Not long ago, I read and reread 'Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe' by Benjamin Alire Sáenz and OMG what a book it was.I'm not saying this book is perfect, but it is pretty close. If you didn't know, it follows two mexican-american boys and draws out the struggles of growing up and fumbling through your teenage years finding out who you are.
The best part though, without a doubt, is the characters and their development. The book itself is driven by the characters much more than it is driven by the narrative. I saw a post on tumblr that described the book with 'a narrative that treats the characters with the most affection I have ever seen a narrative do' and this is so true. You just can't describe the amount of care that is put into these characters and how much you grow to love at least one of them.
There have been talks of a movie in the works so today... I thought about my dream cast for the film up ahead. So, without further ado... let's get started.
Aristotle Mendoza - Diego Boneta
Not only does he already have the hair down but he is that level of cool that Ari has and exhibits throughout.
As we seen in Scream Queens, Boneta is not afraid to show a more cold side which is something we see frequently from Ari throughout and he has much more of a masculine vibe than Dante.
A lot of people relate to Ari and I think Diego Boneta is the perfect man for the job of making this character relatable to an audience and, most importantly, real. It'd be nice to watch him grow as a character who has trouble finding himself and I think that he would be a great name for the role. (Also have you seen his body ody ody? If you didn't like him as Ari at first look him up shirtless and I'm sure you will change your mind).
Dante Quintana - Ben J. Pierce
Now to the little cinnamon bun himself: Dante Quintana. I don't know if Ben J. Pierce can act but he has a fair few IMDB credits and to be fair, he wouldn't need to act that much anyway - he is EVERYTHING that I imagined Dante to be.He isn't just painstakingly adorable but he has a very perceptive view of the world and I don't think I have every seen someone so comfortable with themselves.
I will fight anyone that thinks otherwise because Benny is perfect for this role there is absolutely no doubt about it... I mean look at him. Just look, he is so sunshiney it's amazing.
If you need a refresher, he is 18 years old from Texas (where Dante is originally from hehe) and found himself a bit of a name through YouTube. Even though he is so young, he has this really perceptive understanding of everything that is going on and I think he would give the perfect piece of representation for people like Dante.
I was going to continue with my dreamcast but I was scared I was clutching at straws for mexican-american actors and was about to jump into a world of stereotypes which is something I do not want to do but I do feel very strongly about my two title character's casting.
If anyone has any other ideas just let me know, I feel like this could be quite fun.
See You Soon,
Charlie x
