Not having enough to think about I have been considering who might best fit the role of Harry Exton in the Hollywood blockbuster Button Man. I had proposed Brad Pitt (Blog June 29th 2010), this in opposition to Leonardo De Caprio - falsely reported on the internet as being offered the job - who I did not feel matched the part. (Nothing personal Leonardo, and anyway don’t worry as my view on casting will probably not be sought.) Brad seemed the more butch. I have changed my mind and am now thinking Dominic West. He looks the part, he is English - which I always thought was part of Harry’s persona - he can do tough and ruthless, is six foot and a moody actor.
Genuine news about the possibility of a Button Man movie is expected sometime in June or July. You will be told. I am on tenterhooks.
Tenterhooks, To be on. To be in suspense; to await an outcome anxiously. The allusion is to newly woven cloth being stretched or ‘tentered’ on hooks passed through the selvages. ( Latin tentus, ‘stretched’ hence ‘tent’, canvas stretched) Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Sixteenth edition 1999. Harper-Collins
n sel’vages a marked hank of rope, used as a strap or a sling. The Chambers Dictionary, Chambers Harrup Publishers Ltd. 1998
Casting around
Casting around
Not having enough to think about I have been considering who might best fit the role of Harry Exton in the Hollywood blockbuster Button Man. I had proposed Brad Pitt (Blog June 29th 2010), this in opposition to Leonardo De Caprio - falsely reported on the internet as being offered the job - who I did not feel matched the part. (Nothing personal Leonardo, and anyway don’t worry as my view on casting will probably not be sought.) Brad seemed the more butch. I have changed my mind and am now thinking Dominic West. He looks the part, he is English - which I always thought was part of Harry’s persona - he can do tough and ruthless, is six foot and a moody actor.
Genuine news about the possibility of a Button Man movie is expected sometime in June or July. You will be told. I am on tenterhooks.
Tenterhooks, To be on. To be in suspense; to await an outcome anxiously. The allusion is to newly woven cloth being stretched or ‘tentered’ on hooks passed through the selvages. ( Latin tentus, ‘stretched’ hence ‘tent’, canvas stretched) Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Sixteenth edition 1999. Harper-Collins
n sel’vages a marked hank of rope, used as a strap or a sling. The Chambers Dictionary, Chambers Harrup Publishers Ltd. 1998
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Does this mean Mr Ranson is a fan of The Wire? That makes you quadruply cooler than you already were. Which is a lot. Especially to me. You are a massive inspiration to me.
Both of your casting choices so far have been great - Brad Pitt being one I had considered myself at one point. But my personal choice is an actor you might have seen if you've ever watched a show called Nip/Tuck: Australian actor Julian McMahon. His role in this series is probably his best known work, but based on just that, I think he'd be great for Harry. He missed out on a role as James Bond in Casino Royale, to Daniel Craig, who was basically playing Harry Exton in that film. You might disagree. But then again, you might not...
Regards
Bheki
Hullo Bheki,
Thanks for the input and compliment.
I was aware of Dominic West from a couple of movies I have seen him in but it was a picture of him from ‘The Wire’ that made me think of him as Harry Exton. Sorry to fail your cool-o-meter test but my telly doesn’t get the station ‘The Wire’ appears on so I haven’t seen it. Would watching ‘Shadow Line’ make up for that? Looked at Julian McMahon and can see he might make a good Bond but consider his features a little too refined and smooth for my idea of Harry whom I always supposed him have a background as a working class boy like me. This is all very subjective and your feelings about who gets the part when or if the film is ever made is as good as anybodies - well apart from the folk at Dreamworks of course.
Don't worry, Sir. Sir Arthur, nothing, and I mean NOTHING, could ever diminish you in my eyes. Your comment regarding Mr West is noted, he does have that immediately apparent 'grizzled' quality to his appearance. But if you could see Macmahon's acting, perhaps you would see what I mean. He can convey layers of complexity so well as to make me believe he'd be perfect for this role. Believe me, I've thought about this for a long time, frequently. After all, I am your biggest fan.
But enough about Harry - it won't make a lick of difference who I want for the role, so might as well move on. The good news is that your re-post of this subject compelled me to make contact with you, after so long, considering I've been following the site's progress since even before it officially went up. So I might finally give you some thoughts on it, and perhaps I'll finally get around to giving you those gorgeous Sex Pistols biography pages I found on the web so long ago.
Hullo Bhaki,
It is true I haven’t seen a Macmahon performance so you could be right. You are certainly right about your, or my, influence on the final choice, even supposing there is to be a movie. Your views on the site would be welcome. The Sex Pistols pages as an attachment to the site’s Email address would be good. Long time since I have seen them.