Have a seat on my casting couch – it’s time to meet a few more characters who will appear in my novel. We will start with the lead antagonist, portrayed here by none other than the esteemed Liam Neesen.
Regulus Tauricen is one of the Wielders, a group of people born with a special power known as the Khandashii. This power dooms them to immortality unless their life is taken by blade or poison. He was cast out from the brotherhood for a series of innocent misdeeds and was stripped of his amulet and with it use of the power. In a desperate attempt to redeem himself he seeks out the entity known as Wroth, pictured here by the lovely and mysterious Tarja Turunen Harkonen.
Wroth is best described as a demoness. Her incorporeal form was captured and imprisoned in an artifact centuries before. She hungers for domination over the world of men and revenge against those who captured her. Intelligent and cunning, she is not one to underestimate. Regulus’s mind becomes ensnared when he attempts to communicate with her and becomes her pawn.
There is an inherent danger to using famous people as models for fictional characters. From experience one must have the character already completely created before even considering seeking out an image. The writer must understand that character and all their passions and vices. If this understanding is not in place then the writer risks superimposing the traits of the celebrity on their character and losing the edge that makes them unique.
To see some of the other members of the cast, click here.
My Literary Quest 
Your characters’ names are just wonderful.
Ditto what Cindy said!
My names are always so normal, average, and everyday ordinary. Your names are vibrant and compelling.
Thanks – I take naming characters very seriously, a poorly named character can ruin a story.
Your first villain reminds me of the guy who taught the famous Italian Pastry chef, Obi-Wan Canole.
Actually, I like to use photos for my own characters, and also to use their voices in my mind when I write their dialogue.
Har de har har. When I have a few minutes I plan to print the pictures out and make a reference sheet to hang near the computer. I love Liam Neesen’s voice, part of the reason I chose him.
I’m with Rik ~ I like to hear celebrity voices in my head when I’m writing dialogue, especially in scripts.
Some I’ve used: Mel Gibson, Meg Ryan, Jennifer Anisten, and George Clooney. : )
Did you get the inspiration for your character’s looks by looking at these actors or was it the other way around? Just curious, my main character was in a way inspired by someone, though it was more like he ended up resembling this one person kind of by accident. Anyway, I love your character names!
Both – I get a vague impression of what they might look like while writing. The build, the angularity of the face, the way they carry themselves all float around in my head. Some of the combinations come from fictional characters I’ve seen that have sparked my creative interest. I never start by thinking “ok, now this character will look like Robert Downy Jr…”
Interesting! From a reader’s perspective, I have always done the same with fictional (or even actual) characters. I see them, or hear them speaking as I read, and quite often they will take on an actual person’s voice (either celebrity or not). However, sometimes those voices and/or faces get in the way when being presented with a version of that book or character as visualized by someone in Hollywood or the like. One of my secret desires is to be a casting director – at least as I imagine one to be – and do some BETTER casting of the movie versions of some of my favorite books. By the same token I have also found that sometimes another interpretation can bring fresh insight and a new understanding of who a character is. Sometimes the casting is actually pitch-perfect to my way of thinking, and sometimes it woefully misses the mark, but I will admit that there are as many imaginations as there are readers (or writers!). Two perfectly cast Stephen King book/movies: “The Shawshank Redemption,” and “The Green Mile.” Not a single miss in those casts! An example of disappointing casting is the voices given by various children over the years to the “Peanuts” characters. None have ever gotten it right in my mind. Enough. Thanks for the stimulating ideas, and some interesting characters of yours that I look forward to reading more of! (dangle, dangle…)
I catch myself fantasizing about the possibility of having my manuscript made into a movie and casting my characters. No production company would be able to afford my all star cast!
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Well said, tsuchigari!