City of Bones
discussion
Upset that Alex Pettyfer isn't going to play Jace? Why you shouldn't be.
I was at first very upset of Jamie being picked as Jace. I mean he was not really the type of guy who I pictured when I read the books. The guy I saw was definitely closer to Alex Pettyfer. Although, after getting through the different phases of grief- denial,pain,anger,bargaining,the upward turn,Reconstruction and Acceptance- I have accepted Jamie as Jace and have learned to actually really like him.
I didn't really like Jamie (physically) when I first saw him on Sweeney Todd (Although I agree that he's a very good actor) but now, I think he's grown on me. Especially in his recent pictures where in he's slowly becoming more toned compared to his skinny look before. I also think that yes, Alex is physically Jace, but I was not really impressed with his acting when I saw him in I am number four. And the fact that he managed to turn down such an amazing character was a major turn-off for me. hahaha.
I think most of the actors (not just Jamie), well for me, didn't really nailed how I pictured the characters in my mind. I think an important factor that we should always remember is that it doesn't matter if an actor looks or does not look like what you pictured Jace or any other character in your head, What's important is that they can manage to OWN and MORPH into that character.
They should be able to understand and be able to see himself in the shoes of that character. I think that is what is beautiful about being an actor, you can play into different characters that is both can be close to the real you and so different from who you are.This doesn't mean that Alex can't do these stuff, it's just for me Jamie is better at it. HAHA! And the fact that the feedback from the auditions (according to what Cassie have relayed to us fans) were amazing, I am currently happy with our current confirmed cast right now. So for me, as long as Cassie is happy with the decisions, then we should also be happy because she's the one who brought all these characters to life didn't she? She knows them better than us fans. So we should trust her. Also, Cassie also said it herself, she won't be giving us the news if she weren't happy about it. so yea. :D
Iae wrote: "I was at first very upset of Jamie being picked as Jace. I mean he was not really the type of guy who I pictured when I read the books. The guy I saw was definitely closer to Alex Pettyfer. Altho..."
I really like this part of what you said: "So for me, as long as Cassie is happy with the decisions, then we should also be happy because she's the one who brought all these characters to life didn't she? She knows them better than us fans. So we should trust her."
not really. i like jamie very much and i think he will make a great jace. sure i wanted alex in the beginning (everybody did) but i am happy with jamie.
Fran wrote: "not really. i like jamie very much and i think he will make a great jace. sure i wanted alex in the beginning (everybody did) but i am happy with jamie."Thank God! Amen to that!
Angela wrote: "Fran wrote: "not really. i like jamie very much and i think he will make a great jace. sure i wanted alex in the beginning (everybody did) but i am happy with jamie."Thank God! Amen to that!"
Yeah, people are starting to get over it. I like Jamie. I'm starting to picture him as Jace more now.
Avani wrote: "Angela wrote: "Fran wrote: "not really. i like jamie very much and i think he will make a great jace. sure i wanted alex in the beginning (everybody did) but i am happy with jamie."Thank God! Ame..."
Me likie!
Angela wrote: "Avani wrote: "Angela wrote: "Fran wrote: "not really. i like jamie very much and i think he will make a great jace. sure i wanted alex in the beginning (everybody did) but i am happy with jamie."..."
I know, right? I think I'm going to use this discussion as an excuse to post Jamie-as-Jace pictures.
Yea. So other can get use to him now. Haha
i love him for this! at first i was dissapointed. i was almost certain it would be alex pettyfier but i saw an interveiw about his audition and he said he really tried to capture everything about jace and i love that in an actor so im am certain he will be great. and lily collins is the perfect clary!
He's not horrible but he doesn't look like a lion or an angel which clary describes jace as looking like but life is too short to get hung up on things like this
Jordan wrote: "i love him for this! at first i was dissapointed. i was almost certain it would be alex pettyfier but i saw an interveiw about his audition and he said he really tried to capture everything about j..."I agree, I think Lily will be great as Clary.
I agree with everything Cassandra Clare said. Once you have someone (an actor as a book character) in your mind, particularly if it is years prior to the movie as City of Bones is) it is hard to sort of, unpicture them. Jamie will be fine :) Besides there are waaay too many actor, 20 odd - 30 odd, playing teens. Sometimes they just don't suit the 'teeny' role. So I support Alex's choice too :)
At first I was a little upset that Alex turned it down, but now I agree with Cassandra Clare on this and think Jamie will be a great Jace!
Blujeanbooks96 wrote: "I agree with everything Cassandra Clare said. Once you have someone (an actor as a book character) in your mind, particularly if it is years prior to the movie as City of Bones is) it is hard to so..."Precisely.
Avani wrote: "I've read many complaints about the casting of Jace, and many comments from people who can simply not live with the fact that Alex Pettyfer isn't going to portray the oh-so-desirable Jace. vs.
..."
I honestly never thought Alex Pettyfer would be a good Jace. He just ... I don't know, he just doesn't work it for me. And the only reason I have a problem with Jamie is ... well, Jace is supposed to be hot. And Jamie is so ... not.
Love the post! And I agree 100%. He is Cassie's choice. A year from now, people won't even think of Alex when they think of Jace.
Destiny wrote: "Avani wrote: "I've read many complaints about the casting of Jace, and many comments from people who can simply not live with the fact that Alex Pettyfer isn't going to portray the oh-so-desirable ..."haha I dunno, he suits at certain angles :) besides, they can do a lot with camera's and stuff these days :) we'll jsut have to wait and see :)
Avani wrote: "Blujeanbooks96 wrote: "I agree with everything Cassandra Clare said. Once you have someone (an actor as a book character) in your mind, particularly if it is years prior to the movie as City of Bon..."glad you agree :)
I really wanted Alex to play this role at the start, but now i see 100% of what everyone is saying, (Well, most people. But that's your opinion :) Now that I've seen Jamie a bit more, i think he'll be a perfect Jace! -Nice pictures of Jamie-as-Jace by the way, totally sexy :)
AlbertaJenn wrote: "Love the post! And I agree 100%. He is Cassie's choice. A year from now, people won't even think of Alex when they think of Jace."He's been judged a lot based on his looks, but after some movie magic and actually seeing him in these City of Bones siutations, I think we'll see him as the perfect Jace. Like you said, we'll be like Alex who? ;)
Ugh. So happy people are starting to move on from the Alex-Pettyfer-as-every-attractive-male-ever thing. Jamie is perfect.
Avani wrote: "AlbertaJenn wrote: "Love the post! And I agree 100%. He is Cassie's choice. A year from now, people won't even think of Alex when they think of Jace."He's been judged a lot based on his looks, bu..."
Avani wrote: "Iae wrote: "I was at first very upset of Jamie being picked as Jace. I mean he was not really the type of guy who I pictured when I read the books. The guy I saw was definitely closer to Alex Petty..."
Thanks. I do believe that whatever Cassie believes is good for her story and the movie is what we as fans should support. :)
I really like that phrase... "Alex who?" hahah!
Iae wrote: "Avani wrote: "AlbertaJenn wrote: "Love the post! And I agree 100%. He is Cassie's choice. A year from now, people won't even think of Alex when they think of Jace."He's been judged a lot based on..."
Thanks xD I'm really starting to look forward to seeing how Jamie portrays Jace! Excitement!
Literally can NOT wait till it comes out in the cinema!
*a long heavy bewildered sigh* I understand how hard it is to cast characters out of a book. No movie will be able to please all fans. Without a doubt there will always be objections to who gets the part.
That being said, I actually don't mind that Alex Pettyfer was not cast. He probably would have made a great Jace, but there are many younger actors out there who would have fit the role, probably even better than Alex p.
In fact, I had no particular actor to root for. I was excited to see who Jace would turn out to be.
Sadly, it was Jaime. And despite the approval of many, I have to say, Jaime was a total miscast.
When Jaime first portrayed Arthur in the Camelot series, I really really tried to like him. There were even some scenes when I said to myself, "hey, he isn't so bad". But afterwards, I'd recant my words and think "even the actor for Kai (in the Camelot series) would have made a better Arthur! oh heavens, anybody would have made a better Arthur!"
You see, in the series, young Arthur is introduced as care-free youth who was naturally good with the ladies - I tried to buy that, really, I did, but I just couldn't. Even when looking at the poster of Arthur, I'd try to convince myself "he's not bad, he's an okay Arthur", but after repeating that mantra a few times, I'd give up and sadly have to admit, that I was fooling myself. Jamie was no Arthur. Not the heartthrob Arthur, his character was suppose to be.
Then all of a sudden, after all my inhibitions about his miscast in Arthur, to my horror, I hear him cast as Jace!
The premise for my belief in this miscast is simple: Jaime is too scrawny, too old, too gaunt, does not have the athletic build of a shadow hunter much less the legendary Jace Wayland. In fact, his physique actually fits Simon more, except for the hair and the crooked teeth, which are probably the only two things he has which fit Jace's demographics (those 2 and his British ancestry that is). Thus, the long heavy bewildered sigh earlier.
My only hope is that he's acting will pull it off, but his acting wasn't enough for me in Camelot, I doubt it will be enough for me in this movie.
I was wrong about Anne Hathaway being a miscast as catwoman - her acting pulled it off, and she was pretty enough to be catwoman, so I was wrong there.
I hope, I really hope I'm wrong about Jaime, but after Camelot, I don't think I will be.
So bottom line: I'm not upset that Alex P. was not cast. I'm upset that it was Jaime!
I don't mind who they cast as long as they can act the role and not ruin the book I'm not going to judge the actors till I see the movie. I have to see them in action to form an opinion.
Honestly, I'm more perplexed by the casting pod Lily Collins as Clary. Nothing against her, just that she is so dark (the hair & eyes) & Clary is described as fair with red hair. I know hair can be dyed, but I can't picture Lily Collins looking right with light hair & eyes...
Janese wrote: "Honestly, I'm more perplexed by the casting pod Lily Collins as Clary. Nothing against her, just that she is so dark (the hair & eyes) & Clary is described as fair with red hair. I know hair can be..."I think Lily would be a great Clary. She has the right face for it.
Ali wrote: "Janese wrote: "Honestly, I'm more perplexed by the casting pod Lily Collins as Clary. Nothing against her, just that she is so dark (the hair & eyes) & Clary is described as fair with red hair. I k..."I agree; she'll be a gorgeous Clary.
The point is not about Alex being a better Jace than Jamie. The point is that when you read TMI series and Jace is described to you, through his look and his actions, you would never picture Jamie. You picture a self confident guy, tall and ripped. You picutre irresistible eyes and a pronunced jaw. Which are features that make you fall for a man, because he is strong and capable of taking care of you. Jamie looks like a awkward boy. Whilst Alex gets closer to the idea of Jace.
Now, Jamie might act it well, perhaps even better than what Alex could have done (who knows...), but he will hardly play the character as he is supposed to be. The vibe, the feeling...won't be as close to Jace's as it should be.
Now, Jamie might act it well, perhaps even better than what Alex could have done (who knows...), but he will hardly play the character as he is supposed to be. The vibe, the feeling...won't be as close to Jace's as it should be.
Matteo wrote: "The point is not about Alex being a better Jace than Jamie. The point is that when you read TMI series and Jace is described to you, through his look and his actions, you would never picture Jamie...."That's exactly what I think. Jamie cute.. but in a little boy kinda way. Alex's more macho and stuff.
Hey, why don't we wait and see what his PERFORMANCE is like before we judge his ability to play the role. Acting isn't all about looks!!
Cant wait for the movie to be released! i hope its good! hahah :D
Ali wrote: "Matteo wrote: "The point is not about Alex being a better Jace than Jamie. The point is that when you read TMI series and Jace is described to you, through his look and his actions, you would never..."For me Jamie has always been Jace. He's sexy and boyish and arrogant etc. And he looks young. Alex is just too old and too dark. :)
Anu wrote: "For me Jamie has always been Jace. He's sexy and boyish and arrogant etc...."Agreed!
Betsy wrote: "I don't mind who they cast as long as they can act the role and not ruin the book I'm not going to judge the actors till I see the movie. I have to see them in action to form an opinion."THIS.
In my case, it is totally the opposite. When I knew Alex wasn't playing the role for Jace, I was relieved.. I mean, he IS hot, but I doubt he would make a good Jace. And I do like Jamie as Jace!!
Jamie is the perfect Jace! The trailer shows how much like Jace he is. I have total confidence that he will be the best Jace!
Jamie was born in 1988 and Alex in 1990. And even though I love Cassie's books, she will be a laughing stock if she is to say anything not good about the movie, the whole cast or even the differences in the movie and the books. Even if the movie is going to be a total mess, Cassie will try to say something good about it while maybe cursing at it quietly.
We can be naive sometimes, but defending the cast and take it from Cassie's point of view is no use. The bigger the movie is going to be, the more people know about The Mortal Instruments. Eventually more people to read and buy the books.
You do realize that Alex Pettyfer is younger and WAY more attractive than Jamie? Right? Sure, maybe Alex is no longer good for Jace but that doesn't mean Jamie was the right pick for the role. I trust Cassandra Clare enough that I will give Jamie a chance before I comment too much on his ability to act and look like Jace. They could have done better. If you want names, then I'll show you how different they could have gone in the choice of actors. One: Alexander Ludwig. He is at least 6'2, muscular, handsome, even younger than Jamie and Alex, and has personality! Two: Lucas Till. He is about 5'11, has a well developed body, cute, the same age as Alex Pettyfer, and can pull off sarcasm. Three: Luke Mitchell. He is about the same age as Jamie (CB), about 6'1, athletic, I have not seen his acting skills but he's gorgeous!
So, my point is, that they could have looked harder and would have found a more fitting (and attractive) actor for our beloved Jace!
I guess Jamie playing Jace will be okay, but when I saw the trailer, I instantly believed that Jamie needed a serious hair cut in order to look somewhat like Jace. The designers need to make Jamie's hair look like that hair of Jace's on the pic at the top :) That hair looks really cute and fits Cassandra Clare's description of Jace's hair.But I think Jamie otherwise looks fine; he looks pretty brutal and stuff
Guilty. I think I may have underestimated the power of Jamie Campbell Bower. When I heard that he's playing the role of my dearest Jace, actually I don’t have any idea who this guy is and how he looks like. When I googled it, POOF! My wild dreamy delusions about a perfect Jace almost evaporated into nothingness. I was like…Why him? Why this dude?! I almost gave up…refused to read the succeeding books of TMI (which I honestly think is very shallow, subjective, unjust, irrational and yeah..definitely an immature reaction…I know…you don’t have to point that out for me…but I still read all TMI books)…I don’t think I have the heart for it at that moment. Then here comes the movie trailer, I was like, “Oh no…I can’t look…I can’t look…I can’t look…not Jace” but curiosity is constantly killing my head and possibly my sanity and I gave it a shot. To my surprise, Jamie Campbell Bower exceeded my expectation. Better than what I imagined Jace from the book. All his stunts (the police car thingy and the come-and-crush-that-freaking-demon’s-head-on-a-table stunt) and the way he said “You’re not a Mundane”…epic! I don’t’ know what but there is something about Jamie that is so stunning and I personally think that he’s perfect for the role although some of his pictures in the internet suggests that he’s not the Jace material but if you’ll just give him a chance, watch how he carry the role, you’ll see what I mean…He’s like Jace written all over him...By the Angel! There are lots of people out there who have wrong perceptions and abhor the very thought of Jamie playing the role of our seemingly perfect vicious beautiful Jace…too bad for them…maybe they still be needing a right mark/rune to strip off that blocks in their eyes. Lol (I’m just exaggerating)…anyway, everyone is entitled to their own opinion…they have the right to say what they like to say.
I don't have a say about the movie, yet. It is not even released. The trailer is awesome, but most movie trailers are awesome, for they are meant to sell the movies. I remember watching The Fountain (Hugh Jackman) trailer and was so excited in waiting for the movie. Then I learned the fact that the movie was totally a serious fantasy while the trailer was an action fantasy... hahahaha.I love TMI series and wish the movie all the best. If the movie is going to be a mess, I can always go back to my books. Grumbling over a movie without watching it first is a waste of my precious time.... :)
My issue with Jamie is that he always seems to look angry or sad. And of course Jace has to have that sexy smile. But the more images I see of Jamie smiling, the more I'm starting to buy it.
I have a pretty biased opinion; I have absolutely NO idea who this "Jamie" is, so if I had to choose who, I'd pick Alex Pettyfer to be Jace! My view of Jace is as a cocky-yet-cynical (and also sort of dark) character, who loves to crack jokes about how awesome he is. Looking at the pictures that you guys put up with Jamie all dressed up and stuff, reinforces my feeling that Alex Pettyfer should SO be Jace for the movie.
But, that's just my TOTALLY BIASED opinion!
♥ Alexia -Team Malec ♥ wrote: "I really wanted Alex to play this role at the start, but now i see 100% of what everyone is saying, (Well, most people. But that's your opinion :) Now that I've seen Jamie a bit more, i think he'l..."same! i was so disappointed at first with the casting. But as more pictures of Jamie as Jace popup, i find that i love him as Jace. and i do believe that he will play a wonderful Jace
Matteo wrote: "The point is not about Alex being a better Jace than Jamie. The point is that when you read TMI series and Jace is described to you, through his look and his actions, you would never picture Jamie...."So true! I totally agree!!! And I don't mean to judge Jaime on his looks, but even his acting in Camelot where he portrayed a "heartthrob" Arthur in his youth, he didn't pull it off and now in the trailer, - if I never read the books, by reaction to Jace based on the trailer alone would be: meh.
Nurlely wrote: "I don't have a say about the movie, yet. It is not even released. The trailer is awesome, but most movie trailers are awesome, for they are meant to sell the movies. I remember watching The Fountai..."I totally agree with that. :)
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Here's why you don't have to be. Cassandra Clare defended the casting in response to a tumblr question:
"youhadason asked you:
Does it fret you that so many people remain attached to Alex Pettyfer as Jace even though Jamie was cast? I personally think Jamie will do a much better job and Alex Pettyfer wouldn’t have made a good Jace, but that’s just me. Does it bother you that people keep saying that Jamie, who is a tall blond hot guy, doesn’t look like Jace, who is a tall blond hot guy?
People got very attached to Alex Pettyfer as Jace very early on — years ago, when he looked quite different. And when you’ve seen enough fanvids and graphics of someone they actually do become that character in your mind, which I think is actually a lot of what the “Jamie doesn’t look like Jace” stuff is. It’s not that he doesn’t look like Jace, it’s that he doesn’t look like Alex. If Jace looks like a particular person to you, a fixed image in your mind, then no, no one else will look like Jace to you. No one who isn’t in online fandom ever mentions Alex Pettyfer to me. And while I have absolutely nothing against Alex Pettyfer, and wish him entirely the best, he turned down the part of Jace (and Peeta in THG, and the lead in The Seventh Son) because he didn’t want to play teenagers any more; he felt he was too old. And I agree. Mostly when I see people use his image in .gifs as Jace, they’re many years old. He’s grown up from being a pretty boy into being a good-looking man — and that photo (http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/ass... is a year old), but Jace, to me, is more boyish — and needs to be someone who can stay boyish-looking for potentially many more years. So no, I don’t think Alex Pettyfer would be the right choice for the role any more. You can feel free to disagree!
The great thing about imagination is that you can picture whatever you want when reading. The difficult thing about actual casting is everyone adjusting that mental picture. There’s always an adjustment period. It’s normal. So no, negative reactions don’t bother me aside from you know, the general sense that negativity is no one’s favorite thing. It’s to be expected and in fact, if it didn’t happen, the filmmakers would probably worry that no one cared. Indifference is much worse than complaints. For those bothered by complaints, that’s a useful thing to keep in mind." -Cassandra Clare's tumblr
Basically, this addresses the complaints from some fans:
"Why wasn't Alex Pettyfer considered? He's perfect for the role."
He was considered, but he turned it down because (and I agree with this), he's too old for the role now. He's portrayed his fair share of YA-book-based-movies and teen characters, and now he's ready to move onto more mature roles.
Another comment she made, comparing this to the casting of when the Harry Potter movies were just coming out:
"I am old *waves cane* and I’ve watched a lot of beloved books get turned into movies — Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Twilight, The Hunger Games. And only once, ever, do I remember the fan favorite being cast. (Alan Rickman as Snape. And even then there were a lot of people who objected because he’s twenty years too old to play Snape, really. But he was so Snapey, it went over anyway. Sirius and Remus’ casting, though, was a bloodbath of horror. And the kids — oh, the kids! For you guys, from what I can tell, Dan and Emma and Rupert are your Harry, Hermione and Ron. But when they actually got cast, man, never have I seen adults go to town on a bunch of ten year olds in quite such a brutal way.)"
She's saying that we'll probably warm up to Jamie as Jace! And I agree; I think he'll do a great job.