Did they look like you pictured?

[Fëalossë]

For everybody who read the books before seeing the movies:

When reading, everybody gets some kind of portrait painted in their mind of the characters by their description (albeit somewhat vague). Did the actors portraying characters in the Lord of the Rings look like you had pictured them in your mind?

After seeing the Fellowship of the Ring for the first time, I got a lot of comments about what people had pictured the characters as (and why they did a bad or good job of casting). And PLEASE don't say that they did a good job because the character is hot... ESPECIALLY in the case of Aragorn... thank you in advance...

Personally, I think that Merry and Pippin should have been switched, they did an incredibly good job on casting both Gimli and Legolas, Frodo and Sam both looked way different than I had thought, Gandalf was good, Aragorn so-so, Boromir way off, everybody from Rohan was completely different (except Éowyn was not too bad.) and Faramir didn't look anything like I'd pictured.

I'll explain for some. Aragorn was supposed to have black hair and was supposed to be ugly; Boromir should have had dark hair and light eyes, as Tolkien described; and Faramir was supposed to look like Boromir (which he did, but Boromir looked wrong. lol); and I pictured Frodo with a pointier nose (don't know why...); etc.

What did you think?

[Mánalinya]

I know what you're saying. Yes, a lot of the characters look different from how Tolkien described them. But then, Tolkien didn't always give that much description: he left a lot of it up to the reader's imagination.
Gimli, Gandalf, Eowyn, and Bilbo, all looked exactly how I had pictured them. Some of the others (the hobbits, Legolas, Aragorn, Arwen) looked somewhat similar to my mind's picture. Only a couple, especially Elrond) didn't look at all like how I had pictured them.
However, I think all the characters were cast really well, even if they didn't all look exactly how I had imagined. And now that I've seen them, I can't really imagine anyone else trying to play the roles.

[Mirkgirl]

Boromir was ok... I mean I never managed to picture him before so everything is good...
Faramir looks like a pig to me for some reason...

Aragorn wasn't supposed to be ugly. I suppose you're after the "look faul feel fair" but it just means that he looks like someone who's been out for a long time and doesn't ahve time to look like an elf..er fairy ;) he just wasn't looking sweet, like someone you'd trust for the looks...

What really bugged me were the eyes... Aragorn's are grey Frodo's are brown for gods sake... I felt like watching dune couple of times :o

And I didn't like Gandalf... I don't know why he felt wrong.. I think Im the only one tho

[Lalaith of Rohan]

Somehow I think most of them were pretty good...I don't think I ever thought of Legolas with blond hair though...I somehow thought maybe Faramir would look a little more...noble? Or something. Gimli was perfect, and I thought Gandalf was just fine, but then I don't think I ever pictured him in detail. Celeborn somehow seemed all wrong, you know? And I thought maybe Arwen would look a little different.
But all in all I think everyone fit their roles pretty well. ;) :thumbs: :)

[Mirkgirl]

You're right about Celeborn... but I have always thought that there is something wrong with him so it's all good :grin:

[ImDaMom]

I'm not sure if they fit MY images, but I did think they all filled their roles quite well. However, as I read the books now, I still see my own visions of the characters, not the actors, and they aren't so far from what PJ cast. (Maybe Faramir is the exception- his hair is supposed to be raven) I actually thought Aragorn was as close to what I imagined as possible. as was Gandalf.

[Lady Melody]

Probably PJ switched a few colours here and there because he couldn't find anyone who fits the character enough, plus I don't think Faramir can grow a 'raven' beard, so it's forgivable I guess. Even Legolas's eyes are brown with weird blue colouring something in the movie.

I imagined Aragorn with a deeper voice, and well a bigger built. Arwen is eye-candy as she's supposed to be, and Eowyn fits her role too, but she's not cold enough. Boromir passes, Frodo is too young, Sam looks older than him while it's supposed to be the other way around, Pippin and Merry looks ok. Hobbits are hobbits after all.

Gandalf looks like somebody's grandfather to me than a wizard, but overall the casting did a great job, and the actors and actresses did their jobs well too.

[Evenstar]

I think that's cos he forgets his contact lenses pfbbt

Elrond seemed a little too frowny to me and as for Celeborn... pfbbt grrrrr

but I thought Aragorn, Eowyn, Boromir, Sam, Hobbits were fine. Faramir was not at all how i imagined him, but he's better in the SEEDVD. :grin:

[Lady Melody]

Did you guys notice that the nearer Sam and Frodo got to Mordor, the fatter Sam is. I thought that it's supposed to be the other way around.

lol

I'm serious.

[Lady Ashley]

I always saw Boromir with a Viking helmet and a deep, Italian or Russian voice and a bugger build, and Lady Melody! someone else who actually pictured Aragorn with a deeper voice!

I always saw Merry as Bernard from "The Santa Clause". Bilbo was pretty much the same. Theoden and Eomer no, Eowyn wasn't as cold, I agree. Faramir did indeed need darker hair, and Boromir...yeah. And ya know what? I've been reading ROTK and guess who is now Denethor in my mind? John Noble!

Frodo has always been Elijah Wood. I saw the trailer early on, lol. In fact, he played Bilbo for me when I first read The Hobbit!

Galadriel was the same, tho not creepy like that...Arwen...nope. Her voice is too deep for me, and just not quite her. Sam has now become Sean Astin, though I didn't see him as Sam at first. He grew on me. *gives Sean Astin a mental hug* Celeborn I don't really remember...Haldir...his voice is not elvish enough for me.

And Gandalf! I always thought he ought to speak quicker, forcefully and slightly deeper, but as for looks...pretty much Gandalf. (the Grey at least. The White is waaay different.)

Sauron I never could picture as an eye, more like a shadowed figure in black on a black throne, more human-like. Chris Lee fits the bill for Saruman! (ok, only because I saw FOTR before I read TTT...)

Legolas I always saw an blonde because I have a thing where certain letters represent certain colors...'L' says blonde to me. (I always imagined him with a higher toned voice and still do. Sorry, Orlie my dear. Your voice is too deep for an Elf.)

Gimli I can't picture as anyone but JRD's portayal now. He was too good. (but I always knew Gimli had an Irish voice! Eowyn still does for me.)

[Fëalossë]

Orlando Bloom's voice? Too deep? roflmao

[Mirkgirl]

I haven't noticed that either...

Ahh Galadriel... she didn't look like Galadriel for me... she seemed... fake... and it's not the toxicgreen lol

[LuthienT]

Everyone to me seemed just like I imagined.. Expect for trolls I thought they would look like those dolls that people have(LOL)

[Ithilien]

I felt that all the actors embodied their roles to perfection. In terms of looking like the characters as described in the book...most of them fit more than perfectly. Legolas and Gimli being the best fit of the bunch. I can't imagine them looking any other way. Arwen and Galadriel while both played by beautiful actress could never match that type of perfection that I expect when reading the elvish character descriptions. Lets face it they're being played by humans not angelic creatures.

The ones most off were, of course, Boromir and Faramir. Don't get me wrong I adore Sean Bean and thought David Wenham was great but they were supposed to have "raven hair" and grey eyes. I thought that in terms of looks the guy they had playing Isildur in the prologue looked a lot like I imagined Boromir to be. As for Faramir I've been keeping my eye out for an actor that would match the book description and I have to say I haven't seen one yet. I'm sure the casting agents had difficult time as well. I'm not surprised they went with good acting instead.

[LuthienT]

I agree, Sean and David acted and looked like real brothers.

[Fairlyn]

I had read the books a million times before i saw the movies, and to be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to seeing the movies because I was so sure they'd spoil my imadgination.
But when i did see them, I couldn't believe how accurate they where to my imadgination from the book. I usually have trouble putting faces to characters, but I had their general appearance in mind. Everyone was alomst exactly like i had thought they were and the ppl who i hadnt been able to picture were just right! lol
I think everyone in the movies did a fantastic job of playing the charactors (especially Elijah Wood as Frodo), but Cate Blanchett (galadriel) was to fake, she looked like galadriel but she was in a dream land all the time, and in my oppinion, no one, not even an elf, would naturally be like that. I think Elrond was far more believable than her. I could go on forever about what i think of everyone, but i wont bore u all too death. lol

[Gryffonheart]

Well, considering I saw FotR before reading the books, I have nothing to say against the members of the fellowship or the elves or Saruman. But when I saw TTT, I thought Eowyn and Faramir and Eomer looked somewhat different. But I such vague pictures that most of them looked alright. I didn't think any of them were awful.

[Miriel Baggins]

Well, when I read books, some of the characters just walk into the story clear and real, and others stay just vague the whole time. (Like you said, Gryffonheart.) I had a very clear, solid picture of quite a few characters in LR, but not many of them matched the people in the movies. Gandalf, Legolas, and Pippin were the only ones that were almost exact. That was really cool.

For some characters (the ones that I only had vague ideas of), the movie helped. Like Aragorn. I never knew how to picture him, and then I saw the movie and thought he was perfect, so . . . there you have it! :grin:

And, for the others, although they're different from the way I pictured them, I like them very well in the movies. My Sam, for example, was really thin and had black hair. A little different from the movie. lol I've retained the look of the book characters, while adding the movie characters to my "collection." :) It works well.

[ImDaMom]

As I've said before, I still think they fit the roles. PJ must have had the same mental image I did as he cast the movies.....And I thought Cate did an amazing job as Galadriel! I was impressed how David W and Sean B really acted like brothers!

[Lady Ashley]

And the four actors played the four hobbits wonderfully. Really, I think all did a great job acting.

But as for looks, they're difference from what I saw (as I said earlier), though Sam has always had blond hair for me. (The letters 'S' and 'L' seems to say "blond hair" to me.) Eomer I imagined with black hair and plate armor...don't ask, lol.

I still do the voices I gave them in the books. Eowyn and Gimli have Irish accents, Aragorn a deep voice, Boromir an Eastern Europe accent, Merry an American accent, all the rest British.

Beregond is the only one I cannot give an English or Irish accent to. See, I must have watched Kevin Costner's "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" when I read ROTK, so Beregond has always looked and sounded like the Moor Costner befriended. Except for the Gondorian armor. That's really strange, I know, but I'm strange like that. In fact, I was so used to seeing Beregond and his son as African that when I saw Anke Eissmann's drawing of Pippin and Beregond at the stables of Minas Tirith, I had to think about who that white guy was with Pippin! lol

[Tree_Branch]

I think I thought Frodo was spot on.. Eactly like I thought he would be. And also Gandalf.

[Evenstar]

I didn't like Theoden that much - I thought he was a nice, kindly old man after Saruman's spell had been lifted, but in the film he's very different - he's quite stubborn, I think, and his beard's wonky. I felt he should have been kinder - e.g. when he says to merry 'little hobbits do not belong in war' and Merry protests, instead of saying 'I will say no more' and riding off I think he should have explained things a bit more.

I thought Gandalf the Grey was brilliant, he was just right... I'm not so sure about Gandalf the White though. I don't know what I don't like about him, I just feel something's wrong.