Let's Talk Casting!

by Julie Ann Walker

Admit it.  As readers we like to imagine we'd be called to take on the job of casting agent if the books we  devour were ever to be turned into movies.  We have a "vision" of the characters, and can't help but wonder which actor/actress would play them best. 

Well... with all the recent hubbub surrounding the revelations of who snagged the lead roles for the movie version of Fifty Shades of Grey, I couldn't help but do my own bit of what-iffing, wondering who I'd pick to play Wild Bill and Eve, the hero and heroine of my latest title, BORN WILD - due to hit shelves November 5th.  But as the author, I have strict requirements.  Of course, right?  These are the characters living inside MY head.  I must do them justice! *victorious arm raise* 

So, though my list of must-haves is small - only two items - it's precise.  Number one: they must have acting chops.  I like to think my characters are wonderfully deep and fantastically flawed, as, indeed, we all are, and my choice of actors must be able to adequately portray this depth on the big screen.  Number two: they must be an approximate physical match for the players I envisioned in my head while writing.  Make her a blonde instead of brunette, or make him short and muscular instead of long and lean and I'll never be able to watch the show.  

So, without further ado, I give you my choices for Wild Bill and Eve.

First off, Billy would be played by the ever-lovely, and incredibly sexy Francois Arnaud.  If you haven't been tuning in to Showtime's The Borgias, you're missing out.  Billy...er...Francois is delectation on two legs.  The hair.  The eyes.  The scruffy stubble.  *sigh*  He'd look good sporting leather and riding on the back of a tricked-out bike, wouldn't he?

As for Eve?  Well, look no further than the stunning Olivia Wilde.  Not only does her delicate beauty exemplify Eve Edens in my mind, but the woman can act.  Cowboys and Aliens, anybody?  Or how about the TV show House M.D.?  I think Olivia could bring just the right amount of sensitivity and kick-assedness (If that's not a word, it should be!) to the role to do Eve's character justice.         

Now it's your turn, dear readers.  Pick a character from one of your favorite novels and tell me which actor/actress you'd choose to play him/her!  

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Julie Ann Walker is the New York Times bestselling author of the Black Knights Inc. romantic suspense series. She is prone to spouting movie quotes and song lyrics. She'll never say no to sharing a glass of wine or going for a long walk. She prefers impromptu travel over the scheduled kind, and she takes her coffee with milk. You can find her on her bicycle along the lake shore in Chicago or blasting away at her keyboard, trying to wrangle her capricious imagination into submission.  Visit her at www.julieannwalker.com.  On Twitter @JAWalkerAuthor.  Or Facebook at www.facebook.com/jawalkerauthor.