Fantasy casting is a hobby of mine. I do it for books I’m reading and I enjoy imagining how a movie would be different if other actors played their roles. There are some classic casting questions and inspirations I wonder about. How would Jackie Chan have been working with Buster Keaton? What about Clark Gable as James Bond? How would Mad Max: Fury Road change with Mel Gibson as Max? How would the film version of My Fair Lady have been different with Julie Andrews as Eliza instead of Audrey Hepburn?
It’s rare that I can compare actually compare and contrast actors in the same role in the same production. While it is not unheard of to have actors swap roles, you would have to visit London or New York to catch two showings or more to see both roles in the theater. In Mary Stuart, a 2018 production in London, a coin toss decided the roles for the evening, so you might have to see many more productions to see both actresses play the parts of Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth.
But Danny Boyle’s production of Frankenstein, Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller is one where the leads switch playing the role of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, Adam. And fortunately for us, National Theater Live recorded both versions of the show. It’s hard to track down (I saw both versions in a local theater broadcast) but I think it is worth the watch if you get the chance.
I’d like to talk about what is different between how Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch played the role of the monster. First off, if you check the YouTube comments on any videos, you notice that Benedict Cumberbatch’s fans are much more aggressive, even fanatical, in their support. I guess they have not yet seen Jonny Lee Miller as ZeroCool in 1995’s excellent film Hackers. But setting aside the Benedict-Mania, I am going to point out what I noticed different between the two actors in their approach to their leading roles.
The play starts with the birth of the monster in a womb.
Jonny Lee Miller’s monster exits the embryonic womb in convulsive and jarring movements, like he is being electrocuted. He crawls on his ankles and wrists. His monster exits the womb repulsive and scary. You want to jump back from the screen. It felt like he was sick, an abomination not sure how to move, what its limbs purposes were, or how to live.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s monster exits the womb gently, rolling the back of his hand against the membrane of the womb. When he falls out, he stumbles around like a toddler. He stumbles and tries to walk like a newborn babe. His leg shakes as he stands. You can see the spark of life in him.
It would seem that Benedict is the clear winner and audience favorite. But let’s discuss how the play continues towards its final sequences. In the final monologues, Benedict’s monster is still slurring his words as if learning to speak. He struggles to walk, and is still a growing child, enamored with a world that hates him. He shrieks in joy at the wonderful things he has seen, but his monstrous appearance locks him away from society.
Jonny Lee Miller’s Monster, however, has gained perfect posture by the end. His elocution is exact. His steps are quick and confident. He speaks like an educated equal to Frankstein, maybe even his superior. Miller’s monster is no child. He is a rival and a nemesis to Frankenstein. And when Dr. Frankenstein runs to the arctic to escape his monster, Miller’s character seems disappointed with his own creator for being so weak.
Cumberbatch’s monster is always likable and childlike, but Miller develops a more haunting and powerful nightmare with a more pronounced character arc. His monster changes much more from a haunting abomination to a powerful nemesis. It is fascinating that the characters can have different visibly different arcs through their body language and dictation while sharing the same script, role, stage, and director.
What a treat to see both actors in the same role!
Daniel N. Blair 