MovieChat Forums > Una (2017) Discussion > Ben Mendelsohn is a bit young, so I pres...

Ben Mendelsohn is a bit young, so I presume the source has been rejigged

posted 9 years ago by Hal-83
5 replies | jump to latest

He is miscast. The lead would ideally be played by someone of Gary Oldman's or Stanley Tucci's vintage. Roger Allam was in his early 50s when he debuted the part. Ben Mendelsohn plays seedy these days, but he's 10 years too young and he additionally has an energetic quality.

In the play, Ray confides to Una that he thinks he will be dead at 60, and he only has 4 or 5 years. Given that the play was (effectively) a two hander it required restructuring for the screen, I suppose some of his scenes will be set before he and Una reunite and they will age him up for the bulk of the action.

Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents and everyone is writing a book - Cicero

[–] !!!deleted!!! (36957384) 9 years ago

Miscast? You can't be serious. Yes, Ray is 55 and Mendelsohn is 46 but with makeup they could make him look 90 if they wanted. Without any makeup he'd still look close enough. I see no problem at all.

[–] Ithilfaen 8 years ago

With the amazing actors who have played the parts on stage, we get this talentless hobo? Ugh

Yeah I guess they would have had to rewrite the part to fit his one poney act of loserville escapee.

For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco

[–] ryanpkelly-07879 8 years ago

Mild spoiler:

Saw the film at TIFF, IMO he looks older in the flashbacks, or at the very least he doesn't look like he's aged as much as he should have. Still a very good film though.

[–] C_h_r_i_s_t_o_p_h_e_r 8 years ago

It didn't look like he aged at all to me but it didn't take away from the film for me. I also don't think he was miscast.

[–] KBiker (1019) 6 years ago

A bit young? I disagree. He was 46 when this was filmed; Rooney Mara was 30. His molestation of her happened 15 years prior to her confrontation of him at the factory. That would have made her 15 to his 31. That's pretty close to what the film portrays, that she was around 12 or 13, which would have made him 28 or 29. Sounds like ballpark numbers for the two characters.