Voice of Smaug? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Tuor in Gondolin · 04-13-2009, 07:39 AM

Over at TORN they've got a thread speculating on
casting possibilities for TH movie(s?). One speculation
is on Smaug's voice. Personally, I think Rowan Atkinson
(think Black Adder ) would do well. Their list is:

Smaug (voice)
Clancy Brown
James Caan
George Clooney
Brian Cox
Marton Csokas
Tim Curry
Vin Diesel
Sam Elliott
Jonathan Freeman
Morgan Freeman
Bruno Ganz
Terry Gilliam
Mark Hamill
Djimon Hounsou
Anthony Hopkins
John Hurt
Jeremy Irons
Jason Isaacs
Tommy Lee Jones
Ben Kingsley
Robert Lindsay
Meat Loaf
Ulrich Matthes
Alfred Molina
John Noble
Peter O’Toole
Edward James Elmos
Leslie Phillips
Wayne Pygram
Alan Rickman
Geoffrey Rush
Rodrigo Santoro
Andy Serkis
Martin Shaw
Stellan Skarsgard
Patrick Stewart
Kathleen Turner
Nichol Williamson
Michael Wincott

What do you think? Alan Rickman might be a
good choice.

Aiwendil · 04-13-2009, 11:04 AM

I think Christopher Lee would have been perfect if his voice hadn't already been associated with Saruman. Similarly, John Rhys-Davies's voice strikes me as quite appropriate for Smaug.

Patrick Stewart would probably be good in principle, but I'm afraid I just couldn't take Smaug seriously if he had the voice of Captain Picard.

There are some odd suggestions on that list, though. Mark Hamill? Terry Gilliam? Surely it should at least be someone with an authentic English accent (I can't imagine Smaug talking like an American).

Gwathagor · 04-13-2009, 11:09 AM

Jeremy Irons. No contest.

Bêthberry · 04-13-2009, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwathagor

Jeremy Irons. No contest.

If they did pick him, I'd have a hard time not thinking of a huge mane of hair for Smaug.

Aganzir · 04-13-2009, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

If they did pick him, I'd have a hard time not thinking of a huge mane of hair for Smaug.

Seconded!

I don't like dragons so obviously I wouldn't want a dragon to have Scar's voice.

Tim Curry or Bruno Ganz might be good.

Formendacil · 04-13-2009, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aganzir

Seconded!

I don't like dragons so obviously I wouldn't want a dragon to have Scar's voice.

But Smaug is pretty much the coolest bad guy in Tolkien's corpus, if not beyond. And his chief competitor is another dragon, Glaurung!

Maybe if Jeremy Irons were Smaug's voice, this fact would cause you to like dragons.

Personally, Jeremy Irons as Smaug would be considered an awesome thing.

Erendis · 04-21-2009, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwathagor

Jeremy Irons. No contest.

Exactly!A "quiet" voice,with a really cunning note...
Shhh,makes my hair go up!

William Cloud Hicklin · 04-25-2009, 02:52 PM

Hmmmm... how about Christopher Plummer?

(Full disclosure: Plummer was my fantasy casting for Denethor- Peter Cushing and Basil Rathbone being permanently unavailable).

TheGreatElvenWarrior · 06-07-2009, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aiwendil

Terry Gilliam?

Okay, that made me chuckle!

Smaug needs to have a raspy voice! Raspy, and NOT American!

Gwathagor · 06-07-2009, 11:54 PM

I wonder if an American accent could work, though...Smaug is essentially an Yankee businessman: individualistic, pragmatic, and ruthless. With the right actor, it could work.

Bêthberry · 04-13-2009, 08:07 PM

Yeah, Irons was magnificent as Scar--as suave as George Sanders' Shere Khan in the Jungle Book. But someone will have to make Smaug be, well, authentically Smaug.

John Hurt's already done a dragon, but I haven't heard how he did in Merlin. He's also, um, played a rabbit and a wizard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aiwendil

Surely it should at least be someone with an authentic English accent (I can't imagine Smaug talking like an American).

Ah, this raises an interesting question, above and beyond the actor's identity. Just which kind of English accent would be appropriate for Smaug? EDIT: This would effectively exclude Pee-Wee Herman.

alatar · 04-15-2009, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Ah, this raises an interesting question, above and beyond the actor's identity. Just which kind of English accent would be appropriate for Smaug?

Reading a bit about Hugh Laurie (he plays Dr. House on the TV show of the same name), I learned the following:

Quote:

Originally Posted by wikipedia

Although Laurie has been a household name in many parts of the world since the 1980s, he only came to the attention of a broader American public in 2004, when he first starred as the acerbic attending physician Dr. Gregory House in the popular FOX medical drama House. For his portrayal, Laurie assumes an American accent. Laurie was in Namibia filming Flight of the Phoenix and recorded the audition tape for the show in the bathroom of the hotel, the only place he could get enough light. His US accent was so convincing that executive producer Bryan Singer, who was unaware at the time that Laurie is English, pointed to him as an example of just the kind of compelling American actor he had been looking for.

..meaning that to have a British accent, we need not look just to British actors.

And that said, must we exclude female voices a priori? Is Smaug male? What does 'male' mean in dragon form? Could not a woman's voice work as well?

Durelin · 04-15-2009, 11:37 AM

Leonard Nimoy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by alatar

And that said, must we exclude female voices a priori? Is Smaug male? What does 'male' mean in dragon form? Could not a woman's voice work as well?

There are women who have done very 'masculine' voice-acting, too. Like the woman who voices Bart Simpson...obviously not a very deep voice but plenty masculine. And I remember in an anime this Japanese woman, who spoke in a very high-pitched voice normally, voicing a bad guy with the typical menacing deep voice.

That aside -- no, there's nothing saying Smaug need sound typically 'masculine'...though I must admit I want him to. Well, not *typically* masculine but...yeah.

Bêthberry · 04-15-2009, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alatar

Reading a bit about Hugh Laurie (he plays Dr. House on the TV show of the same name), I learned the following:

Quote:

Originally Posted by wikipedia

Although Laurie has been a household name in many parts of the world since the 1980s, he only came to the attention of a broader American public in 2004, when he first starred as the acerbic attending physician Dr. Gregory House in the popular FOX medical drama House. For his portrayal, Laurie assumes an American accent. Laurie was in Namibia filming Flight of the Phoenix and recorded the audition tape for the show in the bathroom of the hotel, the only place he could get enough light. His US accent was so convincing that executive producer Bryan Singer, who was unaware at the time that Laurie is English, pointed to him as an example of just the kind of compelling American actor he had been looking for.

..meaning that to have a British accent, we need not look just to British actors.

And that said, must we exclude female voices a priori? Is Smaug male? What does 'male' mean in dragon form? Could not a woman's voice work as well?

Well, what kind of voice does Margaret Thatcher have?

In our house, we quite often, after watching an episode of House, watch an episode of Blackadder, just to marvel at Laurie's marvellous range and talents.

Yet voices and accents have traditionally been a strong point amongst English thespians. I'm not so sure that an American equivalent of Laurie could be named. Can anyone identify an American actor who has done a credible English accent--there have been several lamentable ones.

Mithalwen · 04-15-2009, 01:37 PM

Gwyneth Paltrow and Renee Zellweger made a decent fist of it in Sliding Doors and Bridget Jones but I am struggling to think of any American men who have been as convincing and some have been spectacularly (deliberately?) bad - though of course I am sure many Brits fail woefully at doing American, I just wouldn't necessarily notice.

Bethberry - I occasionally catch old episodes of Jeeves and Wooster and that really is a shock now I have got used to Laurie as House... and that WAS a shock.. since on the surface you couldn't find a more English Englishman... Eton, and not only Cambridge Footlights but Cambridge Boat Race......

Anyway I think George Irving would make a fabulous Smaug...

alatar · 04-16-2009, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

In our house, we quite often, after watching an episode of House, watch an episode of Blackadder, just to marvel at Laurie's marvellous range and talents.

He is marvelously talented, so you would understand *my* surprise to learn that he wasn't an American...

And as Mith said, can't believe that 'House' is the same guy that was in "The Young Ones."

Quote:

Can anyone identify an American actor who has done a credible English accent--there have been several lamentable ones.

Kevin Costner, as heard in "Robin Hood." (Always remember, to sheep, other sheep surely appear different, and who even knows what marsupials are? ... or something)

Or what of Kevin Kline in "A Fish Called Wanda?"

Anyway, I'm not sure we need to have a (1) British accent or (2) male voice. And that said, do we even know that Smaug will actually speak?

PrinceOfTheHalflings · 04-25-2009, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Can anyone identify an American actor who has done a credible English accent--there have been several lamentable ones.

Yes, Sean Astin in ... The Lord of the Rings movies!

Here's my suggestion for Smaug and it's waaaaaay out of left field: Paul Darrow. He played "Avon" in Blake's Seven. He is still alive - anyone who remembers Blake's Seven should recall his sneering, supercilious, "born to rule" voice.

04-13-2009, 07:39 AM	#1
Tuor in Gondolin Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Southeast Pennsylvania Posts: 3,651	Voice of Smaug? Over at TORN they've got a thread speculating on casting possibilities for TH movie(s?). One speculation is on Smaug's voice. Personally, I think Rowan Atkinson (think Black Adder ) would do well. Their list is: Smaug (voice) Clancy Brown James Caan George Clooney Brian Cox Marton Csokas Tim Curry Vin Diesel Sam Elliott Jonathan Freeman Morgan Freeman Bruno Ganz Terry Gilliam Mark Hamill Djimon Hounsou Anthony Hopkins John Hurt Jeremy Irons Jason Isaacs Tommy Lee Jones Ben Kingsley Robert Lindsay Meat Loaf Ulrich Matthes Alfred Molina John Noble Peter O’Toole Edward James Elmos Leslie Phillips Wayne Pygram Alan Rickman Geoffrey Rush Rodrigo Santoro Andy Serkis Martin Shaw Stellan Skarsgard Patrick Stewart Kathleen Turner Nichol Williamson Michael Wincott What do you think? Alan Rickman might be a good choice. __________________ The poster formerly known as Tuor of Gondolin. Walking To Rivendell and beyond 12,555 miles passed Nt./Day 5: Pass the beacon on Nardol, the 'Fire Hill.'

04-13-2009, 11:09 AM	#3
Gwathagor Shade with a Blade Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: A Rainy Night In Soho Posts: 2,512	Jeremy Irons. No contest. __________________ Stories and songs.

04-25-2009, 02:52 PM	#8
William Cloud Hicklin Loremaster of Annúminas Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 2,330	Hmmmm... how about Christopher Plummer? (Full disclosure: Plummer was my fantasy casting for Denethor- Peter Cushing and Basil Rathbone being permanently unavailable). __________________ The entire plot of The Lord of the Rings could be said to turn on what Sauron didn’t know, and when he didn’t know it.

06-07-2009, 11:54 PM	#10
Gwathagor Shade with a Blade Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: A Rainy Night In Soho Posts: 2,512	I wonder if an American accent could work, though...Smaug is essentially an Yankee businessman: individualistic, pragmatic, and ruthless. With the right actor, it could work. __________________ Stories and songs.

04-15-2009, 01:37 PM	#15
Mithalwen Pilgrim Soul Join Date: May 2004 Location: watching the wonga-wonga birds circle... Posts: 9,460	Gwyneth Paltrow and Renee Zellweger made a decent fist of it in Sliding Doors and Bridget Jones but I am struggling to think of any American men who have been as convincing and some have been spectacularly (deliberately?) bad - though of course I am sure many Brits fail woefully at doing American, I just wouldn't necessarily notice. Bethberry - I occasionally catch old episodes of Jeeves and Wooster and that really is a shock now I have got used to Laurie as House... and that WAS a shock.. since on the surface you couldn't find a more English Englishman... Eton, and not only Cambridge Footlights but Cambridge Boat Race...... Anyway I think George Irving would make a fabulous Smaug... __________________ “But Finrod walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.” Christopher Tolkien, Requiescat in pace

04-13-2009, 11:04 AM	#2
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	I think Christopher Lee would have been perfect if his voice hadn't already been associated with Saruman. Similarly, John Rhys-Davies's voice strikes me as quite appropriate for Smaug. Patrick Stewart would probably be good in principle, but I'm afraid I just couldn't take Smaug seriously if he had the voice of Captain Picard. There are some odd suggestions on that list, though. Mark Hamill? Terry Gilliam? Surely it should at least be someone with an authentic English accent (I can't imagine Smaug talking like an American).