Actors for Roles in my Books-What about John Dunn?

Lithograph of the real John Dunn

I've spent a good deal of time thinking about which actor would make a great Trent Smith. But now that my John Dunn book is scheduled to be published this year, I've been giving some thought to which actor might be right for the role of John Dunn. It would have to be an actor who wears a beard well. That is to say an actor who, with a beard, could look the part of an adventurer in Africa during the 1800s. He would have to be an actor who looks like he could become an African king's best friend. A Zulu king's best friend. He would have to look like someone who a Zulu king would want to befriend. Fortunately, we have an authentic lithograph to the left, which shows us exactly what the real John Dunn looked like. Finding an actor to match this face, I was thinking, might not be an easy thing. Especially since, to this day, I haven't found an actress who can play Susie Quinn from my book Killer of Killers. Why would finding an actor to play John Dunn be any easier?

Henry Cavill with a beard

But when I saw this photo of a bearded Henry Cavill striking an eerily similar pose, I was amazed. Sure he's Superman, but with this beard, he actually resembles John Dunn. I don't know why he has a beard here, but it's a beard not unlike Dunn's. Check out Cavill's beard and Dunn's beard. Cavill just happens to be British, as was Dunn. Better than that, Cavill is part Scottish, as was Dunn. It's as if Cavill was born to play, not just Superman, but John Dunn. I would think Henry Cavill would be interested in the role. He certainly doesn't want to be typecast as Superman, does he? Aren't actors afraid that they would be typecast in a role and then not considered for other roles? I think Cavill would be perfect for the role of John Dunn.

Look at it this way. If Dustin Hoffman and Kevin Costner could play roles where they lived with Indians in the American West, then Henry Cavill can play the role of their African counterpart even better. That's what I think. Who would argue that Henry Cavill looks a lot more like a heroic adventurer than both Dustin Hoffman and Kevin Costner combined? That should settle it.