So those of you who keep up with this blog know that I recently participated in The Next Big Thing, a circulating survey among authors on the internet. The survey consists of ten questions, all of which – with the exception of one – I was able to answer. But yes, I left one out, didn’t I? I ducked and ran. I passed the buck. I tactically retreated.
Not exactly!
So one of the questions in The Next Big Thing is, “If your books were being made into a movie, who would you cast as its characters?” And let’s be honest, that’s probably one of the funner questions in the whole lot. You’re hearing this from the author. The guy whose stuff you’re reading – this is who he’d cast. Kind of puts things in an interesting perspective. But there’s always been a problem with that question, at least to me. There’s always been a reason why I’ve avoided it like the plague. It has nothing to do with how I think my selections would be perceived, rather, it has to do with the selections themselves. You see, when someone casts their characters, they’re putting up photos of living, breathing human beings. People who could very well be wandering the world wide web and suddenly find pictures of themselves on someone else’s website. Maybe I’m just playing the part of hypersensitive INFP, but it’s always felt to me as if actors’ privacy rights are regarded as completely unimportant. Yes, I understand that these are actors. Public figures. Etc., etc. But for me, that kind of thing still matters. They may be actors, they may be public figures, but they’re still people, and I don’t want to use their image without their knowing about it.
So I decided not to do it.
BOMP! Wrong.
Come on, guys. You know me. Battering ram, balls to the wall, “Break, Centurion!” I don’t slink away; I make things EPIC. So while my The Next Big Thing blog entry’s been sitting there, harmlessly bypassing that one little question, the author has been busy. Busy doing what? Why, casting Epic, of course. The right way.
Over the past month, I have been in contact with numerous actors, explaining what The Next Big Thing is about, talking about that particular question, and asking their permission to use them as my cast characters. Yes, these are real live actors that you’ve seen on television. I’ve just been extending to them the courtesy that I’d want extended to me. So far, the response has been incredibly positive. I cannot wait to introduce you guys to this “cast,” as they’re not only exceptional talent, they’re genuinely nice people who are excited to be part of this. They’re going to be introduced, not in one big blog post, but one-by-one over an extended period of time. I want this to last. I want it to be special.
I won’t say that there will a certain timeline for this, such as one actor per week posted, as sometimes reaching an actor takes time (and I will not, under any circumstance, post an actor who hasn’t given express permission). I’ll just say that as permissions come, the cast will go up. At the time of this entry, there are several actors lined up already. I will also be creating a master list, so anyone who wants to see all the actors who have been cast will be able to do so with ease. Over time, that list will fill up.
So get ready, Epic faithful! You wanted an answer to the Next Big Thing casting question? You’re fixing to get one.
Stay tuned!