Well, what a difference a couple of weeks can make. After voicing my concerns about the casting of Taylor Swift in the movie version of the musical Les Miserables, it seems that either she hadn’t actually been cast, or the producers thought better of their decision and quickly uncast her. Now, let me emphasize again, I have nothing against Ms. Swift in general. She seems to be a sweet girl, and she definitely has talent. I just didn’t think she had the pipes or the acting chops to tackle the role of Eponine, and those who knew more about the show felt the same way. Just have a look at the clip below from the 25th anniversary concert and tell me that Taylor could have hit some of those notes (and did I mention that all of the singing on film will be done live?).
And now you know who has actually been cast in the role — Samantha Barks. The show’s producer made the announcement on stage at the Manchester Palace in England where Barks is currently playing Nancy in Oliver! The audience was thrilled and Barks was taken by surprise, tweeting afterwards, “Most incredible moment of my life!!!! X”
I have to give a tip of my hat to Cameron Mackintosh, director Tom Hooper and the studio for casting a relative unknown in the role, especially for a film that is heavy on superstar names — Hugh Jackman (Jean Valjean), Russell Crowe (Javert), Anne Hathaway (Fantine), Amanda Seyfried (Cosette), Eddie Redmayne (Marius), Aaron Tveit (Enjolras), and Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter (the Thenardiers). Casting an unknown with proven theatrical experience (Barks played the role not only in the concert version, but on stage in her West End debut) will give the role much more weight than it would have with Swift, whose previous acting credits are slim at best. Besides Eponine and Nancy, Barks has also played Sally Bowles in Cabaret and Aladdin in Aladdin. And the tween crowd may also know her from the Disney Channel series Groove High.
So, the question now it, was Taylor Swift ever really cast, or did we all just buy into some “leaked” information to judge how fans would react to the casting news? Whatever happens, I’m sure Swift will continue to have a long-lasting, successful career and I wish her nothing but the best. I am, however, thrilled that someone else will be playing Eponine.
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on Jan 31, 2012 @ 20:00 EST5EDT
Well the question on my mind is if we have all just been played. There is no dought that “Les Miz” has been talked about 100 times as much as it would have been in the past month because of Taylor Swift and the flame wars that have gone on at her expense. I would like to know if Taylor was ever actually offered the role, if she simply declined the role, or if the directors simply used her to pimp their movie and then cut her for someone seen as more stable. If the later is true then thats an ugly form of business and I feel bad for Taylor. I would have paid to see this movie just to see Taylor Swift in a real movie, just as many others would have…Ill keep my money now and get it at redbox in a year or so. Atleast the broadway type people can be happy now, Although they will get less attention from the media now.
DITTO!!!!!
Yeah, I go with what you have said….I for one will hold on to my money now. Was rather looking forward to seeing Taylor. She gets shot at allot, and I’ve seen her live….she puts on a good show, can Cameron Mackintosh fill a stadium…Nothing against her, but really never heard of her before and I’m sure she will be fine in the part. Just wont be a movie I will now see….
*POST AUTHOR*
It’s funny how most of the people who were unsure of Taylor Swift’s casting were still going to give her the benefit of the doubt and see the movie, but now that she’s out, the Swift fans have no intention of giving the movie the same shot? You do realize that she wasn’t going to be doing her own music, right? Or that she was going to be playing a part that was as far away from Taylor Swift as she could get, so it wasn’t going to be like you were seeing a Taylor Swift concert. I still would have seen the movie because I love the show, but there’s no way Swift could have sung that song and done the film or the role any justice. She’s perfectly suited to the style of music she writes for herself, but doing any of this music would have been a strain for her, especially since they’ll be singing live. I do feel bad for her if she was just used to drum up some publicity, but come December, I’m sure the amount of star power already attached to the film will have no trouble getting publicity. And can Cameron Mackintosh fill a stadium? Uh, did you see the audience in that video? I think over it’s lifespan, the show has filled the equivalent of many, many stadiums, but you really can’t compare a long running Broadway show with a much smaller number of seats to a one-night stadium event as far as attendance. It’s apples and oranges. The real question is can a movie musical of this stature actually fill movie theaters regardless of who is cast? It’s a gamble.
I will still see this movie but now I will pay $1 instead of $10. Being a Taylor Swift fan the most interesting aspect of this movie to me was of course seeing her take on and act in a real movie. I do think this will be a good movie and im sure it will do well. In regards to how this was handled im still awaiting more news. Apparently Taylor was in London just a few days ago to meet with the producers of the film, so what ever transpired in the last few days is what I want to know. I really hope it was a natural and mutual thing that just didnt work out between them. Not the producers basicaly saying to her Ok your usefullness is over were going with someone else, because that’s pretty shady business.
“Can Cameron Mackintosh fill a stadium?” Did you see the 25th anniversary concert at the O2? Looked pretty crowded to me.
Others have mentioned the concert at London’s O2 — which played two nights to sold out crowds. But don’t forget the show also played Wembley Stadium in 1996. And then 125,000 people attended the “Les Misérables” Australia Day concert in 1989 in Sydney. Some total 60 million people have seen the stage show worldwide.
Found it!
This video at 13:40
I for one would only have gone to see it because of Taylor. Now I won’t bother
Nah…i sort of expect what voice range will come out…good, strong Voice but..THERE’s Nothing NEW..I think they should have given it to Taylor Swift for Us PEOPLE TO SHOW what’s she’s CAPABLE at!…I’m not really a TS fan but i would have LOVED to SEE her DO different Stuff.
*POST AUTHOR*
But it’s not about giving Taylor Swift something new to do, it’s about making the best movie possible. If she were producing the movie, she could have cast herself as whomever she wanted. It’s not someone else’s job to give Taylor Swift a major role in a major movie just to see if she can do it. Maybe they gave her some songs to sing and felt she really couldn’t handle them and went with someone who could. If Taylor Swift wants to show the people what she can do, that’s her and her team’s responsibility, not the studio and producers who need to cast a role based on proven ability. Let Taylor belt out some tunes on Glee to prove herself, but don’t stunt cast her in a major motion picture simply to see if she can do it. Because if she couldn’t, then it would have destroyed not only the movie, but possibly her career or at least held her up to some really harsh criticism. I’m sure the people making the movie know what they’re doing, and hopefully we’ll find out the truth about this whole scenario.
Well you made it seem like all the Taylor Swift fans are completely ignorant when you said in your first comment: “But now that she’s out, the Swift fans have no intention of giving the movie the same shot? You do realize that she wasn’t going to be doing her own music, right?”
Maybe its because right now, it seems like that the producers were only using her fame to talk up ‘Les Miserables’, and weren’t even CONSIDERING casting her at all. Their not coming off with a good impression at all. But they could fix that. Maybe when we actually find out what happened, and if it was Taylor who declined the offer, or whatnot, then we will give the movie a shot. But right now, it’s not really looking that ethical of a movie to us Swifties.
And yes, it’s not about giving her something new to do, and I know that they want to make a good movie, but just because she hasn’t done much acting, doesn’t mean that you can just assume she won’t fit the role, when you haven’t even seen her try. Everyone has to be given an opportunity to be able to show people what they’ve got.
How did her music career start? It was because someone gave her a shot. Yes, more acting opportunities will come for her, but right now, it just seems like everyone is just taking hits at her just because she comes off to you as some ‘cute country singer’. And there is no way that Taylor’s singing would have failed. Her voice is practically flawless, one of the rare singers in the music industry who actually don’t use autotune and can actually sing properly.
I feel that i’ve gotten a bit off topic and I’m sorry if I may be coming off a little too defensive, because I’m sure you’re just stating your opinion. I have nothing against the movie and I haven’t seen the musical, so who am I to judge? It was just a neutral for me, but when I heard Taylor was casted that made me want to see it…but i’m just trying to defend Taylor over what’s been said in the article and in a few of your comments. And yes, the new actress in it will probably do a good job of it, but won’t everyone be wondering, what it would have been like if Taylor had played the role..?
*POST AUTHOR*
I was simply addressing the comments from the first batch there who came off more like “this was Taylor’s movie and now that she’s out, I’m not going to see it.” In my original post there were many Swift fans who also felt she would not be able to pull off those songs because she has a very different vocal style. I’ve seen her sing on many shows live on TV, and she hasn’t always been flawless. She has a sweet voice, but I have yet to hear her be really powerful like this role requires.
As for this casting or non-casting or whatever happened, maybe she was just one of the people in the running and someone decided to post somewhere that she was cast and it snowballed from there. You know how the internet can be. Perhaps the producers had her on a short list, gave her another audition, weren’t satisfied that she could do it (and maybe even Swift herself decided she wasn’t ready), and went and cast someone with more experience. Until all parties speak out, this is all conjecture and opinion. I’m just giving my opinion based on what I’ve seen and heard from Swift and my familiarity with the show. I like Swift as a person, she has some catchy tunes (although I’m really not a fan of her style of music), and maybe some day she will get to shine in a musical. I just don’t think Les Miserables was the one that would allow her to give a breakout performance. No one had any reservations about Jennifer Hudson being able to belt out the songs in Dreamgirls, but there were concerns about Swift’s ability for this movie. People had no idea if Hudson could act either, but she did and won an Oscar. Maybe Swift could have, but maybe the producers felt that ultimately she couldn’t and they had a multi-million dollar production of one of the world’s most beloved musicals to worry about. But some of the comments above focused on this movie being all about Taylor Swift and now that she’s not in it, they aren’t going to see it, whereas in the original post, even the people unsure about Swift were willing to give her a chance – myself included – because we love the show (and honestly, I’m not a huge Russell Crowe fan, but that still won’t keep me from seeing the movie).
It’s fantastic that Swift has such loyal fans because that will guarantee her a long, successful career. But some of the die-hards of any star have to realize that not every part is right for that person. I’m a long-time Madonna fan, but I would have been rolling my eyes just the same if she had been cast as Fantine (or even Madame Thenardier). I couldn’t picture her in the part, the same as I can’t picture Swift. So I appreciate everyone’s defense of her, but I don’t think a lot of her fans are familiar with the show and what’s required, and sometimes we just have to step back and realize that someone we idolize isn’t going to be good at everything.
As a Taylor Swift fan, I can only speak for myself. Les Miserables is a movie I normally would not have considered seeing in the theaters. With a Taylor Swift involvement, though, I would have paid to see it. I find her ability to emote and transfer the feeling of the words and music fascinating. I am not a high-brow and apologize for not having the refined taste of you or your readers. Never saw “The King’s Speech” nor many other Oscar winners…just not interested.
The reason im upset is becasue Taylor never does any thing that she knows wont be successful. So the fact that she persued this role and apparently almost got it makes me wonder what could have been. Taylor might be the best business woman in all of music, she didnt have a traditional path in the industry by being signed to a big label and having them push her onto radio. Taylor built her own label and became a multimillionaire by 16 by her own hand, she is her own CEO and manager. You can see how great of a buiness woman Taylor is by how many people she has goten to love her and how rabid her fans are. If she thought this was a good idea then I know it would have been.
But the information just isnt here yet to judge what happened so no one can be called out for foul play. Taylor never said a single word about this movie which I found strange from the get go because she is usually very vocal about all her endevours. So this could have gone back a long ways and Taylor could have known she wasnt in it for a long time. Also the reported filming times are directly in thw way of Taylor’s tour in Austraila and New Zealend so that could have been a problem as well. I hope she gets a new movie soon as I do want to see Taylor explore acting. Im also sure that this movie will be good and I will see it, it just lost its edge it had with me is all.
I agree with you Scott :)
Although, you’re quite wrong about Taylor’s label. Because she didn’t build her own…I’m not sure where you got that from..?
When she was 15 she was offered a deal by RCA records, but declined it because they wouldn’t let her write her own songs. And when she was 17, Taylor performed at a Nashville show and the CEO of Big Machine Records noticed her and signed her on. But yeah, it’s not a big label. (and no, i’m not THAT much of a psycho fan, but I wrote an article/kind of biography of Taylor in an assignment for music class a while back)
I’m also not sure whether she managers herself, so I’ll take your word on that.
But yeah, hopefully we’ll find out soon what actually happened.
Either way, Les Miserables will probably still be a successful movie, just without Taylor in it.
At the end of the day (no pun intended) we just don’t know what happened and who, if anyone, is to blame for the fallout. The real question should go back to twitchfilm.com — the source of the original rumor that Taylor had been offered the role of Eponine (the original story BTW: the original list of the four names — Lea, Scarlet, Evan and Taylor — came from the NY Post). The same day that the story about Taylor broke, Twitchfilm.com also published a story that said Amanda Seyfried had been offered the role of Cosette. That story turned out to be correct.
So what went wrong at twitchfilm.com? Did the two stories come from different sources, or was the same source right on one and wrong on the other? Although nothing was ever said by any of the “Les Misérables” producers or by Taylor herself, the most puzzling thing, and perhaps evidence that there may have been something to the rumors, was when Taylor flew to London to visit producer Cameron Mackintosh. Why would Taylor go unless she had business with Cam Mac?
I can see a couple possibilities.
Someone already said it’s common for producers to inflate a project in the public eye by mentioning all the famous people who want roles. Did she even audition for the part? Was Taylor’s name leaked by the production people for PR purposes? And then did the rumors get out of hand after that?
Or, did Taylor’s people start the rumor at twitchfilm.com? It’s quite common for stars to say they have a role when they don’t, if they are trying to get a role that has a lot of competition. It often is a good way to knock out the rivals. If that’s true, did the whole thing backfired on her?
Another idea is that the producers of “Les Misérables” were split on the decision. Some wanted Taylor and some didn’t. And so either camp may have leaked the news to try to force the other camp’s hand. Or was it a casting decision they were considering but wanted to test public reaction for (I would have thought that the NY Post story accomplished that). This third idea seems possible to me and may explain Taylor’s trip to London.
There is the possibility that they couldn’t workout a deal because of scheduling, but that seems odd to me. Taylor’s tour isn’t that long and Eponine isn’t that big a part and tours can be rescheduled. So if they had really wanted her, or if she had really wanted to do the movie, they probably could have worked out something.
The late casting of Samantha Barks does seem to be a sign that something went wrong somewhere in the process. Or was this whole conflict a PR stunt planned all along to build up Samantha’s introduction?
The other odd thing that may suggest their was a disagreement among the producers is this Tweet. The morning after Samantha was announced the official “Les Misérables” Twitter account posted the following:
“Big news: @SamanthaBarks will be Eponine in the Mis film! Mr Mackintosh knows how to pull off a coup de theatre, eh?” (source: Twitter)
Was that just a pun, or did the bit about a “coup de theatre” mean something?
*sigh* we may never know.
p.s. I’m not trying to blame anyone here, I’m just trying to explore all the possibilities.
I was less worried about her voice and more about the acting. Even during the songs, she would need to emote so clearly, and I think Banks has this character DOWN PAT.