Insomniac's blog

Have you ever read a book or listened to the radio and gotten an image in your head of what that character or person would look like? I know I have. So for this book journal I decided I would play casting agent for No More Dead Dogs and pick a cast of characters for a movie based on the book. I decided to narrow my search to the three main characters, Wallace Wallace, Mr. Fogelman, and Rachel. First I will explain the character's personality a bit then I will explain why I picked a particular actor or actress for that character.

Wallace Wallace: He is confident in himself and has a high degree of integrity. He is also fairly good-looking and nice to be around. He feels a strong sense of attachment to his true friends and to his mom. Wallace also has a tendency towards a sarcastic sense of humor.
My choice of Actor: Noel Callahan from Nickelodeon's Romeo Show. Why? Because he likes sports, has a nice smile, and the character he plays on the Romeo Show is similar to Wallace Wallace. Click on the link below to see Noel's picture.
http://www.nick.com/all_nick/tv_supersites/cast.jhtml?sho...

Mr. Fogelman: He is a nice man, but a little neurotic at times. He tries to be your standard teacher but finds that the role is not only driving him nuts, but also his students! He is willing to adapt to the environment that the students put him in and becomes not just a teacher, but a friend and perhaps even an inspiration to his students.
My Choice of Actor: Ben Stiller. Ben Stiller is such a diverse actor that he could easily play Mr. Fogelman. He has the ability to make himself likeable and also to maintain a degree of adulthood just like Mr. Fogelman. To see a brief description of Ben Stiller and a few photos click on the link below.
http://www.aahceleb.com/pics/ben_stiller.html

Rachel: Rachel is not your typical seventh grade girl. She has ambition and is a hard worker. She is not boy crazy, but does find attractive qualities other than looks in Wallace Wallace. She is outspoken and lives in a bit of a fantasy world. Rachel likes to write letters to her idol Julia Roberts even though she thinks Julia will never see them. Rachel loves acting and the stage and is determined to one day be a grand actress.
My Choice of Actress: Emma Roberts from Nickelodeon's Unfabulous. Emma's character on Unfabulous seems to have a self-delusional quality about her that Rachel possesses. Emma also looks like the way Rachel is described in the book. Plus, Emma is really Julia Roberts's niece (how weird is that?!). To see Emma's picture please click on the link below:
http://www.nick.com/all_nick/tv_supersites/cast.jhtml?sho...

I think this is a fun way to try to envision what the characters in a novel would look like. Plus, it would also be a good way to have future pupils merge their love of television and movies with reading. This type of project would require readers to really look closely at the character, both the physical descriptions of them and personality traits found in dialogue. Readers would have to pay close attention to the smaller details in order to find a good cast for their book characters. I found this kind of fun too.