After really enjoying previous seasons, we were astonished by the completely wrong casting in Season 5.
Actors have basic personas; their skill is in credibly projecting a character and a plot onto that persona. Michael Kitchen, for example, makes us believe he is a detective named Foyle, but that detective has Kitchen's persona, as does every other character he plays. Dominic West makes us believe he is having an affair with a waitress in The Affair but the character's smiles, responses, attitudes are still those of Dominic West. And that's okay because we don't know the guy so we don't expect a different persona; there's no reason to doubt him.
The problem arises when he plays a real person that we know. That person's persona has to fit onto Dominic's if we are to believe him. Prince (now King) Charles is subtle and reserved, qualities Dominic West doesn't project. If I had never seen Prince Charles, I might imagine him acting and reacting as Dominic West does; but I have seen him, and the two can't be reconciled. It's like a Rolls-Royce being played by a Corvette.
Likewise Jonathan Pryce, whose persona is far too humane for Prince Phillip, and even Imelda Staunton, who is too much like a favorite aunt to be the queen.
It only took twenty minutes for us to realize that this season's cast is simply not credible. So we left. What a shame.
Actors have basic personas; their skill is in credibly projecting a character and a plot onto that persona. Michael Kitchen, for example, makes us believe he is a detective named Foyle, but that detective has Kitchen's persona, as does every other character he plays. Dominic West makes us believe he is having an affair with a waitress in The Affair but the character's smiles, responses, attitudes are still those of Dominic West. And that's okay because we don't know the guy so we don't expect a different persona; there's no reason to doubt him.
The problem arises when he plays a real person that we know. That person's persona has to fit onto Dominic's if we are to believe him. Prince (now King) Charles is subtle and reserved, qualities Dominic West doesn't project. If I had never seen Prince Charles, I might imagine him acting and reacting as Dominic West does; but I have seen him, and the two can't be reconciled. It's like a Rolls-Royce being played by a Corvette.
Likewise Jonathan Pryce, whose persona is far too humane for Prince Phillip, and even Imelda Staunton, who is too much like a favorite aunt to be the queen.
It only took twenty minutes for us to realize that this season's cast is simply not credible. So we left. What a shame.