anoel | Flashbacks and a brief update

Let's talk about flashbacks. I'm always of two minds when it comes to doing a earlier past one, say when a fourtysomething character is shown in their early twenties. Do you use the original actor with makeup and the like or do you get a younger actor? Where's the line? (Where's the line, Jan? -Do you need to see the video again, Michael?) On the one hand, I love seeing the original actor as I usually feel they best truly represent and get the character and I don't want them to lose their essential characterness/chemistry with other people but it can be distracting, unrealistic and pull you out of the show if it's hard to buy someone as actually younger and not in costume.

Why I was thinking about this was considering whether if Lena Olin from Alias wasn't available as Irina, would I want flashbacks of her and Jack (and Sydney) with different people? I mean, obviously I'd take that over no flashbacks at all (*curses show* ILU though) but if she was available, what would I choose? Now Lena (and Victor) for that mattter do look pretty different when they were younger but still...what about the chemistry? It'd be so hard for me to give that up. Same goes for House and Wilson and seeing their first meeting/past selves, it'd be hard to lose how they work so well with each other but Hugh looks pretty different younger and a different actor would probably be disconcerting and maybe even more so for RSL. So, a poll, one non fandom specific and the other for those two fandoms.

[Poll #1283413]

Still without a computer, still behind on shows (50+ the last I counted, ouch.) and still doing well in school (although reading 8.5 straight hours of Plato is NOT recommended). Loved House last night although mostly the House/Wilson and OT3 parts, will talk about it later. Excited about going to Florida (Orlando/Miami) with my WL friends in April along with my NYC New Year's Eve trip (I so wish I had more money). Which speaking of, I've got to go to work, will finish catching up later.

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Original actors, within reason. Victor Garber managed a younger version of himself in his 30s in "Alias" flashbacks; however, if you were going to show him being recruited to the CIA while he was 18, you'd want to get someone else. Same would go for Lena or Ron -- with hair, makeup and lighting they can play a couple decades younger without it being incredible. But if they were going to be very young, college-aged, you would want younger performers.

And if somebody were making an Alias vid with flashbacks -- just if anybody had that incredibly delightful idea! -- there would be tons of old footage of Victor Garber and Lena Olin (and to a lesser extent Ron Rifkin) available to cull from.

Yeah I generally lean that way too. It's just hard to know when exactly to switch.

Is that a hint? It's a good idea though although it'd be pretty hard. I always love a challenge though!

I'd prefer the same actors to be used if they could get away with it, but if it's going to look ridiculous then I think they should cast new actors. For instance there's going to be a flashback to Clark and Chloe's first meeting when they were both 13, and a lot of people seem disappointed that they weren't going to try and make Tom and Allison look younger. But that would really take me out of it considering the people in my icon are never going to pass for 13 at this point, no matter what hair and make-up does

Oh yeah once you get into young teenagers it gets ridiculous. Glad they're going that route, I'd totally watch that.

I'd say the original actors, but that depends on how old they are at the time and how young they would be in the flashback. I think if Hugh Laurie was trying to play as young as he was in Blackadder in House I'd giggle a bit... but it works (for the most part) to use the same actors for Dex and Deb in flashbacks of his late adolescence/early twenties in Dexter.

It's really weird that I happened to use my Dexter icon before I saw this comment. I like how that show does both -- a different actor for Teenage Dexter but Michael C. Hall for early-20s Dexter.

sometimes that makes it weird when I'm not sure how old the MCH flashback Dexter is though ha. But yeah I like that too.

Yeah Hugh really does look a lot different. That's why I'm iffy. It might be worth it to get the real Hugh though.

I don't know why, I just know that my answer was "I can't decide!" until I got to Hugh Laurie and RSL. That was my breaking point of wanting ONLY THEM apparently.

Awww I know, they are irreplacable. I'd be willing to go both ways but I'm mostly leaning toward original now.

Hmm. I have never actually thought about that before. I guess, if there's a big age difference, I don't think I would mind the different actors/actresses. I honestly don't know though!

For example, I don't mind it in the Harry Potter flashback scenes but maybe that's different cause we are talking about a kinda big big age difference. Yeap, probably. ;)

It's so hard to decide! It's the kind of thing that you want a visual example of. If they do the flashback with different, I do want them to at least try to get actors that look alike.

Yay you, doing well in school! :)

I honestly don't mind different actors playing the characters in flashbacks, as long as they actually LOOK like the normal actor! I haaate when the kid in the flashback looks nothing like the character. GRRR!

Thanks, it's really cool to get my school groove back.

Yeah that's really important. In either case, I can usually believe it if it looks somewhat realistic.

Interesting poll! I voted for original actors and think this should be the method of choice whenever reasonable. The more I have invested in the characters the more difficult it would be for me to accept alternate actors portraying the roles. In the case of Jack and Irina it would be difficult indeed.

Yeah that's usually the way I go. It'd be hard for them but I definitely would be willing to do different actors if it meant more Jack and Irina!

Flashbacks and a brief update

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