Is it important for action figures to look like the actor who played the character?

[Darth Cruel]

And if so...why?

My own opinion:

I have stated before that I see actors as mannequins. I do not see Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. Nor do I see Harrison Ford as Han Solo. I do not see Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia. They filled a costume and spoke the lines for the characters. They did not creat the characters, a writer did. They did not make the personality for the character, a director did. Insisting on the action figure (or any other medium) looking like the actor invites the movie industry to cause the price of the figure to be jacked up. Autographs on an action figure card do nothing but damage the card. And, quite frankly, a great many of the actors that played Star Wars characters really sucked and I would rather not be reminded of it.

I understand that some people give credit to the actors giving embodiment to the characters. But what I don't understand is...why?

 

[pixletwin]

I think it depends on what end of the fan-stick you are holding.

Ie, if you grew up reading the LOTR books, Elijah Wood is not THE Frodo.

But if you grew up watching Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker then yes, I see Mark Hamill's likeness as synonymous with Luke Skywalker's likeness.

 

[Agent0028]

Good points, but for me the bottom line is that when someone says Luke Skywalker I see Mark Hamill's face. The thing that drew me to Sideshow in the first place was the incredible likeness on their Bond figures.

 

[Bannister]

And if so...why?

My own opinion:

I have stated before that I see actors as mannequins. I do not see Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. Nor do I see Harrison Ford as Han Solo. I do not see Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia. They filled a costume and spoke the lines for the characters. They did not creat the characters, a writer did. They did not make the personality for the character, a director did.

Are you saying George Lucas is responsible for Han Solo's personality, not Harrison Ford?

 

[Memnoch]

In everything I collect likeness is important. From Star Wars to Doctor Who, I want it to look like the character and in a visual media that means looking like the actor that portrayed them.

 

[creecher]

In you mind you can see whatever you want, to represent the idea you have of a character , using your imagination. Collectors want a replicant of, what began as an idea, that ended up as a visualisation on the screen.

You are in the enviable position of not caring too much about realities, so in effect you wouldn't care either way if the figure was from Hasbro or Sideshow, as long as it was a representation of the character regardless of likeness. So likeness issues would not grate you, rather, issues of articulation may be your thing.

 

[Darth Cruel]

Are you saying George Lucas is responsible for Han Solo's personality, not Harrison Ford?

Yes, that is what I am saying. GL picked a person that fit his idea of what Han Solo should be. Then told Harrison Ford how to act the character. That is what directors do, isn't it?

 

[Darth Madden]

If the figures didn't look like the actor then how would you know who it was? You can dress me up in Bespin Luke clothes but nobody will think of Luke Skywalker when they see me.

 

[Darth Cruel]

In you mind you can see whatever you want, to represent the idea you have of a character , using your imagination. Collectors want a replicant of, what began as an idea, that ended up as a visualisation on the screen.

You are in the enviable position of not caring too much about realities, so in effect you wouldn't care either way if the figure was from Hasbro or Sideshow, as long as it was a representation of the character regardless of likeness. So likeness issues would not grate you, rather, issues of articulation may be your thing.

Not true at all. I LOVE the Sideshow stuff...HATE the Hasbro stuff. But it is because of the quality...not the likeness.

 

[Darth Cruel]

If the figures didn't look like the actor then how would you know who it was? You can dress me up in Bespin Luke clothes but nobody will think of Luke Skywalker when they see me.

I would recognize the character by the costume, accessories and a general physical likeness such as a ballpark hair color, height, age, build...to me...the character can be recognizeable without the actors' likeness. And there are many action figures out the that prove it such as Medicom's Jedi Luke.

 

[creecher]

Yes, that is what I am saying. GL picked a person that fit his idea of what Han Solo should be. Then told Harrison Ford how to act the character. That is what directors do, isn't it?

It's a part of the industry for a director to want a particular actor to play a role. Many times that actor may have other commitments, so they choose someone else. If Lucas had wanted Ben Stiller to play the roll of Luke, but Mark got the role, do you think the figure would sell, just because it was representative of the person Lucas wanted to play the part? Of course not. That is why it is important for figures to resemble the actor who played the role.

There are many figures that don't take into account likenesses or resemblances, such as world war 2 figures. It is when the figure is supposed to represent the character in a film, that is when it is important.

 

[Darth Cruel]

It's a part of the industry for a director to want a particular actor to play a role. Many times that actor may have other commitments, so they choose someone else. If Lucas had wanted Ben Stiller to play the roll of Luke, but Mark got the role, do you think the figure would sell, just because it was representative of the person Lucas wanted to play the part? Of course not. That is why it is important for figures to resemble the actor who played the role.

There are many figures that don't take into account likenesses or resemblances, such as world war 2 figures. It is when the figure is supposed to represent the character in a film, that is when it is important.

I got lost on this one. Ben Stiller? What does he have to do with anything?

Edit - My faut...I re-read this a few times and I see the point you were making. True...Nick Nolte was SUPPOSEDLY the first choice to play Han Solo (I am not attesting to the accuracy of that rumor). And if he had...people who want the figure to look like the actor wouldn't want Harrison Ford's likeness on it. Neither would I...the physical differences are too great. But a figure with a likeness that would fit a general discription of Nick Nolte without having to look exactly like Nick Nolte would do for me. I understand that some people feel this way, but I don't understand why.

Pixletwin's explaination is the kind of answer I am looking for. Although that one doesn't apply to me. I grew up with Mark Hamill representing Luke Skywalker (I was 12 when Star Wars came out in '77) AND I grew up reading LOTR for 20 years before I saw the movie. But fell the same way about both.

 

[Agent0028]

So what do you see when you close your eyes and picture Luke Skywalker?

 

[Entropy]

Actors, especially the good ones, are extremely involved in creating the characters they play. They have to breathe life into the words on the page. It's not just a matter of showing up, putting on the costume, hitting the marks and saying the lines. It's even more difficult when you have a director like Lucas who is far more concerned with technical aspects than performances, who according to some of the actors only said 2 things over and over again (faster, more intense) and would fall asleep during takes.

Heath Ledger talks about this briefly in a recent interview: "For the Joker I locked myself away in a hotel room for six weeks. I just formulated a voice and a posture and found a real psychology behind the Joker. I really put a lot of work into it." Though I'm sure they talked a bit about the direction of the character to make sure they were on the same page, Nolan wasn't in the room with him telling him how to walk or what voice to use.

So the likeness is very important - even more so when it's based on a movie only property like SW and not a book like LOTR.

 

[BadMoon]

If you are refering to toys like the medi com Luke than yes I think it is. It should at least look a little like him.

 

[BadMoon]

So what do you see when you close your eyes and picture Luke Skywalker?

Not the Medicom Luke!

 

[minivader]

well, yes, I would expect the product to look like the actor/actress that portrait the character. Its true that writers and directors are involved in the creation of the character, but it is the actor/actress that brings all the ideas and personality of that character to the audience. So what you are seeing on the screen is the final product. Without the actor/actress's likeness, I think I would feel there is something missing or lacking. besides, if SSC is making a licensed product based on a movie, why would you expect it not to bear the likeness of the actor/actress?

 

[willocrew]

Well, I think it depends on the character type. If we are talking about Bruce Willis from Die Hard, if a generic bald white guy head sculpt was used, what we'll have is a crap generic tough guy action figure. The character isn't iconic enough to exist without reference to the character. But if we're talking about Luke Skywalker, as long as he has the black outfit & the green light sabre, almost everyone will identify the figure because it is an iconic character. This is even more apparent if the character in question has constumes that are highly recognisable such as "The Punisher" etc.

On top of the character issue, I think it also depends on how you view the character in your minds eye. Usually the medium from which we were first introduced to the character will be determinative of this.

Take for example Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, if one of the companies would churn up her figure, I would much rather have that "generic" mannequin-ess associated with the original computer character, rather than to have an accurate face sculpt of Angelina Jolie.

But if we are talking about Indiana Jones, a Harrison Ford face sculpt is absolutely essential, because otherwise what we'll have is a third world backpacker action figure.

 

[Batty]

And I would rather my Indiana Jones figure look like Harrison Ford than, say, this guy:

 

[Amir]

As far as I'm concerned the actors bring the written characters to life, so I would want to see my action figures representations of the actors who played the character.