So the discussion raging around our place tonight concerned actors and whether or not they made the roles they are famous for or they were handed well developed characters that they made their own.
In other words, could any actor fill a particular role or are certain characters so well developed that any actor could play them?
Certain characters have been played by more than one actor and fans have their favourites. Some roles are so well developed that actors can be switched around and no one really sees a lot of difference except for the physical appearance. Comparing the written character to the one the actor brings to life we have to look at the physical description as well as the personality.
James Bond is one example. Fans are split on whether Sean Connery or Roger Moore played the best Bond with some fans holding out for some of the other actors. If you read the books, some of the actors match the physical description of Bond but the personality is just vague enough that each actor has been able to take the character and build as they see Bond. But the essence of Bond is his role as a secret agent and the stereotype associated with him - dashing, brave, inventive, a lover and a fighter, and asking for a martini, dry, shaken not stirred. Bond is a stereotype character and any actor can play him.
Captain Jack Sparrow is a character that is a bit stereotypical, the drunk pirate, but his personality is so lively and rich in detail that it is hard to see any one but Johnny Depp playing him. Yet that very richness of detail makes it possible for another actor to assume the role. Will they be as good at it as Depp is? Probably not just because he is a very talented actor and makes each role uniquely his in some way. Imitators can't seem to capture that easy flowing wit and movements that are so much a part of the character of Jack Sparrow. Johnny Depp was able to change his appearance to match the description of Jack so there's no discrepancy between the written character and the one portrayed by Depp. In this case the written character and the actor are perfectly matched and no other actor would be able to do as well in the role.
In the Harry Potter series, the role of Dumbledore was played by two actors because Richard Harris unfortunately died. Richard looked and sounded like Dumbledore as he was written. He was replaced by Michael Gambon who wasn't as tall and had gray hair and a shorter beard. Physically, Micheal did not match the character of Dumbledore and he received criticism because he didn't match the character. As an actor, he did an excellent job showing us Dumbledore's personality and spirit. Yet, because his physical appearance was so well defined and such an integral part of his character, he wasn't a good match for it. Richard Harris was and is considered the essential Dumbledore by fans. This is a character who can not be portrayed by any actor who can not match the physical description.
There was a series of TV movies done on the Richard Sharpe books written by Bernard Cornwall. His two main characters, Richard Sharpe and Patrick Harper, are well written and described in the books. Yet the actors don't match teh description. Sean Bean is taller and has lighter hair than Richard Sharpe while Daragh O'Malley is much shorter than Harper's seven foot height. Yet, having seen the actors in the roles, one can't imagine any other actors filling those roles. In this case the well written characters were taken by talented actors and made to fit them instead.
So what does this show? Judging by these examples (btw this is a bad thing to do, using a small sample base to form opinions), a well written character will be the standard by which any actor filling the role will be judged. Yet a talented actor can take any character and make it their own even if it is well written to begin with. Even if given a bad script and poorly written lines, a talented actor can still make the character he or she is playing stand out. Provided, of course, that the director lets them act and doesn't hold them to precisely what's written.
But then, most good actors learn to spot good scripts from bad ones so they can stay away from those roles once they get themselves established.
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