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ASP3: This is John Galt

Posted by sdesapio 10 years, 11 months ago to Entertainment
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Ideally, the actor playing John Galt in Atlas Shrugged Part 3 will appear to have jumped right off of the pages of Atlas Shrugged. However, in our quest to find the perfect John Galt, some tough choices may have to be made. That's where you come in.

If you had to choose, which would you consider the number one priority in casting John Galt?

A. As long as the actor looks and acts like John Galt, I don't care what his personal beliefs are.
B. The actor needs to possess a deep understanding of, and passion for, Ayn Rand's ideas first and foremost.

Leave your answer in the comments below.


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  • Posted by LokahiLMH 10 years, 11 months ago
    I prefer B over A and the cast from ASI. I also agree with the following from Rocky Road:
    I would like to see a relatively unknown play John Galt in Part 3. Any large actor will bring along viewer's prejudices, and preconceived images, of their past roles.
    Somehow I think that the right actor will relentlessly solicit this role, and for all the right reasons.
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  • Posted by bradberry1984 10 years, 11 months ago
    1st pick would be James Caviezel, 2nd pick would be Matt Mulhern and maybe Dean Cain. Stay away from the wack liberals who in real life laugh or smirk at the Rand culture. You back big government then you are banned from this type of role. Play and Live the part!
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  • Posted by cleocat 10 years, 11 months ago
    Cumberbatch? No, so so wrong. Getting an actor to have a deep understanding of Rand's ideas will be nigh on impossible. Jeremy Renner would be a good choice I think - he's done many an indie movie and tends to keep his political opinions to himself. He'd be perfect. Right age too.
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  • Posted by TexasRex 10 years, 11 months ago
    In terms of priority - B and then A. If a Sean Penn, George Clooney, Tim Robbins or a Matt Damon were cast - I am not sure I would watch it. I don't watch many of their movies to the fact that they have horrible politics.
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    • Posted by $ winterwind 10 years, 11 months ago
      I always keep in mind that dollars are essentially votes. Since they have presented their politics, thoughts, and philosophy of life so clearly and publicly, none of my money goes into their pockets.

      If an actor keeps his opinions to himself and does his job, it's a lot easier to "vote" for him with my dollars.
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  • Posted by phowland 10 years, 11 months ago
    I agree with most of the comments below. Having the actor read the book is almost a no-brainer; my first question for an actor coming to audition would be "Whats your favorite part?".

    Coming from an acting background myself, and having read Atlas Shrugged numerous times, I can say with confidence that option A is utterly impossible without option B. There is no actor alive who can fake the kind of conviction that John Galt possesses and get away with it. He might be able to pull off a few of the scenes, but will utterly fail at "This is John Galt Speaking". So if it were me doing the casting, I would have him read some of the more potent lines from that speech as that will certainly separate the good from the bad.
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  • Posted by MBar1956 10 years, 11 months ago
    Possible Galt(s) Jim Caviezel . . . right age, physique and his politics appear to be in the OK. Gary Sinise, Aaron Eckhart, Robert Downey Jr. The difficultly is to find someone that is consistent in their politics and who would be willing to bring their best efforts to the character that is John Galt. Unfortunately, many of the big time actors may not have read “Atlas Shrugged”, may not wish to be associated with the relatively small production company, and may end up with contractual issues with their current studio affiliations.
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  • Posted by dawneagle 10 years, 11 months ago
    James Caviezel has the appearance that I would associate with John Galt and seems quite capable of correctly portraying the character. As others have noted, however, whoever is cast in this role needs to read, understand, and have passion for Ayn Rand's message and ideas.
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  • Posted by Mo86 10 years, 11 months ago
    It's always worrisome when those in charge of a movie seem to have no vision of their own for what they want to do and instead have to ask the audience for suggestions.

    It's even more worrisome that there's no Option C: Hire an actor who can ACT, which will take care of any of the other concerns!

    Good grief, but this is disappointing. I had high hopes for this movie. I even plowed through the book for the first time so I could be familiar with the material.

    But wow, things just keep getting worse and worse!
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    • Posted by Rocky_Road 10 years, 11 months ago
      Ever been shark fishing?

      You put 'chum' into the water to get the shark's attention.

      I have zero doubts that the producers haven't already cast Part 3.

      They are doing what they should be doing...getting this shark school geared up for the event.

      Based upon the reactions, they are doing just fine!
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  • Posted by ccormsby 10 years, 11 months ago
    Both are important, but I could not stand John Galt being cast with someone who is known to harbor statist views, SO I will go with B. They don't need to be a pure Objectivist ... just avoid known collectivists.
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  • Posted by wordmuse 10 years, 11 months ago
    B - I said this earlier: I'd watch the movie if it consisted of stick figures and amateurish cartoon props (trains, planes, etc.). For me the story is everything. And unlike most stories, there is no story at all if the philosophy is not communicated as the subtext. If you get the story right, you could get the most left-leaning loon - hell - I'd even watch Obama play John Galt if he could be directed to play it so that Ayn Rand's intent came shining through. This is so not about the actors or the production values.

    Of course, that being said, I'd still prefer to have a movie with the production values of a James Bond flick and superb acting. I'm just specifying my priorities.
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    • Posted by nordicjack 10 years, 11 months ago
      I agree with you, wordmuse, but a great story with a great philosophy to convey can be lacking by miscasting. A story as great as this should be a labor of love.
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      • Posted by wordmuse 10 years, 11 months ago
        And I agree with you! Just stating priorities. You could have the most fabulous ensemble cast in the known universe, and if it had Obama in it, I'm sure he'd say that it WAS the best cast ever (ain't he somethin'?) - and if they got the philosophy wrong or shortchanged it (that's my real concern - how do you do this book justice?) it - imagine "Hello this is John Galt" reduced to 30 seconds because of fear of poor audience attention span! I promise the producers - the fans of this book *WILL* sit through the entire speech! The masses might be wanting to go home to watch Dancing with the Stars. But I want to hear that speech - IN FULL! Do it with stick figures if that's the only way to keep the costs manageable - just do it.
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        • Posted by nordicjack 10 years, 11 months ago
          Ha, ha, ha. Obama would ruin the show just by mentioning him. He is much better suited for the evil Emperor in Star Wars. I did like him in The Bible as Satan on the History channel. Gary Cooper's speech in The Fountainhead to this day is the longest speech made in film history because Any Rand made sure nothing was cut. I admire your mind.
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  • Posted by rcunha 10 years, 11 months ago
    B--This person will most probably be doing media interviews promoting the film. I would hate to see an actor say "Ya I played the role, but I don't believe any part of it." Many of the part 1 actors should also return.
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  • Posted by hanilson 10 years, 11 months ago
    First, most of these suggestions don't resemble Galt AT ALL and Galt was in his 30's. Second, NOT D.B.Sweeney. Third, I have been picturing Simon Baker. Great demeanor and speaking voice and very talented and physically resembles him to a degree. A talented actor doesn't have to be an Objectivist to play Galt, just as one doesn't have to be a murderer to portray one.
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    • Posted by lcstarfan 10 years, 11 months ago
      Simon Baker's role in his series is just too goofy to ever picture him as Galt.
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      • Posted by hanilson 10 years, 11 months ago
        I disagree. I think Patrick Jane is an uber smart character who keeps his cool and isn't pushed around or influenced by anyone. Aside from The Mentalist though, I've seen Baker in many different roles and he's quite good and versatile and handsome. I think he'd be a great Galt.
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  • Posted by Ragnars_Crew 10 years, 11 months ago
    Someone like Matthew McConaughey would be great. Galt is described as having the look of indescribable happiness on his face and Matthew has this quality. I would also like to see someone like Vince Vaughn play Hank Rearden, he is right height and I hear that Vince is very Libertarian and is there something wrong with a brunette Dagny?
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    • Posted by Rocky_Road 10 years, 11 months ago
      Matthew definitely looks happy...who wouldn't be in his place? But probably too expensive (and known) to take the role. The last thing that I would want to say when I finally see John Galt is: 'oh yeah...I liked him in his last movie!'

      Brunette's good!
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  • Posted by baltzley1 10 years, 11 months ago
    What about my hubby, LOL!

    It would have to be someone that is REALLY convincing, and the reason why they want someone that is already familiar with Ayn Rand and the Atlas Shrugged book is because they want to keep the "Hollywood" out of this movie. The movie is not about Hollywood, its about the message. If the actor does not portray the person right, then the message will not be delivered with conviction.
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