How do you decide your play-bys/face claim?

[hamlet]

There are a ton of celebs and models out there. How do you decide which one is right for your character? I know a lot of people have specific playbys that they use all the time, some people are very selective.

Me personally...I know this gets shunned but...I choose playbys out of a pool of other fandoms I like. LOL I guess because if i know how the play by (most likely an actor) walks and talks and his/her style of acting really well...then I can describe my character better. Its like the actor is "auditioning" to play this character for me lol. Therefore I'm not *catering* the character to the actor, but I'm just imagining how that actor would play my character.

So how about you guys? How do you choose?

[phantom]

For me it's pretty easy. I almost always play canon characters, and whatever movie I saw them in that made me want to play them, I use that portrayer. I think every character I have played has been portrayed in a movie, even if they originated in a book, as is typically the case for me. So yeah, it makes it quite simple to find a play-by.

[erin]

It depends for me. Usually I base it off of their personality and usually their personality I make like mine so the character is easier for me to play so their looks would be similar to mine (ergo; dark brown hair, brown eyes, tannish skin) but sometimes it just depends one who I picture suits the role and I pick from other things I like (kind of like how Yols said). It varies for me though.

[ÉPONINE THÉNARDIER]

I have two ways I usually do it. Mostly I will create the character first and then choose the celebrity based on some preset physical features I have laid out. If I don't do that, then I'll choose a celebrity and then base a character around them. Typically what the person does in real life doesn't affect whether or not I choose them as a character, but it is definitely fun to watched a movie they're in (if they're an actor) and compare their mannerisms to my character. Sometimes a face will inspire a character, or I'll even choose a face and create a character on them just for the challenge. The face I'm using for 'Ponine is Hanna Beth Merjos, and she tends to be my fallback for my more dramatic and tragic characters.

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[ricketts]

It might sound weird, but they sort of have to click for me.

I mean, I need to at least like the faceclaim I'm picking or I just can't bond lol Also, they need to be at least a little relevant to the character I'm picking. Example, I wouldn't go in for Henry Jekyll and have Nick Jonas as a faceclaim. I chose Cillian Murphy for Henry because I kiss the grund he walks on he's had some great experience playing twisted people, and his entire placid calmness suits the personality of Henry just how I want it to.

And the eyes. The eyes help too ...

[sasha]

I am obsessed with Cate Blanchett. I would marry that woman (too bad I'm married to Johnny Depp already). So, I knew going in that I HAD to have a character which could be played by Cate.

Yeahhhh. It was a matter of obsession for me.

[THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO]

Monte Cristo's case was an unusual one. He had already been played by James Caviezel in a movie version of the novel, and even though I hated the way the movie ravaged the book, I loved how James chose to portray Monte Cristo. So, choosing him as my playby was a natch.

Chase was far more difficult. Because the narrator in "The Raven" is a scholar, I wanted a playby that had a sort of dorky, yet handsome look, who was college-age. It took me a month to finally settle on Justin Long. He's a bit older than what I was looking for, but he does have the look.

In short, I know the qualities of the character, and I look for someone whose appearance suggests those qualities.

[benvolio]

Usually I go by a combination of how I've pictured a character and gut instinct. For Ben, I toyed with a few people before I got to Ewan McGregor, but as soon as I thought of him I knew I had to use him. It was a combination of his physical appearance, which meshed pretty well with my mental image of Ben, and my general idea of Ewan from the characters I've seen him play.

[RICHARD PLANTAGENET]

Juliet suggested Timothy Spall for me to use as Fagin. I had been thinking of using Ron Moody but I found a picture of Timothy Spall that worked really well. Besides he played Fagin in the BBC adaptation in 2008 (I think that was it) and he did the character very differently to how Fagin's usually potrayed. It took awhile but I warmed to him and it made sense, therefore, that I should use him as my playby.

RANDOM FACT: During Oliver! rehearsals we had to think of an animal that was similar to our character. I thought of a rat for Fagin...Timothy Spall played Peter Pettigrew (alais Wormtail) in the Harry Potter movies! XD

For Richard it was a toss up between the greats; Laurence Olivier and Ian McKellen. I was sorley tempted by some pictures of Olivier I found (not in character as Richard but with an equally sneaky look about him) but then realized it would be more sensible to use McKellen considering how I play Richard as a Gulf War veteran and all (Olivier, methinks, would look too young). Not to mention I love Ian McKellen's potrayl of Richard in 1995 made of win WWII-esque Richard III. <3

[JACK THE RIPPER]

Well, for me, Victor was and is an OC I'm actually writing, so I had a very clear picture of what he looked like. Richard Armitage looks almost precisely how I picture Victor. There were several factors that had to be included (not just for RC):

• He had to be inconspicuous. If I put him in a police line-up and he looked all evil, you'd know right away that he's Jack the Ripper. I treat my character descriptions like a police line-up, most of the time.
  
• He had to be Victorian. (Richard Armitage dresses up like that all the time...it's less convenient for RC, though. I don't think he's ever played a serial killer. Downside!)
  
• He had to be attractive, and I have a good reason for that: in my book, there is a Jill the Ripper who, when she starts her apprenticeship with him, is a shallow little girl of 17. So, the looks kind of persuaded her to let herself be brainwashed. (Not in a sci-fi sense xD)
  
• He had to be English. I don't know why. I just felt like he should be.
  

I searched for literally hours to find the right guy...and I stumbled upon Richard while looking at another guy. So it was a lucky break for me.

So, yes, Richard makes me very, very happy. Only downside is, he doesn't have much of a history in playing villains. There is his role in Robin Hood, but... www.imdb.com/name/nm0035514/ See if you can find me something where he's covered in blood, killing women. XD

[hamlet]

You know I had that same problem choosing Dally's playby. I love Josh Hartnett and he definitely has a bad boy look but when he was younger he didn't have many 'juvenile delinquent' roles accept maybe The Faculty.