Another casting dilemma. The book “Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century” is coming to the big screen and the hottest brunettes in Hollywood are hoping to play the legendary beauty Elizabeth Taylor. Top contenders are Angelina Jolie and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Both would have to put on a few pounds to emulate Liz’s bountiful curves. Top choices to play Richard Burton are Russell Crowe (who does have the animal magnetism,) Clive Owen (rough AND tender,) and Colin Farrell (charming Irish.) We were lucky to meet Richard at an awards show with his last wife and found him to be startlingly appealing and friendly. He WAS special.
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My vote would be Russell Crowe & Catherine Zeta-Jones. Course i wouldn’t watch the movie anyway.
If Vivien Leigh were alive, she would be the perfect ‘face’ to play Elizabeth. As Katie Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With the Wind”, there was never a prettier face on screen, and never will be. And I strongly insist everyone agree with this. LOL
It’s pretty cool they are doing the remake. I’m excited to see who is cast in the film.
There are NO actors alive today that can successfully pull off a Liz and Dick let alone the magic that they had together. Whoever they wind up with will only be playing someone else and I’m afraid it will be as bad as that horrible offering of Leo Dicaprio as Howard Hughes and Cate Blanchett trying to pull off a Katherine Hepburn accent and mannerisms (horribly I might add)in The Aviator. Leave the masters alone and let them RIP, or in Liz’s case just let her wonderful story as we all already know it rest. If anybody wants to know it, they can try reading a book for a change. There are NO actors who can pull this off, unless they scout for unknowns. If you want to see Liz and Dick in all their glory go rent Cleopatra or Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf?!
Please, NOT Angelina. Enough!
OST: WHAT are you talking about? WHAT “remake”? Nobody said anything about a remake!
My mom knew Liz when she was young, a teenager. She said she was absolutely stunning without makeup, and that yes, her eyes were a gorgeous violet blue.
It is hard to imagine anyone playing her & Burton, but if I had to choose, I would pick a slimmed down Crowe (for the voice) and Zeta Jones with colored contacts. Jolie is waaaay too skinny and too distinctive looking.
Honestly there aren’t many Hollywood couples that can be compared to the lavishness of these two. I just finished their bio called Furious Love, it’s amazing. These two were the most violent, hedonistic, arogant, passionate, tumultuous pair in the history of Tinsel Town.
If Hollywood wants to make a movie on these two it would be quite difficult to cast since non of these actors today can hold a candle to Dick and Liz.
Clive Owen could pull of Dick. As for Liz I honestly don’t think the Jolie or Catherine Z can pull her off.
Two hours of watching overpaid drunks scream at each other? Yawn.
Indy, I strongly agree with you regarding Leigh, you bully you.
Seriously, you look back at Hollywood history, and it makes you want to cry. Actors today are attractive at best, not beautiful the way they once were, and not nearly as talented or charming.
Frankly, one just as well might employ cat and a squirrel to play Taylor and Burton. It could not be more ridiculous than using any two of the collection of mall-trash that now passes as the Acting Community.
My thoughts exactly! There’s just nobody alive today who can play these classics!
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Russell crowe
Leave RICHARD&LIZ alone, its incredible how stupid the Hollywood has become! No inspiration, not anything reasonable coming from there!
Reta, your words exactly. Just let sleeping dogs lay and stop trying to copy everything. This won’t work.
Stop remaking everything and do smth useful with those money!
I need to read this book! I loved this couple and would enjoy a movie about them, BUT casting is crucial and I just don’t see Jolie handling a role this big. It needs to be over the top outlandish. Crowe could probably do Burton, but does anyone like Crowe any more? And ZJ could prob do Liz, but maybe there are other younger actresses who are more unknown who could pull it off. Still, don’t you love old Hollywood and their saucy stories???
the SUICIDE-NUMBERS are going up again, folks!!
Dye Scarlett Johansson’s hair black and put contacts in her eyes, then use Russell Crowe for Burt. I think this would be a fun movie to watch.
BTW ITA INDY regarding Vivian Leigh. I simply adore that woman’s face.
I refuse to idolize these two characters, personally I found them to self centered and confused. Let’s face it they were horrible alcoholics that only cared for themselves. Why should we be tied up in our undershorts over who plays their parts?
Dudette, I know what you mean, but still think they are much more interesting than the so-called stars of today.
Taylor and Burton were F-ed up on a grand scale; they had the problems and neuroses of big stars. Beats the hell out of the silly Walmart-quality trailer-trash problems of people like Megan Fox and Lindsay Lohan.
For this film, Vivian Leigh WOULD be a great choice if she were young and alive. However, much as I love Angelina and think she has the disposition for Liz, I think Catherine Zeta-Jones would be a more likely choice. For theRichard Burton role…hmmm…Russell Crowe!
Angelina and Brad for Liz ‘n Dick, with Jennifer Aniston for Debbie Reynolds. Angelina with some weight and life could do it, Aniston can do her America’s Sweetheart bit, but Brad’s out of his league as Dick.
I agree with everyone. Those two were bigger than life. I’d vote for Daniel Craig for Richard Burton, CZJ or that gal from Mad Men for Liz. Christina Hendricks.
Neither of these actresses would be right for the role and casting either of them would be a disservice to Liz’s memory, her career, and her fans.
As for Vivian Leigh, I agree. She was exceptionally beautiful, as well as charasmatic onscreen. I believe Selznick held open casting calls, seeing hundreds, if not thousands of actresses, including unknowns in order to find the right woman to play Scarlett.
As Liz is such an iconic Hollywood image, I hope that the casting directors will give at least a fraction of this effort to find an actress who could portray her. Elizabeth Taylor was not only beautiful, she was also a great actress and should be portrayed on film by someone as skilled as she.
That being said, if I had to choose between the two, definitely Catherine Zeta-Jones.
With Clive Owen as Burton.
Elle, Clive Owens is a perfect choice. He is one of the few actors who has that male ugly-sexy thing that most actors of the past had.
Timothy Dalton, and Scarlett Johansen.
Catherine Zeta Jones didn’t look good at the Tony’s. She looked like she had aged about 10 years, but people always said that she lied about her age. I’m sick of seeing Angelina Jolie in everything because I’ve never thought she was that hot to look at. Get Christina Hendricks and dye her hair black. That should work. Elizabeth was a curvy girl, too.
None of these women, even with a short, brunette wig could play Liz.
Ooooo…Christina Hendricks. Nice!
Christina Hendricks and Clive Owen. Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?
Richard Burton was WELSH, not Irish! Big difference!
There probably are some great Welsh actors who could pull it off; many of the Welsh actors I have seen have a real depth of character that is rarer in the actors who succeed in this country;-)
I agree with most of everything said in this thread, especially Reta, SebastianCanada, Sally.
Jolie might be able to act if she would ever down some carbs or something, but she is always too lethargic verbally and physically; she just doesn’t have the energy for fire or passion and I would hate to see her or Zeta-Jones in this as Taylor.
I would love to see a well-done version of this, but since this Hollywood it will be the latest bums-in-seats “actors” and bad derivative script, useless.
I am sorry, but Russell Crowe is no Richard Burton.
Richard Burton may have been one of the most articulate and (surprisingly, given his background) educated men ever; and no one today has his caliber, even that of Burton drunk.
Taylor, too, could be quite verbal when the mood strikes her, and Johansen, while beautiful, could not from what I have seen (admittedly primarily Iron Man 2) pull it off.
Personally, I would truly be disgusted to see people cast for their looks on this; when you have subjects of such passion and fire and wit and verbal acuity, that should, in my very heated and probably controversial opinion, come first!
I don’t know Christina Hendricks or Clive Owen, will have to look into that.