The Casting Game

You know the game, I think we've all played it-who would play you in the movie of your life?

Myself I have had some bad experiences playing it-I get Mary Stuart Masterson a lot, which is okay but then, twice now, I have gotten Amanda Plummer who, though she can act, has to be one of the homeliest actors around and I was terribly offended. When I proposed Emily Watson for the writer Laura Lippman on her Memory Project blog, she scoffed saying too young and too pretty but I think that's the fun of the game (besides the insight into how others see you which can, as already stated, backfire) and of course how Hollywood really works. (After seeing "Talk to Me" I looked up a photo of the real Petey Green and he did not look like Don Cheadle.)

So I have come up with a not so modest proposal for my own casting. After spending some time getting to know her new record, "Translated from Love", I propose Kelly Willis. Yes, she is thinner, prettier and taller but she's a blonde with a round face. I think her Oklahoma by way of Tennessee accent could stand in for my Kentucky one (which dochwcesn't come out except on certain words anyway) as long as she could learn to talk a whole lot faster and wear brown contacts. And of course she can sing beautifully, though the movie of my life probably wouldn't be a musical perhaps we can throw in a few numbers. You know, for Oscar bait. As long as I'm dreaming.


You can check out Kelly's picture at her superfancy website at www.kellywillis.com.

Later

My best friend, Marla, who takes these sort of games very seriously, heartily endorsed my choice. And not just because I agreed that Kate Winslet is the perfect choice to play her.