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Sunday, May 11, 2008

"So what if the Canadian actress Ellen Page has been cast as Jane Eyre?"

Sunday, May 11, 2008 12:32 pm by M. in , ,    7 comments
We published some days ago a post trying to cover some of the reactions caused by the casting of Ellen Page as Jane Eyre in a BBC Films/Ruby Films film project. Today, The Independent devotes an entire article to the question that acts almost as a summary of the arisen controversy. Nina Gold, acclaimed casting director, has a clear view on the subject:

All the fuss about Ellen Page being cast as Jane Eyre for a BBC film is misplaced. I think she's got the part because she's a really good actress and the producers must think she's the best person for the part. Not to cast on the basis of her being the wrong nationality would be mad. Page has shown her range not only in Juno, but also in her breakout role in Hard Candy, where she played a young girl with an internet stalker who is not as innocent as she seems.
I think we, the British, feel very proprietorial about Jane Eyre, and the fact that people associate Page with a very young culture is another hurdle for them to get over to allow her to be a classical heroine – but I reckon she's got a lot more than just the Juno string to her bow. She can really act.
In terms of casting for major films, the world is a tiny place these days and the film industry is international. For casting directors, it's natural to look wider than just within Britain. (...) (Read more)
It maybe easier to play Jane Eyre than a contemporary British character because there's a cultural foundation. It's not just about the accent; there's a whole culture to absorb and put into the character. However, there are challenges for any actor playing a 19th-century character, whether it's Ellen Page or Emma Thompson. (...)
Perhaps there is something else going on with the casting of Page. Film producers want stars that can "open" a film, and it's a hard fact of movie-making that economics are important. Even if you want to make the film with a little-known but brilliant British actress, if no one will give you the money to do that, then the film just doesn't get made. But having said that, luckily Ellen Page is very much up to the task, as well as being a name.

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7 comments:

  1. Anonymous5/11/2008 03:36:00 pm

    How insecure my countrymen and women are! When it comes to anything earlier than the 20th century there really is so little to choose among any of the Anglophone cultures that the quality of the actor will dominate. Come to think of it this is sometimes even true for contemporary Britain (e.g., Bridget Jones Diaries).

    I have to say it makes me all the more interested in the film. I am sure she will do an excellent job.

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  2. Anonymous5/11/2008 06:02:00 pm

    I don't think it has anything to do with insecurity. I think the British are very protective of their great works and their accent(s) and tend to look at this kind of thing hesitantly at first. Later, if the actor in question did a good job, they don't complain much.

    Many British actors cross the pond as well and it's very rarely - if ever - that anyone questions their accent, origins.

    Hopefully Ellen Page - if she does play Jane Eyre eventually - will certainly make a good job. The role demands it.

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  3. Rob Hardy5/11/2008 09:53:00 pm

    I loved Ellen Page in Juno, but it's hard to imagine her as Jane Eyre. Maybe in a modernized version, à la Clueless:

    "There was, like, totally no possibility of taking a walk that day, or whatever..."

    To be honest, Ruth Wilson will always be Jane Eyre to me now.

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  4. Anonymous5/13/2008 06:24:00 pm

    The OP: Beatrix Potter; Jane Austen; all three Bronte sisters at point were set to be played by non-Brits; Catherine Earnshaw (thank goodness that actress has dropped out - a horrendous accent in all her 'Brit' roles), and now Jane Eyre. The latter being a BBC film production which makes partial use of the license fee: I'd say we have every right to voice our grievances.

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  5. Anonymous5/14/2008 10:01:00 am

    Rob Hardy - ha! I loved your brand new first line for Jane Eyre.

    Brontë novels - with the possible exception of Wuthering Heights - seem to be harder to update than Jane Austen's, though.

    I think Ruth Wilson is also the actress with more in common with my idea of the actual Jane Eyre.

    Tattycoram - But what do you think, for instance, of Jennifer Ehle playing Elizabeth Bennet? Obviously, if an actress's accent comes naturally she will be able to focus on other stuff but if she's a good actress or well-directed the accent thing can be got over and the acting become natural and likable for the natives.

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  6. Anonymous5/14/2008 05:17:00 pm

    Cristina: Jennifer Ehle has a British mother; her accent in the early 90's - judging from interviews on TV and the stage - was distinctly an English one. It's a testament to her talent and background that - although she now has an US accent - she can switch between both effortlessly.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4PZpKNBZSQ

    What gets me is that Brit actresses - from the get go - are looked over for mainstream/pretty actresses - or the one that's making headlines at the moment.

    If there's an actress with the film, television and stage talent and experience of Ehle, then by all means I can't gripe - but instead we get the Natalie Portmans, Ellen Pages, Scarlett Johansson's (again, she leads the 'cue' to play Mary Queen of Scots) and Evan Rachel Woods of this world.

    Regarding Ruth Wilson: The chemistry with Toby Stephens made that Jane Eyre; I'm not a massive fan of the overall production, but Ruth was extremely good. Imagine if they'd cast someone like Ellen Page and overlooked Ruth?

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  7. Anonymous5/15/2008 12:04:00 am

    Oops - I didn't know about Jennifer Ehle's British mother.

    I think it depends on the intention of the production. The BBC opted for Ruth Wilson - a British and virtually unknown actress - and they got good results. But big names seem to lull them into a false (?) sense of security, and American actress are mostly better known internationally, aren't they?

    Still I say, if the actress in question is a GOOD actress and proves it in the film then I have nothing against it.

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