Meredith Patterson was the quintessential Betty.
Did she do it in London?
Yes. She created the role.
Understudy Joined: 7/18/07
the one and only Alice Ripley should do it.
Stand-by Joined: 8/5/07
Oh not Ripley. I saw her and she was whiny and annoying. She's also beyond too old now.
That Somebody to Love clip is very impressive. Hathaway could have a recording career if she wanted to.
Understudy Joined: 7/18/07
Ripley was a breath of fresh air in that show. She looks as young today as she did in the role.
Stand-by Joined: 8/5/07
No, she wasn't, and no, she doesn't.
After the PHANTOM debacle they'll want to pack this film with real stars (Emmy Rossum needs not apply).
More based on the original film than the musical, Scarlett Johannson seems like a great choice along with Anika Noni Rose. How about Zooey Deschanel?
how bout Chloe Sevigney?
Funny, I thought of Chloe Sevigney as well but I think she's a bit too edgy for Betty Schaefer. Schaefer is not naive or dumb, but there is a sort of hopefulness to her than I'm not sure Sevigney would capture. She's a great actress though so she may surprise me.
me
Broadway Star Joined: 9/28/04
Why, oh WHY, was Hathaway not cast as Christine in the POTO film??? She would've been so much more dynamic and interesting than Rossum.
Sorry...that was a little off topic. Just had to rant.
In any event, I'd love to see her in a musical and think she could play Betty well.
Do we know for sure that Glenn has been cast?
Betty needs to "look like" she's in her early 20s on film (which means she needs to BE in her early 20s, 'cause the camera don't lie).
The character will lose her freshness and her young, bright, eager appeal if she's in her late 20s to early 30s... not to mention she'll look like a loser script reader who never got the big break she was hoping for by hanging around the studio.
Plus, the younger she is, the older Norma will look in comparison. And... the more "beat up" Joe will look trying to choose between his "farm fresh" and "day old" bread.
But she should be young, smart and eager... not doe-eyed and virginal.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/27/05
Anne Hathaway, Kristen Bell, or any unknown actress who's pretty and has a nice soprano voice.
LoringsGuy---I don't think Hathaway's voice is any better suited for Christine than Rossum's. They both have that talented, newbie "boy soprano" sound, with as much depth as a Playschool kiddie pool.
It's strong enough for that baby-girl pop appeal sound, but NOT for a legit theatrical soprano role... and certainly not for Christine Daae.
Why was the choice whittled down to a "screen test battle" between Olive Oyl and Betty Boop? What were they thinking?!?
Now, NINE is another story. I can hear Hathaway's voice singing some of those songs quite nicely... she can use that baby-girl pop appeal sound to her advantage on Unusual Way, for example... and if they make the movie Wicked in the next 3-5 years, Hathaway would be a strong contender for Elphaba (no doubt).
But Christine Daae needs to have a GOOD VOICE not a good voice.
I still would have preferred Hathaway, at least she can carry a movie. Though I don't think the film would have been any more successful with her as Christine, just more bearable.
I certainly hope she gets cast as Claudia, I wonder why they decided to go for a younger look, I've always pictured Claudia as a more seasoned actress-not Judi Dench seasoned but Penelope Cruz seasoned.
Back to Betty casting, Alice Ripley is a terrible idea, she's getting closer to Norma's age at this point.
Perhaps Anika Noni Rose is too old and I don't think she has the range for the role but the more I think about it Zooey Deschanel and Scarlett Johannson sound like exciting ideas. With an Anthony Hopkins as Max, McGregor or Jackman as Joe, and Streep as Norma they may have a hit in their hands.
Ray, Betty has a line in Sunset, where she says "no one takes a black friend to a restaurant", Sunset is supposed to have occurred before black people were integrated, so Anika is out of the question.
Who is Zooey Deschanel?
"not to mention she'll look like a loser script reader who never got the big break she was hoping for by hanging around the studio"
b12b, If you listen to the OCR, you will hear that Betty doesn't want to be an actress. Her parents wanted her to become a big star, but she doesn't want to.
ray, it's ironic you bring up Judi Dench in relation to "Nine"-- she'll most likely be the film's La Fleur.
muscle---I never thought or implied that Betty was looking to be a movie star. She's working at the studio looking for her "big break" in film behind the scenes.
"Big breaks" could be in any field... not just in acting, and not just in Hollywood for that matter.
EDIT: Thanks, ray! (what HE said, below)
Muscle, Best12 meant that she never got the break as a scriptwriter, not as an actress. I agree with him that a young, fresh-looking Betty would be more successful for the film.
Zooey Deschanel played Lady Larken in the horrendous ONCE UPON A MATTRESS TV movie but I particularly noticed her and loved her in her fantastic guest-starring role in WEEDS. She also played the eccentric roommate of Sara Jessica Parker in FAILURE TO LAUNCH and has a bunch of movies coming out in the near future. She's sort of hot-ish right now.
Somethingwicked, that's interesting, I had heard Dench rumored for LaFleur--a role I thought she was entirely wrong for--but I'm not sure I'd like her any better as Saraghina. Interesting to see how the cast is lining up, any hopes that Banderas will reprise his role as Guido?
ray, I meant La Fleur. Pardon my absent mindedness.
From what I've heard, they are still in the process of figuring out who they want to cast as Guido. Banderas is on a short list of possibilities (though he's by no means as big of a certainty as many seem to think.)
That's what I thought, somethingwicked, the idea of Judi Dench wearing a grotesque outfit dancing with a tambourine by the beach is well...one of the few things that could keep me away from watching the movie. I still don't think she's right for LaFleur but what do I know? I assume if Depp hits it big with SWEENEY he may be strongly pursued for Guido...I wouldn't mind that but Banderas is my favorite choice.
Back to Betty Schaefer....
I hope George Clooney is on that list, somethingwicked.
And Dench could be La Fleur... if they change the role to Lillian Potter, film producer and former star of British Music Hall!
Stand-by Joined: 8/5/07
Deschanel has been "hot" since Almost Famous. She proved her singing ability in Elf, and is playing Janis Joplin in a new film. She's hardly the new kid on the block. Her IMDB page is a mile long.
if they change the role to Lillian Potter, film producer and former star of British Music Hall!
Okay, I laughed, but it's true, Dench is as French as well...as Liliane Montevecchi is British.
I thought the list of actors they were considering went something like: Ewan McGregor (*snort*), George Clooney, Johnny Depp (we'll see after SWEENEY), Antonio Banderas (my #1 choice), and Javier Bardem (inspired choice).
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