As we learned last week, Tom Hiddleston is going to play country music icon Hank Williams in a new bio-pic called I Saw the Light. It’s a decent lead role for Hiddles, and it sounds like the production got the rights to Hank Williams’ back catalog, so it might even end up being a prestigious production along the lines of the June and Johnny Cash bio-pic Walk the Line. Well, there’s already controversy. According to TMZ, Hank Williams III (grandson of Hank Williams) thinks that Tommy Hiddles is just too English and crumpety to play such an American icon. OH NOES.
The grandson of honky tonk legend Hank Williams says his family’s blood runs red, white and blue … and that’s why only a true American should ever play Hank in a movie.
Hank Williams III tells TMZ … producers cookin’ up a Hank biopic blew it when they cast British actor Tom Hiddleston to play the legendary country crooner. Hiddleston’s best known for his role as Loki in “The Avengers.”
Hank Sr. — known for hits like “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “Hey Good Lookin’ — died Jan. 1, 1953 at age 29 … after years of abusing booze and Rx drugs.
Hank3 says producers should have cast Matthew McConaughey as Hank because Matt represents the South both in movies and real life. Hank3 singles out ‘The Dallas Buyers Club’ to prove Matt has the acting chops to get the job done well.
Um… is it wrong that I kind of agree with Hank III? Matthew McConaughey probably would have done a great job with this role, although Matthew is a little long in the tooth to play someone who died at the age of 29. But that brings me to the questions I have about what people will accept when it comes to “foreigners” playing their national icons. People were genuinely pissed that yankee Meryl Streep played Margret Thatcher. Southerners are still pissed off about Vivian Leigh playing Scarlett O’Hara (although Leigh nailed that accent and she was a great Scarlett).
So, will Tom be any good in this role? I have my doubts, Dragonflies. I have my doubts that he can do an American accent, an Alabama/Southern accent, and whether he can maintain the accent while singing. I will give Tom some credit – he’s a wonderful mimic. But if we’re going to watch a movie about Hank Williams, people will expect more than mimicry.
Photos courtesy of WENN, ELLE UK.
Love me some Hiddles, he’d be great in this part. But now that you mention McConaughey . . .
I actually pictured Matthew McConaughey in that role after reading the article…. too old though?
But he is not from Alabama, he’s from Texas right? Wouldn’t the accent be different anyway? Just a curious question, because I wouldn’t hear the difference anyway….
Yes the accents would be different. They even vary regionally within the state. For instance an Atlanta accent sounds nothing like a southwest Georgia accent which in turn sounds different from a coastal Georgia accent.
He is from Texas, southern Texas I believe. And yes his accent would be different. All the southern states have different accents.
No, not too old. I think he could totally pull it off. Booze and drugs age a person, McConaughey could do it and the accents, while different, are related. I don’t see the accent as an issue for him.
Lady Macbeth, Texas has a twang and true southern states have a drawl. Basically people in Texas talk really fast and have sharper sounding vowels. This is of course regional, West Texas sounding faster and East Texas sounding more southern. Being from Texas, I find that when most actors try to do a Texas accent they put on a southern one instead. Most actors try to make southern and Texan accents much to prominent and that is when they go bad.
He is from Uvalde, Texas – 70 miles west of San Antonio. I lived there for 12 years. He is an icon! LOL
I heard that accent he did for some Tennessee Williams reading. It was….not good. He had this weird flat Midwestern a going on. He’s a good mimic, so hopefully a dialect coach will help him. I think it’s also easier to mimic an actual person than to try to acquire a general regional accent.
Elo, as another Texas (Houstonian specifically) with a mom from Alexandria, Louisiana, I feel you. Your post reminds me of Julia Roberts–who is the prime offender for someone who substitutes “southern drawl” for a Texas accent. One need only watch Charlie Wilson’s War, where she sounds more like a mint julep-sippin’ Georgian than a Houston socialite. Her accent in Steel Magnolias was even a little too southern, because those Northern Louisiana southerners sound more Texas/East Texan than Georgian.
That being said, I think it’s going to much harder for Hiddles to manage a southern accent/hide his British accent than someone from the south.
Thanks for all your replies!
My point would be: who is going to see this movie? Which market is targeted to? I guess that given that this biopic is about a country music icon the accent issue could be relevant. If it was kind of “Iron man born in Alabama”, two thirds of the moviegoers would not be able to recognise the accent anyway because the targeted audience lives in so many different countries that it doesn’t matter if the main character speak with the correct accent or not (Braveheart? Robin Hood Prince of Thieves? Just to name a couple…).
However, in this case they wanted to get a known name, even across the Atlantic, but…. Would be the Loki audience interested to see the movie anyway? :/
@LadyMacBeth
My parents are really excited for it. They loved Walk the Line, and they love Hank Williams. They don’t care who plays him so long as he does a good job. They’re already looking forward to this as one of the three movies they’ll see in theaters next year. I think that will be the majority of people interested in this movie. Most won’t recognize Hiddles but they’ll be excited by a Hank Williams movie.
As someone who cringes whenever I hear my local accent butchered in a film, and that’s just about in every film in which it is featured, I truly wish people would stop trying to do accents and just go for “generic American.” That would spare Texans the pain of hearing someone like Wahlberg proclaim himself Texan in the accent of a pure Boston Dot Rat in “Lone Survivor” and Bostonians like myself from being subjected to everyone thinking we sound like Rose Kennedy after a stroke.
@lilacflowers
That would be a great idea too… I mean, apart from a few British accents spoken in movies, if everyone was really speaking using their local English accent, most of the audiences would not understand what actors are saying… So it should be the same for USA I guess….
@LadyMacBeth, most of them use General American as it is now when they aren’t playing a specific regional character. If they didn’t, nobody outside of New England would be able to understand Amy Poehler, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Mindy Kaling, and Mark Wahlberg. All of whom have really strong Boston accents. I’m sure it is the same for other regional accents too.
Mom’s from Alabama. I have family in south Georgia and the Florida Big Bend. I live in Louisiana.
I can pick out each accent or pidgin pretty distinctively. III is incredibly wrong that someone with a Texas accent is automatically a better fit, because the drawl is very, very different. An example: Brad Pitt’s weird as hell accent in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which sounds nothing like the native New Orleans accent (which is a weird cousin of a stereotypical Brooklyn accent, owing largely to the Irish immigrants who built the canals here). I genuinely loathe the mentality that says that all southern accents are the same, and it’s honestly worse when it’s perpetuated by someone who should know better.
And his age. Neaux. Did they make the McConnaughassance look amazingly younger for “True Detective”? Oh sure. But 29? There’s about as much a chance of that as Tebow winning a Super Bowl from his SEC Network desk.
I agree. I think someone with knowledge of British accents has as much of a route into Williams’s accent as anyone from Texas. And McConaughey to me seems not only too old but too laid-back for this tortured role.
I do think there are probably some really good, young US actors who could have done the part [better?]. But biopics, and mid-range-budgeted films generally, usually need recognizable stars if they’re going to get any kind of notice these days. Casting Hiddleston raises the project’s profile.
Oh do stop whining. Hollywood butchers accents on a daily basis, especially from non-English speaking countries. Using an accent from Georgia instead from Alabama is hardly in the same league as that.
I’m whining because I’m pointing out the fallacy in III’s logic? My point is that Hiddleston is just as likely to do the accent justice, because it’s dumb to say OMIGOD ALL SOUTHERN PEOPLE SOUND THE SAME.
Okay then.
Tom will the nail the accent and the role. Rest assured.
Cait, you are completely correct.
Right, Lollipop, all Southerners have the same accent. As do non- Southerners! Let’s have someone with a Brooklyn accent play a person from the mid-west. That would be really accurate.
Well a great film isn’t about the accent. Why are people so bothered with accents anyway? If he nails ANY southern accent he’ll be alright. I’d rather have a terrific performance and a great film and a decent accent than the other way around.
Which stands for MC too. He’d be great in the role, regardless of accent.
A.Key, I disagree. If a film casts a star who doesn’t sound like the (iconic) character they are portraying, that calls into question the validity of the movie as a whole and invalidates it as a “great film” … at least in my opinion.
Hank’s speaking voice is far less known than his singing voice. If the singing is nailed, I’m less concerned by his talking accent. For example, I grew up in the Chicagoland area. Chicago itself has a very distinctive accent, but the rest of northern Illinois is not much different than Iowa and Ohio.
My entire extended family is from northern Arkansas, which has a much less thick accent than southern Missouri. Southern accents very greatly depending on socioeconomics and education.
I’m more concerned by TH’s body language. Southern country music singers – especially of that time – were overly fixated on being macho. If TH can bring blue collar vs. posh, he’ll probably be ok.
To add to my “macho” point, Americans in general were more fixated on being manly back then. Kirk Douglas tells a story of talking to John Wayne about Kirk portraying Van Gogh. John Wayne asks, “Why do you want to play that fag?”
@amyamae:
Tom was macho enough for me in Coriolanus. 🙂
@Joe Spider, I tried to be careful in the way I phrased my comment to not be offensive. I don’t have a problem with British men being “manly” – at all. But there is a certain segment in the U.S. who find the more posh of British men as ….. effeminate, maybe?
My point is primarily how stereotypical the country music community was and still is. You’ve got to play the game of macho, swaggering, cowboy hat and boots wearing, flag waving, etc.
@mayamae, isn’t Keith Urban a country singer? Granted, he is Australian (and New Zealand born), but he has been on American Idol for a few years, and his flirting with Harry Connick Jr is well documented on the last season. They were adorable. But yeah, he’s not American either.
What about Garrett Hedlund, he could be close looks wise too, and he’s young enough.
Garrett Hedlund was terrific in Country Strong with Gwyneth Paltrow, who also gave an excellent performance (and I’m not usually a Goop fan). Garrett would have to lose a few pounds though to achieve that very lean look.
Hiddleston is known for his very thorough role preparation. But at what point does he burn out? He’s filming High Rise in July and August, assuming everything stays on schedule and they don’t need him for re-shoots or post production. That just gives him a few weeks to prepare for I Saw the Light. That type of back to back filming schedule is rough especially taking into consideration that he has to nail an accent and the singing voice of a country icon. I’ll reserve judgment and wish him luck.
I think from a looks perspective Tom fits the bill quite nicely.
Not sure about singing but hopefully they’ll do some vocal work with him. He’ll work his bum off and try anyway.
I agree. I think he looks the part, and has a similar type of charisma as Senior. Also unsure about the singing, so I hope if it’s bad, they will have him lip sync like Angela Basset did for Tina Turner. I think that the idea that a non-American shouldn’t be cast for this role is kinda silly, and with the movie industry struggling for dollars, it makes sense to cast someone who can probably do a good job and has a very, very devoted fan base!
I honestly, just can’t bring myself to like him. I never understood the Tom hype – and holy shit, is his fan base in love with him.
Yes, we are!! lol
As Bruce Banner said “he…grows on you” …..well, that’s what he did to me anyways.
I highly recommend tracking down Only Lovers Left Alive. Instant Hiddles love.
I MIGHT have to haha. I’m kind of curious at this point
Another voice for Only Lovers Left Alive – if you like slow paced, beautifully shot movies with not much plot but perfect music. 😉
You got me curious too then!
They should have picked someone like Garret Hedlund (might not be able to nail the signature twang, but still fits the bill or Ian Harding from PLL – not sure if he can sing, but….hate to say it, but I would have prefered (and lord knows this is the only time) someone like Adam Levine. Or best of both worlds JGL?
check out Hollow Crown…
do you know guys, i am thinking of starting a pot for everyone who says this in both the Benny and Hiddles threads LOL. By Christmas, i will have enough saved for a new car. A jag of course!
Well, we do need a few more Jags for our fleet.
Hank 3 looks a lot like his grandpa (much more so than Hank Jr) and has a similar singing voice. I agree with him — Matthew could probably do it justice.
Looks and singing wise, Hank 3 is closest to the mark of the three. Not sure if he can act, but everything else is a check mark. I wonder if he was ever considered?
Hank3 playing Hank was my first thought when I read about the film, actually. They really look alike! But yes, I guess he can’t act and a good actor is needed to do justice to Hank’s life and work. And I think for him it would also be weird to play his own grandfather, wouldn’t it?
If he was an actor, he would be the best choice. He not only looks exactly like his grandfather, he sounds like his grandfather. Also seems to be more on the ‘smarter’ side, unlike his father. Seems he carried the talent & intelligence. A spitting image of Hank I.
Junior was a big deal when I was growing up, and I never got his appeal. I remember first seeing Hank 3 a few years ago, and it was incredible to see the resemblance to the real deal – Hank I.
Could be he was put out because not only was he not considered or was and then ruled out but from the sounds of it was not even consulted over who should play him.
Mathew C apart from age is probably way over of the films budget and although he was brilliant in Dallas I have yet to see him in anything else that inspired me.
I think he’ll do ok in the role. I’m not a big country music fan, but I do understand Hank Williams influence. Physically, I think Tom is a close match. I’m keeping an open mind and wishing him the best.
It’s fortunate the Union Jack is also red, white and blue!
I just can’t with McConaughey – Family Guy has ruined him for me. And I have yet to watch True Detective.
I think Hank III should be more concerned with a decent film being made, rather than who plays his gramps.
HA! I was going to point that out about the colors of the flag.
As for True Detective-it is worth checking out. I’ve only see the first two episodes but he (and Woody) were fantastic in it.
I can see why HW III thinks that way – he seems like the proud Southerner and country fan type, so it may be odd for him to think of anyone who’s not a Southerner and associated with country music to play his grandfather. He seems like he would probably not be happy about the casting even if TH was an American from Chicago.
For TH’s sake, I hope he does well (or at least not badly)! It’s not going to be pretty if the film or his performance is considered not up to par.
Give True Detective a look. Woody and Matthew are amazing.
The Stars and Bars, the Stainless Banner, and the Confederate Battle Flag were all red, white, and blue too but given recent controversies, I would think that the Williams family would want to stay away from invoking such imagery. Sorry, it really bothers me when people try to support their opinion by wrapping it up in the flag. If Hank III thinks McCaughney should have been offered the part, he should have said just that. And none of us know if McConaughey was actually involved in any discussions and turned it down.
I am one of those who fall under the category of “they couldn’t find someone w/that nationality to play the part?” And in this case, I do agree that they should have gone w/an American. While McConaughey would have fit the bill as a Southerner, he is 20 years too late to play the role.
Josh Lucas maybe?
OOOO, Good choice. Yes, I can see that. But isn’t Josh Lucas also in his 40s?
Josh Lucas is so pretty.
Bad idea. I’d rather see Adam Driver.
The big 3 American Superheroes, Batman, Superman, and Spiderman have all been portrayed by Brits so I’m always willing to accept “foreigners” play american icons. A great actor is a great actor. However something is just off with Hiddleston. I don’t like him anyway and his look at me over-eagerness just grates on my nerves. I just don’t think he can pull this one off. It takes more than just a passing resemblance and a decent voice to get Hank right.
Not surprised there are grumblings from the Williams family.
I can perfectly understand the dislike, I feel the same towards some actors and actresses. A gut feeling I can do nothing about 😉 But are you familiar with his films though? Or theatre work? It’s almost disturbing how much he transforms on screen. Coriolanus, Archipelago, Only Lovers Left Alive – no trace of over-eagerness.
Ugh, I think that was a stupid thing to say. And mean. Give Hiddles a chance. Plus, I’m so sick of Matthew McC I would never see this movie if he was in it.
I’m worried about the American accent too. I guess we gotta have faith in him to pull it off.
Southern accent is easier for a lot of nationalities to imitate. Read some interviews where actors said it was easier to imitate than the ‘normal’ American accent.
Yes, they do! Guess the twang syncs better with their accents.
I’m more worried about the director and how the story is told. Tremendous acting and a perfect accent won’t save a bad script and a poor production.
We’re on the same page with this, @Lilacflowers. THAT is something I am most of all worried about.
I find biopics tend to be overly long and drag considerably. Williams did die young so that will spare us aging make-up.
Word.
Although I don’t agree with Hank III’s casting choice (at all!) or reason for not wanting TH cast, it would be hard to envision your grandfather’s story being told by someone who didn’t feel like the right person to tell it.
Well, what about the countless Russians, Frenchmen, Germans, etc. Americans and Brits have played with appaling accents?
What about literary characters? Or even real people? Should Russians be mad Keira played Ana Karenjina? Or Jude Law playing Vasilij Zajcev?
I never thought about that. You do have a point.
My thoughts exactly. At least Tom should be a fair swap for Don Cheadle’s bad cockney accent in Oceans 11. Fair’s fair!
Or Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins 😳
I try and forget about that, but yes x1000!!
Was having a similar convo at work today. Keanu in Dracula. Second only to Dick Va Dyck as probably the worst English accent ever. As I said in the previous thread about this, Tommy is a tryer and will work bloomin hard at getting it right. Fingers and toes crossed.
Keanu in Dracula still makes me chuckle. Now that is a movie that should be remade w/proper actors. Gary Oldman was too good for that cast.
Oh gawd, that was a terrible accent. But Don Cheadle is such a great presence, I didn’t mind him being a terribly fake Cockney (said by someone born within the sound of the Bow Bells !)
Or pretty much everyone who attempts to do an Irish accent and they end up sounding like something from a Lucky Charms commercial.
Or Omar Sharif playing Doctor Zhivago?
Or Archibald Alexander Leach, aka Cary Grant, playing Americans all his life?
Don’t bring nationalistic politics into art and entertainment people, please.
Kenneth Branagh as the Russian baddie in Jack Ryan. Or any Brit as a Russian baddie come to think of it.
good point about Cary Grant and Errol Flynn was Australian.
I don’t think ANYONE can beat Arny though 😛 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsWRhNZNFzw
Nope, nobody can beat Sean Connery as a Russian with an Edinburgh accent in The hunt for Red October…..
@Lady Macbeth, he didn’t even try, did he? But then again, he’s Sean Connery and that’s more than enough.
You’re right, Arnie wins hands down 😀
@lilacflowers
I actually knew he tried a few times to get a decent accent (pfft even read his autobiography a while ago but I don’t remember if it was mentioned there…).
However, whether it was English or Russian or the hilarious Spanish accent in Highlander, he failed.. But then, as you said, he became famous and I guess he just stopped pretending and he never was able to speak with another accent lol
It seems that Gerard Butler has the same problem (James McAvoy doesn’t for example, but he is RSAMD-educated….).
Or Kirsten Dunst playing Marie Antoinette? Idris Elba playing Nelson Mandela? Meryl Streep in Sophie’s Choice? Gwyneth Paltrow in half the things she’s been in? It’s not as if this is the first or the last time an actor has been cast as another nationality. I only find it a problem when it’s done in a way that eliminates opportunities for actors of color (not a problem in this case) or when accent issues end up being distracting (we’ll see).
Lunchcoma So true Meryl Streep in just about any thing-she played Thatcher and is now going to play Emily Pankhurst.
And heaven forbid Americans acting in Shakespeare. I mean Al Pacino and Kevin Spacey playing Richard 111.
And the Donmar is staging a play by a Russian novelist ,adapted by an Irishman with both Brits and an American in the cast .How could they.
Or Penelope Cruz playing: Columbian, Mexican, Greek, and Italian?
Exactly, although in the first two cases the language would be similar…..
Greek and Italian? Laughable! She has quite a Spanish accent in Italian, no matter how much she struggles to hide it…
The language would be similar? LOL, how does that matter? Isn’t this whole thread about the fact a posh Brit is playing an American southerner? I mean the language is the same in this case, yet people still find reasons to complain.
Also, just like every other language in the world, Spanish has many regional variations and different accents, not just in Spain, but across the world. You may think Penelope is Spanish, she can play most people from South America (and she can) but then you have to say the same for an English guy and believe he should be alright playing American, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Australian, Canadian, etc. I mean, it’s the same language, isn’t it.
@A. Key
In fact I came to post on this thread because I don’t understand the point of making a fuss about a Brit playing an American… And to answer your question, to a foreign listener there is no much difference between an Irish, Australian or an American accent.. I can assure you that I never understood where people were coming from based on their accent. Yet, I can guess a few languages and where people are from sometimes. So having a Spanish playing a Greek is a bit silly, yes. An American playing a Brit or Irish or Scots, if you are a native speaker you get the difference, foreigners usually don’t.
You have a very good point. These are ACTORS we’re talking about here. There are no extra points awarded for being an indigenous person….like it’s an effing application for a visa or something. Tom H is a FANTASTIC actor, and he will do it justice. Everyone just take a chill pill.
After all, do we care so much that Sergeant Brody is a brit? As was his boss (who got blown away, but still), as is the Dad on The Americans (playing a Russian playing an American). Where’s the chest beating there?
I am like, three clicks away from a “Leave Britney (Tommy) Alone” Celebitchy meltdown, aren’t I.
But still…they’re actors. They act.
Do you need a hug? From Tommy? How about a cookie? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_ubVVnWglk
Well many actors can’t act then, given that the number of actors successfully playing people with different accents is limited.
It is the same in life though, plenty of British people can’t figure out where I come from because my accent lost the internationally “known” characteristics of my original language.
Let’s remember Renee Zellweger as Bridget Jones and call it even.
Time will tell. McConauhey is too old for that part. Other than the singing does anyone remember Hank Williams – his manner, his persona? I wonder how familiar Hank3 is with Tom’s work.
I’m thinking his tons of fans will remember. Then there is bound to be tie-ins with the movie. Re-releases of his music. A documentary or two. One can’t assume that there aren’t enough people out there to recognize if Tom gets it right or not. Nor can we assume that there aren’t enough country music fans, because there are. Even for the old stuff.
I love love love Gone with the Wind, It was my mothers favorite movie and I am named after Melanie Hamliton. But I honostly didn’t know that Vivian Leigh was English until I was in college I want to say. So I guess what I’m saying is you never know.
Ashley Wilkes was English too.
Mmmmm, Leslie Howard *sigh*
“Oh Ashley” Leslie was my moms fav. I had a crush on Clark Gable for soooooo long though, sigh.
I had a life size poster of Clark as Rhett on my bedroom door – he was beyond description. I never understood Ashley until I entered my 20s and read the book (finally) and then watched the movie again. Leslie Howard is such a fascinating man anyway.
Honestly, I have always thought GWTW was the best cast movie to be made. I can’t think of one person that wasn’t practically perfect for their role after reading the book.
I loved GWTW growing up, and watched it countless times. As an adult, I now find it difficult to read because of the ludicrous representation of the happy slaves – “Who say it quittin’ time? I say it quittin’ time” – Ugh.
I used to cry at the ending, but now appreciate that it didn’t end perfectly. If GWTW was made today, Rhett would come back the next day and beg Scarlett’s forgiveness.
I hate Ashley – I want to slap him hard and tell him to be a man. He was a gutless coward who allowed Scarlett to obsess over him for years because he never told her he loved his wife – not Scarlett.
My dislike for Ashley influences how I look at Leslie Howard. I’ve read and watched specials about the making of the movie, and often read critics who feel Leslie Howard gave a very lackluster and lazy portrayal of Ashley.
Mayamay- I hear ya about Ashley, I always felt the same too, stop leading her on! And his hair bothered me haha.
J- I totally agree about the casting too! Perfection. No one could give a death look like Vivian Leigh haha!
Me my mom and my aunt are always throwing out GWTW one liners too.
I admire Leigh – and Brando – in A Streetcar Named Desire. Used to really love GWTW when I was a teenager, but Streetcar became my no. 1 fav Leigh film with time. Imo it’s absolutely, breathtakingly awesome..
I grew up assuming Bob Hoskins was American, from Who Framed Roger Rabbit…
I was shocked to find out that Julian McMahon from Charmed and Nip/Tuck was Australian (and his Aussie accent was THICK). His American accent was flawless.
And in turn, I was shocked to find out that James Marsters (Spike) from Buffy was not British, but American!
So Hiddleston might be ok… we’ll see.
OMG – yes! Now James Marsters accent was awesome – I was very surprised when I saw him on…one of the Final Destinations(?) and was wondering why he was doing an American accent.
And, I’ll just add, Renée Zellweger’s Bridget Jones accent was super.
I was surprised when I found out Damon Herriman who plays Dewey in Justified was Australian.
I was SHOCKED to find out that Josh Bowman from Revenge is British. I used to watch it from my roommate and it got to the point where at least once an episode, I’d start to say, “I can’t believe…” and she’d say, “I know. He’s British.” Also, I couldn’t believe that Gabriel Mann is FORTY-TWO but that is neither here nor there and very OT.
I think Tom’s got this.
Aussie Ryan Kwanten as Jason Stackhouse on True Blood, anyone?
@Miss Melissa, actually almost the entire cast of True Blood but Ryan’s is the voice that gets me the most because his real accent is so strong and so different from his character.
What does it matter? Judge him on the job he does not his nationality. He might be crap at it. But that won’t have anything to do with him being English. If the accent is wonky, another actor might screw up another part of the character.
Well said, Hannah!
I agree, Hannah. People spend waaaaay too much energy getting upset that the actor is NOT the same thing as the person they are portraying (like the Aahliya post yesterday). I don’t think a story is served by getting someone who might be an perfect physical match, the exact same nationality, etc. but can’t act.
It better serves the story of the person’s life to be portrayed by an actor that gets their “vibe” and mannerisms. They can fix the look and music with “movie magic”. The acting, not so much.
“People spend waaaaay too much energy getting upset that the actor is NOT the same thing as the person they are portraying ”
Well spotted Tiffany. This is why people fall in love and get obsessed with actors, foolishly believing they somehow ‘know’ them.
A bit off topic but I saw Hank III open for Iggy Pop several years ago & he was fantastic. He was also the spitting image of his grandfather. I would love to see him play this role.
I just hope TH gets the accent right. That seems to be the biggest hurdle for a lot of actors, and as person who grew up in the Deep South, it’s like nails on a chalkboard when the voice is incorrect.
I agree about the accent. I especially hate it when the accent slips in and out, or is inconsistent, as in the actor says “fatha” for father, but then not “motha” for mother, or says y’all to one person. Grates.
American television is filled with Brits and Australians playing Americans. I usually don’t notice. Little things can reveal their true accents. I remember watching a whole movie with an actress portraying a perfect generic American accent. Then there was a scene with the actress screaming the name “Heather”, which sounded like “Heatha”, and I could tell immediately she was Australian. I looked at her bio and she was. It was a tiny mistake, and I didn’t hold it against her.
I hear you. It’s not the end of the world, it just grates on my nerves because it rings false to me since I’m so familiar with the different accents. I’m sure there are many mistakes with other accents that go right over my head. I always admired Clark Gable for refusing to do a Southern accent in GWTW because he didn’t do it well. At least he knew his limitations. Lol
Perhaps the only entertaining thing about the movie “Transcendence” (yes, I saw it so you don’t have to) was a scene in which Rebecca Hall and Paul Bettany both forgot they were supposed to be speaking in General American and lapsed into their English accents during a scene together. Unintentionally hilarious.
@Lilac,
Now I HAVE to see the movie. James McAvoy is usually impeccable, but he slipped into his native accent during the boat scene (again with Rebecca Hall) in Starter for 10. It was slight, but jarring.
But I called it last week when I said to wait until the family chimes in. I thought it would be Jr. Who knew it would be the third?
Have you ever seen Spooks (mi5)? All the American accents were so inconsistent. Especially that one woman near the end. It started off Boston, then veered into vaguely southern, then kind of Irish, and sometimes I think she just completely gave up. Too funny. Surely there are a couple of American actors in England they could have hired?
@Sighs, yes! But then, sometimes, it just doesn’t matter. One of my friends decided to binge watch all four seasons of Downton Abbey recently and throughout her viewing, she repeatedly complained about Cora’s accent and couldn’t they have found an American to play the part. She pulled her whining down rather quickly when a dozen people pointed out that Elizabeth McGovern IS American.
Heck yes, Hank III is an amazing performer on stage! He wasn’t casting dispersion on Hiddle’s ability to play the role just on his nationality. While it smacks of xenophobia, I think he has a right to grumble about who is going to play his grandfather.
Hiddles inhabits his characters so I’m sure he will do a terrific job.
We all knew this was coming right? People were bound to find it off-putting for an Englishman to play an American, especially an American icon.
Honestly, I feel that TH is so hungry to prove himself and his professional worth all the time that he will throw himself into this role (as he’s done with all his others) and give 150%. I truly believe that hard work pays off. Good luck to him on this one…
A truly actor/actress is always hungry to prove himself/herself. I think every person with professional ambition wants recognition. I’m not an actress but I desire to prove my worth 🙂
I agree with the “hungry” part. It definitely shows and even comes through in his still shots.
It’s ACTING, for crying out loud. It shouldn’t matter where the person came from, it’s just a matter of whether or not they can portray the person in the film realistically. I’m no Hiddleston enthusiast (I do like him, but I save my affinity for Cumby), but I think he’s talented and think that he’ll do a good job. Not worried at all.
PS – Hank’s grandson better keep one eye over his shoulder. Hiddleston’s fan base might come out and try to shank him for doubting their beloved’s acting abilities.
The Hiddleston fanbase might be rabid (they have proven it again and again) but I guess the Hank Williams/country music fanbase is SO MUCH bigger. So it will be an actual guerilla war not only some half-hearted shanking if something goes wrong with this movie.
The rabid fanbase is going to have to grow up at some point and stop going after people who have a different opinion when to comes to the role the actor is portraying. The lashing out some of them do on social media is just bizarre.
However, to watch an older fan base give a bunch of fangirls a hardcore schooling might be entertaining.
You took words out of my mouth, @M.A.F. 😀 Hiddles is going for grown-up roles, the more rabid and immature part of his fanbase will have to grow up, too. Or drop him and move on to someone else.
Like Sebastain Stan, for example 😛
Word. That was going around Tumblr from what I saw/heard (I don’t have Tumblr but I do follow some blogs). Some were reporting more Stan on their dash than Hiddleston. Although, isn’t Stan around the same age? In his 30s?
Mmm, I think he is! I meant rather the kind of characters younger girls get attracted to though 😉
@intro outro…but isn’t that something he always aimed at? Grown up roles? If you look at his past works, with the exception of Loki (which any foreign actor would want in order to get a ticket to Hollywood), (almost) none of his characters were a walk in the park. They all had complexities. But I think the younger fans tend to dilute the depth of most his characters by exclaiming stuff like “wooohhh, freddie/adam/nicholls is soooo tortured…but oh so damn HAWT!!!!!”
Hmmmm, @churasco, I started writing an answer to you and then realised that you’re basically more than right about younger fans diluting the depth of work – and managing to influence others’ perceptions. Take Coriolanus – I was devastated after I saw it, Tom was terrific in it, going from an arrogant boy to the spine-chilling emotional breakdown in that scene right before they hang him and kill him (I get creeps even now when I recall it). And then you go on Tumblr and there are 20 gifs of Martius’ butt. And 30 gifs of The Kiss. 😉
So, yeah. you’re right. I guess what I also want to see from Hiddles is a truly controversial character though. Controversial to the point where the shapeliness of his butt would not be able to overshadow his character’s unsavory qualities lol. But maybe I’m asking for too much here 😛 And I am not saying this to detract from Hiddles by the way – if we look into the matter, even the greatest of actors in their most iconic roles had to deal with this facet of their fame. I can only imagine what would’ve happened if Tumblr existed in the times of Laurence Olivier’s or Marlon Brando’s youth!
@Intro Outro, I get and agree with your points but you must admit, he does have a sensational butt.
I totally agree, Intro Outro! (and I also agree with Lilacflowers *g*, Hiddles in those Coriolanus trousers was … nice) Ah… it’s a dificult world.
Yes, ladies. That is one sensational butt above a pair of sensational legs.
This world is truly difficult.
Hank is a self-proclaimed Hillbilly, good luck if they decide to ‘shank’ him, they’ll need it, haha.
Hiddleston looks like Hank somewhat, thin with a thinner face. His voice is also similar, not too masculine with a lot of twang. Hank 3 may just have a strong honest opinion for now and if Hiddleston pulls it off, repent later.
Ruh roh. I’ll withhold judgement on TH’s performance until I see some reviews. It has nothing to do with his nationality. He’s a good actor but I don’t know how much a vocal coach can do when you can’t sing (and I’m sorry, but he can’t), especially when you are trying to emulate a famous voice. I’ve been taking voice lessons for 2 years, just for fun, and its a lot of work to make your own voice sound good, let alone trying to make it sound like someone else’s. I wonder if they’ll augment his voice in a studio. I don’t even know what HW’s voice sounds like offhand, I am not a country music fan at all but from what I gather reading comments here, its very distinctive. Maybe TH learned to mimic a song well enough for the audition.
I’m rooting for him though. And you have to hand it to him, even if he sucks, it won’t be for lack of trying, lol. I personally don’t think he’ll SUCK, I think the effort he puts in will translate to at least a decent performance. But it seems like anything less than perfect will be seen as a failure by the die hard HW fans (and I don’t blame them). Unfortunately for TH, there are a LOT of HW fans so he might be entering a no-win situation here.
While I don’t have enormous faith in vocal coaches (especially with the short time span) I have quite a bit of faith in studio mixing tables. 😉 I’m a horrible singer but even I can sound half-decent if the right person does the recording. Sound studios are magical places. *g* I’m just glad that he doesn’t have to do live performances.
But I worry for him too. It’s a beast of a role – huge, important, dangerous. I hope his hard work (because he will work his ass off for this) will pay off. And the audition honestly gives me hope because the casting directors/producers would have to be completely crazy to cast anyone in this iconic role that wasn’t very good during auditions. I don’t think Hiddles was the only choice, quite a few young actors probably fought hard for such a role.
Agree, obviously he did SOMETHING right in the auditions for him to be cast, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Plenty of actors get miscast after nailing an audition. I can’t help thinking that TH getting the role is more about his looking similar to HW and acting ability than whatever singing he brought to the table. I think the powers that be figured that whatever he lacks in singing ability, if he can just get in the same ballpark and look earnest (which we all know he can) they can make up whatever ground they need to in post.
But, again, we’ll see. I’m not trying to sound negative, just realistic.
Yeah, you are probably right. We don’t know what they were exactly looking for during auditions. Maybe they mainly wanted someone who can really convey the sadness and pain in HW’s life – and maybe Tom cried in his scene because seriously, Hiddles crying is the best. I’m ready to start bawling myself every time I see it lol.
Another big reason why they wouldn’t go for Matthew McConaughey is $$$$$. You can better your bottom $ that Tom comes a lot cheaper than he would. His post Avengers career didn’t take off in Hollywood as he might have hoped and I don’t believe he can command big fees yet.
As regards the accent, well someone who claimed to come from Kentucky (not saying she didn’t) said Tom’s Kentucky accent for Kingdom of Earth was spot on. If he can do a Kentucky accent live on stage won’t he be able to do a Southern accent on film, which obviously isn’t live.
Someone from Crimson Peak also said that Tom is very good as Hank Williams (I think the exact wording was “uncanny”). Obviously he did an impression during CP? I mean.. the guy is Canadian, so no idea about the accent but at least a positive voice. 😉
I wonder if the social background of Chicken (who Hiddles voices in Kingdom of Earth) should be taken into consideration – as well as the historic period. IIRC, Chicken is of mixed race and not exactly well-educated or upper class lol.
Jo Spider my first reaction was money when it came to Matthew regardless of talent or age. Tom will do his best to nail accent and he has a better ear than most but there will always be people who will complain it is not up to scratch, But then how many people could actually do better than him remains to be seen. I know people who question Streep’s accents but she still gets offered Brit and other foreign characters.
I have a certain sympathy with Hank 111 as it is his granddad dad but his complaint has little to do with talent and from the sounds of it little understanding of the film business,
But just a thought Hank 111 never met his grand dad so even his performance expectations are based on film archives???
Hank…I mean Shelton (his real name) sounds upset he didn’t get asked to play the part. Matthew Mcconaughey is 44 years old! Most people from the South don’t care who plays the part as long as they do Hank Sr justice. My mother is from the South and is excited to see what he can do. The fact that they are using the music catalog shows the estate is on board with the film. Look at how that family treated Hank Sr own daughter Jett. Shelton wants to get his name out in the press. Its called ACTING people of different nationalities/countries don’t just play parts of their place of origin. I think Tom will give it 100% and do an excellent job.
“Hank…I mean Shelton (his real name) sounds upset he didn’t get asked to play the part”
Funnily enough I was just about to post the same thing. But it is all publicity for the film.
I was thinking the same thing about him wanting to play the part himself.
@ava,
Three quibbles, the people in the south WILL care, the family doesn’t own his music so one can’t infer that they’re okay with this and the Third isn’t trying to get press because he’s well known in Nashville. Everything else is spot on.
Hank Williams was more than just a southerner. He was an American. The South doesn’t own him. Plenty of films on a broad range of topics do just fine without the support of the Grand Ole Opry. I am not Southern or a country-music fan, although I do appreciate Hank Williams, both as a musician and an icon (can’t stand the music of his offspring) but I plan to see this film in the theater and I know several other northerners who hate country music who plan to see it as well.
@Lilac,
I don’t think I said that they owned him. I said that just because the filmmakers have access to the music doesn’t automatically mean that the family is okay with everything. They don’t own the music, so they didn’t have any say in how it can be used or even if it could be used. That could be the real reason the Third doesn’t like the casting. But he would never say that.
And while plenty of films do okay without Nashville, they won’t if GOO tells them that the film is bad and not to go see it. Fans of Hank and country in general will be listening and watching to see where the family lands on this movie. Well one down and several more to go.
Doesn’t mean its an automatic failure. But plenty of people have gotten into trouble underestimating that particular demographic.
If anyone can recall how Tom aged from Hal to Henry V I don’t think that will be a problem.
Afaik, he actually DEaged coz he did Henry V first and then Hal. For Henry he lost a bit of weight, slightly reddened his hair and had longer hair. He also mentioned getting the War Horse goatee at that time since he thought growing a beard significantly ages a person. He then switched to Hal, gaining back the weight and hence filling out the facial wrinkles which are natural for him as he does look older than his age. The same thing happened with Coriolanus. He gained quiye some weight and in turn looked quite younger.
He didn’t have a goatee in War Horse 😕
@Joe Spider-I think they meant that he had a goatee while promoting War Horse?
And for the record, his hair in both Henry pt. 1 & 2 and Henry V was the best. It was some great hair, hair I miss seeing on him.
@ M.A.F. Oh, right. Mind you at the rate his forehead is growing he won’t have any hair for us to miss by the time he is 40!
@joe spider and m.a.f. sorry for not being clear. Yes, by war horse I meant the war hore promotion days. The interviewer asked him whether he grew the goatee as a reply to BC having a mustache. And, Hal and Henry Tommy is the best Tommy EVER!! Amazing how very different he looked in the different parts.
@Joe Spider-LOL. As I was watching Sunday’s GOT, I was staring at Charles Dance’s hair & I was secretly hoping Hiddleston’s hair would turn out like his when he gets to be that age. Like his hair would stop right where it is now and he will stop cutting it so damn short and life would be great.
I’m maybe the only person in the world who isn’t into Henry Tommy, but Hal was definitely a sight to behold.
@Isadora, I prefer Hal Tommy too because he is more fun and I may be alone in this but I don’t love facial hair (my delicate skin has too many painful memories of beard burn), but I do enjoy Henry Tommy as well.
@joe spider –
He IS losing his hair, isn’t he? I keep thinking that I’m seeing things and then I’m like, yeah, no, definitely seeing a bit more forehead. I hope he starts slapping on some Rogaine. He’ll only be able to cover it up with longer hair for so long.
Yes, he is @Kate2.. Tommy is growing bald… 🙂
I don’t know about MM but I too find myself agreeing with him.
Joaquin Phoenix was excellent as Johnny Cash, TH could, should do no less.
Can’t remember, was there a lot of controversy when Phoenix was selected to play Cash?
I read that Johnny was okay with the casting, but didn’t live to see the finished film. Same with Ray Charles.
@Isabelle, although Cash supported the casting, there was some controversy. Phoenix himself thought there were better suited actors for the role.
Remember when Kevin Costner played Robin Hood with a “now you hear it, now you don’t” quasi-English accent? A lot of folks were critical, but the film still made a lot of money, and the world didn’t end. It’s a film; it’s entertainment. I’ll go just because Tom is starring. I don’t care if his accent is Texan, or Alabaman, or Old Etonian. He’s still my sweetie.
That’s the good thing: Tom has quite a few fans in Europe and especially Asia and maybe they will see the movie just for him. Remember the banner Taiwanese fans sent him after they have seen OLLA? I doubt they were all in the movie because they are such Jim Jarmusch fans. So they might also see Tom as Hank and really, they probably have no idea about American accents. I know I can hear if someone has a somewhat Southern accent (sounds like True Blood = Southern lol), but the rest… *shrug*
I don’t know where you are from Virgilia but to us Brits the biggest laughs in the KC Robin Hood weren’t so much the accent as the geographical inaccuracies. In that respect it was a “spot the bloopers” film over here.
Yes, but nobody will ever outshine Gibson as William Wallace in Braveheart.. The whole movie is a historical caricature, from the accent to the story… Yet, the movie made millions and won oscars. Go Figure!
Yes, someone should really have told the director that the Scots never wore woad, and nobody else had for about 1,000 years!
And only Scottish soccer team fan are probably painted that way.. Picts were not existing anymore 500 years before William Wallace… Plus they couldn’t have the colours of St. Andrew’s flag on their faces in the 14th century… LOL But I could point out one million mistakes in the movie… Isabella being 6 at Wallace’s time? Scots wearing tartans? The screenwriter must have visited Edinburgh as a tourist and got on one of those sightseeing buses where people are told all these ‘ancient’ stories… Roflmaaaooo
Braveheart is a wonderful film. Nothing to do with historical accuracy. If you want that, grab a history book.
Robin Hood is a terrible film. Again, nothing to do with historical accuracy. That film was just badly done. Bad acting, bad script.
In the end, a film is supposed to be entertainment with quality acting and directing. Everything else doesn’t really matter.
Braveheart was supposed to be kind of biopic, therefore historically accurate. It is based on William Wallace, who really existed.
You do a good job or a bad one. Braveheart was totally a bad one. The majority of Scots were quite displeased about how it turned out and it is basically a heresy in terms of accuracy of any kind.
By the way, it is also a horrible film. The fact it earned millions is irrelevant in terms of quality.
That is why Cary Elwes calls him out in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. “Unlike some Robin Hoods, I can speak w/an English accent.” or however the line goes.
God bless that movie.
Hahahahha priceless! 🙂
Yes, Men in Tights is the better version of Robin Hood.
Kevin Costner’s bad accent aside, I watch Robin Hood pretty often. True, it is because I absolutely adore Alan Rickman. 🙂
Rickman was absolutely brilliant – he stole the film.
Alan Rickman was delicious.
And my heart. <3 <3 <3 🙂
Although, if I am being honest, he really stole my heart when I saw Die Hard. I may like Loki, Draco Malfoy and Magneto, but my bad guy love will always be strongest for Hans Gruber. 🙂
Truly. Madly. Deeply.
Does anyone here watch the walking dead? It is one of my favs. I was watching for two years before I saw Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes and Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie in an interview. They are both characters from Georgia in the show. In the interview, they started to talk and they are both English! (note: Lauren was born in the US but went back to UK) I had no idea they spoke with a non-southern accents. People from England can do an accent and play a southerner! What I also don’t get about Hank III statement is that this movie having Tom in it will open his grand daddy’s music to a whole new audience. He should have said, “Wish they could have a southern actor, but as long as he does my grand daddy justice he is right by me.” It is only going to boost sales of Hank Sr. music. Is he afraid this movie will bring up too much family dirt? Maybe TMZ took his statement out of context?
And don’t forget about David Morrissey as the Governor. He’s British too and did a fine job.
Wait, he’s British? I knew Andrew Lincoln was, but I’m a little surprised to learn the Governor wasn’t played by an American.
Then again, I didn’t realize that half the cast of The Wire was British until the series was finished, so I’m apparently not so quick on picking up those things.
Yes, he sure is! Liverpool born and bred! I read somewhere that he listened to recordings of Bill Clinton and based his accent on Clinton’s.
I have been reading some discussions on some forums and I gathered that there are a lot of skeletons in that family’s closet. Which is absolutely understandable, give the kind of person Hank, Sr. was. Some people spoke about the huge – and, in their words, negative – influence his closest women had on him. Others wondered if the film would touch upon the subject of how much Hank’s self-destructive ways reflected on his son, Hank II. There will definitely be a lot of controversy. Maybe Hank III – as well as the rest of the family – would have preferred to keep it sort of “under control” if a Southerner – or maybe even Hank III – were cast?
I am beginning to wonder if I should search for Williams’ autobiography that the script is based on.
I think Hank Jr’s mom had a lot more to do with screwing him up. She made him into a carbon copy of his father and forced him to sing his father’s songs from a young age.
Oh I see, thank you for info, @mayamae! I am really curious as to how the accents will be laid in the film.
From the age of eight, his mother Audrey pushed him out there as his father’s mimic. She dressed him the same, made him sing his father’s songs, and even imitate his style. Hank Jr. always wanted to sing his own music. He caught a break when he became a teen and some of the older country music singers took him on tour and nurtured his creativity. They were role models for him, and helped him break away from his controlling mother.
I don’t want to let Hank Sr. off the hook for being an alcoholic father. I just think Hank Jr. was so young when his father died, I think he was four, that he mostly remembers the affectionate father who nicknamed him Bocephus.
I have a lot of affection for Hank Jr. when I separate him from his politics. He is very self-deprecating. His song Family Tradition is about his father’s history of alcoholism. “Why do you drink? To get drunk ….. “
@mayamae, this sounds quite seriously twisted =( It was probably also her way of coping with the loss, too, and I feel sorry for her, but it is just so wrong on so many levels IDE..
Andrew’s accent is pretty good, but Lauren’s slips a bit. I also thought David’s was pretty good.
Don’t forget the cast of True Blood, which is set in Louisiana. Sookie, Bill, Jason, and Erik are from New Zealand, England, Australia, and Sweden. The southern accents on the show have evolved over the years, and I don’t have a problem with the fact that they’re generic. Louisiana is tricky, in that the closer you get to New Orleans, the closer you get to sounding Cajun. I’d rather have generic than a poor Cajun accent.
There is not a single actor on that show that has been able to pull off the Louisiana/NOLA accent. They only ones who are even close to any type of Louisiana accent AND has been able to maintain it through series is Rutina Wesley, Ryan Kwanten, and Nelsan Ellis. Everyone else just has, as you said, some generic southern accent.
And what’s wrong with them having a generic southern accent? It’s a show about vampires for Gods sake, of all the unbelievable things there, the accent is not one.
They’re not filming a documentary on Louisiana, they’re filming a fictional supernatural tv show.
Actually, Leigh’s accent shifts throughout GWTW. Look at the scene where she comes back to Aunt Pitty’s house after failing to strongarm the doctor away from the wounded troops, and listen to the accent she uses when she says, “He can’t come. There’s nobody to come.”
I’m having a hard time getting upset about this. I don’t hate Hiddleston, but I don’t actually think his Loki is all that amazing (part of that is the writing, but not all). And I don’t think it’s all that unreasonable to have an opinion about who would be the best person to portray a member of your family.
Can’t say I am surprised. I respect the feelings of the Williams family and heirs, but I have read that Hank III is a difficult person to deal with, too. I wonder how far he’s willing to go in order to express his dissatisfaction with the casting =( It’s one thing to criticise a film to hell and back when it’s already completed and you have solid evidence that it’s a flop – and another to bash the casting even before the filming has started. Especially on the grounds of nothing but the actor’s nationality.
I don’t think this should come as a surprise to anyone. And people who don’t know anything about Hiddleston’s body of work are especially going to be skeptical, which is understandable.
But yeah, since none of us are psychic (to the best of my knowledge!) it’s just way too early in the game for anyone to be making predictions about how Hiddleston will do in the role, whether or not the movie will be well received or not, etc.
Yeah, that’s what I keep thinking. This movie is at least a year away from being released. The shoot is what, 4-5 months away? Lots can happen between now and both of those dates.
First post here. Hi ladies! I understand Hank lll’s feelings. His reactions are predictable, not without reason, though with more pride and affection than reason. I am pretty sure both Tom and the producers expected these kinds of negative feedbacks – hope that they will just do their best even more.
Just imagine why the producers and director had to pick a Britsh actor over a bunch of decent American actors. They must have expected these opposing voices. I suspect that Tom was choosen either because other actors are too expensive (MM) or old or less known or sings much poorly than Tom? The producers are not Dragonflies and have no desire to give Tom an opportunity unless they realized Tom was the best card they have (within their budget). Tom with a very similar look and with humble singing skills.
As for the film itself, I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic as I don’t have faith in the director’s abitlity. Just I felt pleasantly surprised at Tom’s brave choice. That is the thing a young and ambitious actor should do. Incidentally I am not worrying about singing too much mainly because I have no idea about whether sining is the major part of this film. And there are lots of ways to make singing less prominent – this biopic can highlight HW’s composing songs or lyrics or addiction or marriage, sometimes using old footage. So why not just wait and see.
By the way I am mildly optimistic about CP and HR and I think if the two films go well Tom’s failure in HW’s biopic (if it bombs) would be less damaging.
I was in NYC last weekend doing the stage door thing (at Les Mis), and met some gorgeous young men with fantastic singing voices. If singing ability were of paramount importance, they could have picked any young male Broadway actor.
Exactly, I don’t understand the obsession with Tom’s singing ability :s
I think Tom will pleasantly surprise everybody with his noodling skills 😉
I am wondering when he will have time with High Rise coming up to work on training his voice. Oh sure he may have been practicing some in his down time but he needs work.
I think he could pull off the ‘suthern’ thing OK. His is a fairly good mimic. But that voice. Yes he sang his heart out for his Hook cartoon and sang and pranced his way across the planet promoting TTDW and played an angst ridden vampire quite sexily, but this is Hank Williams. And even if it is a mid budget movie, if he sings those iconic songs himself and he does not sound close to HW, he will be taken apart a bit by the critics who love a good feeding frenzy. I hope this is a movie they are taking seriously BTW and not hanging their hopes on filling seats with TH’s fan base.
I read somewhere that he had been having voice and singing training already, perhaps when he wa in Canada. Also that he had auditioned for the part so they must be happy he can carry it.
Not sure about singing training but he was definitely already working on Hank during Crimson Peak (or even before that). Which is rather crazy if you ask me because he had Coriolanus (and the Jag commercial) right before CP with no break in between. So if we consider that at the beginning of this year his brain was probably full with all of Coriolanus, Sir Thomas Sharpe AND Hank Williams then I’m – once again – totally amazed by this. I have problems remembering even my grocery list.
1. I highly doubt they are counting on the Hiddleston fan base. Come on. This is Hank Williams. The movie is going to be a serious one and not some camp movie. And 2. if they were smart, as I keep saying, they will over dub his singing voice in post, especially if they realize while on set it’s not that great.
I’m sure he is taking the time now to work on the voice. But that film schedule has got to be brutal. Don’t know how long High Rise is suppose to last but they start in mid-July and the Hank film sounds as if it is schedule to start in October. That sounds brutal for an actor going from one character extreme to the other.
I am wondering about HR filming deadlines. IIRC, Wheatley shot A Field in England over the course of 2 weeks. However, HR will be his first studio-based film, so it will obviously take more time. But I don’t think it’ll take more than 3 months. Hopefully it’ll leave at least 1 month for him to prepare for ISTL. Not too bad.
I am estimating a mid-July to early September shooting schedule w/the Williams picture starting in mid-October going into early December then followed up w/studio sessions if they don’t record ahead of time.
This is a project that comes straight from the directors heart and all of Tom’s fans would not be enough to make a film break even. So although his popularity may have been a small part of the decision it was his talent that must have sold them.
Agree. Tom has the talent and energy to pull off this role.
The question is whether the director has the skill to utilize Tom’s talent properly.
I don’t think anyone is saying a Brit can’t do a Southern accent well. If they are they’re missing the point.
I’ve seen comparisons to some of the Brit actors on the Walking Dead made here. I’ve made it myself. The problem is that the characters on the Walking Dead aren’t real people. They’re characters created by the writers and actors. They can create whoever they want.
TH is portraying an actual person, with friends, family and fans who know him intimately and have real memories of him and his voice. Its different. I’m not saying he can’t do it, just saying its very very difficult and there are going to be a lot of people who are going to go into any movie re: HW with serious side-eye to start with, let alone one with a posh Brit portraying their American southern country hero. He may be brilliant. He may be awful. Who knows?
The other thing I don’t think is being argued is the effort he will put into this. We all know he’ll work his ass off so we don’t need to beat that point to death either (and I admittedly just made it a little while ago so I’m guilty too).
How big a release is this going to be? Walk the Line was a rather big budget wide-release movie. I don’t get the sense this is the same. As I said before I’m going to wait until the reviews are in before I decide if I want to see it. If they’re not good, then I’ll skip. I don’t need to see absolutely every single thing TH is in no matter what. I have no desire to see The Deep Blue Sea.
What Kate2 said. Spot on. He is going to get criticize regardless simply because he is playing someone a real life person and not a fictitious character.
And you aren’t missing much with the Deep Blue Sea. It “meh” to me.
I.didnt get the sense that high risre had a good budget that it would be full of Brit b-list actors. but they have sucked in an amazing cast which i guedd wont xone cheap.
I don’t think High Rise or ISTL will be “cheap”. I’m just wondering about how mainstream this movie is going to be. I guess if TMZ is talking about it then its more than OLLA.
My other concern (and I’m sure this is entirely too early to contemplate, as Janeite and I were discussing up thread) is that I wonder if there will be a certain group of people who will think “Been there, done that” because of Walk the Line. Like, they’ve had their fill of biopics about country western singers with tragic difficult lives and decide to stay away. WtL wasn’t that long ago. Which would be a shame if the movie is actually good. Although I guess if TH gets good reviews it wouldn’t matter THAT much if not a lot of people see it.
@Kate2, I’ve been thinking about Cumby’s The Fifth Estate actually and how imo the biggest mistake its producers made was trying to market it as a mainstream film. I am not sure about ISTL in this respect, either. It doesn’t sound cheap – and nor does HR – but ATM it doesn’t look to me like a mainstream film. I might be wrong though. I hope that, if the film proceeds and all goes as planned, its producers will adequately assess its target audience and market it accordingly.
@intro –
It doesn’t sound very mainstream to me either. Like, it will get noticed among TH and HW fans and maybe general country fans but its not going to be what WtL was. Which is fine with me.
@Kate2, people may be getting sick of biopics about musicians in general. In addition to Walk the Line, there was Ray and there’s a biopic of James Brown coming out this fall.
@’p’enny, it is driving me crazy that High Rise casting is not complete! Yes, amazing cast so far. Purefoy’s part is small but he’s the upper class competition to Jeremy Iron’s character. They really need to get going on the women’s parts. i need to know who will play Alice and Eleanor and Helen and Jane and Anne and the jeweler’s wife and Mrs. Steele.
I was concerned about WTL comparisons too… It already happens everywhere because Phoenix was phenomenal in it. I guess people won’t only compare Tom to the actual Hank Williams but also to Joaquin Phoenix.
Therefore I think it would even be good if IStL isn’t much of a mainstream film to seperate itself from WTL. On the other hand we don’t know anything about that yet. I’m really curious about the actresses that will be in this movie because if they get a huge star like Reece Witherspoon was for WTL it’s definitely mainstream.
Oh, god, I loved The Deep Blue Sea before I even knew who Hiddles was. It is very slow and moody and a bit depressing, though. And gorgeous and romantic and excellently done. But that’s just me! 🙂
I’m not overly concerned about TH getting Hank’s talking voice down. Hank died a long time ago, and although people are very familiar with his singing voice, his talking voice is far less known. Compare it to Sissy Spacek portraying Loretta Lynn. Loretta was still relatively young, and well known for her speaking voice.
I hope TH does the singing. Sissy Spacek did a great Loretta and Beverly D’Angelo did a great Patsy Cline. It makes the performance much richer. Jessica Lange’s portrayal of Patsy Cline was hampered (in my opinion) by the lip synching.
I believe he will be singing three songs.
Spot on! I was barely able to watch the Deep Blue Sea for 15 minutes and then I got bored.
To be honest, I will trust anyone else’s judgement of this Hank Williams biopic because I won’t see it, regardless of Tom being in the movie or not.
Yeah, I’m not sure I’m interested, even if its good. I’m not a country music fan, although I respect HW’s status as a legend in the genre, and I’m also not a musical biopic fan either. I think I only saw a little of Walk the Line and didn’t see Ray. I did watch Coal Miner’s Daughter, I think because I felt like I needed to as a film fan. It was good, but didn’t spark any desire to start watching more. I’m picky about biopics though.
If I do end up seeing it, it will be on OnDemand or something. We’ll see.
Have they cast Hank’s wife yet? I will be interested to see if Tom can portray a passionate relationship. Freddie was fairly reserved, King Henry was regal, Loki hasn’t gotten any yet (that we know of), Capt. Phillips loved his horse, F. Scott and Zelda were barely cameos, and I haven’t seen OLLA yet, but I’ve heard Adam described as depressed and introverted. I want to see Tom really get down with a female co-star and do a passionate relationship, both the love and the hate. If he does, and can capture other nuances of Williams, he might be in the running for an Oscar. It will help if he has chemistry with his co-star. I hope they let him read with the actresses who are being considered.
“Capt. Phillips loved his horse” 😆 😆 😆
I nominate “Captain Phillips loved his horse” as Best Comment in Thread… too perfect!
Wild applause!
*clapping* 😀
I thought there was great chemistry between Tom and Tilda in OLLA.
Oh, there was. It was so incredibly beautiful. But it wasn’t exactly a passionate relationship, more like a bone deep eternal love.
Agreed on Tom and Tilda, but as JoeSpider pointed out above, there was also great passion between Tom and the horse.
Let it be noted that this makes two characters on Tom’s CV that have, err, special connection with horses 😉
The chemistry with Tilda Swinton in OLLA was electric. Mind you, so is the chemistry with Chris hemsworth and Robert Downey junior. Go Tom.
@Virgilia I want to see Tom really get down with a female co-star and do a passionate relationship, both the love and the hate.”
OMG don’t we all!!!!
That should be interesting: Audrey really wanted to be as successful as Hank, but did not have the talent. Even my tone deaf mother says Audrey couldn’t sing. And she and Hank had a tumultuous marriage, about which numerous now classic songs were written by Hank.
Tbh, I slightly cringed when I found out Chewitel Ejiofor was cast in 12 yrs. I was commenting yesterday on my disapproval of Zendaya playing Aaliyah. I understand where Hank III is coming from with a none American playin his American relative, whom he was named after. After all, it is his relative. It’s not like Hank III is making trouble for Tom in any way. TMZ asked his opinion, and Hank III answered honestly.
I furrowed my brow when I read Tom would be playing Hank Williams but have come round to the idea. He can do a fine job. Hopefully the rest of the movie will be as good as his performance will be.
True, I’m a huge TH fan, but I’m not a fan girl, in the sense that, I would be delusional to think that no one would have the right to criticize the director’s casting. Tom is awesome, but I do understand that Hank Williams was not a fictional character. He was a person surrounded by people that loved him. It doesn’t really matter if those family members were able to spend a significant amount of time with him or none at all.( However, I’m pretty sure they were told cherished stories about their famous relative). It doesn’t matter if their forename was passed on from Hank or their middle name was passed on from Hank, it doesn’t make him any less significant to them. They are his family. They have a right to voice their opinions and lack of enthusiasm on the casting choice, even if it would seem petty to others. I don’t think that Hank III is trying to cause controversy for the movie in any way. Neither do I think he wants attention for voicing his disagreement with the casting choice. I also don’t think he has anything against Tom as a person or as an actor, I just think that when asked, he gave his honest opinion, can’t fault a man for that.
It wouldn’t be a role I would have thought of Hiddleston for, but I’m of the “wait and see” attitude toward casting – at least when there isn’t some obvious motive for choosing someone inappropriate, like pushing a big name star into a picture, using a very young actress instead of an older one, or whitewashing characters of color.
I don’t see any reason to suspect any of those things. Hiddleston doesn’t have anywhere near that kind of star power, and the other two issues don’t apply. He’ll have to work on accents and singing, but I’m going to assume he had a great audition and impressed the filmmaker for now, and assess his performance when the movie is released.
Same here, lunchcoma. And there will probably be some more info about how he got the part when promotion for the movie takes place.
This is going to sound horribly superstitious but I’m getting the same gut feeling about I Saw the Light as I did for the Capa film. It’s this nagging feeling that Tom has bad luck and that when he signs something as lead actor that has mainstream appeal as well as Oscar potential, the thing takes a nosedive. I’m not saying this Hank III disapproval is a bad omen or anything but I can’t help but feel this movie is going to get shelved.
*chews fingernails nervously*
I know what you mean, but it won’t be many months before we find out will it?
I would love to know what happened with the Capa because Tom put a lot of hi own time into research for that movie, so it was obvious he wanted to do it. All I’ve seen is a tweet from Paul Andrew Williams saying it wasn’t going to happen it it wasn’t his own fault.
Oh, that’s a bummer to have happened to Tom. I came along later in the fandom, so of course hadn’t heard about this. We have to keep our fingers crossed for him.
@Joe – wasn’t there a theory that Marvel killed the Capa project to keep Tom’s schedule open? Not sure I buy that, wouldn’t they have just re-cast the role and still made the film? It probably did fall through because of a funding issue. Too bad really, Capa was an interesting guy and there would have been (presumably) lots of close-ups of HiddlesHands caressing a Leica… sigh. I will confess to zooming in on those Capa-research photos trying to get a better look at his gear. No, gentle readers, that is not a euphemism – just serious camera envy from an amateur shutterbug.
Me too, joe spider. It was really strange how the whole Capa film got scrapped. He dyed his hair and had been traveling, researching the role and everything.
I hope that I Saw the Light is a success too. It would be terrible if Tom and the crew work so hard on it and it’s not as successful.
‘ahem’ i’m not going down the road of Marvel killing Capa…. again. ‘cough’
but let’s agree that european film funders don’t have the same clout as the American film industry. ‘fingers crossed’ eh?
Hm… How long before the Capa shoot was scheduled did it fall apart? And yeah, something was fishy with that… I mean, film projects fall apart all the time, but if he already dyed his hair then they must have been right before shooting or not? And that’s rather strange. Most failed film projects just get stuck in development hell and not fall apart in the last possible moment.
@Isadora
it was due to start shooting end of June, it was a two month shoot. Exactly the same time Hiddles was called in by Marvel to do those three big reshoots, the reshoots took place sporadically in LA, June, July and start of August. There would have been no way Hiddles could film Capa in spain and keep flying back and forth to LA. And, unfortunately both Hayley and Hiddles had theatre commitments in the Autumn, that I am not sure that postponing the start of filming would have been possible.
Oh well, I would like them to go back to Capa eventually. But Paul Williams has said it’s dead in the water.
@’P’enny: I wonder if Tom is secretly relieved that Marvel has let Loki be (the king of Asgard) for the time being and is capitalising on his freedom as much as he can. Hence these back-to-back projects. He knows he only has maybe two years before Thor 3. If he manages to really establish himself as an independent actor during this time, Thor 3 will probably be able to boost his career more than his previous 3 Marvel instalments.
@intro
definitely, i got that vibe from the Toronto interview in the press. When he said, “first three years when i don’t have to commit six months of year to Marvel.”
I do actually think they will go into filming for Thor 3 next year, it’s no coincidence that Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth or Hiddles havn’t one single publicly confirmed film 2015. [could be wrong though, heh-ho] Cap America and Dr Strange or Cap America and Thor… which two films are going to production in 2015…mmmm i don’t know all the fuss about Dr Strange i think it will be that…. maybe Chris and Tom have begged for a few years off.
Awww, don’t say that =( I want this to happen so much because this is an excellent experience for Tom – even if the film flops in the end.
intro Outro, I don’t want the film flopping. When someone is like Tom and puts his career above everything else and works as hard and sincerely as he does on his projects, it hits your self esteem and confidence pretty hard when your work isn’t successful.
If I Saw the Light makes it through, I’m very much hoping it reaches Walk the Line or Ray success levels. Otherwise, I’d much rather prefer Tom getting a project that would spotlight his talent while being a critical and box office success. He strikes me as the kind of actor who wants to do quality work but also wants mainstream success. Kind of like his dear Shakespeare 😀
Nooo, I don’t want it flopping either, of course! But Williams seems such an interesting character that I, like Hiddles, am willing to take a chance with him rather than watch Hiddles in another WWI drama in a safe and well-trodden role 😉
@portia..uh oh. I hope that does not happen. Also, since they have already done some sort of promo with the first photo, I’m hoping things are more in place than they were during the Capa pre production. *fingers crossed*. in case this falls apart (don’t kill me… I’ll be devasted if it actually does) TH will be severely discouraged and will definitely need some loving., in which case I need to figure where to place myself so that he automatically finds my shoulder to cry on. *puts on thinking cap*
Get in the queue!
Churasco, I don’t think you need to wait til he’s down in the dumps to give him some loving. If you know what I mean 😉 And like joe spider said, get in line and no cutting haha!
Love Hank Williams III’s music. But love Hiddleston too. Arghhh!!!!
Someone said the family has the right to be critical because they’re the ones who knew the real Hank Williams Sr….well, honestly, I’m not sure there’s anyone alive today who can claim that, with the possible exception of former Drifting Cowboys member Joe Pennington.
Bocephus (Hank Jr) was 4 when his father died….and I find it interesting that the two successive male generations go by “Hank Jr” and “Hank III” when, as has been pointed out, that isn’t their actual names (middle names, I believe.) From many accounts, it is the daughter/granddaughters who are actually carrying on Hank Sr’s musical lineage. One of’em was performing with some of the original Drifting Cowboys until a few years ago.
Hank III played Hank Sr in something, not sure what happened with that.
As for Matthew Mcconoughey (sp?) , wouldn’t his salary pretty much equal this film’s entire budget?
It doesn’t matter when he died.
Families pass down stories of their loved one, the history of their relatives, and what not…
They’re entitled to an opinion more so than anyone else.
Unrelated to my response but relevant to the topic of TH playing Hank, I don’t like it.
I know he’ll do well but I’m tired of Brits playing American characters based on real people, especially in this case–i don’t care about fictitious characters.
I’ve no concern about Tom nailing the accent, the southern accent IS descended from the original British one, there’s a really cool linguistics video on YT about it…
Maria, I can see where you’re coming from. I may not agree with you but I can still respect your point of view. Country music is considered such a uniquely American form of music that I’m sure you are far from the only one to feel the way you do.
My hope is that Hiddleston will do well in the part and I hope he was cast because it was felt that he was the best person for it. But that’s not to say that there are not American actors who couldn’t pull it off as well. We will all just have to wait and see how he does and how the movie is received when it comes out.
The classic Southern drawl has some linguistic similarities to many British accents. And British actors in general have a better track record with American accents than vice versa.
A little something for you from http://www.indiewire.com/article/meet-joanna-hogg-the-british-filmmaker-who-discovered-tom-hiddleston-and-deserves-your-attention
“One last point about American audiences though, is that they love Tom Hiddleston. He’s becoming a bit of a phenomenon here. You sort of discovered him; how did you meet and cast him originally?
Right. I met him when he had just graduated from drama school. I was told about him by a casting director, who had seen him in his graduation performance and was really impressed with him. So I met him, and was also very impressed with him obviously. He had very little screen experience. He had done one television series but he hadn’t made a feature film. So it was his really early days. He was very young when he began, but he already had his feet on the ground. So I don’t think he’s been swept away by all of this. He’s very grounded. He hasn’t changed, in a really good way, since when I first worked with him.”
Its strange, I just went to Dlisted and did a search on TH, just out of curiosity. There’s a few posts about him there including the one about him getting HW and there’s definitely a fanbase there. I used to frequent that place a lot and its my impression that most are around my age. Certainly not teenagers. I guess the point is I’m trying to figure out what his “star level” is. He’s not an A to be certain. B- to B at best. The interviewer in the article you linked said he’s a phenomenon here in America. But outside internet circles (although I’m not sure that any other circle matters these days , does it?) I don’t see him. Maybe that’s what he means. Its not like I ever hear of him anywhere but on the web.
I don’t even know why this matters to me. I think I’m still circling back to my selfish desire to see him out of the mainstream.
I hear you, @Kate2, although I personally think this mainstream vs. true art division is, for example, fuzzier in film than in music where lots of fans are virtually obsessed with their bands being “non-commercial” and non-conformist. Currently I would not worry about Hiddles selling himself out. His every film project so far – apart from Loki, but even Loki is a special case since Hiddles seems to have put so much of himself into it – has been quite artsy. Maybe we have to thank Hollywood for not really buying into Hiddles post-Loki 😉
@intro-
Absolutely! Agree with everything you just said. I’ll thank Hollywood for that 😉
And here’s another one who hopes Hiddles won’t become too mainstream. 😉 And I love his choices so far as I don’t solely watch his stuff because he’s in it but because it really seems interesting. Especially his last few roles (in Coriolanus, OLLA, Crimson Peak, High-Rise) are so right-up my alley.
BTW reading this tidbit by Joanna Hogg I can’t help myself but imagine her searching for a good actor to portray Oakley and discovering Hiddles. Must have been quite a moment. I love him as Oakley, he makes him so natural even in his smallest movements he is totally that boy.
I’ve been reading the press this morning for TWL, since Hank Williams grandson stuck his oar in. And it’s been fascinating, this has to be brilliant PR for the film. Even the Daily mail is running with this is. Tom get’s Daily Mail coverage without it being about being with an actress!
The filmmakers will be clapping now, because controversy is good exposure. And, I am loving how the Hiddles army is defending the casting.
This is also amazing PR for hiddles personally, too. Separate to the Avengers, this must gain a lot of exposure for him. A lot of people out of the cult circle will be pricking up their ears – who?
Now all we need is a duet between Dolly Parton and Hiddles and I will be in my element. Joooleene Joolenee don’t take my man.
Oakley is probably his best acting so far. He really WAS that kid. It was spooky how much of similar real-life boys I saw in that character. Kinda makes me wonder if he was a bit like Oakley when he was that age.
He was Oakley, no doubt about it. A party goer with the charm that gets the older ladies 😉 Drinks a lot and lives in a sheltered middle-class world. that was why he was cast, Joanna Hogg casts people who really reflect the characters they are playing and can improvise and not feel out of character when she changes the script last minute.
I too, found his acting really good in Unrelated, considering he was 23/24 at the time? The argument scene with his father and the scene when she turns up and tries to explain to his friends why she told his father what they did. That pained expression, which I am hoping to see a lot of in Towards the Light.
I must add, I really don’t find Hiddles attractive at this point in his career, cute but not shaggable. It’s not until he was in Archipelago that he’s grown out the teenie look of Unrelated and S/Shootout and starts being a grown up. Then in Wallander and Return to Cranford he really is lovely and gorgeous. Wish he grow those blonde curls back!!!! grrr
@Isadora: I agree, I would watch Jarmusch, del Toro, Wheatley, Hogg and modern, visceral takes on Shakespeare no matter who is cast.
@A.Key: I don’t have a fav Hiddles role, love them all, but my fav Hogg film is Archipelago – as well as my fav Hogg Hiddles is Edward. ‘P’enny is right, Hogg has the most unusual method of working with actors, I can’t find that particular interview ATM but Tom said there that actors basically become so immersed in their characters in Hogg’s films that they get to the point where they lose objectivity. I found another, recent interview about Exhibition though, and this is what she says about Hiddles:
“It interests me to create roles for Tom that challenge him, that sometimes go against who he is. Or maybe just tap into one little facet of him. In “Exhibition” I’m concerned to stress that he has a cameo; he’s got a very small but very wonderfully played part. I enjoy finding new roles for him. And I will hopefully be working with him many more times in the future.” (from http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/interview-director-joanna-hogg-on-exhibition-writing-roles-for-tom-hiddleston-and-the-challenges-of-staying-indie-20140204?page=1#blogPostHeaderPanel)
@’P’enny: I also find baby Hiddles waaaay too baby-ish for my taste lol.
good grief! Hiddles has just given Exhibition a shout-out on his facebook page, “joanne Hogg.. my dear friend etc…” He hardly ever posts to facebook. in shock. LOL.
@Ava-I hear you! My mom is in that generation (she saw Hank Sr play and even met him for a few seconds afterwards when she was 11 or so) and she’s excited to see this movie. I think there are a lot of old-school fans who just want to see a good movie made; they feel they’ve been waiting long enough.
It has also occurred to me that Hank’s biographer was British. Interesting that they didn’t think an American would be required to write the definitive book about the man! 🙂
Joquin phoenix sang live for johnny cash. I think he could’ve pulled of hank, too. JP can do anything, it seems, as far as acting. I think MM is too ‘MM” to do an icon like this. Though, I actually have always loved MM, so no shade. He’s just very charismatic as himself on screen to blend into the character. Hiddleston is an interesting choice. One thing in his favor: He works really hard at anything he takes on. For sure he will give it his all and take it seriously. My two cents on the matter.
I think HW3 should be more concerned about Hiddles singing than what country he is from.
In my opinion HW should be played by an unknown rising star
@ Ellen- I agree. I can’t believe that they did not find a young country singer in the states to play that role. As much as I like Tom, I find it odd. Then again, I have faith that he knows his strengths and limitations so I guess we just have to wait and see. I have to say, I did not like one bit the idea of Mark Ruffalo replacing Ed Norton. Love Ed Norton. Then I saw the avengers and loved Ruffalo. Tom may surprise us.
I know that agents do all sorts of things to get clients a role. And I am NOT saying Tom didn’t earn it, but it is not so black and white as to who gets cast in what. Plus we are assuming that Gareth, Josh Lucas and Co are interested. Maybe they weren’t and Tom was the next best choice.
Part of the HW3 disapproval may be because it makes more of a homage when you cast a well known, established, recently recognised actor to the role. Hence McConaughey. Maybe the family wanted a big star attached to the movie, after all, they did sign the rights to the music.
“I can’t believe that they did not find a young country singer in the states to play that role.”
Probably because they need an actor? xD
Julk, the family did not have the rights to the music. Sony holds the rights. The family has never had the music rights and had to sue to get royalties.
@ lilacflowers – thanks. Did not know that.
@Camil- did mean to say actor/singer… ;-P
I love Matthew McConaughey too, but he is far too old to play Hank Williams. I think Hiddleston may surprise us all and I hope he does. Anyway, I don’t think they would have offered it to him if his audition – and you know they would have had him and other actors show them what they could do – had not been strong enough.
I’ve accepted this. I don’t think that it is possible that his accent could be worse than my beloved David Tennant’s American accent (that said, I can’t wait until I get to hear that horrible accent for ten weeks in Gracepoint this Fall!).
I’m not surprised that someone in the family said something bad about it. I suspect he is upset he wasn’t consulted, or asked.
I think Tom’s a great actor so I think he’ll do a GREAT job. Also, while I’m not a fan girl or attracted to him, he’ seems to be such a sweet, good person! Very genuine guy and rare in this day and age.
Casting controversies can be good for box office returns and DVD sales. Good luck, Tom, though you don’t need it.
All in all, IMO, Tom is a great guy. I hope he nails the role & gets an Oscar and gains fans..good fans that will be happy for us when he proposes to me, & we finally marry , buy a home, settle down, & have 3 kids. 😉
Jane! Glad to see you! Hehehe! 🙂
Sorry Abby_J, I’m not Jane. I’m Word Girl..ehehe, and the future Mrs. Hiddleston. Didn’t mean to confuse you, thanks for the warm greeting though. I’ll remember to invite you to the wedding.
You’ll have to get him out of the room that Lilacflowers and I have him shackled in with Jonny Lee Miller. 🙂 Mark Strong is a pretty good guard for that room. 🙂
If you manager all that, I’ll bring a lovely present at the wedding, as we steal him back. 🙂
@Abby_J, Colin would like it remembered that he is helping Mark with guard duties. Mark is rolling his eyes. And Sean is shouting something from the boot. Gift wrapping that lovely present now – shackles make such a festive gift, don’t they?
How could I forget my lovely Colin? I will make it up to him later.
Shackles. Perfect gift. 🙂
I will not be happy for you ¬¬
jajajajajaja
Oh, my dearest Camil, do try to be happy for us. I’ll even let you come visit, but stroking my Hiddleypoo is strictly off limits.
Well… I could try, but you have to promise you’ll give birth a beautiful baby Hiddles, with blonde curls and angelical face LOL.
Dear Word Girl, in order for all that to occur, we would have to release him from the back seat of the Jag. Not going to happen. Sorry.
Amen, Sister!
Yeah, not on my watch!
Although I should probably shut up as Sean is currently in my basement and Fassy is always mine anyway. I think the correct term for this is “avarice”.
@Icerose, since I’m on watch duty here in Boston for an actor I do not fancy, I do believe I should get a little more in compensation. Although Fassy is all yours.
Well, everyone must have a goal in life. Good luck to you.
@word Girl
You have a queue of ‘Hiddleswiddleswivestobe’ to get through. I am currently hiring Jack Bauer to take out Mark Strong and destroy the Jag. I’m confident this will be achieved in 24 hours.
I just hired Donald Sutherland to give Jack Bauer a stern lecture.
I love Donald Sutherland… 😀
Jack ain’t listening btw he has father issues. Knowing that his daddy was in the Cloudbusting video by Kate Bush and he failed to use his connections to get him a ticket for her first gig in 30 years, he won’t speak to him. And, because his technological design for creating a machine to such up clouds failed and it forever rains in this god-forsaken England. He’s fired.
Lilacflowers,
I suggest we convince Jack Bauer to stay with us. He REALLY needs a hug.
he’s mine! Abbey_J Kiefer/Bauer is all mine… he is following me and the hugs are from me and his hair ruffles and cute bow lips are mine! back off…. ‘evil fight’ Gosh… i thought i was defensive over Hiddles.
OMG! i have a new crush, thanks Netflix for giving me 24 for free.
I bet on Hiddles, he’ll do this one just fine.
Matthew McConaughey’s too old to play him. Tom will do a good job.
I grew up in the south and we love our GWTW…and I’ve never met any fan that doesn’t adore Vivien Leigh. I’ve only ever heard bitching about Leslie Howard not being a good Ashley – which I agree he was not. Leigh, Gable, de Havilland and McDaniel are amazing though.
Matt McM is too old now for it. That is why I suggested an unknown. It doesn’t mean Hiddles still can’t be in it though.
Personally I think that some people (not on here) are being really disrespectful and distasteful in being nasty to HW grandson. Of course he has a right to have an opinion on who should play his grandpa. But saying he should shut up is wrong.
I wish some fans would stop criticizing Hank Williams iii. Of course he would want to have a say and an opinion on who should play his grandpa. Wouldn’t anyone else?
He didn’t criticize Hiddles acting he just said he should be played by a southerner.
I don’t suppose Hank III is half as p*****d as Carole Thatcher was when they cast Meryl Streep as Maggie Thatcher – whilst she was still alive.
In his Twitter Q&A from last year, someone asked what portraits Adam from OLLA had on his wall and Tom answered that one of them was Hank Williams. I wouldn’t mind betting he’s been gunning for this part for a few years. I think he’ll do a better portrayal than some are imagining.
that’s interesting titbit. some of these films are in discussion for years before it comes to fruition.
There was a HW song in OLLA as well. Tom (sorry, Adam) does this great little sideways glance and bobs along to it.
Sorry, I just rewatched the snippet I was thinking of and it isn’t HW. Was going off my memory which is now proven useless…
*Makes distracting noise against the iron bars that hold my Hiddleypoo in the dusty jail of a basement to get Johnny Lee Miller’s attention. Lucky me, I’ve borrowed the ring of Bilbow Baggins to sneak past that Miller* *Quickly unlocks the chains that hold my Tommy down*
No, Hiddleypoo, leave the chains on Fassy, I’ve warned you both before against writing letters that Dear Abby_ J, I knew they were a trap. Besides we haven’t the time to save him. I’m sorry.
* Looks at Tommy with sad puppy- dog eyes*
I know, but we must be careful not to trigger the Lilac thorns, dirty little beasts they are!
*Runs quickly through the gardens with Tommy in tow to avoid Isadora’s sneaky gaze in her crystal ball.*
No we mustn’t take the Jag; it’s a trap, I tell you. That P’enny dreadful will be after you in no time flat.
* Makes way safe to my hidden lighthouse with security all around.*
Phew, we’ll be fine. Let the marital ceremonies begin!
@word girl
beware the tracker… Jack’s after you. A Hidden lighthouse? we will starve you out 😀
That might mean something to somebody, but it was Double Dutch to me. 🙂
But Tommy will find his way back to me. He just loves to go running with me! I’ve trained him very well to find his way back.
Hysterical post, Word Girl. I snorted my coffee. 🙂
just had a whacky thought, it’s Glastonbury right? what if Hiddles is a mystery guest on one of those back stages, like they always do. Have mystery guests and the crowds go nuts. it would be hilarious if he sang Hank Williams songs. It would go down a storm.
Anyway, since Hiddles has high friends in the music industry expect he can get a free pass in as a ‘special [date] guest’ of JA. 😀 hope there are some more sneaky photos. There is no doubt in the world she won’t miss Glastonbury.
He missed out on it last year due to work and if I’m right it’s in July he’s going to miss out on it again.
No funny pictures of Fangirl Jane and Hiddles drunk dancing this year 🙁
Glasto starts tomorrow. 🙂
Wait, I thought Tom was at Glastonbury last year. That’s when he started following Jane Arthy on twitter and one of the bands she reps, Foals. Actually, yeah, he followed them both at the same time and exactly after the Foals performed at Glastonbury. I took that to mean that he had gone there, or at least to that one performance.
benny was at glasto last year, mmmm gossip?
Oh ‘p’enny, now my brain is firing off with Hiddles & Cumby bromancing it up! Can you imagine those two dorks sloshed and dancing it up? Because I can 😀
Does he even have time for Glasto?? I still wonder about the charity and why he didn’t even follow or tweet about it. Though it is still a mystery to me if he is laying low or just really busy.
I am actually wondering if he is going to show up at Wimbledon. Unlike last year around this time, this year he has a fully packed schedule.
Is Sean bean in the boot going to play the dog in high rise?
Sean-bean burger the vege option for Dr laing.
Whoa, wonder if the Hanks family conversation went something like: “You mean the guy who played that Loki person? He was all bad and dressed real funny. How is THAT our grandad?”
Well, Loki is calling me…..need to watch some Thor: Dark World before I start any work. He’s just too freakin’ adorable!! Can’t help it. I won’t even try.
And “Gee, Ma….did grandad ever dress up like a goat?”