On the eighth day of filming, Conan Stevens is joining the team in Northern Ireland for prepping:
I fly to Belfast, Ireland tonight to start work with HBO’s new TV series Game Of Thrones as Ser Gregor Clegane.
I have some armour fittings, swordtraining and horse riding lessons (it’s been a long time since I rode last) to do before my filming starts.
Hear Me Roar: There we go, another piece of the filming schedule puzzle. I doubt we’ll ever put it all together, but we have some corner and edge pieces. Ser Gregor is going to be needed in tourney scenes, and Conan is going to have enough time until the second half of August when we surmise those are planned.
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82 Comments
Yes!
LexQuote Reply
Awesome news. Our little boy is all grown up *sob*
GrimtuesdayQuote Reply
is it just me or does our Gregor seem to have a bit of T-Rex arms in that picture?
WhoIsJacopoBelbo?Quote Reply
I’m guessing Conan’s training will take a little while, so I doubt he’s filming any tourney scenes for some time.
LexQuote Reply
WhoIsJacopoBelbo?,
Must be the perspective ;)
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
WhoIsJacopoBelbo?,
Err, no. His arms are certainly big enough
ChalkyQuote Reply
WhoIsJacopoBelbo?,
It’s just you. :)
Critical GeekQuote Reply
Critical Geek,
Bah, can’t edit this way….
Them’s low rise jeans showing off his complete set of abs. Not seeing his legs makes it look odd.
Critical GeekQuote Reply
Just noticed this recent (April) picture of Peter Dinklage, pretty sure this is similar to how Tyrion will look.
MormegilQuote Reply
Link didn’t show up.
Picture
MormegilQuote Reply
The one on IMDB? I think that hair looks too obviously higlighted. Looks too modern and… yeah – not natural. I hope it’s not how he will look on the show, but rather some variation he did between the filming of the pilot and now.
sjweningsQuote Reply
Miscast! He looks way too handsome in that photo ^-^
SweetLuthQuote Reply
I really like that look. In the books, he is described as having both blond and black hair, something I had difficulty imagining. But that’s exactly what’s going on in that photo and he looks terrific.
MongerelQuote Reply
Lol! Yeah, he’s quite the looker http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1414371840/nm0227759 Though i think that will work well for his character if they do not “uglify” him as some has suggested. Tyrion is disliked largely because of the fact that he’s a dwarf, so if people call him ugly when he’s not, it just underlines the unfairness of his treatment.
sjweningsQuote Reply
Huh… i really can’t remember that. All the paintings of him, he’s depicted as plainly blonde.
It looks a little weird no matter what. I mean – if thats his look, it sure would not ruin the show or anything, but one must complain, musn’t one?
sjweningsQuote Reply
Mongerel,
Actually, he’s described as having hair so blonde it’s almost white, but when he grows a beard, it starts coming in both brown and blonde.
I also thought Dinklage was too handsome for Tyrion. The problem is you don’t want him to be TOO repulsive, or people won’t want to watch him.
Josh ParkerQuote Reply
Only his beard is described as black and blond.
Also, I’m pretty sure they’ll go with a smoother blond look, because the call-out sheet for extras specifically said “no highlights or modern looking hair colors”.
LexQuote Reply
Well, after Tyrion get’s wounded, they’ll definitely have to uglify him …
SinnfreiQuote Reply
The Knig and the Hand
The RabbitQuote Reply
The Rabbit,
I never felt that Ned was the right hand but the left hand there certainly seems to know what he’s doing.
gofalconsQuote Reply
Josh Parker,
Especially based on this recent pic, I agree. GRRM gave Tyrion other attributes — and challenges — besides height. He’s not handsome, to say the least.
But, I’m still perfectly happy with the casting. I think Dinklage is a good approximation, and a terrific actor, so a huge net positive.
BradQuote Reply
I wonder if they are going to make him bigger ala LoTR tricks for hobbits (in reverse). Clegane is supposed to be just shy of 8 feet tall, and although I completely agree with this casting as the best possible choice, a 7 foot tall guy isn’t the Mountain that Rides.
Damyrn of DorneQuote Reply
Hmmm….
Imparting the basics of a knigget’s martial education in couple of months. Tall order.
PeterQuote Reply
Peter,
Yeah, a few times now I’ve been struck this way, that the prep/conditioning for some of these parts seemed short. I think it’s an interesting insight into the illusionary nature of TV.
BradQuote Reply
The Rabbit,
Looks like Addy must be relying on a wig and prosthetic beard….
izakmoQuote Reply
Damyrn of Dorne,
I’m more for a Robbie Coltrane on Harry Potter movies approach: He’s a big man, 6’1”, but they made him much bigger in his role of Hagrid, by means of heavy clothing, sorta like platform shoes and things like that.
Conan Stevens is huge by himself. Put him a big, menacing armorand you’ll have the rest of the cast crying for their mama.
CaedesQuote Reply
Josh Parker,
Yeah, I don’t think we will see an ugly Tyrion on TV like he is described in the books. All of the prejudices against him are primarily because he is a dwarf anyway, and it will be easier for fans to love him and identify with him on screen if he isn’t twisted and ugly like in the books.
Ryan EQuote Reply
I hope they give Tyrion the mismatched eyes. But I don’t think we’ll see his “bulging forehead”, or even his eventual lack of nose in later seasons.
LexQuote Reply
Do none of you people remember that award winning make up artist that joined up with the Game of Thrones crew? Why would the NOT make Tyrion twisted and ugly like in the books? All it would take is some awesome make up and viola it is done. There has been no news either way so my money is on them being true to the books 100%.
alan777Quote Reply
Awesome! Thanks for that. It’s great to see the actors together; the characters are really coming to life before our eyes. I can’t wait to see them in costume.
Also, I continue to be confident that Mark Addy will be an excellent Robert, despite some people’s misgivings. I can totally see Robert in his face.
LexQuote Reply
I don’t think it’s a matter of having a good enough make-up crew. I just don’t think they will make one of their most popular casting choices that repulsive to look at on screen. I think they’ll do the mismatched eyes, maybe a couple scars, but not much more than that.
I expect something like this:
http://gameofthrones.net/images/House_Lannister/Tyrion_Lannister.jpg
Not this:
http://images.mmorpg.com/images/avatars/Tyrion-Lannister_the-Imp.jpg
LexQuote Reply
He’s already done a lot of stage combat type stuff, and in any case Gregor’s not a technical fighter, he’s just huge and monstrously strong, and I think that’s something Conan can probably portray quite well.
The jousting, on the other hand, could be an issue; and not just for Conan. But I’m sure they’ll sort it out, this ain’t the first production to have knights doing knightly stuff at each other. It may be the first with kniggets, but I’m sure the snarks and grumkins will make up for it.
GaRQuote Reply
Lex,
Well, for me that would be really, really LAME. Part of the charm in the books of Tyrion is the fact that he IS ugly. Not freakishly hideous like that second pic you posted. That is WAY to jacked up. UGH. But he is uglier than the first that is for sure.
alan777Quote Reply
Ryan E,
“[...] it will be easier for fans to love him and identify with him on screen if he isn’t twisted and ugly like in the books. ”
That is exactly why I WANT him to be ugly. It will subvert expectations. People (not preexisting fans of the books, but just people who watch the series) will want to judge him based on his looks just like most characters do. When it turns out that he’s actually quite sympathetic, it will subvert expecations AND cause audiences to empathize with him, in a similar way that people tend to like, say, Quasimodo or other ugly, sympathetic characters.
JeremyQuote Reply
alan777,
People, places and things on the show won’t all look the way you pictured them when you read the book. Better get used to it now.
They’re just not going to put Peter Dinklage in Elephant Man makeup for this role. He’s going to look like Peter Dinklage.
JJJQuote Reply
I’d be more than happy if Tyrion is closer to pic 1 Lex posted rather than 2. Maybe bulge his forehead a bit further, though, and it would be even better. Still, I think if they let him look somewhat decent as we meet him, the Battle of the Blackwater disfigurement will have that much more of a shocking effect on the viewer. Hopefully HBO at least doesn’t skimp when it comes to that aspect.
ZackQuote Reply
While part of the character of Tyrion is that he is ugly in addition to simply being a dwarf, I don’t feel Mr. Dinklage’s attractiveness will necesarilly detract from the part. True, it will give some occurrences if kept like the book less weight, but it also has the potential to add importance to other parts. How much more unjust will his treatment seem to some viewers if he is mocked, insulted, and considered ugly only for being a dwarf, despite his attractiveness? In addition, as already stated, it will allow those new to the ASOIAF universe to connect more easily to the character.
That being said, I think it would be awesome if they grossed him up for the movie so we could see what all the fuss in the books is truly about.
On a related yet separate note, I am anxious to see what they do about the hounds’ burn scars.
I really hope the make it Two-Face like.
I am worried they will pull a Phantom of the Opera where they keep going on and on about this facial deformation that turns out to be nothing more than slight scarring. Then again it is Sansa describing him initially, and she has a tendency to exaggerate such things.
SJGIMQuote Reply
I have a feeling they will tone the Hounds disfigurement down a notch or two. Actually seeing those scars, rather than just reading about them, will have more of an impact, so it wouldn’t really be all that unfaithful to make them more bearable to watch.
sjweningsQuote Reply
sjwenings,
So, maybe somewhere between this:
http://bruehoyt.com/superheroes/DC/batman/rogues/twofaceeckhart.jpg
and this:
http://www.peer.ca/nick-mel.jpg
JonSnow’sBastardQuote Reply
GaR,
I pity the horse. :D
PeterQuote Reply
Now is when the “Dinklage is too good looking” arguments are coming out? That was something brought up years ago and dismissed, just as it’s being dismissed now. Get over it. Hollywood ugly is just gonna happen. At this point I’m expecting a gorgeous bodybuilder type to play Brienne (overly muscled, etc.) as it would keep the same dynamic for the story while still allowing for better than described looks.
The Hound’s gonna require make up. But Tyrion? Nah. Being ugly isn’t important to the character. Being a dwarf is. In fact, good looks are an even better choice, as someone else mentioned, as they bring out the perceived unfairness of it all that everyone STILL can’t stand him. Being a sympathetic little person who can act is fantastic, and if I were him I’d say screw contacts and ginormous make up sessions too, while if I were playing the Hound, I’d demand some awesome burn make up fx..
Critical GeekQuote Reply
It’s gonna be Hollywood ugly. I even doubt they bothered with the mismatch eyes even
two examples:
Hannibal Lecter, in the novels, suffers from polydactylism, (the rarest type also) having 6 fingers in each hand, and has to surgically remove one of them in order to go unnoticed after the escape. None of that went on to the screen.
More recently, in Pillars of the Earth, Regan Hamleigh, which is described in the books as “Uglly, digusting and hideous”, is portrayed by the rather attractive Sarah Parish with a simple winestain mark on her face.
… the again, next to Hayley Atwell, any woman would be indeed ugly… is there not a single role for her on GoT? pleaseee?
CaedesQuote Reply
As far as the Hound goes I think that they shouldn’t go full on Two-Face because Sandor’s burns are the results of his being held over a wood or charcoal or something like that vs. Two-Face who is the result of having his face melted by either chemicals or gasoline depending on which version you’re going by. the melting is much worse and grotesque.
GrimtuesdayQuote Reply
According to security on site this morning – they’re not filming at the Paint Hall today, so maybe we’ll get some info or pix on location. Two of the actors (Jason and Jamie) drove past me coming out of the car park heading for Larne? Antrim? at 7.15 am.
silverjaimeQuote Reply
The Silver Stalker strikes again!
Sorry Silverjaime but I can’t get the image of you in dark shades witha big telephoto lense out of my head! You’ll be on first names with the security soon!
BTW – I’ve seen the Hound’s scars – they haven’t toned it down! ugggh!!!
RimshotQuote Reply
Critical Geek,
I’d be OK if they left Dinklage’s good looks alone, because the whole situation reminds me of “Red Dragon” (since we mentioned Hannibal Lecter). In the movie version, the “bad guy” Francis, who is supposed to be horribly scarred, is played by a very handsome, non-Voldemort Ralph Fiennes, with just a tiny scar on his upper lip. From the way he talks you understand he has a cleft palate, but from outside he looks perfectly normal. And yet that “deformity”, plus a totally messed-up youth (like Tyrion), drove him to madness.
In Francis’ case, the drama is caused by the rift between his distorted self-image and the positive way other people perceive him. With Tyrion it would be the opposite; he has a tormented but pragmatical and above all SANE self-image, and everybody else shuns, mistrusts or hates him.
After all, that’s the way I perceived him while reading the books. OK, bulging forehead and all, but I tended to forget that because I focussed on the mental image: a fairly normal guy in a world that’s fast going crazy.
Blackfish BluesQuote Reply
Rimshot,
And how do you know I’m not already?? I don’t know about the dark shades but my car windows are tinted so you can’t see in!
You’ve seen the Hound?? so you’ve started already then?
silverjaimeQuote Reply
Location today is Ballymoney.
These lucky TV people get to all the exotic locations :-)
Steve OQuote Reply
Cool. Have you seen Dinklage as Tyrion, then?
sjweningsQuote Reply
silverjaime, who’s Jason? You mean Jason Momoa? Strange that he would be driving with Jamie Sives (Jory Cassel). I didn’t even think he’d be there already since it doesn’t seem like they are starting to film the Dany stuff yet.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
You may well be right and I was mistaken – the guy I saw this morning went past my car as a passenger, so my side of the car, and he looked out at me; he was dark-ER skinned, long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail at his neck, dark thin moustache….so I thought it was Jason Momoa. I had seen him last week with Jamie Sives et al in Belfast, though THAT guy was really tall and well-built so I could swear it WAS Jason. This morning I may be wrong – it may have been just a lookalike.
Ballymoney? god knows WHAT’S in Ballymoney!
silverjaimeQuote Reply
Jasons been spotted in Belfast recently, IIRC.
sjweningsQuote Reply
Sounds like it might have been Jason then. Wonder what he is there for?
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Wasn’t Harry Lloyd around the other week, so there are other Dany story actors around.
It could be that Jason and Jamie were off to get horse ridding lessons. While Jason would have done some Horse Ridding in Conan I seem to recall that it’s not something he did before.
MormegilQuote Reply
Mormegil,
Good call – that’s maybe where they were headed.
silverjaimeQuote Reply
I want to go there too!
\o/
I wish I could see them!
Good lucky guys, take some picutres for us!
LOL
LidianyQuote Reply
I was referring to the Dark Knight Two-Face. God forbid they make the Hound’s face purple. True, it should not be that bad, but I believe the back story is that Gregor held his face in a brazier for a good amount of time over a toy (my book is being borrowed so I can’t check), and he is described as hideously scarred. My point was I want to see why Sansa is so terrified that she won’t go with him even when he is offering to take her away from the battle and Joffrey’s abuse. I think JonSnow’sBastard has the right of it. It should be somewhere between his two pics.
Rimshot: Good to know about the scars. Exciting news about location today!!! The posted pics are gorgeous.
SJGIMQuote Reply
No, I haven’t started yet. Just over two weeks to go for me.
I saw the Hound when I worked on the pilot. He was standing right beside me at one point when we were both getting tea in between shots. I’m sure he knew I was staring but I couldn’t help it! It was funny seeing him in full costume/make-up chatting on his phone!
RimshotQuote Reply
Josh Parker,
Yeah, Nanny McPhee was hard to watch for that very reason.
…ryan
Ryan DunnQuote Reply
Critical Geek,
You could be right, but this is an HBO production. I think their track record with shows like Deadwood & The Wire shows a perfect willingness to depict key characters in all their unsympathetic & unattractive glory, when the characterization calls for it.
Think of the very coarse & plain Calamity Jane; quite a good template in that respect for Brianne. Numerous other plain-to-ugly character actors were used in that series. In The Wire, characters were not necessarily unattractive physically, but numerous unflinching depictions of psychological “ugliness” could be found to the point that it had a similar impact. It was not played “Hollywood” safe. I think there may be room for you to be surprised with how non-Hollywood HBO’s GOT might be.
Even if your predictions for a toned-down Tyrion are correct, I think you’re wrong here. I think his ugliness is quite important to the character as written in the novels. I’m sure that however this ends up in the HBO series it will capture the essence of the character.
BradQuote Reply
From your later comments, I take it that you were talking about Dinklage.
See, I would apply the same comment to the original subject of this post. Never thought of Gregor Clegane as an eye-candy before now… :)
NymeriaQuote Reply
Nymeria,
I always pictured the Kurrigan from Highlander when imagining Gregor. Especially when he talks.
Critical GeekQuote Reply
How come girls and women always tend to watch shows and movies just because they find one or more of the actors good looking?
I dont mind. I just find the whole deal kinda weird.
I have never heard a male friend comment upon a movie based on some actresses good looks. And I DO have very superficial friends anno generation X.
The weird thing is…girls watch movies because of the guys in it……and we guys also tend to watch movies judged upon which male actor is in it.
When we talk about Al Pacino or Harvey Keitel we get all misty eyed and goosebumpy…..just as girls do while eyening Edward. :-P
c0venantQuote Reply
c0venant,
My god that’s a sexist remark! Especially since I’ve just come off another board where they’re discussing the latest cast members – one of whom is an ex-porn-actress – and talking about all the “eyecandy” in this show! In my experience men are MORE LIKELY to watch shows just for the babes involved (Baywatch??) but both genders I’m sure prefer shows with a great hero or heroes, good-looking or not.
silverjaimeQuote Reply
c0venant,
Males don’t comment on the attractiveness of actresses? What planet are you living on?
LexQuote Reply
c0venant,
My own theory on this:
because good looking actors are scarce, whereas an actress, by definition, has to be pretty to be an actress or won’t make a career, so guys are always garanteed to have some eyecandy, no matter the movie.
It’s a really sexist industry in that area IMO. An ugly or ok-looking guy can make a career if he has the talent (or connections) to back it. An ugly or ok-looking girl will never pass the audition, no matter how talented she is. Even if the character specifically calls for an ugly girl, they’ll go with a slightly less than gorgeous actress or take a beautiful actress and ugly her up a bit with make-up.
As a woman, I’m mostly ok with average looking actors. I can appreciate talent and am not a superficial person by nature. Though eyecandy once in a while is definitely a bonus.
NymeriaQuote Reply
SJGIM,
A purple face would be rather unfortunate, however I was referring to the Dark Knight as well. I just don’t think that they should come anywhere close to the extreme burns that Two-Face had because as I mentioned in my first post those were caused by a gasoline fire which would be much worse due to the fact that the liquid sticks to your skin not just burning it but melting it.
I don’t think that Gregor would have been able to hold Sandor’s face to a fire for very long until both sides of his face had been burned (someone is borrowing my books as well). That being said I think that the second picture is closer to the picture in my head its more scaring then hey look my face got melted off.
GrimtuesdayQuote Reply
silverjaime,
Lex,
Nymeria,
No, seriously. One of my grandmothers always watched the news because of the anchor was “so handsome”. My other grandmother watched this gaming show because the host was really becoming.
Both women got that really cougar look talking of these gents. My three sisters, my 13 girlfriends and my uncountable female friends they all are obsessed by these male actors. It can be the Edward guy from the twilight bullshit. I know one ex was really into Henry Rollins. Another was in love with Gary Oldman. The girl Im living together with now she watches movies only because “Gerard Butler is in it!”
Probarly all of them has been in love with Johnny Depp and none of them have been able to watch a movie with Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise because “they are slimy”.
Ive always responded that “Yeah perhaps Tom….”
Sure we guys have our porn but still in my book women take the price for being the most sexist.
Twice in my life Ive been caught with thinking sexist thoughts while watching a non xxx rated movie. First time was while watching the mask. I was 19 back then and when Cameron Diaz entered the bank I was knocked off my feet. Second time was much more recent. I wondered if Megan Fox was going to snap off in the middle bending over that car.
Well I have never after that caught myself thinking “Oh I must see this movie because Cameron Diaz/Megan Fox is in it!”.
Proof? I havent seen Jennifers Body. Why? Megan Fox is in it. It must be crap!
And I have never ever stood outside the cinema with my friends and hearing somone saying that he wanted to see a movie because a good looking girl was in it. That what 13-year old boys do….if then. Remember; there is porn.
Oh no thats not the male thing. We wanna see Al Pacino and Robert deNiro from the 80′s before they sold out. We wanna see Steve McQueen driving or Dustin Hoffman getting his teeth pulled out. Gary Oldman doing his crazy Drexl, Stansfield, Zorg or Dracula.
I personally get a hard-on by watching Gabriel Byrne acting in “In Treatment” and I think this is the “male thing”.
We dont watch movies because of the women we want to have, we watch movies because of the men we want to be.
c0venantQuote Reply
Damn, I so nailed it with that last line.
Grimtuesday,
Ive never seen any buned victim with a purple face as the Tommy Lee Jones Harvey Dent so that is out of the question.
Neither is an injury as the Aaron Eckhart Harvey Dent realistic. A see-through face?? Such an injury would get infected an inflict death. We need skin and skin need tissue to grow on. Before we could treat infection there was really a limit to how much damage we could take so I see the hounds injurys to be quite moderate.
c0venantQuote Reply
c0venant,
I think you’ll likely get some more flames because of this, but I typically agree. It’s the same thing with music. You won’t find most guys buying a specific female artist just because she’s hot, but you’ll find tons of women buying cds just because the male singer is attractive.
BigRedCatQuote Reply
BigRedCat,
That is so true.
Still it is kind of sad.
Women seem to be in lack of female “rollmodels”.
I listen to Iron Maiden and I think Bruce Dickinson is so cool. He’s a millionaire rockstar but he still work as a pilot because “one needs a reason to get up in the morning”
That is so hardcore.
I think that its a shame that girls growing up dont have female idols. Sure some do but most seem to swoon for handsome guys.
As a boy I looked up to superheroes (still love them). As a teen I looked up to actionheroes (still looking forward to “The Expendables”).
Today I look up to musicians, authors, actors and artists who can express humanity, love and sincerity. People who can turn weakness into strength. I look to men both real and fictional and make them part of me.
It is often childish.
Its like Al Pacinos character in Heat, Vincent Hanna, telling his wives lover that “you can fuck my wive but I’ll be damned if you are going to watch my TV!” and he takes the TV and goes.
Im still waiting for the chance to say that line.
My rollmodels may sometimes be childish but they are still male. They are inspiration to the person I want to become.
They arent something I want to “have”
Sometimes I think this is the womens greatest weakness. They are divided amongst themselfes. We men are a tribe. All men we share something. We are brothers and we learn from eachother.
Women seem to compete.
Well two 7,5 beers and 3 single malt makes me rant like this. Have a good night folks. Im looking forward to getting lashed and flamed. ;-)
c0venantQuote Reply
Nymeria,
You do have a point there but I would like to twist it.
Most women I know they dont like yhe pretty and the sweet. They dont find perfect cheekbones atrractive or hardcore abs sexy.
They like the look in a guys eyes.
Sure, I dont fall for women who ever listened to boybands… I tend to fall for women who likes men.
And boy, do they have men to want! Sean Connery, Gary Oldman, Al Pacino, Gerard Butler, Ozzy and Tommy Lee.
We men have the fortune to be able to bee 40 and not that good looking and still be sexy.
That is unfair if anything
c0venantQuote Reply
c0venant,
c0venant,
My favorite shows tend to be ones where the story and characters pull me in rather than the good looks. Ex: Breaking Bad, The Wire, Treme—which do have attractive actors, but the good looks aren’t what initially drew me in. My problem with a lot of TV shows is they have “good looking” men and women, but the acting or scripts are not very good. Maybe casual viewers only watch for good looks, but people who are serious about which shows they are going to devote themselves to, like myself, care more about good acting, originality, and story than whether the actors are hot.
That said, it definitely doesn’t hurt to have good looking people playing the characters. Especially in a show like Game of Thrones, where we who have read the book already have an idealized image of the characters in our mind. We don’t want to be disappointed in who is chosen to portray these characters on the screen. Also, if we want multiple seasons, we need a large audience—and having attractive actors/actresses will definitely help get people interested.
BTW: I think Conan Stevens is very attractive in the pic posted. I’m both nervous and excited to see what he’ll look like in the show.
SaritaQuote Reply
Grimtuesday,
Agreed, although I think it should be somewhere between the two.
As for Brianne, I know it doesn’t follow the description exactly, but I always imagined her looking like a taller, more muscular Grace Polk (center).
http://gfx.filmweb.pl/ph/19/89/111989/159262.1.jpg
c0venant,
Speaking as a woman, I have not encountered many woman that go to a movie or watch a show simply because a particular actor is attractive, and have never gone to a movie or watched a show myself for that reason. That being said, woman do have their “girl talk”, in which we discuss movies and tv shows only in reference to the attractive actors in them. That is because we feel like discussing men, and is a completely different discussion than if we were discussing the shows themselves. If choosing a movie based on an actor, I personally would much rather watch a Jack Nicholson movie over, say, a Johnny Depp or Robert Pattinson (Edward) movie, because I love Nicholson’s acting and only enjoy Depps and Pattinson’s some of the time. I both think Gerard Butler is a good actor and find him attractive, and I have enjoyed most of the films I have seen him in, so would I chose a movie with him in it over some other unknown movie? Yes. Is that because it has an attractive actor in it? No. Is it because it has an actor in it I enjoy watching? Yes. To conclude, is what you said sexist? Yes. Is there any truth to it? In my opinion, only when your example is a minority of women. I have also never bought a cd because the singer is attractive. What would be the point? And woman have role models in the popular culture. Comic Books: Huntress, Barbera Gordon (as well as several other batgirls), Supergirl, Wonderwoman…
Actresses: Rachelle LeFevre, for example, seems to very involved with charity. There are plenty of tv/movie/music stars that are good rolemodels, but they are unfortunately NOT going to be the ones usually on the front page of the magazines or in the news. Btw: We can have male rolemodels that we don’t want to “have” (Picard and Aragorn will always be role models for me). Just like men could have female rolemodels that they don’t want to “have”. This isn’t a flame, I am merely trying to make a point.
SJGIMQuote Reply
Covenant,
I agree with most of what you’re saying, but I think you are misusing the word “sexist.” There is nothing remotely sexist about going to a movie because you think an actor is sexy, or having carnal thoughts when looking at an actress. Sexuality is not equal to sexism.
pualoQuote Reply
despite the ‘uncountable’ females in c0venant’s life, it is glaringly obvious that they are all (yet i would wager that his sweeping statements about their tastes are just that – sweeping, not the result of careful observation even if he went to the trouble to enumerate his girlfriends) victims of mainstream pop culture marketing – which is a human frailty, not a feminine one.
also, the implication that males are less competitive than females is absolutely laughable.
however, i ought to shut up and let the clearly-not-mainstream-starved-or-they-wouldn’t-be-on-this-site women bring their role models and other counterexamples to the fore, rather than exhaust everyone’s patience matching partner-counts and gender-based aphorisms with c0venant.
oldtownundergroundQuote Reply
pualo,
strongly agreed re: use of ‘sexist’.
oldtownundergroundQuote Reply
P.S. so that my first day here isn’t squandered purely on topic drift, i’ll add that my feelings about the choices around the adaptation aren’t nearly as strong as most i’ve seen so far – i’m mostly relieved/excited just to see further evidence that grrm isn’t merely toying with our sanity during the excruciatingly drawn-out wait for a.d.w.d. (evidence which i previously only got from grrm’s LJ), and am quite intrigued by the “stalker” tidbits :D
I’ll be plenty happy to see a buff-enough massively-armored 7-footer without worrying about the ‘realism-disservice’ to The Mountain; to my understanding the tallest humans are slighter of build than we would want, anyway (not to mention their chances of being decent performers as well – it’s hard to imagine whether andre the giant (moment of silence) – all 8″-deficient of him – could pull off brutal sadism half as well as he pulled off fezzik – even if we could bring him back from death… [spoilerclench])
oldtownundergroundQuote Reply
c0venant,
First of all thank you for starting a topic that made me think!
Secondly, I tend to disagree and agree to some extent. What I disagree with is the sweeping statements that men don’t go to movies / gigs to see women and that women don’t like/look up to female stars.
What you say makes less sense simply because, if men don’t like female stars and females don’t like female stars, why do we have ANY female stars out there? Someone has to like them, right?
Now the question to be sorted is whether those female stars are followed by men or women. I suspect it depends. Someone like Cameron Diaz or Kate Hudson I suspect are mostly interesting to guys because they fulfill their image of the ‘perfect female’ (you know, blond, wholesome, smiling all the time etc). Mind you, those blond-wholesome-funny females tend to be the biggest stars, so either they are so because the (mostly male) heads of the movie industry like them, or because males go to see their movies. It would be interesting to know. It might be both! On the other hand, less conventionally beautiful female stars that may not be blond / wholesome/ don’t smile all the time probably have more female following. I for one tend to like actresses and singers that are not overly beautiful but have interesting personalities or interpretations.
That being said, I will agree to some extent that proportionally females like male stars more than males like female stars. That is very obvious just from the fact that male actors (DiCaprio, Depp etc) make so much more money than female stars. Blaming this on Hollywood sexism is probably missing the point. But explaining why that is I’m afraid may be more difficult than it appears. For instance, it seems to me that more women look for complexity in male characters as much as they look for good looks, while men tend to be happy with blond-wholesome-shallow females (mind you, this IS a sweeping statement) . Depp, for instance, was not outstandingly beautiful in Pirates, but he was really intriguing. By comparison, for men – I think a good example for their outlook is that movie, Something about Mary: all males were seeing in Cameron Diaz’ s character was that she was blond-wholesome and sexy. No one appeared to be interested in her for herself (except perhaps Ben Stiller, of course). Somehow it seemed to me that the movie said a lot about why Diaz is so liked as an actress. I wonder how many men enjoyed her for her interpretation and scruffy looks in Being John Malkovich. Oops, perhaps I’m becoming an inverse sexist myself?!
Crystal SkyQuote Reply
c0venant,
I’m sorry, I’m not really interested in hearing about your hard-ons, and I’m pretty sure that NONE of the males I know get a hard-on watching an action movie! I don’t know how you manage to know so many ‘fangirls’ who all drool over the same male actors and only go to see films or buy CDs according to the latest crush…..I find this kind of behaviour totally immature, and I’ve only ever seen it in girls of about 10 or 11.
Also I don’t understand how you can say males aren’t competitive – they’re all a big ‘tribe’ and presumably all brothers together? – have you ever been part of a male sales team? Competitive isn’t in it!
And as for your assertion that men don’t watch films just cos the females are desirable – can I say porn?
I really don’t know where you’re coming from on all this, as your views are SO at odds with my own experience – I must be getting old or you’re on a different planet or something.
silverjaimeQuote Reply
Glad I kicked off an interesting discussion. I may have driven my point a bit hard just to highlight.
I think I have a point but all the answers Ive read does aswell.
c0venantQuote Reply
Interesting, if heated. And there were some really good points on both sides.
To get back on the original posting topic, I am imagining Gregor based on this picture bearing down on me in full plate with sword in hand, and its pretty terrifying. I would hate to be the Knight of Flowers at the tourney.
The more pics I see of Stevens the more I am convinced he looks the part, even if it isn’t quite how I imagined Gregor.
SJGIMQuote Reply
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