Let's take a moment to enter an alternate universe where I am the casting director. Notice that I said the. Because in this alternate universe, I am the only person in charge of casting movies that I want to see. And just at the moment, in this alternate universe, I am casting The Scarlet Pimpernel.
Percival Blakeney: Ioan Gruffudd
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| somewhere in this parallel reality Benedict Cumberbatch is crying |
The reason I chose Ioan Gruffudd is because he can do silly and serious with equal deftness. I know, I know, he's not tall enough. But if movie magic can make Robert Downey Jr not look out of place in the Avengers line-up, I feel like we can achieve equal results here. Ioan is funny and versatile and even though his name is too Welsh to pronounce, he's my only choice for Sir Percy.
Marguerite Blakeney: Natalie Dormer
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| i think she knows a lot of secrets ok |
She's pretty in a really unusual way, which in my opinion makes her perfect for "the most beautiful woman in France." Plus there's something sly about the way Natalie smiles. I just think she
looks fascinating, and Marguerite is everything that is charming and witty and interesting.
Chauvelin: Martin Freeman
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| hedgehog filled with rage |
Don't be fooled by how adorable Martin Freeman appears to be. Despite his fluffy and endearing persona, he is actually a grumpy old man. I think he would portray Chauvelin's quiet creepiness extremely well... plus I just love Martin as a baddie.
Armand St. Just: Aidan Turner
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| googling him was a real trial |
This is mostly because I always imagined Armand with big wooby puppy-eyes. There is nothing else I can say here.
Sir Andrew Ffoulkes: Tom Hiddleston
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| a puppy is born every time he smiles |
I didn't know about Tom Hiddleston when I first read The Scarlet Pimpernel. It's possible that I may have seen him in some BBC stuff, and therefore my subconscious was in play when I created Andrew Ffoulkes in my mind. But if you don't think that Tom Hiddleston is the perfect actor for this character, I'm not sure if we're speaking the same language.
Suzanne de Tourney: Imogen Poots
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| ignore the fact that her name sounds like a cute way of saying "fart" |
She's blonde. She has delicate features. But she's actually pretty tough. I know Suzanne kind of comes off as a ditz in the book, but that's just because she's young. My personal headcanon for her relationship with Sir Andrew is that he's this lovable, affable delight, and she's much more socially savvy and gently steers him through society.
The Comte and Comtesse de Tourney: Colin Firth and Elizabeth McGovern
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| you'll always be Darcy to me |
Who else but Colin Firth? I'm actually going to make a confession here: no dreamcast of mine is complete without him. In my alternate universe, he is in every movie ever. And of course, Elizabeth McGovern is a classy lady.
Well, that's it for the major players. Perhaps another day I'll return to this for some of the other characters, but for now please enjoy my dreamcast!
