Anyone "cast" their fictional characters?

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I have a have a habit of modelling my characters after actors, just to nail down physical description. It helps that I have a very cinematic mind, the result of untold years of movie-watching. I always try to make sure the "templates" (as I call them) fit my character in some way. I frequently take liberties in their appearance to spice them up, like giving them an eyepatch, a deformity, et cetera.

Actors aren't the only ones who provide inspiration for my characters. For example, when trying to come up with villains, I do research on real-life bad guys, like serial killers and such.

I have done this before. I used to keep a collection of pictures of people both fake and real, live and animated. I used them to get ideas for how characters would look.

I do this too. I can't start a story until I have all the details of the character so I often use public figures to make up a character. And just like you I add something to make them stand out.

Developing characters with information about real-life villains is pretty smart.

I tend to model appearances after people I've encountered as a base, then work from there until the character has their own distinctive appearance. That, however, is for my own visualization. When describing a character I try not to get carried away with exact descriptions and give a few key characteristics, often added more details as the narrative continues so the reader doesn't get bogged down.

I do that all the time. It's probably kind of creepy to some people, but I actually look for and collect photos from the internet of people that resemble the characters, as I see them in my head.

No I don't. But I truly hope that one day I will get the opportunity to do so.

yes. and i also cast real life locations as some locations in my stories...

I do it everytime I read a book, I construct the scenarios and characters as described in the book but using images from my memory database, like places/people I know or I've seen in pictures or films. Wait I thought it was a normal process done by everybody...

I love these types of exercises! Here's a hypothetical cast for a fantasy novel I am in the process of outlining.


Beohart Haraldson of Nordland
The story's protagonist, a young Nordman warrior who hungers for revenge against the Azhuryans who slew his father and continue to terrorize his people. He travels to the faraway kingdom of Keshta seeking allies, but he will have to earn the Keshtan Queen's trust. Played by Robert Pattinson.


Queen Sekhotepi of Keshta
The proud and beautiful young Queen of Keshta, Sekhotepi has a lot on her hands and therefore hesitates to help Beohart and his people against the Azhuryans. Nonetheless she cannot deny that she and Beohart share a mutual attraction. Played by Oluchi Onweagba.


General Hamurgon of Azhurya
The leading antagonist of the novel, the scheming and ambitious Hamurgon leads the Azhuryan Empire's forces against Beohart's people. Played by Antonio Banderas.


King Siegwulf of Nordland
The wise and cautious King of the Nordfolk, Siegwulf is the man who sends Beohart on his way to Keshta to find allies. Played by Rip Torn.

In my novella "Iron Maiden", the lead is modeled after Mariah Carey.
In my novella "Wetland", various characters are modeled after people from my old job.
In my novella "Strung Out", some of the main characters are modeled after old acquaintances of mine.

In the horror novel With A Savage Grin, that I've just gotten back to after a couple of years of letting it sit, has a female lead named Courtney Ling who I've modeled after - not any particular actor - but a hot Asian American cashier who used to work at a local Rosauers.
Another character - a cop named Lt. Paul Hanke - bears a striking resemblance to wrestler Brock Lesnar.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

The titular character of my psychological sci-fi thriller Redesigning Eva is based on Molly Ringwald.

Though I may start off with a rough idea of casting, the characters organically morph in to completely new people. For example, a character I have written started of as James McAvoy, but now is kind of blended with Martin Freeman in personality and delivery, not appearance. Another character I wrote for the same thing did not start off cast, and I created an e-fit of, so now is entirely like that in my mind's eye (linky here if you're interested in the the photomash I did). Actors can serve as inspiration, but I wouldn't want big names in what I write, because then it isn't wholly mine, and who they are might start to define the character's behaviour.

I do this all the time whenever I write.

I cannot read fiction without doing the same thing. It is impossible for me to imaginatively invent what a character looks like; the only way I can picture them at all is to picture them as a person who I know what they look like.