An Actress to play Honor Harrington

George J. Smith wrote:
Don't know his name but he played the Doctor in Firefly

Sean Maher then.

BrightSoul wrote:

Tenshinai wrote:
The description i was thinking about was ~trim and fit courtesy of heavy gravity world and rigorous exercise regimen... ( inexact quote from OBS, initial description of her )

And for RFC, high grav build is normally bulkier than average. While "enhanced muscle development" should most definitely not result in a "slender" build in combination with heavy exercise.

Not saying it should be a bodybuilder style or anything(that would be equally strange), but i would certainly expect a bit more bulk even from someone strongly favouring "flat" muscles(which is quite likely as Honor likes swimming and martial arts style training and the like rather than weight lifting ).

And i can´t recall anywhere that calls her "slender"?

IIRC there is a detailed infodump in IEH about the Meyherdahl-B (sp?) gene mods and how Honor is a heavy grav-worlder without the stocky, stumpy overgrown look of someone unmodified growing up in heavy gravity..

And my own memory may be a bit fuzzy, But I think I remember the description as saying that Honor's muscles (and maybe skeletal structure?), due to the Meyerdahl mods, are denser than pure human stock. If that memory is correct, then Honor *can* be tall and slender, despite a higher-grav environment.

MaxxQ wrote:
And my own memory may be a bit fuzzy, But I think I remember the description as saying that Honor's muscles (and maybe skeletal structure?), due to the Meyerdahl mods, are denser than pure human stock. If that memory is correct, then Honor *can* be tall and slender, despite a higher-grav environment.

Yes, but is there any description that actually uses "slender"?

Like i said above, what i found was basically "trim and fit" and used in reference with "rigorous exercise regimen", that most definitely does not equate to "slender" AFAIK.

From Field of Dishonor

:

So now she made her way down the echoing stone hall towards the huge, closed portals, Nimitz cradled in her arms (her gown lacked the padded shoulder protection of her naval uniforms), while floor-length fabric swirled about her legs. There was something oddly sensual about the sensation, but she felt totally out of place in the unfamiliar garment and had to keep reminding herself to shorten her long stride to something more decorous. And, she thought with a wry twist of her lips, she probably looked as ridiculous as she felt.
She was wrong about that. Her gown was the work of Grayson's finest designer, and she had too little experience with civilian fashions to realize quite how daring it was by local standards. Its unadorned white native spider silk set off the dark, jewel-toned green of her hip-length vest—suede, not the traditional brocade—and together they made the most of her tall, muscular slenderness, dark hair, and pale complexion. They clung to her, flowed with her movements, enshrouding her as tradition decreed but without trying to pretend there wasn't a female body at their heart or to hide the athletic grace of her movements.

I thought I remembered 'slender' in a description of Honor. This is close.

wetnavy wrote:From Field of Dishonor

:

So now she made her way down the echoing stone hall towards the huge, closed portals, Nimitz cradled in her arms (her gown lacked the padded shoulder protection of her naval uniforms), while floor-length fabric swirled about her legs. There was something oddly sensual about the sensation, but she felt totally out of place in the unfamiliar garment and had to keep reminding herself to shorten her long stride to something more decorous. And, she thought with a wry twist of her lips, she probably looked as ridiculous as she felt.
She was wrong about that. Her gown was the work of Grayson's finest designer, and she had too little experience with civilian fashions to realize quite how daring it was by local standards. Its unadorned white native spider silk set off the dark, jewel-toned green of her hip-length vest—suede, not the traditional brocade—and together they made the most of her tall, muscular slenderness, dark hair, and pale complexion. They clung to her, flowed with her movements, enshrouding her as tradition decreed but without trying to pretend there wasn't a female body at their heart or to hide the athletic grace of her movements.

I thought I remembered 'slender' in a description of Honor. This is close.

That's where I remember the word from, because up to that point, I'd pictured Honor as a bit blocky. After that I thought of her as having the figure of an Olympic beach volleyball player:

having just seen Mission impossible 5 (rouge nation).

i'm tossing Rebecca Fergason into the ring.

wetnavy wrote:From Field of Dishonor

:

So now she made her way down the echoing stone hall towards the huge, closed portals, Nimitz cradled in her arms (her gown lacked the padded shoulder protection of her naval uniforms), while floor-length fabric swirled about her legs. There was something oddly sensual about the sensation, but she felt totally out of place in the unfamiliar garment and had to keep reminding herself to shorten her long stride to something more decorous. And, she thought with a wry twist of her lips, she probably looked as ridiculous as she felt.
She was wrong about that. Her gown was the work of Grayson's finest designer, and she had too little experience with civilian fashions to realize quite how daring it was by local standards. Its unadorned white native spider silk set off the dark, jewel-toned green of her hip-length vest—suede, not the traditional brocade—and together they made the most of her tall, muscular slenderness, dark hair, and pale complexion. They clung to her, flowed with her movements, enshrouding her as tradition decreed but without trying to pretend there wasn't a female body at their heart or to hide the athletic grace of her movements.

I thought I remembered 'slender' in a description of Honor. This is close.

Thank you for the quote. Though "muscular slenderness" is hardly the same as "slender", meaning we still have only the basic idea...
At least it goes along decently with the quote from OBS i included previously.

So essentially, very little fat, some noticeable muscle, but not so much as to make it a defining feature or make her look bulky.

hmm, I know that many focus on her length and pedigree. That may be sufficient for Basilisk station, where one first encounters her command ability and strategical analysis capability. You don't see her physical side more than being mentioned in past tense.

However, if you then look at Queen's Honor and many books thereafter - there is a lot of physical abilities and fitness training. Not to mention Coup de vitesse. All of which is frequently needed.

Maybe Gina Carano isn't visually a Honor Harrington for you with her 5'8", but fitness and mixed martial arts ability wise pretty close. At least she should be considered as a potential Sergeant Major Babcock.

If I may make an observation, many characters are presented with a visual description, but also with a personality description when Honor Harrington or other primary characters encounters them. Small quirks and flaws. All that is more important for any actor.

Now, some have mentioned Nathan Fillion in the past in this thread, but based on his personality, I for one can easily see him as the mustang commander Lester Tourville (I aim to misbehave).

hmm, I know that many focus on her length and pedigree. That may be sufficient for Basilisk station, where one first encounters her command ability and strategical analysis capability. You don't see her physical side more than being mentioned in past tense.

However, if you then look at Queen's Honor and many books thereafter - there is a lot of physical abilities and fitness training. Not to mention Coup de vitesse. All of which is frequently needed.

I tried including some thought on that at least...

Maybe Gina Carano isn't visually a Honor Harrington for you with her 5'8", but fitness and mixed martial arts ability wise pretty close.

That´s actually not a such a terrible suggestion.
Only place i´ve seen her is in C&C, and she´s certainly a bit on the "small" side, but maybe...

Age might actually be a greater problem, HH is supposed to look waaaaay too young due to prolong, especially early on.
Sigourney Weaver managed the "right look" despite the decades between first and last movies as Ripley, but far from everyone can manage it that well.

Theodore Spasswinkle wrote:Maybe Gina Carano isn't visually a Honor Harrington for you with her 5'8", but fitness and mixed martial arts ability wise pretty close. At least she should be considered as a potential Sergeant Major Babcock.

I'd be less concerned about her height than her acting ability. She might be talented enough for a lower tier role like Babcock, but I don't think I'd trust her to be Honor.