I imagine Dick Halloran from The Shining as Mr. Nancy and for some reason completely picture Eve Myles (from Torchwood) as Daisy...

Just a little question. I am truly really kinda stupid. I am on some 200th page of the book, and I have just realized all the main characters are black. Of course! Anansi is an African god. I am such an idiot. I had my doubts about Mrs Higgler because of her use of tenses; and then that flatmate Carol being described as a "white woman"...And finally the Lion man having "darker skin than Charlie" made me go on the net and look up Eartha Kitt, and she was black. What an idiot I am.
So the question is this: apart from Mrs Higglers use of tenses, are there any other signs in the main characters speech of them being black? (Im not a native speaker, so I really cant tell)Or is there really no distinction as far as the British go?
You wont believe it, I also had problems with De Carabas, for a long time I thought he was swarthy, like a Romanian, and then his "black hand" was mentioned. I had to look up the BBC series.
Its funny how perception works: you expect Gaiman to write about white people and Toni Morrison about black people. Again, Im such an idiot.

Hi Fawn,

I remember that line about the Marquis' black hand - but for some reason, I imagined it black from dried blood, dirt, etc. I suppose in my mind, I think of the Marquis as a very dark Sicilian man with his old school ways...I hope the movie will portray him as an aging old school mafioso with all his powers and old school charm...I think the other reason why I assume the Marquis was a latin type is because Carrabas is an Italian restaurant chain in the US.

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No, I really dont think so, cause the BBC series actually preceded the novel(Neverwhere), and the actor was definately of African origin:-))

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Oh my...I have to ask, is this topic pure speculation, or is there actual talk of an Anansi Boys film? If they bring out a film, I can die happy, I swear. I always thought the book was so cinematic somehow. I had perfect images in my head for almost each and every scene.

About the race of the main characters. Mrs Higgler and the other ladies all talk in Carribbean dialect. Fat Charlie, being sort of American/English obviously has no noticable dialect (by that I mean a dialect different from a white British person)...but we can gather from his parentage (Anansi being from the Carribbean of course, and Fat Charlie's mum being from...darn, I forget where, but it's a Carribbean island isn't it? Where she died peacefully in her sleep after Anansi caused havoc on the cancer ward?) that he's almost certainly black. Which sort of infers that Spider is black too, for obvious reasons ^_^

I also always thought of Rosie as black. Although I don't remember if this is mentioned anywhere.

BTW, just as an NB to those of you volunteering blonde white chicks for Daisy...isn't daisy half Chinese and half...um...was it Ethiopian? Weren't one side of her family carpet traders or something?

If I could lay my hands on my copy of Anansi Boys it would help greatly, but it's 4 in the morning and after re-reading it recently it has apparently now been eaten by the same entity that keeps devouring every left sock in every pair...

My point is, I'm pretty sure Daisy's not white.

Hi, by the way. Am a n00b.

quote:

Originally posted by phool:
You know, I never saw Morgan Freeman as Anansi. He's too big, and tends to play things a little too somber. I always pictured someone more like the cool old black guy from the Shining and the Twilight Zone movie, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest. Is he still alive?

The Scatman? (also the voice of Hong Kong Fuey) is no longer among us, sadly.

Neil does mention Lenny Henry as Fat charlie but i do think lenny himself is too old now (perhaps, as fat Charlie is in his 30's i Guess and Lenny is close to 50 (or more, correct me if I'm wrong....and dawn french would have to be in it!! Lol)

I'd love to see this on the screen though.....i like the suggestions for Mr Nancy though

I definitely enjoyed the topic poster's cast. Here are some people I saw for it:

Charlie - Honestly stumped here...Cuba Gooding Junior? =P

Spider - Mos Def (Agreeing with topic poster here)
mos def

Anansi - I, unfortunately, can't remember his name or roles he's had...I think he has kind of a lazy eye, and obviously he's black. Darker black, normally bald from what I've seen...:/

Grahame Coats - Rhys Darby (Murray in Flight of the Conchords)
Rhys Darby

Daisy - Emilie de Ravin (Claire in Lost)
Emilie


Alex, please read our faq's, no hotlinking allowed.

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I didnt think daisy was white...wasn't there some passage about her mother being asian, or her father being black or something?

Mos def is amazing, but reading Neverwhere, I just kept saying to myself, Mos Def is totally the Marquis.

Rhys Darby totally.

Ah, maybe she was. I must've been out-to-lunch reading. =P

But Claire from Lost was the person I could best imagine. I do kinda think you're right though. I guess Rosario Dawson would do. I'm aware she's not exactly Asian, but she would owrk. Or she could be Rosie, I 'unno.

Rhys Darby totally has a spot for Coats, though.

I have been so ate up about this for over a year after reading this book!

I just got back online again and something possessed me to seek out this board. When I read Anansi Boys I had someone in mind for Fat Charlie the entire time-Tunde Adebimpe from the band TV on the Radio. He was in a really good independent film called Jump Tomorrow and showed a great deal of strength and gravitas, while also being funny and warm. Need I say more?

I had originally thought of him playing both roles because of Jump Tomorrow and the whole "Now we Dance..." bit (watch the film and you'll understand) but at the beginning of this thread there was a mention of Chiwetel Ejiofor and now I think he should play Spider.

With the two of them being up-and-comers with good critical notices, decent funding and a good director would be easier to come by.

Daisy has a mother from Ethiopia and a father from Hong Kong, if god were kind Rihanna would be a fine actress, and play her.

Definite agreement with Mos Def, and Jeffrey Wright (I love him!)

Anansi I see as either Hinton Battle (great Broadway guy, played "Sweet" in Buffy musical) or Bill Cobbs. But I favor Bill, who is just about the nicest man in the world. He came into my work once, and all the ladies thought he was quite fly for an ol' fellow. The whole time I was reading, I thought of him dancing that sand dance...