…did Mary Todd Lincoln look half as attractive as actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead. And yet Winstead will play that role in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Here’s Mary Elizabeth Winstead:
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Here’s Mary Todd Lincoln:
And that’s a young Mary Todd Lincoln.
Of course, it doesn’t take a hideous actress to play a convincing MTL; Marjorie Weaver was a hottie, but still managed to make a convincing Mary Todd in John Ford’s Young Mr. Lincoln back in 1939. Mary Tyler Moore played an older Mary opposite Sam Waterston’s Lincoln, and she was quite the looker, too.
But this new one is a stretch. There isn’t enough latex in Hollywood to make Winstead as visually unappealing as MTL was by the 1860’s. My suggestion would be to cast a separate Mary to play her in the later stages of life.
I suggest Wayne Knight in drag. He could don a hoop skirt and then have a re-match with a venomous dinosaur on the White House grounds. That’s a movie I’d pay to see.
(The pics of both Marys are from Wikimedia Commons.)
Wow, that was ungenerous. 😉
Ungenerous to Wayne, or to Mary?
–ML
It’s hard to believe a movie based on President Lincoln fighting vampires would descent to using good looking actresses that don’t closely resemble the historical figures. Next you’ll be telling me that Jefferson didn’t resemble Ken Howard in 1776!
descend not descent. Sorry.
I dunno; Jefferson wasn’t a bad looking guy.
–ML
Did she audition by saying, “Does this dress make my butt look big?”
While holding a wooden stake, the better to slay any vampires who thought it did.
–ML
Well that was really harsh. I don’t think it’s nice to criticize Mary Todd based on her looks. You try having three of your sons die before the age of 20 then get back on me
I didn’t say Mary Todd Lincoln was ugly. I just said she’s not nearly as attractive as Mary Elizabeth Winstead. And Mary Elizabeth Winstead is setting the bar pretty high, so it’s no slight against Mary Todd Lincoln.