MovieChat Forums > Anthropoid (2016) Discussion > Why did they make Heydrich look ancient?

Why did they make Heydrich look ancient?

posted 8 years ago by M_Exchange
11 replies | jump to latest

I immediately went home to research General Reinhard Heydrich's age because I wanted to know if he was as old as he appeared in the movie.
Even though the actor who portrayed him in the movie is 50, he looked 70.
In actuality, Heydrich was 38.
You can say, "eh, who cares?" But it's sort of a distracting detail to me. It would have been cooler if they portrayed him as fairly young as opposed to a dude who looked like he was on his way out anyway.

Also.... THAT GUY WAS 50?!?

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[–] loco_73 8 years ago

Because he was actually Apocalypse in disguise...

"Today is the tomorrow I was so worried about yesterday"--Anthony Hopkins

[–] M_Exchange 8 years ago

Hahahaha. He certainly appeared THAT weathered and leathery.

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[–] Jeromagnus 8 years ago

They probably thought the audience would not believe a nazi that important could be that young.

[–] hennypenpen 8 years ago

Okay, the age might be an issue, but the resemblance is spot on. Don't read the blurbs if you don't want to know what happens to the characters. http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/anthropoid/

[–] peter-501 8 years ago

I completely agree. Heydrich had a serious but fairly youthful look.

I told one friend, when I warned him not to watch this garbage, that they might as well have hired David Warner again. He played Heydrich twice already. Who cares if he is 80 or so, because clearly the production team didn't care to get it right.

[–] Jake1976 8 years ago

Clearly you look a obsessed crazy man who didn't even see the movie and talking about it. The actor look similar to him. He is old so what?

[–] peter-501 8 years ago

I did see the movie, and he didn't look like Heydrich to me. He was much older. Why would it be so hard to cast a 35 to 40 year old in the role?

But clearly, given today's culture why didn't they just cast a transgender half-Asian/half-black person in the role. I mean who cares right?

[–] Jake1976 8 years ago

He look older but he look similar to him. Director clearly want actors who are slightly similar to the real people. Its not a big issue.

[–] peter-501 8 years ago

I don't completely disagree with you on this, but I was responding to what the OP noted about him being far older.

The actor looks far more like Heydrich than Kenneth Branagh or David Warner. I just felt that the actor Detlef Bothe still looks a bit too much like Fearless Leader from Rocky and Bullwinkle! That was immediately what I saw... all that was missing was the monocle!

[–] Sid-Blitzen 8 years ago

I doubt a transgender half-Asian/half-black person would have risen very high in the Nazi hierarchy, though the Germans did recruit some Asians when things started getting desperate (Indian Legion, Arab Legion, sundry Tartars and Uzbeks, etc)

[–] Metatron_Fallen 8 years ago

I didn't mind.

I knew it was Cillian Murphy and the dude from 50 Shades the entire too and not two Czech guys. But I'm ok with that. I kept thinking about 28 Days Later and then 28 Weeks Later and how the girl in 28 Weeks looked like the 50 Shades actor's girlfriend in Anthropoid.

But again, I'm OK with that. I don't mind that they used Cillian- a person I know is not Czech and who makes me think of zombie flicks- instead of a Czech guy.

As a viewer I have a job to pretend a certain amount.

Had never heard of Heydrich before seeing this film. Glad he was killed.