Getting Lost in the Characters
/Characters are crucial for a story, because if there are none, what then? Who are you to follow if there’s nobody to lead you? Who are you to relate to or sympathize with if there’s nobody to connect to? And what happens if the imaginary person we’ve made up in our heads gets replaced by actors that never crossed our minds? Sometimes, the transformation is incredible, as if they stepped right out of the book. Though at other times the change can be shocking, as if on the way, something got lost in the translation.
Katherine McNamara as Clary fray. image courtesy of freeform
Superficiality
One of the more noticeable elements that separates a book character from an actor is the exterior. In books, we create detailed images of characters in our minds, but Hollywood often prioritizes appearance and aesthetics over accuracy.
In The Mortal Instruments books by Cassandra Clare, the protagonist, Clary Fray, is ordinary, small, stubborn, red-headed, artistic and insecure. She is a relatable teenager, and after she’s thrown into a world of supernatural beings, she goes from being a damsel in distress to a girl who grows into her bravery.
However, in the Shadowhunters TV adaptation starring Katherine McNamara as Clary, though she fit the visual aspect—tall, beautiful, confident, with long, perfect red hair and makeup, this clashed with the book depiction of her as down-to-earth and self-conscious. The show often focused more on her physical appearance and not on her personality and emotional growth, making Katherine feel more like a surface version of Clary.
halle Bailey as Ariel. Image courtesy of disney
Race
Changes in race from a book to a movie add another layer of complexity, leading to mixed feelings and uncertainty. Sometimes, when the director casts an actor of a different race than the original character, it can add representation, offer a fresh reinterpretation that might attract people who hadn’t watched or read the original and make it more inclusive.
A recent example is Halle Bailey, who played Ariel in The Little Mermaid 2023 live-action remake. The response to her getting cast got split in the middle, between those who liked her portrayal and those who despised it. For some, it was a long-overdue celebration of diversity in a classic princess tale. Though for others, it challenged decades of fixed imagery, of knowing Ariel’s original design in the animated film (and supposedly in the original fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1837) had fiery red hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. And in the adaptation, those looks were replaced by a girl with warm, gold, radiant skin and red locs.
By having Halle Bailey play Ariel, it breathed new life into old stories and opened them up to a broader audience. As well as allowing black children to see themselves in a princess role.
Bridging
Still, some adaptations bridge the gap between a book character and a movie/TV show character perfectly. The most successful ones prioritize the character's essence—their personality, struggles, and growth—over external appearance.
Emma watson as hermione granger. image courtesy of heyday films
In Harry Potter, for example, Emma Watson might not have had Hermione’s large front teeth or bushy brown hair, but embodied her intelligence, loyalty, and integrity so well that they overshadowed the physical discrepancies. Her mirroring of Hermione’s personality traits and spirit proved more important to the fans and to author J. K. Rowling herself, who actually said that Emma was too pretty to play Hermione.
Emma Watson’s portrayal of Hermione Granger proved that casting is not always about physical accuracy, but about emotional authenticity. It left the audience not feeling as if they were watching a stranger wearing her name, but as if that was the character. Emma Watson was in every way Hermione Granger.
Conclusion
Live-action adaptations often walk a thin line between honoring and replicating the book and creating something entirely new. On one hand, superficial casting and race changes can distance you from the story. Alternatively, thoughtful casting and genuine, well-done performances can bring characters to life in incredible ways. At most, an adaptation doesn’t just mirror the book; it makes it more immersive. In the end, what makes us fall in love with the characters isn’t how perfectly they match on the page, but how they make us believe in them, how they convince us they are indeed that character. Because then we don’t lose them at all; in fact, we’ll find them time and time again, just in a different form.
Erin Murray is currently a second-year student in the Professional Writing Program at Algonquin College. She enjoys listening to moody instrumental music when writing, and once the temperature drops, loves carrying around a cup of tea. She’s had the on-and-off hobby of writing stories since high school, and dreams of having her own WIP traditionally published in the future. When Erin is not at her laptop, she’s thinking of a new novel idea or daydreaming about the one that is underway.