas!!), but I think he was especially good in this one, touching and very genuine.
You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.