A Heart Full of Uh-Oh... Taylor Swift for "Les Misérables"
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 1:20PM Last night while innocently checking Facebook, a reader forced me -- literally forced me -- to read unpleasant news, reaching through the screen, yanking my eyeballs out and plopping them right down on this news that Taylor Swift was joining the cast of Tom Hooper's Les Miserables as Eponine.
I said "Don't make me think about THAT!!!". I mean, I'd just shared my top ten list so I was still hooked up to an IV joy drip and he wanted me to focus on THAT. I couldn't do it! THAT would have to wait until tomorrow, I said.
But here we are in tomorrow and THAT is still whatever it is. So let's recap what's going on with the casting of the most important movie musical in the pipeline.
The Three Roles The Whole Thing Rests On
Jean Valjean.......................... Hugh Jackman
Inspector Javert .................... Russell Crowe
Fantine ................................ Anne Hathaway
We know that Jackman and Hathaway have spectacular golden age quality movie musical voices and that all three of these movie stars can really act. That's a crucial thing since Les Misérables is actually an epic weepie and not the more commonly seen musical comedy. If "Bring Him Home" (Valjean) and "I Dreamed a Dream" (Fantine) don't ruin you emotionally, Les Miz will lose 87% of its dramatic potency.
Crowe? Have we heard him sing outside of rock music? Hooper is supposedly NOT doing this musical in the typical way of pre-recording and then lipsynching / acting later on. Instead, or so we hear though it sounds complicated given the chaotic milieu of the story, that the actors will actually be singing while they act. This might make for an electric movie experience (I mean the source material is already great) but who knows.
the rest of the cast after the jump
The Young Love Triangle
Cosette (Fantine's Daughter).... Amanda Seyfried (offered)
Marius .................................... Eddie Redmayne
Eponine .................................. Taylor Swift (offered)
"Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" is maybe my favorite song in the show so I'm hoping Eddie Redmayne has a beautiful voice. He seems to have everything else. Amanda can really sing (Mamma Mia! sucks but she has pipes) and has gargantuan eyes just like Anne Hathaway so I see no reason to object to this casting.
Taylor is famous for singing so maybe it'll work. But it still seems like utter madness when supposedly it was down to genuine big screen star actresses like Evan Rachel Wood and Scarlett Johansson or Glee's Lea Michele. And they went with Swift? It'd be hysterical to suggest that Les Misérables can't work if you have a dud Eponine -- ah, the blessings of ensemble pieces -- but in terms of the emotional fix of the show, a lot less rides on, say, Cosette so it's a pity that Seyfried and Swift can't switch roles! Unless they rearrange the musical -- as some movie adaptations do -- Eponine's big moments will be "A Heart Full of Love" (sung with the other two members of this triangle) and her solo "On My Own" an eternal cliché favorite on the musical theater audition circuit.
But I must note that these are also acting roles. I have not seen Valentine's Day but was Ms. Swift embarrassing in it or capable? Not that you should judge an actor by one role in a Garry Marshall movie. I mean it would be grossly unfair to judge Anne Hathaway by The Princess Diaries alone. My greater concern is her voice. I was reading this lengthy fascinating New Yorker profile on her some months ago (no matter how disinterested you are in any subject matter the New Yorker will make it interesting for you!) and didn't it mention that she is sometimes off key in concerts. This is not good if they're recording the music live!
More Supporting Players
Monsieur Thénadier .............. Sacha Baron Cohen
Madame Thénadier ............... Helena Bonham Carter
Enjolras ............................... Aaron Tveit
Aaron Tveit, for those of you who don't know him, is a looker with a terrific voice. He played the DiCaprio role in the Broadway musical version of Catch Me If You Can and was recently seen as James Franco's boyfriend in the biopic Howl. Enjolras is a friend to Marius (who is the romantic lead of the show even though he's a supporting player) and though Enjolras is rarely obsessed over in discussions of this musical it's an important role; he sings a lot and he's the leader of the student revolutionaries.
The Thénadier's are the comic relief though their daughter Eponine has a dramatic role. I can't imagine Taylor Swift as the progeny of Helena & Sacha (Eponine being the Thénadier's daughter) but I suppose we have to suspend disbelief. We know that Helena can't sing but her big song here is considerably less demanding than the ones she had in Sweeney Todd and it's easy to imagine Sacha and her enjoying and selling the nasty comedy of these slum lords.
But What About Gavroche?
The only major role that we haven't heard an actor's name for is Gavroche, the street urchin but we don't suppose it'll be a known player anyway. I mean, how many famous little boy sopranos are already running around on the big screen?
Can Thomas Horn or Asa Butterfield sing?
Les Miserables begins filming in March and plans to be in movie theaters in just 338 days, just in time for next year's Oscar competition. If it's great-- or perceived to be -- expect a massive nomination tally including, especially, hoopla about Actor (Jackman), Supporting Actor (Redmayne & Crowe) and Supporting Actress (Hathaway and [gulp]... THAT).
Reader Comments (46)
Genuinely? Liking the choice.
Never thought much of her, but there was something truly infectious and kind with what she did in Valentine's Day.
It was the only performance in that whole film that reminded me of what it feels like to get swept up in love.
I hope she KILLS it.
Ugh next thing you know, we'll hear Jae Head is playing Gavroche...
Swift is borderline terrible in Valentine's Day. So I am really disappointed if this news is indeed true. And yes, she sang off key many times in various award shows. I think there is one incident where she sang with Stevie Nicks if I am not mistaken and she was so off key.
And I don't really get the casting of this movie; do every roles have to be played by STARS??? I mean, they have enough big stars already in Anne, Hugh and Russell. Can't they offer the other roles to any Broadway actors who can act and sing?? That probably will make a better movie than having "star" like Taylor Swift with questionable acting & singing talent.
My thoughts exactly, so I won't bother to write it up. I will say, though, that Eponine carries a lot more of the emotional weight of the second half of the show than you may recall. We all kind of feel like Eponine in our lives; who hasn't thought "if only he'd notice me". So Taylor's casting makes me nervous...
I'm not sure how I feel about this, and I don't have anything against Taylor Swift. I admit that I don't know much about Les Miz, but don't the songs require a certain amount of vocal skill/heft? I've always thought that Swift's appeal as a musician was in the relatability of her lyrics to her audience, she's not a vocalist and so it just doesn't seem right because the songs that I've heard from the show are always sung by someone with serious pipes. Acting wise, her performance in Valentine's Day wasn't bad, but it doesn't exactly suggest that she could handle heavier material.
On another note, I also find it odd that Emmy Rossum was never really in consideration for a role in this film. She's a veteran of the stage and has a beautiful voice.
In Valentine's Day, she was "acting" alongside Taylor "Rocks have more personality" Lautner. So in comparison, she actually didn't seem so bad. But she was still grating IMO.
I'm still looking forward to this. Too many people here I like for me to cast it off completely by one questionable casting decision. And who knows? She could surprise.
After this, I am just waiting for them to offer Gavroche to Justin Bieber...
I have to admit, I kind of like this news. I mean, pop art should embrace its popness, no? She's not being cast in a Victor Hugo adaptation. She's being cast in a big pop musical, supported by a variety of good actors. I am hoping this works. I came out of the Taylor Swift closet a year or so ago. What can I say? I like what she does...
Kim-don't give them ideas...shudder.
I am so excited that my husband Aaron Tveit is in this that I will get over the Swift idea. I'm guessing that even if they are recording live, if she's not up to par Hooper will get her into a studio, so I'm not too worried. I'm not familiar with the play enough to know if she's going to need to be a fine actor, but other popstars have made it in films, so I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt here.
Eddie Redmayne does indeed have an AMAZING voice. You can hear it briefly here from :50-1:02 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CBQqOkR4kB8
He is also the soloist here: http://www.etoncollege.com/UserFiles/File/christmas_music.swf
I am not exactly optimistic about Taylor Swift but I do think, being so new - especially to acting, she has the potential to bring out some hidden talent and surprise people. And as for the singing, thank goodness Eponine isn't exactly an operatic role so I don't think ALL hope is lost there too.
Rumor has it he offered the role to Evan Rachel Wood, who had to decline due to dental surgery (??) and Hooper has been working with Swift for a while. So if he indeed sees true potential in her and is not just grabbing for her fanbase's money, then I am willing to be open-minded and give her a chance.
Swift as Eponine is a terrible choice. She cannot sing the part. She's famous for singing HER OWN songs, which have a very limited range. I remember when they had her as "Maria" for the VMA West Side Story promos, and she was disgustingly autotuned, even in a lower key than the original. And she was terrible in Valentine's Day. Easily, the worst part of a bad movie.
And Nat, I think you're missing something: "A Little Fall of Rain" is, for me, the most emotionally impacting part of the musical (along with "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"), and it's all about Eponine. Yes, it's an ensemble piece, but Eponine is an important part of that ensemble. And dead weight in that role will damage the entire piece. For the sake of the film (one of my all time favorite musicals), I hope she proves me and all the other doubters wrong. But now a project I was extremely excited about, with almost perfect casting, has become something I am genuinely worried about.
Taylor Swift is famous for singing monstrously off-key live, so if Hooper is having everybody sing live he may have his work cut out for him. (Although Madonna, herself a [beautiful] stranger to pitch during her concerts at times, had her most striking moments in "Evita" when she sang live, so you never know.) That said, considering how close in spirit "On My Own" is to "You Belong With Me," Swift's casting makes an odd sort of sense.
For me, Swift was Valentine's Days "worst in show." That''s not an easy accomplishment for this pic. She over mugged, was terribly annoying, and had was out acted by her screen partner. That screen partner was Taylor Lautner. Let that sink in. Sure she didn't have a ton to work with, but that can't totally excuse her level of awfulness. I actually thought after seeing it, "well at least no one will ever think to cast Taylor Swift again."
Coupled with her sweet, but rather thin voice, and I can't be more depressed over this news. Maybe Tom Hopper knows something I don't? Can't help but feel this is a crass move to fill seats with some youngsters.
How can they cast her over Lea in this role, the film has enough star power as it is that 'getting Taylor Swift' just seems wrong. I agree she was borderline 'worst in show' in Valentine's Day, but then again maybe she will surprise us and be amazing in this, at least she is a singer wanting to act not the other way around which can sometimes work in situations like this (Evita / Dreamgirls, etc). Helena and Sacha will make a good pairing I think and their big number doesn't really depend so much on the singing prowess of either.
I've seen her live twice, btw, and while she's not excellent, she's not monstrously bad live. Michele seems like the obvious choice, all things being equal, but like I said, I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt (and I'm not really a fan).
Taylor Swift as Eponine!?! Probably one of the worst casting decisions ever made! From someone who works in the industry in Nashville...I assure you, this is a terrible casting decision.
Thanks for the leangthy article, Nathaniel. I really hope Swift will reject the role. Evan Rachel Wood, please!!
Empty Chairs... is my maybe favorite song too. I hope the lovely Eddie Redmayne can pull it off but in a surprisingly great way. Not in a "it was OK" way.
but Lea Michele, though.
just leaving this year to remind everyone how disgusting the fact she was passed up is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNFO7YQKL3I
So what she's on one of the most annoying shows on television right now. (And by annoying I mean annoyingly overexposed because I like the show in itself). She's still a great actress and has delivered one of the most emotionally truthful On My Own's in recent history. UGH. #teamkanye
rami -- it does seem odd that they are requiring ALL roles to have stars in them. it's kind of a miracle that they let someone as unfamous as Aaron Tveit in. But really once you have 4 or 5 stars, you aren't going to make more money by having 8. But you sure will be SPENDING more money.
Yah agreed and also it's a pretty major brand on it's own they dont need that many stars to fill in seats
Just feels natural to judge the performer before seeing what she can really do.
Maybe I'm biased being British, and I'm no Les Mis expert but I'd LOVE a British cast and thought Hooper would too!
I love Annie H so that's brillz, but why the need for Seyfried and Swift when we have Knightly and Mulligan? Furthermore, If they're going for the whole popstar becomes movie star thing, imagine Florence Welch in Les Mis. WOW. I also want Winslet in a musical asap, I still remember her Christmas Carol song 'What If' and what a voice. I dunno what character she could be but Winslet could do/be anything.
I agree, Aaron Tveit must have given a hell of a screen test if he got in past the movie stars...I'm excited to hear what he does with "Do You Hear the People Sing?" and "Red and Black".
I'm also surprised Emmy Rossum was never in the mix. Perhaps her TV show schedule was too much of a conflict?
Ugh, this why I have such a love/hate relationship with movie musicals. They insist on casting celebrities who can barely sing. The Hathaway/Jackman/Crowe trinity is great, but as others mentioned, Eponine is the Fantine of the 2nd half. While "Empty Chairs" is probably my favorite song, "On My Own" is definitely in the top 5. I'd already resigned to the movie being poorly directed since Hooper's doing it, but its really disheartening that with the first adaptation of the musical and one of my favorite characters is going to be played by her. Easily the worst part about Valentine's day, and that's saying a lot.
I'm trying REALLY hard to not cry at my desk right now. Not that Swift is an awful actress or anything (I thought she was just fine in Valentine's Day and was actually one of the better SNL hosts in recent memory), but her voice is ALL WRONG for Eponine. I do think she will be able to bring the necessary spunk to the role, and Tom Hooper is nothing if not an actor's director, so I'm not too worried about the acting, but... PLEASE. I like Taylor's music (I can't believe I just admitted that anonymously over the internet!) but in what universe does it make sense casting her as a supporting character with two MAJOR emotional songs in a musical against two quite strong singers (in Redmayne and Seyfried, who would make a fine Eponine herself)? Yes she's a professional singer, but her voice has kind of a whiny, nasal quality to it that would only pale in comparison to well-trained singers. Someone already mentioned the odd similarity between On My Own and You Belong With Me, but I can already hear her pathetic rendition of A Little Fall Of Rain in my head, and it makes me sad. Nothing against her, but she does NOT have the vocal range required for that song. Maybe that's one of the songs that will inevitably get cut for time? I think the reason Lea Michele and Emmy Rossum weren't mentioned in any of these casting discussions is because of their TV commitments, which is sad, because they're both talented, and Emmy deserves a second chance after that lifeless Phantom of the Opera film she got stuck in (she's really grown as an actress on Shameless). To quote another big British Broadway hit, why God? WHY?!?
Sorry. The musical theater queen inside me is positively seething with anger. She wishes movie people would look to Broadway more often when casting movie musicals.
Keegan: If I take your statement as an equivalency statement: Knightly as Cosette, the dreamer caught up in a revolution who falls in love? Okay, makes perfect sense. She's generally the right age and the only question is can she sing. Mulligan as Eponine, the girl who passes herself off as a guy to be with the man she's secretly in love with by joining the revolution? Unless it's written so that EVERYONE knows and chooses not to say anything, there's not enough suspension of disbelief in the world to make that phsyically plausible casting for a film. Even if Mulligan can sing, she (and Swift) are way too feminine for this part. If Katie Jarvis can actually sing, though...that I could buy.
I read that New Yorker piece too and after it, I went and got ALL of Taylor's discography *hides in shame* she is QUITE limited but I think she can bring the right sentiment to the role. I want to see how/if she puts her annoying arm scribbles in her character too.
Volvagia, thankyou. I disagree about Mulligan though, I don't think she's too feminine at all. After Shame, I think she's capable of a lot more than we thought. I think Knightly and Mulligan are both singers, they've both sung in The Edge Of Love and Shame and were both in contention for Eliza Doolittle in the My Fair Lady reboot, so I assume so. Jervis would be dreamy, love her, or even a newcomer such at Kaya Scholderio (excuse spelling) who was brilliant in Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights or Bryony Hannah, a stage actor who's about to become out next big thing, google her!
You never know, Hooper might be on to something with Taylor. i think she has potential.
I could see her randomly killing it, but I mean....no. Wtf?
She's not an actress and a mediocre singer. She doesn't even look anything like the people cast as her parents either.
And if they wanted star power for like the mainstream, or the little kids, get Lea Michele! Hello, Glee.
Agh.
I'm a huge musical theatre fan, and coincidentally a big Taylor Swift fan too. Sadly, I knew as soon as I read the news last night that, my personal excitement aside, I would be greeted with rolling eyes and pans from the internet regarding her casting as Eponine. I don't understand the hatred, or even the initial misgivings. She can sing. Eponine sings. Swift has three records documenting her emotional turmoil (high schooly nonsense to being used by John Mayer) with boys. Eponine is dealing with the same stuff regarding Marius, wanting him but him loving someone else. Sure she's thus far an unproven actress, but can't we safely assume that Tom Hooper didn't cast her simply on her popularity? Isn't it possible that this notably persnickety director liked her audition and offered her the role because he found her perfect for the role?
I remain confident that, regardless of what musical theatre purists want to say, that she's surprisingly perfect for the role. Wait until her hear her and we see her, er, THAT.
Nice to hear all the support for EMMY ROSSUM. I thought she was a terrible actress until i saw SHAMELESS and holy hell she turned that out. So so so so much more than I thought she was capable of. So now I'm dying to see her in a musical again because I remember her voice being great in Phantom even if the performance wasn't.
This is a tiny tragedy. At least Kim Kardashian wasn't cast?
Swift's casting is the first news that actually makes me interested in this red-flag-laden project. Seriously. Against all odds, she's a delight in Valentine's Day, and she's a warm and personable vocalist -- no Broadway boomer, sure, but this is a different medium we're working with here. (Is Madonna a better vocalist than Elaine Page? Hell no. Did she make a more magnetic screen Evita than Paige would have? Hell yes.)
A lot of people seem to be prioritising sheer vocal firepower ahead of presence, of physical and emotional bearing for the part -- Swift's entire appeal is rooted in her wispy guilelessness and vulnerability, and as such, she evokes Eponine to me more than the stainless-steel Lea Michele does. So what if she doesn't sing the songs as they've been sung on stage, or interprets them more on her own terms? Isn't individual interpretation what we want from an actor inheriting an oft-played role, musical or otherwise?
It might not work, of course. But this kind of counterintuitive casting is surely something to be intrigued by, rather than afraid of.
I'm absolutely fine with Swift in the grand scheme of things; I found her fine in Valentine's Day, but the bottom line is I trust her to have won a coveted role based on a decent audition. The show is a big enough franchise to get bums on seats regardless of THAT many name actors (they arguably could have stopped at Jackman and Crowe as 'names' and then just filled the other roles with people who have the capabilities to deliver, so let's hope that's what they've done).
To be honest, I'm infinitely more worried about Jackman. I think he has a solid voice based on Oz and Oklahoma, but it strikes me as a rather thin, forced voice; not something that can pack a vocal punch with Bring Him Home.
Great if they ARE recording the vocals live - always such a distancer for musicals when they usually don't - but I think we're dreaming if we don't anticipate that they'll be doing numerous vocal touch-ups in post production. There's no way you're telling me that if they get a great dramatic take out of an actor with a few duff notes that they're not going to use it and fix it later.
Also, Eddie Redmayne hummed in the recent London production of Richard II, and for what it's worth he hummed "in tune and sweetly". You heard it here!
Keegan , Byrony Hannah can certainly pull off the 'androgyny' part of the role but I saw her in a The Children's Hour on stage and was really unimpressed with her personally, she can certainly pull off the physical transformation but I felt that she did not emotionally connect at all, I knew I was watching a 'performance' and therefore she was really unbelievable.
Was gonna write up a pro Swift comment. But Guy said it so well. Bravo.
I hopes she knocks it out of the park.
Guy, i understand what you're saying 100% but my problem is that with movie musicals these days it ALWAYS seems to be counterintuitive casting. what is sweenedy todd other than that and the songs just die without gifted singers even though the movie looks great.
They never think to actually cast for vocals and I guess i'm just really tired of movie musicals (my favorite genre) not trusting in their own form. Musicals are meant to be SUNG and DANCED. anyway. maybe she'll be great. I'll hope.
No, just no. I love Les Miserables but this cast just doesn't work. I may head off to see this, after reading non-biased reviews. I just currently don't see this cast working out.
Digression: Despite our differing opinions on Drive and W.E., I want to marry the hell out of Guy Lodge because he called Madonna magnetic as Evita. If that's the last thing I will ever do.
Her biggest role was in her CSI episode if you want to check that out
Guy, sorry man, you are losing credibility. Your reviews are very harsh on certain young actresses ( ex. Keira Knightley's acting & her jawline ) , and you raved about the crappy " Burlesque ". But you give a free pass to Taylor " No Talent " Swift. She was painful in " Valentine's Day" , and her singing is unbearable. And, now you are interested in seeing " Les Miserables " because she may star in this production ( when they already stars more talented than Taylor ) . Trust me, Knightley can act circles around Ms. Swift. The more you comment , the more I am dying from laughter.
As an antidote to Taylor Swift as Eponine, how about Tilda Swinton as Mame Dennis?
http://www.broadway.com/buzz/159213/tilda-swinton-to-tackle-auntie-mame-remake-on-screen/
Paul -- i'll believe that when i see it. Tilda & Luca have been saying they're going to do that for at least two years now. i can only dream
Putting aside the Swift news, I think the casing of Aaron Tveit is brilliant. I saw Les Miz on Broadway twice back in the day and both times my favorite character was Enjolras. Even if the film doesn't achieve greatness, this could be a star-making role for Tveit. Sure, it's supporting, but assuming his songs don't get cut, they really stand out.
Nat, Tilda recently said that it may take her years to get a project off the ground (I Am Love, Kevin), but the films do get made. So let's keep dreaming.