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| re: Dear Evan Hansen Film Casting | |
| Posted by: mattyp4 12:32 am EDT 08/20/20 | |
| In reply to: Dear Evan Hansen Film Casting - Drew288 12:05 am EDT 08/20/20 | |
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| If Ben Platt is reprising his role as Evan Hansen, clearly they will be hiring the special effects team from The Irishman to "de-age" Ben so that he could convincingly play a teenager. (Hell, I thought it was a stretch on Broadway!) | |
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| re: Dear Evan Hansen Film Casting | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 01:39 am EDT 08/20/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Dear Evan Hansen Film Casting - mattyp4 12:32 am EDT 08/20/20 | |
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| i agree, but it's worth nothing that when he started playing the role he was 20 and 21. I think he has a mature look in general, but when i saw him in the off-broadway production he looked believable enough (he would have been 22). | |
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| re: Dear Evan Hansen Film Casting | |
| Posted by: mattyp4 10:51 am EDT 08/20/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Dear Evan Hansen Film Casting - Chazwaza 01:39 am EDT 08/20/20 | |
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| Even though I said it was "a stretch on Broadway," that was just a simple generalization. I actually saw it when it was Off-Broadway too! I didn't quite buy him as a high school student then but it was easily forgivable. Now? Over 4 years later? Ehhh.... | |
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| re: Dear Evan Hansen Film Casting | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 12:02 pm EDT 08/20/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Dear Evan Hansen Film Casting - mattyp4 10:51 am EDT 08/20/20 | |
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| "Even though I said it was 'a stretch on Broadway,' that was just a simple generalization. I actually saw it when it was Off-Broadway too! I didn't quite buy him as a high school student then but it was easily forgivable. Now? Over 4 years later? Ehhh...." I think we should all keep in mind that there's a huge difference between someone in their late 20s playing a high school-age student on stage as compared to film. On stage, including Broadway, teenagers are rarely played by actual teenagers, especially not when we're talking about leading roles or major supporting roles, whereas I would say such casting happens far more often in film and TV. There are a number of reasons for this, but the fact that it's true has, I would say, caused audiences to be far more accepting of young adults playing teenagers on stage than on film. THAT SAID, I think we should also keep in mind that two of the most popular film musicals of all time are GREASE and the 1961 film of WEST SIDE STORY, so......there are major exceptions to every rule. Maybe the producers of the DEAR EVAN HANSEN movie looked at those two huge hits in deciding it would be perfectly okay to sign Ben Platt to repeat his stage role in the movie despite his age. |
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| “ Maybe the producers of the DEAR EVAN HANSEN movie ...” | |
| Posted by: kieran 02:19 pm EDT 08/20/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Dear Evan Hansen Film Casting - Michael_Portantiere 12:02 pm EDT 08/20/20 | |
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| Platt’s father is one of the film’s producers. | |
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| is there anything in WSS that says they are or need to be under 18? | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 01:07 pm EDT 08/20/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Dear Evan Hansen Film Casting - Michael_Portantiere 12:02 pm EDT 08/20/20 | |
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| I think it works fine with the audience assuming they are between 17-23, and i don't think there's anything in the film that ages them below that. WSS is not set in a high school with high schooler students, like DEH. (and no, i don't think the Dance at the Gym tells us they are high school age - that is a community space, I never took it as organized by or for high school students specifically). Maybe my memory betrays me. But i do think they are different in terms of how weird it would look to have people in their mid-20s playing the characters. |
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| re: is there anything in WSS that says they are or need to be under 18? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 10:16 pm EDT 08/20/20 | |
| In reply to: is there anything in WSS that says they are or need to be under 18? - Chazwaza 01:07 pm EDT 08/20/20 | |
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| "I think it works fine with the audience assuming they are between 17-23, and i don't think there's anything in the film that ages them below that. WSS is not set in a high school with high schooler students, like DEH. (and no, i don't think the Dance at the Gym tells us they are high school age - that is a community space, I never took it as organized by or for high school students specifically). " Well, that is a good point. I guess I've always thought of the main WSS character, or most of them, as teenagers. But I suppose you're right that there's no reason why some or all of them can't be at least a little bit older, and I imagine it's likely that some members of actual gangs at the time were in their early 20s. On the other hand, GREASE is definitely supposed to be about high school kids, and the actors in that movie were pretty far removed from that in terms of age. |
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| re: is there anything in WSS that says they are or need to be under 18? | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 10:42 pm EDT 08/20/20 | |
| In reply to: re: is there anything in WSS that says they are or need to be under 18? - Michael_Portantiere 10:16 pm EDT 08/20/20 | |
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| For sure. I am no expect on gangs of the 50s in NYC, but I think it's safe to say gangs are/were by no means just for teenagers, and you don't just leave a gang or "gang life" when you turn 18 or 21. In the most wholesome way, the gang is probably a family to most of these guys, part of their community too, in another sense they may not have options or interest in leaving the gang, and in other senses they may not be allowed to. I have no idea how the Jets work. But maybe it's because my first exposure to WSS was the film, I never assumed they were in High School because they don't look like they are. But more than anything, the way they act with and toward the Girls always made me think they were mostly 18-24. |
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| re: is there anything in WSS that says they are or need to be under 18? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 12:20 pm EDT 08/21/20 | |
| In reply to: re: is there anything in WSS that says they are or need to be under 18? - Chazwaza 10:42 pm EDT 08/20/20 | |
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| "I am no expect on gangs of the 50s in NYC, but I think it's safe to say gangs are/were by no means just for teenagers, and you don't just leave a gang or "gang life" when you turn 18 or 21. In the most wholesome way, the gang is probably a family to most of these guys, part of their community too, in another sense they may not have options or interest in leaving the gang, and in other senses they may not be allowed to. I have no idea how the Jets work. But maybe it's because my first exposure to WSS was the film, I never assumed they were in High School because they don't look like they are. But more than anything, the way they act with and toward the Girls always made me think they were mostly 18-24." Yes, again very good points. That said, I guess I'm thinking that, generally speaking, gang members tended (and maybe still tend) to be on the younger side because at least some kids who are in gangs when they're in high school (or are high-school aged) might have to cease being active members when they get a little older because they have to get jobs, so they have less time gang membership. (This is part of the reason why, in WSS, Tony leaves the Jets.) But again, I'm sure you're right that there was still a significant percentage of people beyond high school age in gangs. |
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| re: Dear Evan Hansen Film Casting | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 11:25 am EDT 08/20/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Dear Evan Hansen Film Casting - mattyp4 10:51 am EDT 08/20/20 | |
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| Since Platt has moved on to playing adult roles, I wonder if general audiences would accept him playing a teen again. During the first season of THE POLITICIAN, Platt's character was supposed to be a high school student and, were it not for his character attending a Hollywood GREASE high school where all the teen students look like they're 25, it would not have worked at all. The second season with Platt playing the character as a young adult (after a multi-year flash forward in the final episode of the first season) worked so much better. |
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