WEIRDLAND: Who will play Holden Caulfield or Spiderman?

Friday, February 12, 2010

Who will play Holden Caulfield or Spiderman?

"On hearing of JD Salinger's recent death, most fans probably experienced a single emotion: sadness. Over in Hollywood, however, the hills shook with the cackling of a hundred avaricious studio execs. Finally, someone will get to make The Catcher in the Rye film.
Jake Gyllenhaal as Holden in The Good Girl (2002) - Gag Reel.

Yet perhaps the biggest problem will be casting Holden himself. Leonardo DiCaprio, John Cusack and Tobey Maguire have all previously been mooted. Salinger called Holden "essentially unactable. A Sensitive, Intelligent, Talented Young Actor in a Reversible Coat wouldn't nearly be enough". The easiest way to grasp catastrophe from the jaws of success would surely be to cast a next-gen teen idol
'Twilight' star Robert Pattinson shooting new film 'Bel Ami' in the English countryside, UK.

– a Robert Pattinson or a Zac Efron – but even the more realistic candidates don't feel quite right.
There's Joseph Gordon Levitt (too old), Anton Yelchin (too Russian), Michael Cera (too geeky), or Jessie Eisenberg (too Jew-fro). Emile Hirsch as Francis Doyle in "The Dangerous lives of Altar Boys" (2002).

Emile Hirsch feels like the closest fit, but you can't help thinking the best Holden will be the true unknown that no-one expects; someone unsullied by fame's own story, able to be the Holden we imagined, in the way Salinger himself might have approved".
Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Here's how the final tally of votes shook out:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: 27%Zac Efron: 23.2%Michael Welch: 10.5%Jesse Eisenberg: 5.7%Aaron Johnson: 5.5%Michael Cera: 4.9%Cory Monteith: 2.1%Patrick Fugit: 1.9%Erik Knudsen: 1.6%
Other: 17.4%
Source: splashpage.mtv.com

"Jews are hot.
Last year, actor Jake Gyllenhaal was included on People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” list.
Jesse Eisenberg, an attractive New York Jewish actor.

Just being Jewish by itself also seems to be attractive.
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in "Annie Hall" (1977).

“It’s like I’m exotic,’ said a student from a major Midwestern university who asked to remain anonymous. “They seem to really be interested in my curly hair.”

“Even though I could take it as a stereotype,” he added, “they are always saying Jews are funny. I guess it’s something they like.”

But aren’t the qualities mentioned in these verses -- wisdom, dignity, generosity -- the ones that really turn on everybody?
Source: www.jpost.com

11 comments :

Anonymous said...

J Gordon-Levitt, Anton Yelchin, Zac Efron, and Emile Hirsch are all Jewish, too.

Elena said...

Aside of Woody Allen, this is a collection of Jewish hotties!

Anonymous said...

Shia LaBeouf, Paul Dano, Topher Grace

Anonymous said...

"Aside of Woody Allen, this is a collection of Jewish hotties!"

That's right! And add Logan Lerman to that collection too, he's 100% Jewish

Anonymous said...

Zac Efron is one fourth Jewish, but still

Unknown said...

I KNOW WHO FIT THE ROLE PERFECTLY!!!
Michael Pitt!!!!!!

If there was going to be a film of 'the Catcher in the Rye' pleas please damn it, i wish it was either:

1. Micheal Pitt
2. Jake Gyllenhaal
3. Joseph Gordon Levit

If ONLY they had planed to make this film sooner because 80s/90s actors that have gotten older can't play as Holden, actors like:
(in no particular order)

Micheal J. Fox
Johnny Depp
Judd Nelson
Anthony Michael Hall
Emilio Estevez
Ethan Hawke
Heath Ledger
john cusack
Matthew Broderick
Alan Ruck

(from the 80s/90s there was more of a choice of who could be Holden Caulfield, but now not that much that could refill this iconic character)

thanks to those whom read, very appreciated :)

Unknown said...

I KNOW WHO FIT THE ROLE PERFECTLY!!!
Michael Pitt!!!!!!

If there was going to be a film of 'the Catcher in the Rye' pleas please damn it, i wish it was either:

1. Micheal Pitt
2. Jake Gyllenhaal
3. Joseph Gordon Levit

If ONLY they had planed to make this film sooner because 80s/90s actors that have gotten older can't play as Holden, actors like:
(in no particular order)

Micheal J. Fox
Johnny Depp
Judd Nelson
Anthony Michael Hall
Emilio Estevez
Ethan Hawke
Heath Ledger
john cusack
Matthew Broderick
Alan Ruck

(from the 80s/90s there was more of a choice of who could be Holden Caulfield, but now not that much that could refill this iconic character)

thanks to those whom read, very appreciated :)

Anonymous said...

I KNOW WHO FIT THE ROLE PERFECTLY!!!
Michael Pitt!!!!!!

If there was going to be a film of 'the Catcher in the Rye' pleas please damn it, i wish it was either:

1. Micheal Pitt
2. Jake Gyllenhaal
3. Joseph Gordon Levit

If ONLY they had planed to make this film sooner because 80s/90s actors that have gotten older can't play as Holden, actors like:
(in no particular order)

Micheal J. Fox
Johnny Depp
Judd Nelson
Anthony Michael Hall
Emilio Estevez
Ethan Hawke
Heath Ledger
john cusack
Matthew Broderick
Alan Ruck

(from the 80s/90s there was more of a choice of who could be Holden Caulfield, but now not that much that could refill this iconic character)

if you mean who can play both, thats easy:

Tobey maguire

thanks to those whom read, very appreciated :)

Unknown said...

I KNOW WHO FIT THE ROLE PERFECTLY!!!
Michael Pitt!!!!!!

If there was going to be a film of 'the Catcher in the Rye' please please damn it, i wish it was either:

1. Micheal Pitt
2. Jake Gyllenhaal
3. Joseph Gordon Levit

If ONLY they had planed to make this film sooner because 80s/90s actors that have gotten older can't play as Holden, actors like:
(in no particular order)

Micheal J. Fox
Johnny Depp
Judd Nelson
Anthony Michael Hall
Emilio Estevez
Ethan Hawke
Heath Ledger
john cusack
Matthew Broderick
Alan Ruck

(from the 80s/90s there was more of a choice of who could be Holden Caulfield, but now not that much that could refill this iconic character)

if you mean who can play both, thats easy:

Tobey maguire

thanks to those whom read, very appreciated :)

Elena said...

that's an interesting list, Hayley, thanks for sharing your favorites!

Anonymous said...

For future reference:
Actors of fully Jewish background: -Logan Lerman, Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mila Kunis, Bar Refaeli, James Wolk, Julian Morris, Esti Ginzburg, Kat Dennings, Erin Heatherton, Odeya Rush, Anton Yelchin, Paul Rudd, Scott Mechlowicz, Lizzy Caplan, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Gal Gadot, Robert Kazinsky, Melanie Laurent, Marla Sokoloff, Shiri Appleby, Justin Bartha, Adam Brody, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Gabriel Macht, Halston Sage, Seth Gabel, Alden Ehrenreich.

Actors with Jewish mothers and non-Jewish fathers -Jake Gyllenhaal, Dave Franco, Scarlett Johansson, Daniel Radcliffe, Alison Brie, Eva Green, Emmy Rossum, Jennifer Connelly, Eric Dane, Jeremy Jordan, Joel Kinnaman.

Actors with Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers, who themselves were either raised as Jews and/or identify as Jews: -Andrew Garfield, Ezra Miller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alexa Davalos, Nat Wolff, James Maslow, Josh Bowman, Ben Foster, Nikki Reed, Zac Efron, Jonathan Keltz.

Actors with one Jewish-born parent and one parent who converted to Judaism -Dianna Agron, Sara Paxton (whose father converted, not her mother), Alicia Silverstone, Jamie-Lynn Sigler.