Actors Nested in Characters

I am definitely new to blogging, so please bear with me while I find my groove.  I chose this image because I believe it related to the first topic I wish to discuss.  Instead of having boxes in boxes or reflections in mirrors, I like the idea of a beautiful object containing layers of itself.   

From a young age I wanted to be an actress.  I was never shy and did not suffer from stage fright.  However, it turned out that I was just not very good at it.  Film has stuck with me though as a fantastic form of expression, and I love to sit at home with a movie and a blanket.


What sparked these thoughts and memories was the discussion in class today about the theater in Elizabethan times.  Of course I knew that the female roles were played by men because women were not allowed to be actors in that time.  But I began to imagine what it would be like to play someone of the opposite sex; not because it was some message on gender roles or a parody.  This train of thought lead me straight into thinking of when one character is played by two separate actors or actresses in TV and movies.

Usually this is because one actress can or chooses to no longer play the role, and so someone else must step in.  But the examples that came to my mind were exceptions to this general idea.  The first, being in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.  There is a particular scene when Hermione takes Polyjuice Potion and turns into Bellatrix Lestrange.  When filming this particular scene, the film team debated extensively on how to best portray this.  Either put loads of make up on Emma Watson to make her look like the 43 year old Helena Bonham Carter, or let Helena play Hermione.

The production team decided to go with the latter.  They let Emma Watson play through the scene first, acting as Hermione, acting as Bellatrix.  Then Helena Bonham Carter would go through when filming, copying Emma, who was playing Hermione, who was copying Bellatrix.

Another example is during the TV show Supernatural.  They had a character who they knew would have to be played by two different actresses.  Having known one of the actresses from a different show, I was really upset when I heard this because I thought that there would be no way for me "see" her in any other role.  I was pleasantly surprised. 

While these two actresses look nothing alike, they were both able to delve into the character and pull out the same characteristics.  There were obvious idiosyncratic differences between the two, but for the most part the dual characterization was successful.

In my mind, this all comes back to nestings because we are who we are in what we consider to be "reality." And yet, there are those who can so easily slip down into the reality of another.  This begs the question of what IS reality and what part do we have to play in it?  And what happens when there is someone playing a character who is copying another character by an actress who is copying another character?  So many layers!