It seems like the only time I get to fixate on surfing these days
is when I'm reading a magazine on the toilet in the morning.
Yesterday during my daily ritual, I read in the most recent SURFER
that a new Miki Dora biography is being released in April.
An interview with the author revealed that the film rights to the
book have already been optioned by Leonardo DiCaprio's production
company. I believe the author described playing Dora as a "plum role."
He went on to say that he thought DiCaprio was a great person to
play the part.
Don't get me wrong. I think Leonardo is a fine actor who has come
a very long way since his early films. I also believe that Leo is a really
great guy who is actually concerned with the fate of the environment.
But I really don't think he's the right guy to play Dora.
From everything I've read, it seems like Dora was charismatic, dark,
sarcastic, tough, sly, mysterious, complex, bitter, charming, mean,
crazy, and -- perhaps most importantly -- an incredible surfer.
Just because DiCaprio has played a con-artist before, doesn't mean
he has what it takes to do Miki Dora justice on celluloid. Though he's
capable of playing a goof-ball and a heart-throb, I don't see him
pulling off wearing a Nazi trench coat and helmet to play tennis in
Beverly Hills and chaining his sports car to a pole in the parking lot
(or something like that).
Let alone being able to surf.
It would require some serious Frankie Avalon-style CGI to make Leo
look like he can surf, or even carry a surfboard from the car to the sand in Malibu convincingly.
But that's just one man's opinion. I've selected a few actors who I do think might be able to handle the part and posted them below Dora's headshot...
Miki Dora
Mark Ruffalo
Jake Gyllenhaal
Josh Brolin
Jason Patric
Casey Affleck
If you had a say, who would you cast? Or would you just scrap the whole project and leave 'Da Cat 'da hell alone?
As a matter of fact, since writing the post I've had some interesting debates with some of my most film-buffy friends, many of whom also think Leo can pull off 'Da Cat. I hope so, but until we're actually able to squabble about the movie itself, I'm looking forward to picking up a copy of the book and reading it on my next Mexico trip (in about 27 days and counting...) David, if you're still out there, thanks for stopping by!
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