DREAM Casting the Parasol Protectorate Series by Gail Carriger (Soulless)

 

Recently I have been re-reading, as well as finishing, the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. I had previously read the series all the way to Heartless, and then other books got in the way of me actually finishing it. Now because of the release of Prudence (releases today!) I decided to finally finish off the series. I am right now in the last book, Heartless, and I think I am finally ready to put out my Alexia Tabarotti dream cast!

**The people I've cast may be impossible (like Lord Akeldama) but this is just to give you an idea of how these characters look in my head. I hope you like them, and please feel free to leave suggestions!!

Lucy Punch as

Ivy Hisselpenny

 

"Ivy Hisselpenny was the unfortunate victim of circumstances that dictated she be only just-pretty, only-just-wealthy, and possessed of a terrible propensity for wearing extremely silly hats."

 Ivy may be a little silly, but she is a loyal friend. She is also more than meets the eye, being instrumental in some of the information gathering missions Alexia goes on. She is Alexia's best friend, a lady of worth turned actress (actresses weren't all that big of a deal back then). She has a propensity for ugly hats that tend to put off those around her. She is cheerful and lovely, and a great friend to have.

Audrey Tautou as

Madame Lefoux

Character Study by Gail Carriger



"Alexia thought, without envy, that this was quite probably the most beautiful female she had ever seen. She had a lovely small mouth, large green eyes, prominent cheekbones, and dimples when she smiled, which she was doing now. Normally Alexia objected to dimples, but they seemed to suit this woman. Perhaps because they were offset by her thin angular frame and the fact that she had her brown hair cut unfashionably short, like a man's."

I love Madame Lefoux, not only because she is little Vieve from Etiquette and Espionage but because she turned out to be such a bad ass inventor. Madame Lefoux is the smartest woman Alexia knows, who is also full of soul. She is quite the coquette as well, flirting and sending hints to Alexia regarding her attraction. Alexia does not like her that way, but they end up being good friends...

Tom Cruise (circa Interview with a Vampire) as

Lord Akeldama

"Lord Akeldama might look and act like a supercilious buffoon of the highest order, but he had one of the sharpest minds in the whole of London."

"It was impossible not to grin at Lord Akeldama; his attire was so consistently absurd."

 



"His ethereal face was powdered quite unnecessarily, for he was already completely pale, a predilection of his kind. He sported round spots of pink blush on each cheek like a Punch and Judy puppet. He also affected a gold monocle, although, like all vampires, he had perfect vision."

I thought a lot about who to cast as Lord Akeldama, because he has such a character. For a moment I thought Neil Patrick Harris, but then as I was reading Heartless and Timeless I kept imagining Lord Akeldama as Tom Cruise circa Interview with a Vampire. They are both such drama queens (Lestat and Akeldama) that it just fits in my head. Mannerisms, character, physical description... It fits!!





Alexis Denisof as

 Proffessor Lyall

 

"Professor Lyall, the Beta in question, was a slight, sandy-haired gentleman of indeterminate age and pleasant disposition, as agreeable, in fact, as his Alpha was sour. He grinned at her and doffed his hat, which was of first-class design and sensible material. His cravat was similarly subtle, for, while it was tied expertly, the knot was a humble one."

Professor Lyall is the one who keeps everything, and everyone together. He blurs into the background and pretty much manages his Alpha. He is quiet but very proficient. He is there to be voice of reason and so much of the time you find him fixing both his Alphas' problems but he doesn't have much of a story for himself.



Joe Manganiello as

Lord Maccon

 

"The fourth Earl of Woolsey was much larger than Professor Lyall and in possession of a near-permanent frown. O at least he always seemed to be frowning when he was in the presence of Miss Alexia Tarabotti, ever since the hedgehog incident (which really, honestly, had not been her fault). He also had unreasonably pretty tawny eyes, mahogany-colored hair, and a particularly nice nose. The eyes were currently glaring at Alexia from a shockingly intimate distance."

This might have been too easy, and yes I know he already played a werewolf and that it is played out, but will you look at him? He is just ALPHA.



Asia Argento as

Alexia Tarabotti

"While Miss Tarabotti was a proper English young lady, aside from not having a soul and being half Italian, she did spend quite a bit more time than most other young ladies riding and walking and was therefore unexpectedly strong."

 

"Miss Tarabotti knew full well her own feminine appeal. The kindest compliment her face could ever hope to garner was "exotic," never "lovely". Not that it has ever received either. Alexia figured that vampires, like all predators, were at their most charming when cornered." 

"Miss Tarabotti might examine her face in the mirror each morning with a large degree of censure, but there was nothing at all wrong with her figure. He [Lord Maccon] would have to have had far less soul and a good fewer urges not to notice that appetizing fact. Of course, she always went and spoiled the appeal by opening her mouth. In his humble experience, the world had yet to produce a more vexingly verbose female."

Alexia is by far my favorite character of the series. She is smart, practical, and has hilarious interactions with everyone around her. She is very proper, a lady, yet she is progressive and an Alpha without having to be a werewolf. She is the one that figures out what the problem is because she needs the mess tidied up. I love her, and I hope she makes appearances in Prudence.

 There you have it. My very own Parasol Protectorate dream cast. Who would you cast?