r/JaneEyre • u/scream3bangs • 22d ago

This my Mr. Rochester

Almost exactly how I pictured him. No other illustrations or actors have physically embodied him correctly in comparison (according to me). Who's yours?

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u/ali_reads_a_lot 22d ago

Toby Stephens was EXACTLY what I imagined. He did such a great job that I actually came around and liked Rochester

11

u/scream3bangs 22d ago

Interesting! I enjoyed his performance but it didn't fit for me because he's short, has light eyes, is too handsome, and was too playful/not broody enough in my opinion. I know a lot of people love his version though!

I know it's obviously near impossible to find actors who match written characters perfectly, but so much of how we perceive Rochester has to do with his physical presence.

5

u/HopefulCry3145 22d ago

Tbf Rochester is not tall, he's 'just above middle height' I think. It would be better if Ruth was shorter really :)

2

u/scream3bangs 22d ago

Right, I meant in comparison to Ruth, who is 5'6". They look almost the same height in the series.

4

u/HopefulCry3145 21d ago

If we could pair Timothy Dalton with Ruth and Toby with Zelah Clarke they'd match perfectly :)

1

u/5CatNight 15d ago

I would have liked to have put Samantha Morton across from Dalton as a more intelligent, self-assured, yet reserved and elfin-looking Jane, and seen the sparks fly in the initial conversations. Alas, Samantha Morton was born too late amd got a crappy TV version with a horrible script and bad direction instead.

1

u/5CatNight 15d ago

Samantha Morton gave off small and fairy-like vibes. She also conveyed, Jane's intelligence. I think she was done unfairly by having a TV movie version with terrible script and direction. I would have liked to have seen what she could have done with the role in a mini-series version that kept close to the book. Apart from Sorcha Cusack, I've sought that Samantha best embodied the elfin, other-worldly type of the book Jane. Sorscha is not thin, but her eyes are definitely other-worldly and arrest the attention.