TEMPER: The Movie

Coming up with a dream cast for my book is one of the first steps in my writing process. Maybe it’s my theater background, but I don’t feel like I fully understand a character until I have an idea of the actor who could play them. Sometimes I even come up with whole book ideas based on actors I’m into (like the Gothic family drama I currently have on the backburner, spawned solely by my desire to orchestrate a love triangle between Natalie Dormer, Adam Driver, and Riz Ahmed).

When I’m writing, I actually imagine the actors in my dream cast acting out each scene. So here are the main players in the mental movie that played as I was writing Temper (yes, it was very beautiful in my head; more visual aids available on Pinterest):

Alexandra Breckenridge as Kira

Almost unbearably sexy, with an epic bitchface – she’s usually a blonde or redhead, but dye her hair dark brown (like I did via very amateur Photoshop in this picture) and Alexandra is the perfect Kira!

Sarah Polley as Joanna

This is a dream casting choice I came to later in the process, around the time I decided to make Joanna a POV character. Sarah has the right no-nonsense but still emotionally vulnerable vibe, and this op-ed cemented her even further as the ideal Joanna.

Oscar Isaac as Mal

If Oscar Isaac didn’t exist, I don’t think I could have written Malcolm Mercer. Describing the incredible performance Oscar was giving in my imagination was one of the hardest parts of writing Temper. I got to see him play Hamlet in New York late in the Temper revision process, and he completely lived up to the hype! He’s so talented and charismatic, I’d gladly let him ruin my life.

Adam Driver as Rob

As anyone who follows me on Twitter will know, I am a little bit obsessed with Adam Driver… Kira’s nerdy reporter ex Rob is not the first character I’ve based on him, and he won’t be the last either (see: my Gothic idea above).

Zachary Quinto as Spence

Kira’s best friend Spence is supposed to look like a sexy serial killer, so who better to play him than Zachary, who I first fell for during his run as Sylar on Heroes. I just about died when I saw his recent guest spot on the final season of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – he played a smarmy, well-dressed talent agent who was almost too Spence.

I also have a dream director for Temper (Karyn Kusama) and dream composers (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross). So call me, Hollywood – I’ve done all the hard work for you already, let’s do this thing!

Author: Layne Fargo

Layne Fargo is a thriller author with a background in theater and library science. She’s a Pitch Wars mentor, a member of the Chicagoland chapter of Sisters in Crime, and the cocreator of the podcast Unlikeable Female Characters. Layne lives in Chicago with her partner and their pets.

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