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Height's relative, and can be manipulated on screen, if needed... fionwe1987 Send a noteboard - 21/06/2019 09:46:20 PM

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Unless the series would actually include scenes from NS (though thinking about it, if Moiraine has a larger role in the series than in the books as I've seen suggested somewhere, showing flashbacks to NS might not be out of the question), does it matter if Moiraine voiced her height complex out loud at the time or not? The point is that it's clearly had a significant impact on her life and her personality, so making her tall does represent a more than purely cosmetic change.

It might, if they got much shorter actors to play her frequent companions (though Egwene and Nynaeve aren't much taller, if at all). In Eye of the World, there is one line about Rand feeling awkwardly tall compared to her, and that is about all the mention her height gets. It just isn't a major part of her personality outside of New Spring.
And even aside from her private personal complexes, the books (and book covers) repeatedly dwell on the seeming incongruity of the small, delicate-looking woman wielding awesome power (at least initially, before most main characters start surpassing her in the Power) and having such a powerful will and strength of character. Rather like Yoda and his famous line about people who judge him by his size, to take a parallel from TV/movies.

Except that kind of height comparison is never made in the books. No one expects Moiraine to be weak because of her height. Before such things could become relevant, the Two Rivers folk find out she's an Aes Sedai and are thoroughly overawed by that fact.

There are a few stray comments from Rand and Perrin about her height in the later books, but it is barely a major feature of how they think of her.


Stepping away from that seems to be one indication that they're going to take a quite different approach to the beginning of the series. Which, you know, they probably had to, I'm not saying I'm upset about the casting. Just that I do think it's significant in a way.

I have no doubt there will be different approaches, but this isn't proof of it. You pick the best actor for the job, not the best actor of a certain height. Even if they meant to play out every scene from the book with no dialogue changed, the height of the actor they picked for Moiraine wouldn't indicate it one way or another.

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Rosamund Pike is playing Moiraine. - 20/06/2019 11:16:24 PM 855 Views
More than a bit tall - 21/06/2019 03:22:57 AM 450 Views
5'2" per the WoT Companion. *NM* - 21/06/2019 11:33:40 AM 226 Views
Is her height a particularly important trait? *NM* - 21/06/2019 12:31:58 PM 220 Views
Only if it signifies that the show will be cast with no consideration for descriptions. *NM* - 21/06/2019 01:57:09 PM 230 Views
So you were furious when Hugh Jackman was cast as Wolverine? - 21/06/2019 06:33:16 PM 427 Views
No but I hated Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher - 21/06/2019 10:13:18 PM 437 Views
Who? - 21/06/2019 11:39:47 PM 415 Views
Re: Who? - 22/06/2019 12:23:45 PM 413 Views
Re: Cruise - 22/06/2019 06:55:28 PM 466 Views
Height is not always obvious on screen - 21/06/2019 07:44:00 PM 412 Views
I may be wrong, but I recall her physical height being referred to constantly in the books. - 21/06/2019 04:35:40 PM 502 Views
- 21/06/2019 07:45:33 PM 381 Views
I would say yes.... - 21/06/2019 04:48:12 PM 438 Views
Have you read New Spring? - 21/06/2019 06:34:39 PM 433 Views
But her thoughts are never vocalized on New Spring... - 21/06/2019 07:47:42 PM 453 Views
That seems like an odd argument. - 21/06/2019 09:13:51 PM 471 Views
Height's relative, and can be manipulated on screen, if needed... - 21/06/2019 09:46:20 PM 386 Views
I find it ineteresting that they are calling her role the lead role - 24/06/2019 02:41:40 PM 422 Views
Remove the PoV structure of the books, and she is the lead in Eye of the World. *NM* - 24/06/2019 05:08:44 PM 200 Views
I guess that depends on how you define lead - 25/06/2019 02:21:02 PM 415 Views
Moiraine was the Dragon Reborn?!? *NM* - 24/06/2019 05:36:37 PM 233 Views

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