Who should play Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider movie?
Ask any Tomb Raider fan and you'll get an earful. Everyone has their own favorites. This page is more about what kind of woman should play Lara. You'll get my opinion, of course, and you'll see some great pictures which I hope will illustrate what I'm talking about.
There are those of you who want Lara Croft to be a big-chested bimbo, running around in tight fitting, low cut outfits. No acting ability required, just a great looking physique. Such a woman will sell movie tickets, I suppose. But some of us feel that Lara should be much more than that, played by an actress who'll make you say 'wow' at the end of the movie.
So, here are the requirements for a 'real' Lara Croft:
1. She must be a beauty, of course.
2. She must be an athlete. Lara Croft is grace in motion and the actress who plays her must able to simulate Lara's gymnastic moves realistically.
3. She must be able to handle firearms naturally and look like she knows which end of the gun the bullet comes out of.
4. She must have real intensity. She has to BE Lara from the inside out, not just dress like her.
5. She must have a high degree of intelligence. Lara Croft lives by her wits as much as by her guns.
6. And finally, she has to act and sound like the English aristocrat that she is. For all of her thrill-seeking adventures, Lara maintains the sophisticated poise and the impecible good manners that she was raised with.
Let's take a look at some pictures. You can click on each thumbnail for a larger image. After viewing, use your browser's BACK button to return here.
Actress Diane Lane appeared in "Murder at 1600," a story of a murder at the U.S. White House, home of the President. Lane plays secret service agent Nina Chance, an olympic champion pistol shot and a fiercely independent woman. When she and the hero attempt to break into the White House to warn the President of a plot against him, Nina acts as a decoy, leading the defenders astray so the hero can gain entrance. Captured and handcuffed, she is dragged inside, but shows what she is made of when she nevertheless jumps in front of the President to take the assassin's bullet. Fortunately, she survives the wound. (Oh, yeah. The handsome dude with her in the last pic is Wesley Snipes.)
Actress Demi Moore plays U.S. Navy Lt. Jordan O'Neil in the movie "G.I. Jane," a story of the first woman ever selected for Seal training. Life during training is brutal and O'Neil shaves her head because her beautiful hair is impossible to manage in the harsh conditions. Just as she is about to complete her training, she is forced to resign. Traveling to Washington, she faces down a powerful politician to get her status restored. When a live training excercise turns real and her team leader is wounded, O'Neil takes charge and completes the mission.
This is actress Yancy Bulter. She been in a number of films, including "Drop Zone" with Wesley Snipes and "Hard Target" with Jean Claude VanDamme. Currently, she plays a highly competent policewoman on the television series "Brooklyn South," seen here in United States on Monday nights.
This actress, as most of you know, is Elizabeth Hurley, appearing with Mike Myers in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery." She plays Vanessa Kingsington, a beautiful secret agent who helps Austin Powers prevent the evil monster from blowing up the world. Hurley is apparently afraid of gunfire, because, as you see in the first picture, she closes her eyes when she shoots her gun. She likes to pout, too while she is shooting, as you can see in the fourth picture. She is without doubt a beautiful woman, and she looks great in the leather outfit. But as Lara Croft?
Here are two more ladies who have been mentioned as possible Lara candidates. On the left is Rhona Mitra from England and Vanessa Demouy from France. Mitra certainly has the desire to do Lara justice, but I wonder if she's ever really shot a gun before. Personally, I can't imagine firing a 9mm pistol six inches from my unprotected ear. Vanessa looks good, but it's one thing to strap on the holsters and point the guns for the photographer...it's quite another to be realistic with it on film.
Earlier I mentioned "Intensity." Which of the women above do you think have it? Which of them can convince you they know how shoot those guns in a real life and death situation? And, perhaps more imporantly, if you had to choose one of them to send on a dangerous mission, which would you pick...based on what you see here?
My hope is that whoever is chosen for the role, the producers will pick a lady who can do more than just look good in a leotard and shorts. And I hope the girl chosen will do her homework ... because the casting of Lara Croft is critical to the success of the film. She is who the public will come to see. If the actress chosen can convince the moviegoer that she IS Lara, the movie will be a big hit.
So, give Lara Croft a fast-moving, exciting plot, spice it with a touch of humor as in Indiana Jones, and find an actress who can catch the spirit of the lady. Now THAT will be a movie I'll go to see more than once!
This lady is not an actress, but she blew me away when I saw these pictures. She would identify herself only as "AJ." How about this for intense?
If you or someone you know is a Lara Croft lookalike and you/she would like to be included here, drop me an email. I reserve the right, of course, to use my judgement as to which pictures to include.
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