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

[Wor-Gar]

If you collect MOVIE FIGURES, then absolutely they should look like the actor from the movie. Isn't that why most of us are here on the Sideshow forum -- because SS does great likenesses of our favorite movie characters?

If you collect COMIC BOOK or EU type stuff, then it's a matter of taste which incarnation you want your figure to look like.

In either case, I would think that most people want their figure to be true to the source material.

 

[Collector Freak]

This is a board of Sideshow fans... Of course likeness isn't important to them!

 

[Batty]

This is a board of Sideshow fans... Of course likeness isn't important to them!

Great stuff, CF! You're so funny!

 

[Darren Carnall]

well for me (but I think people might know this by now, lol) it is vital that the figure looks like the actor, down to as close a resemblance as possible with the scale.

this also applies to the clothes they wear.... the body used underneath. It should all look 'human', proportioned, and not like a plastic toy.

I guess if it's a character from a comic, or a book... then youve got free reign, as long as you stay within the description of the character... but if it's from a film? (as most of them are) then yeah.... it has to look like the character I saw on screen... and that means the actor in costume

 

[wookster]

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?

If you're doing figures based on the movies, and I think that’s what SST are 'trying' to do' then, yeah, it should look as close to the actor as possible. If not, why don't you change everything and 're-imagine' the whole look, different clothes, ethnicity, etc. etc. Sure, you could do this and watch your 'expensive' license disappear before your eyes. If SW had been a successful novel before hitting the big screen then again maybe there'd be an argument, but there isn't, it was a hastily released paperback, so Ford is Solo, Hamill is Skywalker, Fisher is Organna, Lucas decided it this way. Case closed.

 

[DarkArtist81]

well for me (but I think people might know this by now, lol) it is vital that the figure looks like the actor, down to as close a resemblance as possible with the scale.

this also applies to the clothes they wear.... the body used underneath. It should all look 'human', proportioned, and not like a plastic toy.

I guess if it's a character from a comic, or a book... then youve got free reign, as long as you stay within the description of the character... but if it's from a film? (as most of them are) then yeah.... it has to look like the character I saw on screen... and that means the actor in costume

Same here. If the figure is a representation of an actor playing a role, the sculpt should look like the actor in question. And the body should reflect that actor's performance, at least enough to work on the shelf.

Actors bring a lot to the characters they play, Harrison Ford had as much to do with the success of Han and Indy's characters. Without him, they would not be who they are. It would be a shame to discount what they did by removing them from the figure likeness.

Now if you are doing a character from a literary world, free reign. You can have it look however you want as long as it stays close to the way the author described it.

 

[Murderofcrows71]

Personally the whole reason I got into 1/6 figure customizing was to have 12" figures of my favorite characters from tv and film that were close to museum quality. If the figure doesn't look like the character as portrayed by the actor or actress I have no interest in buying it. Likeness is the number 1 aspect I base my decision to buy on.
The actor who portrays the character not only brings the look to the screen but the mannerisms and quirks. Could you put someone besides Johnny Depp in Capt. Jack Sparrows outfit and expect it to be the same character? Or anyone other than Harrison Ford in the hat and expect Indiana Jones? For me the answer is a definate no.
That is why the figures must look as close as the actor as possible, people should be able to walk off the street look at the figures in your collection and know immediately who they are.

 

[Darth Caedus]

Yes it does matter, that is all

 

[pixletwin]

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?

That is what we got in the PT, but thankfully in the OT the actors (especially Harrison) had the balls to make the characters their own.

Harrison Ford took GL's ideas and made him a much more interesting character than Lucas could have intended.

 

[FlyAndFight]

Likeness is key. I don't want "essence". I want that movie/TV actor in 1/6th scale, period.

 

[pfronz]

Absolutely it is. There have been a lot of good points made so I won't repeat them, but a figure based on a character from a film or TV show should fully represent that character as close as possible. The way I see it, every detail of a character's physical appearance plays an important role in defining and describing that character. I think it's important that every detail, therefore, be reproduced as accurately as possible, including facial features that compose the likeness.

 

[fuzznutz]

That is what we got in the PT, but thankfully in the OT the actors (especially Harrison) had the balls to make the characters their own.

Harrison Ford took GL's ideas and made him a much more interesting character than Lucas could have intended.

And a great example of this is in TESB. In the scene where Han is about to be frozen in Carbonite, the original script had Leia say"I love you" and Han reply "I love you too". After a number of takes, no one liked the way it sounded, and Kerschner told Ford to just say what comes to mind, and he said the now infamous line " I know."

Lucas may have created the character, but it is Harrison Ford that brought him to life, and created someone that was memorable.

 

[minivader]

And a great example of this is in TESB. In the scene where Han is about to be frozen in Carbonite, the original script had Leia say"I love you" and Han reply "I love you too". After a number of takes, no one liked the way it sounded, and Kerschner told Ford to just say what comes to mind, and he said the now infamous line " I know."

Lucas may have created the character, but it is Harrison Ford that brought him to life, and created someone that was memorable.

great exampe, another would be the indy shot the sword wielding guy in raider. essentially came out of everyone was sick on the set and no one wanted to waste any energy.

 

[Gruff Old Bear]

Obviously, Darth Cruel avoided the Sideshow LOTR line in favor of Ken and Barbie as Aragorn and Arwen. After all, sculptors are kind of like actors; they just do whatever the licensing guys tell them. It's the licensing guys who do all the real creative work. Right?

 

[sueworld]

Likeness is key. I don't want "essence". I want that movie/TV actor in 1/6th scale, period.

Oh god, ditto! A damn good likeness is an absolute must!

 

[Grange Wallis]

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

Is the Pope a Catholic...?

As for why... Because it just does!

 

[The Josh]

If the figures are based on a movie they should look like the actors. If they're based on a book and only a book then they can look like whatever.

 

[Bannister]

That is what we got in the PT, but thankfully in the OT the actors (especially Harrison) had the balls to make the characters their own.

Harrison Ford took GL's ideas and made him a much more interesting character than Lucas could have intended.

 

[Anzik]

Yes, its vital for the same reason recasting rarely works. So with that being said, if SSC ever gets the Harry Potter license, I want Richard Harris as Dumbledore.

 

[Masao]

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.

True, if the original actress were used, only Playboy readers and espn viewers would have recognized her.

While likeness is important, we are not true fanatics. If we were; Luke would not be 6' tall in scale and would not share the same body with Darth Vader! Sigorney Weaver would be close to 6' and taller than Elsa Lancaster!

But as forgiving as we are, the attempt at perfection is required because we did not go to see films of mannequins but of people playing roles.

If actors didn't hold a legitimate place in the expression of the role, we would not like movies, we would prefer slide shows!