Kevin's Watch

And I think he looks every inch the part. For those of you who do not know who he is, he plays Dr. Gregory House on Fox's new show, "House"

He plays a crotchety doctor with 0 bedside manner and a penchant for grumbling sarcasms. Sound like anyone we know?

Hail! And Welcome to the Watch, screitz!

I have never seen the show, so I don't know about his mannerisms, but googling his face, I can see where he could play Covenant.

I still think it should be a completely new face so that we have no preconceived notions about the actor himself.

Too old!

Not if he shaves... and maybe older might get some points across better than "young and forced to look haggard." He could do the 2nd Chrons for sure, though.

My big question... is that limp an act, or is the actor actually physically challenged?

It would be an act; he is not physically challenged.

He certainly has the gaunt look down

I agree he's got the look, but...

Too comedic. And wrong accent.

And I'd be thinking of Blackadder III too much...

Wrong accent? How?

I think this guy would be my Number 1 pick, aside from the age issue.

"This is Viacodin. It's mine. You can't have any!" - Dr. House

I personally don't see him as too old. Though he is British, he manages to hide it well in House, and though he does have quite a bit of comedy in his past, House is a medical drama and he does a supurb job with the drama part. Who says TC can's be in his 40's? His character in the books acts too crabby and sullen to be believably 30-something. I think he would be perfect.

screitz wrote:Who says TC can't be in his 40's?

Someone who is starting a franchise, and knows this person needs to be in three, six, or even ten movies down the road.

your point is well seen.

Apparently he hides his accent well enough - I didn't realize he was British.

The Blackadder pic was brilliant. If they cast Laurie, will Foamfollower kept spouting lines about his "cunning plan"?

Once again, I must sneak in my choice: Josh Holloway, plays Sawyer on "Lost".

Josh Holloway is too pretty. TC can't look like a rock star. That's not to say he needs to be ugly, just not that pretty.

I didn't know Hugh Laurie had already played a part with an American accent - I'm used to his slightly plummy British public-school accent!

I bow to your greater knowledge...

I posted in the Fantasy Casting thread the same day as you did about Hugh Laurie. I too think he would be perfect. I hadn't noticed him in anything before, and when I laid eyes on him in House and heard him first spout something cranky, I thought There he is! That's Thomas Covenant!

And as far as someone who is unknown, a truly good actor would have the ability to make you see him as the person he would be playing, wouldn't he?

He looks to me, beard and all, to be about the age that I assumed TC to be. I know he's younger than I am anyway. And with the FX they have now, in ten years they could make him look pretty much the same as he does now if they so chose, don't you think?

whiteblackbird

I am gonna have a hard time imagining anyone else now who could be more appropriate. Laurie is uncannily TC in his sarcasm, and I think could really do justice to self-loathing. I don't care if he is older, makeup can help ther tons, and the Harry Potter and LOTR films have proven that movies can be made faster than they were before, so I don't think age is necessarily a limitation. I vote HL!

I still couldn't stop thinking of him as a comedian, which could possibly affect my view of him if he did play the role of TC.

That is rough. Laurie's characters in Black Adder and Jeeves & Wooster are classics, and unbelievably over the top. His character in House is definitely a departure for him, and I'm betting he could never get away with it in Britain. American audiences aren't as familiar with his comedic work, so they're less likely to have trouble seeing him doing drama.

What about Robin Williams? When he decides to do drama, he does it in style, and is completely believable. Any actor worth their salt should be able to make you forget who they were and believe who they are.