On the heels of the news that director Tom Hooper will likely make the cast of his upcoming Les Miserables adaptation sing “live” on camera (versus inserting vocals after they’ve been polished up in a traditional recording studio), comes news that The King’s Speech helmer may have two other vocal talents to add to his production. Twitch reports, thanks to two different exclusive scoops, that offers are out to Amanda Seyfried and Taylor Swift for a pair of key parts (and both angles on a looooove triangle!).
Seyfried (who actually has a background in opera, fun trivia!) has been offered the essential role of Cosette. Cosette is the daughter of Anne Hathaway‘s Fantine (yes, Hathaway is just three years older than Seyfried), the ruined and tragic prostitute. Fantine gives baby Cosette to the rich Thénardiers, thinking they will care for her, though they mistreat her until she is eventually saved by adoptive papa Jean Valjean. And just why do the Thénardiers abuse her? Well, they’re really evil, and they’re also busy lavishing treats on their real daughters, including eldest Eponine. Swift has reportedly been offered the role of Eponine, rich girl turned street urchin. Both Cosette and Eponine are in love with second-generation baron Marius Pontmercy (to be played by Eddie Redmayne) in Victor Hugo’s classic story.
The addition of Seyfried is a bit of a no-brainer, she’s well on her way to an established film career (despite some missteps like Red Riding Hood and Dear John), and her actual background in and talent for singing must have been intriguing to Hooper. But Swift, despite her bevy of Grammy Awards, hasn’t yet proven her acting chops.
Fine, that’s being generous. Swift was wretched and screechy and, quite honestly, just sort of terrifying in the already-terrifying and wretched and screechy Valentine’s Day, and she’ll next hit the big screen by way of voice work in the charming-looking The Lorax. But a production like Les Miserables (even one as unncessary as this one) demands hard-core talent, and Hooper’s cast (which includes Hugh Jackman, Helena Bonham Carter, Russell Crowe, and Sacha Baron Cohen) has got a lot of that. Will Swift learn from her (much more theatrically talented) elders, or will her performance by made even more ridiculous in the face of such other stars?
Whatever the case, the addition of Swift will likely draw in a new piece of the audience pie someone like Evan Rachel Wood (who reportedly also auditioned for the role of Eponine) would not have – tweens. Screaming, crying, confused tweens.