[HPFGU-Movie] Re: Casting Umbridge

[CLShannon at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/13/03 3:55:58 AM, kirst_inn at yahoo.co.uk writes:

<< Personally, I've always seen Imelda Staunton as Umbridge.

Everyone who isn't convinced that Emma Thompson will be fantastic as 

Trelawny should rent Peter's Friends, which also features Staunton, 

who is about four foot ten, with a wee potato face and frizzy brown 

hair. She was also in Twelfth Night (check 

http://www.finelinefeatures.com/twelfth/index.html  - go to the cast 

and crew site and click on her name for the most Umbridge-y picture I 

have ever seen), and she played Gwyneth Paltrow's nurse in 

Shakespeare in Love. >>

Imelda Staunton was also in David Copperfield with Daniel Radcliffe and 
Maggie Smith and Zoe Wanamaker and she was in Sense and Sensibility with Emma 
Thompson and Alan Rickman <g>
I also think it's interesting that while reading the mini bios of the actors 
on the David  Copperfield page I read that Zoe Wanamaker's father was Sam 
Wanamaker (which I knew, but never really thought about) - he was an American, so 
she says that British actors consider her the token American and Americans 
consider her British ;)
I think Ms Staunton would do great as Umbridge - she has the physicality and 
is not as old as the other candidates mentioned and she is a terrific actress.
Cindy