First off, I love Eliza. I think she is a good actress, and I absolutely loved her as Faith. However, after watching Dollhouse (I was only able to watch Season 1; I am hoping to watch Season 2 on DVD), I think she did not have enough range for the role.
Who do you think would have been perfect as Echo, and who could have believably portrayed her different personalities?
Can't look, can't look
Kristen Bell
shareKristen Bell's a good vote! I vote for her to ;)
shareEcho's original personality was nailed by Eliza and it makes sense that when you play mainly hookers on a series, you don't display a lot of range. The episode where she was imprinted as a mother and lactated and the one where she tells the widower she met every year that she wanted him to move on and talk about his fiance were very moving. I think he ended up with a limited series because he tied up all the major story lines by the end of Season 2. Echo was a developing personality but deep down people who lose their memory still are motivated by the same things. Kristen Bell is just a bit to perky to play a kick ass idealist. I don't think anyone could have played her better.
shareA young Lucy Lawless
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Oooh, yes! Kristen Bell would've been amazing
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I love Eliza! But I would rather have had Amy Acker play the part.
shareSummer Glau, but then again with her track record the show would have probably ended after episode 7.
Just repeat to yourself "Its just a show, i should really just relax"
i think Kristen Bell would have been great. She has that smart but still sexy vibe that would definitely have played better in the role. I have to say, I honestly don't see the appeal with Eliza. She's cute, but I don't see "hot." She looks too much like a gymnast for me!
shareI was generally unimpressed with Eliza, but one of the things that REALLY bugged me was her being 'tough'. She just didn't have the physicality to pull it off, she always felt way too much like someone who is just trying really, really hard to act tough, and a 'tough' imprint definitely shouldn't look like it's all just an act (and neither should a good actress). Summer Glau is a great example of physically quite lithe and small person who could legitimately kick your arse up and down the street if she wanted to, which is what made her work so well as River in Firefly.
"HEY BOBBY, YOU WANT NUTS WITH THAT?! YOU WANT NUTS?!"
Out of all the criticisms of Dushku, that's the strangest and most unfounded one. Eliza may not be a versatile actress, but one thing she certainly excels at is playing a tough girl convincingly, both physically and as a personality. Summer can kick ass physically, but she seems only able to play mentally challenged and/or 'not quite there' for some reason (e.g. because of being a robot) characters. I can't imagine her being an authoritative leader, or delivering a quip or a joke, or having an argument with someone. Her characters as a rule look a bit lost, say something in a tiny voice and then kick ass physically.
Pain is to pleasure as disco is to punk.You need to live through one to fully appreciate the other.
With relation to Summer Glau, you are suffering from a failure of imagination.
shareSarah Carter
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Conservatives hate what people do -- Liberals hate who people are.
I can see Amy Acker really doing the role justice since she's really versatile, but Summer Glau, really? It's pretty ironic to criticize Dushku for lack of versatility, and then suggest Glau, who's one of the most limited actresses who's still good at what she does... because she's always given the same type of roles: as a mentally challenged/emotionally stunted and otherwise "not quite there" character. Glau is great at the roles she's given, she's great playing robots or insane girls etc. but she always looks and talks the same. I can't imagine her making a quip, or making a joke, or playing comedy, or having a heated argument with someone, or playing an authoritative leader, or a bunch of other things, I can't imagine her inspiring people as Echo did in S2, and I certainly can't imagine her playing many different personalities week in, week out (even Dushku is more versatile than Glau). She's just about the worst choice for Echo.
Unless she has more tricks in her sleeve than what she's shown in her career so far, but in that case, why hasn't she ever shown any versatility? Bennett Halverson is different enough from River Tam or Cameron, but Summer talks and acts pretty much the same in every role - and played by Glau, she became "another Summer Glau role".
Pain is to pleasure as disco is to punk.You need to live through one to fully appreciate the other.
I think if I had to choose another Whedonverse actress, it'd be Emma Caulfield or Amy Acker. Both versatile as hell. I thought the imprinted Caroline in Omega was really good in her role, too.
But I think Eliza Dushku has the perfect look for Echo. But that might just be cause she is Echo. lol.
You know who would be great also from Whedonverse? Gina Torres. But they would never cast her just cause she doesn't have the right look.
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I think she is a good actress,
I think she did not have enough range for the role.
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I would have loved to see against the grain casting....like Romola Garai as Echo. Romola is predominately known for doing period films..but I think she would have done an amazing job as Echo.
"You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me"
against the grain casting?
shareAgainst the grain casting = casting someone that most people would never consider casting for the role.
IE - Romola Garai has done mostly period films and is known for drama, so it would be interesting to see her tackle Echo and the action side of acting.
"You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me"
Good choice
shareNatalie Portman
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You look like a goddamn, strange sort of Mexican Grimace
Seriously, what has she done to even support the idea of her playing Echo? Yeah, she has range, but not the kind needed to play these characters. She never seemed tough-as-nails to me, which is something Echo would have to be. If anyone disagrees with me, please tell me where she pulled that kind of role off. I would definitely be willing to pay to see her pull it off. Honestly though, I think Dushku did fine with the role. She was strong, weak, innocent, jaded, and everything else she had to be as these dolls. I don't really get where this criticism comes from, but to each their own.
The evil pizzas were no match for a simple stoplight!
Especially in that bank heist episode . I never felt that Echo, or whoever she was playing was tough enough to be a seasoned safecracker and leader of a crew doing bank jobs . Sierra actually did a better job with the same personality imprinted on her .
shareCan't imagine anyone else but Eliza for that role. I wish she would be in other TV series or movies.
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I think you all are nuts. Dushku won me over totally--she might have had to stretch herself a bit for some of the roles but that worked given that she was "wired" to retain personas and evolve. She handled the role well,mand I cant imagine another actress bring anything to eclipse her performance really. Bell? Nah, she would have played crazy (like Elle in Heroes).
shareAgreed, she did a good job but her range of characters wasn't exactly challenging, bad ass and/or sexy in some way. Compare what she does to what Enver Gjokaj does and she is blown out of the water.
Not sure who could have played Echo instead. Amy Acker does a good job but, I think someone might have already mentioned it, she might lack the authority but then again she might have made the character a little more sympathetic.
”Do the stars gaze back?" Now *that's* a question.