Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius in Doubt film — Page 4

I think an obvious choice for Aloysius would have been Sissy Spacek. She hasn't had a role where she could really use her talents since IN THE BEDROOM. I think she would shine in this role, but I have no doubt that Streep will be fine. I agree with whomever said that this would work great as an HBO film, but as we all know, they need to wring as much cash out of each potential project as possible, so if a big screen adaptation with Streep can happen, it's going to happen.

I agree with the ideas of Damon or Robert Sean Leonard as Father Flynn. DiCaprio still looks too young in my opinion. I totally bought him as a 16 year old just a few years ago in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. Damon was brilliant as the sexually ambiguous Ripley in THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY and I think he could lend a lot of mystery to this role.

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Updated On: 2/19/07 at 08:42 PM

"a role that would really get him noticed finally."

Just an aside - considering he's nominated for an Oscar this year, this might have already happened

somethingwicked - Thanks. Dissapointing, as I love her in her film work, but thanks. Someone on another board said they would like Christina Ricci as Sister James. I don't really see that, but I thought I'd throw it out there for y'all.

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Of the three replacements in the Broadway production of DOUBT, Brantley picked out Malone as the only one who could handle her role. Personally, and according to other people who saw her performance, I found her performance to be a total "rip off" of Goldenhersh's performance, and not a good one at that. Malone worked way too hard to try to accomplish what came so naturally to Goldenhersh; the voice and accent, the played down characterizations. It just didn't work for Malone.

I think Anna Paquin could perfectly attend to the subtle textures the role requires. She sounds like perfect casting to me. Ricci has a history of playing character parts, while in comparison Paquin has tackled more subdued roles. Ricci may surprise, but I think she would draw in the wrong audience.

I don't understand why Matt Damon has not received more Oscar recognition for his acting. He shone in GOOD WILL HUNTING (for which he won a writing Oscar and received a much-deserved nomination for his performance) yet was overlooked in RIPLEY, which was, in my opinion a more than Oscar worthy performance. I think he has grown into a fine performer, and even though he has yet to be recognized much by the Academy for his acting, the industry is well-aware that he can handle a wide variety of roles. Flynn would be a great challenge for him, and with the right director, he and Streep could really pull off a great dynamic between Aloysius and Flynn.

I'd like to suggest Marianne Jean-Baptiste for Mrs. Muller. She is a British actress most known for her Oscar-nominated performance in SECRETS & LIES about 10 years ago. I think she is on a television series now, but she is a fantastic actress and I think she could give a tight, fierce portrayal as Mrs. Muller. Is anyone else familiar with her work?

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Updated On: 2/20/07 at 11:23 AM

Spacek's career has suffered due to her own issues - a very nice person, but difficult. The drops-out-of-things-last-minute difficult. She's caused her own career downslide.

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Thanks Rath, I never knew that about Spacek. That explains a lot.

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Spacek also willingly vanished from Hollywood for a decade or more to raise her daughter and that goes a long way in making people forget all about you.

Regarding History Boys--I don't think masses of the general viewing public would have rushed to see it with major stars. I'm glad they did it the way they did.

I think Streep will be great in the role. I'd rather see Cherry Jones who has been wonderful in other movies, but Streep is an excellent choice. There are a lot of great actresses who would be good in this but if Streep wants to do it I'm sure she will.

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Spacek is not difficult on set - her difficulty is committing to things and then reneging last minute.

Many, many times.

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