The Casting Couch

Hey Kate! Wow... I'm liking your selections! I think you'd make an excellent casting director. You know, it's funny because I don't usually cast for my hero when I'm writing a story... I just have a clear idea of what I think he should look like. But for this current WIP, I knew exactly whom I was basing the hero on before I even knew the storyline! That's just so foreign for me. LOL

Fun post! 

Hey Kate! I love your candidates. While I don't interview current hunks, I do have a visual of what my hero might look like and if I come a cross a pic on the internet or in a mag, I use that to stimulate my.......mind. :)

Suz

Great blog today!  I like to cast my heroes in my head. They always end up looking like a cross between Eddie Cibrian and Tim Daly to name a couple.   I like the tall, dark and handsome heroes, but when I've done continuities, they've been dark blonde.  My last hero looked like David Beckham.  Not bad! 

I like The Rock and Pierce Brosnan too.  Hotties with attitude. 

Now Dwayne is definitely a good choice. I look at the cover to get a feel, but by the end of the book I've formed an image in my head of the characters.

Kate, you naughty wench! I wondered why the upholstery on the seat of the couch in the corner of the Bandita lair was starting to look a little worn and faded!

Actually that's pure envy talking!

Isn't it fun to be a writer and have all these gorgeous men running around in our minds? Although then I have to torture mine which I don't think says much for the health of my psyche. 

I sometimes start with someone in the role, sometimes it's just a type. Whatever, he fairly quickly becomes his own man (as well as my heroine's!) and the original role model isn't so important any more. Erith, the hero of Tempt the Devil, started out looking like Bryan Ferry in the early 80s when I had a huge crush on him. He stayed looking like that although any resemblance between Julian and Erith in the finished product is purely coincidental and no animals were harmed in the making of that story! 

I am liking your choices! 

I do not confuse the cover model with the hottie in the book. Invariably the hero inside the covers looks nothing like the cover, especially when the author is describing someone with blonde hair, or red hair, etc and the cover shows some totally opposite hair color.  

Hi kate, my boyfriend has that prime position as the hero. I do sometimes glance back at the cover, the men there are so gorgeous its hard not to. now as for your other question 'The Rock', is 100% cover worthy. Let me just say throw in Hugh Jackman and the heat goes up to 200%.

My couch is SO crowded.  I ALWAYS cast my characters.  I have so much fun.  The characters usually end up morphing after I get started, but I love doing it at the beginning and getting a real feel for them.  It's like a touchstone I can refer to as I'm writing those first chapters. 

Currently on my couch (as I'm writing 2 books at once right now) are Jamie Bamber and Michael Trucco - both from Battlestar Galactica actually.  I've also used Scott Foley, Max Martini, Jason Behr, Tahmoh Penikett and Jensen Ackles. Next up for me I think will be Peter Facinelli - Carlisle from Twilight.  :-)

I cast my heroines too but it's the heroes that really stick out...for obvious reasons.

Donna

I remember spending a lot of time looking at pictures when I "cast" my first Desire and I still have a huge file of inspirational photos. One of my heroes totally popped into my head when I saw a pic of a polo player whose name escapes me (he did a lot of ads for a while). Since then I mostly just make them up in my head

When the cover comes out it's fun to see how closely the artists image fits the picture in my mind. Sometimes it matches mine very closely, sometimes it's quite different.

As a reader if the guy on the cover lights my fire, then I'll picture him as the hero, if not, then I have no problem reinventing him in my mind

Jen

What an interesting Blog!

As a male author, I find the concept interesting and to be honest, I've never thought about it.  On reflection, I naturally create the famales more naturally.  However, I have to consciously create the heroes in my mind, since I am writting for a female audience and I know that what my readers what to see; a strong sexy hero.

So I create my own version of the casting couch and my heroes become a mixture of all the celebrities I know my readers would love.  Of coures, I just visualise the couch, I never hop on it.

Wayne

Hi Kate,

I do the same and cast my heroes and heroines. I like to plan ahead too - I've cast my next story already so I can get comfortable with them and they won't be strangers when I start writing.

 My first hero - Damon - looks a lot like Richard Armitage (English actor), and I'm using Clive Owen for my current one.

I've loved all the ideas for future heroes in these comments! And Wayne, your perspective is really interesting - thanks for sharing.

It's wierd, but I never thought of trying the casting couch! Usually my characters just start out as shadowy figures lurking in my mind, often I'll have an opening situation and then I start writing and things firm up as I go. Sometimes I'll retrospectively look at pictures to see if I can find someone close. But I'm really liking the concept of looking at pics and seeing who 'speaks' to you. I can totally see the Robert Redford, Audrey T (can't spell her last name) combination. Yay - another time soak!

Oh yes, casting male leads is one of my favourite past times. I often find I keep stalling on a work in progress because I haven't got just the right 'look' for my guy of the moment. I'm starting a new series of stories now and thought I'd settled on one guy for my hero, and he didn't work, then I found another and he wasn't quite right but yesterday I came across another guy altogether (I tell, you, trawling male model websites, and people wonder why we prefer to write books over having a standard day job) and he's IT!

Strange, how each of the individual models worked for 'me' but didn't exactly work for the book in progress. I've already chosen his two brothers, for the two following books, but who knows. When I come to write their stories they may have to change too, although I hope not. Mr Book 2 is seriously gorgeous in a brooding dark and chiselled way.

I usually prefer not to use male actors as heroes in my books because, for me, they're already character/type cast from their movies, although I could be persuaded to change my mind for Hugh Jackman. Actually, I think he could persuade me to do a whole lot of things !

Love this topic .... and the pics.  Of course, it's all in the quest to create better books, right?  I thought I would offer you another one for your couch.:)  Jason Statham

I generally look at the cover to get a look at the hero.  Then, as I'm reading, I'm thinking if the cover fits the character or not.  Sometimes, it's a perfect match!  Other times, my own dream man (usually Adrian Paul) gets cast in the role.