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Like a lot of authors, I do find it helpful, and even fun, to picture the characters as actors. It really helps to click some of those fine details into place as I write.Visit D. W. Gillespie's website.
For Grin, I’ll admit that I don’t have a great choice for the main character Danny, just because I don’t know a ton of actors in that age group. He’s an anxious but brave early teenager who’s obsessed with video games, so I could see some of the Stranger Things crew fitting that description before they aged out of it.
The more interesting choice to consider in my mind is his Uncle Bill. Bill is…technically an adult. He runs a massive retro arcade called Pixel-works, and he (illegally) lives in a trailer in the parking lot. He’s both a big sweetheart and almost shockingly irresponsible at times, which makes for a fun mix. He also happens to be massively tall and strong, easily able to muscle around heavy arcade cabinets on his own.
Mild spoilers, but later in the story, he gets taken over by a much more malevolent personality, so we’d need an actor who can embody both the goofy boyishness along with pure, gleeful evil.
In short, he’s a fun character, and I can think of two wildly different actors that could bring him to life. My first choice would be Eric Wareheim. The name might not jump out at you, but you’ve probably seen him here and there, especially if you watched any Adult Swim. He’s half of the comedy pair of Tim and Eric, and he also just happens to be...[read on]
My Book, The Movie: Grin.
--Marshal Zeringue
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