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Who To Play Crowley?

GNC said:
Anyone know what kind of accent Crowley had? Presumably English, but whereabouts?
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Given he was from a wealthy family, and attended prep school and then various Public schools including Malvern before going up to Cambridge, I'd imagine a fairly crisp RP.

Charles Gray (qv) probably did have the right kind of voice, though it'd delight me greatly if he actually sounded like Peter Cook.
 
He is mumbling, I'll say that.
 
Telly Savalas used these Gillette adverts to audition for the part...

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https://clickamericana.com/eras/1970s/telly-savalas-who-loves-gillette-razors-baby
 
After watching The Death of Stalin last night I'm going to go for someone who would not for one second have crossed my mind 24 hours ago: Simon Russell Beale.

He is, to my way of thinking, the ultimate George Smiley (yes, even more than Guinness) and I'm not sure I could have comfortably imagined him playing wicked before watching this film. Portraying the staggering horribleness of a monster like Beria, without turning the part entirely into a caricature - especially in a comedy (albeit a dark one) - must be extremely difficult, but I think he gets the balance absolutely spot on.

I am not, by the way, in any way trying to draw a comparison between Crowley and Beria - the former being an unseeded amateur when compared to the latter. However, now I've put the idea in my head, every time I think of Crowley I'm going to see the bald dome of Beria, as played by Simon Russell Beale.

Beale Beria.png
 
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Death of Stalin is brilliant - and you're right. At the end you actually feel everso slightly sorry for Beria (despite being arsehole di tutti arseholes) entirely due to the skill of Russell-Beale. (Ianucci is a genius. I could watch The Thick Of It endlessly. Or even In A Loop. See what I did there?)

So yes - Russell-Beale would be great. As for the elderly, dessicated opium-fiend Crowley, I think Anton Lesser would be fabulous.
 
I have just caught up with the sound recording of Crowley posted by Mytho. above.

Any old-style C. of E. clergyman could do the rôle on radio at least! :bish:
 
Just watched Darkest Hour. Gary Oldman playing a grey old man. But brilliantly.

I’m coming around to thinking Mark Strong would be the guy for the role but I’d pay good money if Richard E Grant was in it as one of his acolytes.

I can just picture the scene where their eyeballs melt when they open the Ark of The Holy Grail.

(Er... despite all these years of reading the FT, I’m still not sure what Crowley actually achieved).
 
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Haha!
How do you make a small fortune?



You start with a much larger fortune.


 
Apparently Angus Macfadyen will play AC in the second season of Strange Angel. I really enjoyed the first season, if you haven't seen it yet I would definitely recommend giving it a watch.


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‘Strange Angel’: Angus Macfadyen To Play Aleister Crowley In Season 2 Of CBS All Access Series
By Denise Petski
February 27, 2019 10:45am
Strange Angel has found its Aleister Crowley. Turn alum Angus Macfadyen has been tapped to play the founder of Thelema opposite Jack Reynor in the second season of the CBS All Access series.
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https://deadline.com/2019/02/strang...ey-season-2-cbs-all-access-series-1202566289/
 
Howabout Gregor Fisher?
 
So, having perused the last page or so of this thread, we are basically any fat old man?
 
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