which actor do you think could play Zappa in a movie??
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captainbeefheart — 20 years ago(October 14, 2005 05:21 AM)
yes, but that was a joke..
i actually saw this film a few weeks ago about the PMRC hearings/PORN WARS with one of the guys from beverly hills 90210 and Mariel Hemmingway. anyway some guy played Frank Zappa who kept appearing mysteriously to offer his cynical advice. i dont know who the guy that played him was and at first i thought he was TOTALLY wrong but i warmed to him. he was way to short, his voice was really high and nasal and his head was the wrong shape but there was something about his delivery that hit it on the head: he had that exact kind of almost evil cynicism that Zappa could have.
i cant remember the name of it. has anyone else seen it? its not very good, more of a curio.
oh, and its got the singer of twisted sister playing himself: thats a mark of quality if ever there was one. -
gshanger — 19 years ago(August 04, 2006 02:58 PM)
Everybody thinks
my dad
looks like him.
Ringo Starr
played him in 200 motels i think.
WOW, you're luck to have a dad like Frankie. Kudo's
i_have_sars2006
!!! Do tell us more? OK?
Viddy well then
.
.
D
r
oo
g26
dee Minister of Anthropology -
groucho_de_sade — 20 years ago(November 04, 2005 03:56 AM)
You know, 5am, I thought you were just being silly, but now that you mention it, Cohen wouldn't be that bad of a choice: he looks similar enough to Zappa, and his bizarre and irreverent sense of humor is an almost perfect fit. Good show man!
My appraisals of the other choices:
Johnny Depp
a maybe. Looks nothing like him, but Depp is good I think, so it
might
work.
John Turturro
almost, but not quite. Too meek, too mousy, though the quirkiness is there in spades. Looks more like Zappa than Depp, but lacks the deep voice and utter cynicism, and the assertiveness, to pull it off convincingly.
Jean Reno
um, no 'nuff said.
Alfred Molina
not bad, but too old I think. Maybe with age-defying make-up it would be possible, but it's alot harder to make an older man look young than vice-versa.
Al Pacino
are you kidding?! WAAAAY too old, unless you want to do something about Frank's last days. But no, even as a young man, although there is, I'll admit, a vague (VERY vague) resemblance, the personae are completely different. Plus there's the voice again: Frank was a baritone, and since he was a musician, it's necessary to find someone with the proper vocal range.
Bruce Campbell
it would be amusing, but it wouldn't work if you were making a serious attempt to represent Zappa onscreen. The look is all wrong, though the cartoonish humor is there. Basically, Campbell's too handsome.
Dweezil
maybe. If the guy can act (and I have no idea whether he can or not), then fine, but he'd need contacts for brown eyes, and he'd have to go through some make-up (once again, too handsome).
Ringo Starr
already appeared as Frank, and plus he's too old.
Vincent Gallo
interesting choice. It might actually work, though I have a hunch that he's no Zappa fan (of course I could be wrong), and he would therefore not be able to deliver the best performance possible (although again I could be wrong).
Elliot Gould
nah. Too Jewish. You need someone who could pass for Greek-Italian. Even when he was younger, it wouldn't work.
David Cross
as a fan of both Zappa and "Mr. Show", I think this one would be a mistake. But there is another "Mr. Show" cast member I think might make the grade (see below).
John C. McGinley
I'll have to do some research on that, as I don't watch "Scrubs"; but if the picture on his imdb profile is any indication, he's probably too handsome.
Tom Savini
hmmm. Interesting choice. I don't know. Can he act? If so, his voice is probably all wrong. He's a maybe though.
That's just my opinion of the choices so far. And here are a couple of my choices, though I see several things wrong with them right away, and have in my typically neurotic way listed these shortcomings alongside each name:
Jeff Goldblum
reasonable resemblance, plus matches Frank's quirky intelllectualism and individuality. Too old though.
Mike Patton
it might work! He's actually a pretty good actor too. Too good-looking probably, but nothing a little uglifying make-up won't cure.
Jay Johnston
of "Mr. Show" fame (infamy?). Deep voice, tall guy, and of course we know there's a knack for comedy there.
Adrian Grenier
I think he'd actually be close to perfect, but voice is still wrong.
I don't know. I think those are okay choices. But I can't help feeling we're all missing someone.
I don't want some renegade necrophile princess as MY roommate!