okay. don’t get too excited.
only a mock casting. =) agent bill has
submitted silver phoenix to some producers
but no bites yet. of course,
like many authors, i’d love to see Silver
Phoenix made into a film–i think it’d make
a gorgeous movie. i’m not biased or anything. =p
so for fun, i decided to cast for the major roles
in the film as well as for the sequel. since that’s
what i’m so immersed in at the moment.
as i’ve said before, i haven’t watched many chinese
films, so my choices of actors are quite limited.
also, ideally, the movie would star asian-american leads.
many of the actors i chose are not the right age range.
but they have the look and feel i think the character has.
liu yi fei as ai ling.
i saw this star for the first time in
the film Forbidden Kingdom a few years
back. she has the exact mix of innocence
and determination that ai ling has in my mind.
daniel henney as chen yong.
the man is ridiculously good-looking.
i mean, bordering on obnoxious.
but my editor said that was oh-kay.
so hoorah! ha!
jay chou as li rong.
apparently a mega star in many parts of asia, and
i didn’t even know it. he starred in Curse of the Golden Flower
as well as sang the song i linked in a recent post for ai ling
and chen yong. i couldn’t find any smiling/laughing fotos
of jay–as that’s how i picture li rong mostly in my mind.
but the looks are right.
takeshi kaneshiro as zhong ye.
i’ve only seen him in one film–Red Cliff.
i had a difficult time casting zhong ye.
i considered tony leung, because i just LOVE
him. he has such a romantic sadness in his eyes.
but perhaps not the edge i need for zhong ye.
gong li as silver phoenix.
classy, gorgeous, confident and dead sexy.
you don’t know much at all about silver
phoenix in the debut (despite the title =)
but meet and get to know her a lot better in
this second novel.
her role in Raise the Red Lantern is unforgettable.
definitely mired in The Dreaded Middle of the
sequel right now.
and believe or not, this little diversion does help
in my writing!!
do you have any suggestions of actors to star in
roles for Silver Phoenix, the movie?
edited to add, reader suggestions!
from ah yuan :
hu ge who apparently is in all the movies
in every ancient chinese production from mainland
china. =) i approve, for the smile alone. and definitely the
mischievous look that is so li rong. nijibug also suggested
hu ge!
michelle krusiec as ai ling.
i have never seen or heard of this asian-amerian
actress? i love her face shape and her eyes.
probably not enough innocence for me, however?
but it may just be the foto.
from ari :
leonardo nam as li rong.
again, i approve of the smile!
he looks like he could get into some trouble too. ha!
yin chang as ai ling.
probably known best (by me at least)
for her short stint as one of blair’s minions
on gossip girl.
zhang zi yi as ai ling.
i would be lying if i say i didn’t
consider her. i think she’s gorgeous and
love many of the chinese films she’s been in.
i think the only thing holding me back is
(and this being my own filter) she’s too aware
of her own beauty. and how to use it.
which isn’t where ai ling is yet. perhaps silver
phoenix, but not ai ling.
from mechelle :
mike moh as zhong ye.
i originally saw some smiling fotos and
thought li rong (because mike looked boyish
to me as well). but upon further research, yes, he
may very well be able to pull off zhong ye!
i just had to include the foto of tony leung. <3
he is such the leading man, love him.
i LOVE all the suggestions! keep them coming!
41 Comments
That’s an AWESOME cast! Chen Yong was always yummy and delicious in my mind when I was reading, but oh boy, Daniel Henney is a living dream!
Good luck with the film rights. :)
krista, isn’t he just?
and thank you!! maybe one day… =D
lol, I personally would have casted Hu Ge somewhere in the male leads (I’m thinking Li Rong, but Chen Yong could work too)… He’s always in like, every single ancient china production from the mainland, after all. Also I doubt Jay Chou’s ability to act Li Rong because not only does he never smile in the roles I’ve seen him play, he also has the acting ability of a log. (No offense meant, but seriously, I think he should have stuck to singing. Acting is just not his forte.) But omg Gong Li as Silver Phoenix is one of the most amazing castings EVAR. I didn’t even think of that, but it’d definitely work.
Haha, I always wanted to do a casting for Silver Phoenix using the usual casting bunch in Mainland wuxia drama productions… *plots*
Love. It. Especially Takeshi Kaneshiro.
ah yuan, let me know if you come up with your own list! you sound more well versed in the area than i am! and i didn’t cast based on acting skills or anything, more on looks. haha on poor jay. i guess he’s too cool to smile. boo.
gong li is amazing tho–i think esp when you read my second novel.
dara, yay! =D
ALSO, I’m intrigued by the idea of attempting to cast this with asian-american stars. I didn’t think about doing that, and my choices in actors are limited as I don’t watch even half as much of the asian-american indie films as I wish I did, but I think I could come up with something if I ponder this for a bit longer. (And use this as an excuse to watch more As-Am indie films for “research”) For now, I’ll say that I think Michelle Krusiec would make a very cool Ai Ling. 8D
Daniel Henney is so cute! Takeshi Kaneshiro is an excellent choice. He seems scary/powerful.
Perhaps Leonardo Nam as Li Rong? He was in he’s Just Not that Into You and he was funny, but that had more to do with his character delivering humorous, dry lines. I thinkh Yuan’s choice of Hu Ge could work as Li Rong too. He has that mischevious look.
Gong Li is an awesome choice for Silver Phoenix! I can’t wait to read more about her, yay :)
Maybe Yin Chang (saw her in Gossip girl) as Ai Ling. Although I think Liu Yi Fei is a perfect choice. She really does seem quite innocent, but I have no doubt she could kick some major butt. Or Ziyi Zhang (Rush Hour 2). She doesn’t seem too innocent and she’s a bit older for the role, but she does seem fierce.
I can’t decide which one is tastier – Li Rong or Chen Yong! They’re smoking hot!
P.S. You got me so excited when you mentioned a movie. LOL.
you appear to have cast two (2) of my boyfriends. (can you guess which ones?)
also, i SO vote for michelle! i LOVE her! but she’s tiny. isn’t ai ling tall?
btw watch Saving Face–that’s what i think she’s famous for.
moonie, don’t you court most of the asian singing and acting population? and they love you back? haha! hmm, takeshi must be one of them?
kirsten, to dream the impossible dream. =D you guys would be the first to know if silver phoenix got optioned!!
ari and ah yuan, i love the suggestions! i’ve added them to the blog post! =D so much fun!
@moonrat,
SAVING FACE IS THE BEST. <33333 All the ladies lookin' gorgeous.
@moonrat,
SAVING FACE IS THE BEST!!! <33 All the gorgeous ladies, oh my.
And yay for Michelle vote, lawl.
Re:Zhang Ziyi, I think she has too much of that cold beauty thing going on to be Ai Ling… And she doesn't fit my impressions on Silver Phoenix either…
I really like your choices, Cindy. A lot of them look just how I pictured them too.
thanks adam! im glad
they look similar to what u imagined.
i never did this while writing SP but
it’s def helpful and inspiring!
moonie YES ai ling is tall. at least 5′8 in my mind.
Wonderful choices! Your selections fit the images in my head remarkably well. I particularly like Liu Yi Fei as Ai Ling. My only concern with Daniel Henney as Chen Yong is that I would definitely find it impossible to notice anything else on the screen while I am busy swooning over him. ;-)
violet, i really love liu yi fei as ai ling too.
and perhaps that is the point when daniel henney is on screen? haha!
I loved your picks! I pictured Gong Li as the villainess from Silver Phoenix (sorry but her name escapes me) when I was reading it. Maybe because the only movie I remember seeing her in was Memoirs of a Geisha. I wasn’t familiar with Daniel Henney but wow! He looks amazing!
I hope Silver Phoenix is made into a movie someday and that Hollywood gets it right.
I love your choices. Those guys are *hawt*
ah yuan, you and moonie and someone else on LJ recommended saving face. now i’m def curious.
christina, i would suggest you become more familiar with daniel henney. haha! he’s gorgeous! i never did watch memoirs.
angela, thanks!!
I agree Ziyi Zhang is very self-assured and she totally knows she’s gorgeous. I need to watch all the movies being discussed! I haven’t seen Saving Face, the Forbidden Kingdom or Raise the Red Lantern. I’ve only seen Memoirs of a Feisha (really good movie).
I would LOVE to see a Silver Phoenix movie. It’s really sad that I had such a hard time coming up with actors/actresses for the roles in the book, mainly because there is a lack of Asian actors in film. Did you see this? http://www.interstitialarts.org/wordpress/?p=181 Apparentely this film (Falling For Grace) is not being picked up by theaters because they think that instead of being a romantic comedy, it should be billed as an Asian American film (because the main character is Chinese American), which won’t sell (so they claim). Boooo
ari, i was very impressed by your contribution! and i had not seen that link. it’s discouraging and sad. i know they mentioned they had to really think about romantic leads for will smith in hitch as well. i think there has been progress in movies and the book world in regards to more diversity, but it’s definitely baby steps. we’re not there yet.
i must say – you did an excellent job with your vision of the cast. i’ve just started reading the book and am sucked into it already. cyn – what can i say? i’m impressed with the level of professionalism and creativity you bring to your writing.
shy baby, thanks so much for reading! i do hope you enjoy it! tho as a disclaimer, it’s nothing like twilight. =)
Yay! Gong Li. I have always loved her. She would be fantastic.
I hope it happens for you, Cindy.
Well, darn it! You did get me excited.
You’ve got a great cast there! I’d have to cast a vote for Tony over Takeshi though. He can bring the edge (have you seen Lust, Caution?!?) and I think he totally out-acted Takeshi in Red Cliff, hands down.
Okay, perhaps a bit of a Tony crush over here too.
thanks ron! hoorah for another gong li fan!!
jeannie, it’s so fun to do. you can cast for your debut too! =D and hoorah for a tony fan. i just love him. his eyes are so gorgeous and expressive…
cyn – it’s BETTER then twilight! way better.
aww thanks shy baby!
what a compliment as i know you
are a twilight fan!! <3
Your casting choices are great. They fit the images of your characters. I hope Silver Phoenix is made into a movie! The story, relationships, and the special effects would be wonderful on screen; though, I’m sure, as in all novel adaptations, the book will be better than the movie- but movies are a nice compliment to the text!
annie, thank you so much! and i’m glad you commented. i sent you an email! =D
Daniel Henney = Hot!
Yay! Gong Li. I have always loved her. She would be fantastic.
I hope it happens for you, Cindy.
Love the cast for Silver Phoenix Daniel Hennney is perfect for Chen Yong
brad,thank you!
hannah and aleah, more daniel henney fans? yes!
Loved your book Cindy! Keep them coming!
Gong Li is a must. She is so beautiful and classy, definitely Silver Phoenix. She is perfect!
Daniel Henney..mm..yes please! lolol
Yin Chang (I am a Gossip Girl fan)would be a good choice for Ai Ling. She definitely has the sense of determination yet innocense look to her.
Zhang Ziyi, i like her but not for Ai Ling, she’s a bit older now. I liked Michelle Krusiec in her film about being a lesbian, but again, she looks a bit too mature. and you’re right, she doesn’t have that sense of innocense about her.
and Jay Chou as Li Rong all the way!
Great Job Cindy!
oh and I really hope your book gets made into a movie! That would be so cool!
aww, thanks erica. i’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
I think a young Zhang Ziyi might have been able to pull off Ai Ling, but she’s too self-assured as a mature woman for me to really imagine her in the role, maybe Vicki Zhao though (again, wrong age range but still capable of putting her own astounding beauty aside to play Ai Ling)? Gong Li would be a truly inspired bit of casting as Silver Phoenix, though, as would Takeshi Kaneshiro and Daniel Henney (phew, the good looks burning up the screen).
Though I don’t really know too many Chinese or Chinese-American actors, I kind of wish Stephen Chow was younger- he’s great at comedy and would have been so much fun as Li Rong- pity he can’t pass for a 17-year-old! Maybe he’d fit in as an older funny guy (if there is one) in Fury of the Phoenix?
dru, thanks for commenting! i think after reading Fury, gong li as Silver Phoenix will definitely seem dead on. i know, it’s a pity there’s a dearth of actors to choose from. i don’t watch much asian tele shows or films, and i hope in the future, we have more asian-american actors to fulfill these roles when film rights sell. =D hee!
I think actor Chen Kun would be perfect as Li Rong.