The Cast

WONE1015 wrote:

".... not Bettany. He's not jewish, and he wouldn't be believable as a middle-aged jewish man. It's the same problem as Anthony Hopkins not looking black or jewish in The Human Stain. Besides, American Pastoral is far too complex anovel to bring to the screen without losing a lot of its subtext."

Just a suggestion but perhaps you should reread the first page of American Pastoral. It reads, in pertinent part:

"The Swede....The name was magical; so was the anomalous face.
Of the few fair-complexioned Jewish students in our preponderantly
Jewish public high school, none possessed anything remotely like the
steep-jawed, insentient Viking mask of this blue-eyed blond born into
our tribe as Seymour Irving Levov."

This is a big part of what the Swede's "magic" was about. It is a very complex issue for Jewish Americans, especially those who desired assimilation. Swede was the dream vehicle for many of those aspirations - the Jewish boy who didn't "look" Jewish and could, on the surface, escape the discrimination and slings of his origins. It wasn't just about his prowess as an adored athlete. I'd say Bettany is perfect for the role. And, quite frankly, the Jewish population in Northern Eurpopean countries might not have fit the stereotypical image of Jewish "features" many people have. Levov was called "Swede" for a reason.

I am really looking forward to this movie. I hope the movie can provide a better vehicle for this fascinating story than the book did cause I actually like the story better than I like the book. I am encouraged, though, by the choice of director and, particularly, the screenwriter.

[deleted]

How about Jason Isaacs as the Swede? With the exception of his very dark hair, he suits the description - steely eyed, chisel-featured, sleek athletic build, fair complected. A little hair dye will fix the rest....besides, we already know he makes a mighty fine looking blond, doesn't he? Besides, he is Jewish, born to Hungarian(Northern European)parents in England.

He's also one very talented actor, despite American audiences only knowing him for those matinee-idol-villian roles such as The Patriot, Harry Potter and Peter Pan.

He's also currently starring in a series that is being filmed in Providence, RI and directed by Phillip Noyce. Noyce likes working with the same actors again and again (Harison Ford, Jason Clarke, etc.).


What do you think? That's who I thought of when reading the book.

Cheers,this should be an interesting film.