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Disparity in lead actors physical dimensions

posted 9 years ago by tk-williamson
18 replies | jump to latest

I always notice when an actress is cast opposite an actor that she is noticeably larger than. It just look so odd to me. Saoirse Ronan is of course beautiful but she has shoulders and arms that are as big as Emory Cohen's and in their close ups her head is noticeably larger than his. It is probably just me and my idiosyncratic personal taste. I am 5' 9" and 150 lbs and I could never be physically attracted to a girl unless she was substantially smaller than me.

[–] mkenyon1978 9 years ago

I thought it was realistic - there are lots of men who feel the same way as you do, but there are also lots who don't care or fall for a girl despite her being as big or bigger than him. I have a type, but not every boyfriend I have had an relationship with meets that type, chemistry has a lot to answer for, pheromones and all that. It puts rose tinted glasses over your eyes and you overlook what you would otherwise find a problem.

[–] JaneThree 9 years ago

Those were the dimensions in the book. Tony was around Eilis's height. In the book Miss Fortini asked Eilis if she'd change anything about Tony. Eilis said "I wish he were two inches taller." That was the only thing. Strangely enough, at public appearances, including the New York Film Festival, Emory Cohen seems solidly taller than Saoirse Ronan, no question, so maybe they finessed it in the movie.

[–] SallahTours 9 years ago

Basically she always wore heels, and he slouched. His pants seemed to be pulled up a little higher than normal too. Either way, it worked, and they were cute :)

[–] Sweetdee525 9 years ago

So glad someone else felt the same way. Their pairing just seemed off to me. Their chemistry also. I just thought she had better chemistry with Jim.

[–] LittlePasLady 9 years ago

I know a couple with similar dimensions. When they first met she was hesitant to date him because he was slightly smaller. She gave him a chance and his personality won her over. So it's not implausible.

[–] bkbin 9 years ago

I thought she had no chemistry with Jim. When I saw her with Tony, I could feel the electricity through my TV screen.

[–] lethalblonde 9 years ago

Totally!

Never settle with words what you can accomplish with a flamethrower.

[–] purple_lemon 9 years ago

Too true. Saoirse just about knocked Emory of his feet every time she embraced him.

The Players of The Game are the scum of the earth.

[–] Buff70 9 years ago

He was supposed to be ITALIAN.
Were you expecting a 6 ft tall guy !?!
I thought it was perfectly realistic.

[–] lethalblonde 9 years ago

Ugh. At 5'10" I'm a solid 4" taller than my husband and men "needing" to be taller than women is totally a Hollywood construct in the first place, so I was glad to see a couple that was similar in height rather than the man towering over the woman. In addition, it has already been mentioned by others here that Eilis was wearing heels in basically every scene.

Any man that NEEDS a woman to be smaller than him is, in my opinion, not much of a man.

Never settle with words what you can accomplish with a flamethrower.

[–] tk-williamson 9 years ago

"Any man that NEEDS a woman to be smaller that him is, in my opinion, not much of a man." So, you chose to be unpleasant, disrespectful and nasty to someone you don't even know. You don't sound like much of a human being.

[–] lethalblonde 9 years ago

I'm just speaking from experience--any man I've ever encountered that found my stature and muscularity intimidating also found my intelligence and opinionatedness intimidating and yes, they were sad excuses for men. I've had men MY HEIGHT say I was too tall. It's just ridiculous to have to tower over a woman to feel secure.

Obviously it's not only men who are brainwashed to believe this is the only way--there are TONS of women who are much shorter than me who openly admit they won't date men under 6' tall--it's ALL stupid. My femininity doesn't rely on being smaller than a man, and his masculinity shouldn't rely on being larger than me.

Never settle with words what you can accomplish with a flamethrower.

[–] tk-williamson 9 years ago

Well, fine - But don't make me your target for meanness - I never dismissed attraction between different sized people, only how noticeable it is in popular film. For me, it's a personal preference, a chemistry thing. Lighten up for crying out loud. 😉

[–] davidtraversa-1 9 years ago

Lethalblonde: Of course "Its all stupid", but unfortunately that's the world we are in at this particular historical time and as usual with Oscar Wilde, he said it correctly: "Stupidity is the only sin". There are no others. You have to deal with one problem, others with worse problems than yours. Life is tough. And I think it must be horrible for this kind of old fashioned men that mentally live in the 1950s, not knowing that 2016 is quite different. But they won't adapt, they will simply die one of this days. And the world will be a bit more civil (hopefully).
David Traversa

[–] davidtraversa-1 9 years ago

Why do you say that? she just said it like it is. LIFE is like that. Sophia Loren, when she was married to Carlo Ponti, was about a FOOT AND A HALF taller than him and they were happily married until his death. What about Mickey Rooney and Ava Gardner?? he only reached to her shoulders. Same for Alan Ladd and his wife, and so many others, famous or not. Maybe it's YOU that have a problem.
David Traversa

[–] davidtraversa-1 9 years ago

Lethalblonde: Sensational. Simply sensational!!

[–] lethalblonde 9 years ago

Thanks, David! <3

Never settle with words what you can accomplish with a flamethrower.

[–] SceneIt22 9 years ago

In real life, couples come in all shapes and sizes.