Fantasy Cast #2: How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf

I had so much fun reading How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf that I really had no choice, but to spend an exhorbitantly large amount of time finding the perfect cast, should it ever become a movie. And, just so you know (this only applies if you read the paperback), while she mentions the naked werewolf on page one and you meet the werewolf on page 32, there isn't any dirty naked werewolf copulation until like page 180...and, while I was sad about this at first (remember how I said if I'm going to read a romance novel I like it to at least have some dirty-ish anything), I realized a) she makes up for it by having several more 'little' scenes in the rest of the 200+ pages and b) it leaves room for such wonderful character development. Seriously, I've never been sad about a romance novel ending and I was a little sad about this one ending and a little sadder that the next book seems to focus on Maggie, but we can talk about that later! On with the fantasy casting.

Ok, so at first I thought of Cooper Graham, Mr. Sexy Crabby Werewolf, looking a little like this...

Patrick Swayze, Dirty Dancing Era

...and, then I realized that what I really wanted him to look like was this...

Alex O'Loughlin

No offense against Patrick Swayze as he forever changed the way I look at men and at dancing, but I really, really, really needed Cooper to look good when angry, look guilty and feel remorse (if you haven't seen Alex O'Loughlin in Oyster Farmer, a quirky, Australian film, stop reading and go watch it now), have nice hands and be gosh-darned lickalious (yes, it's a word that my friend made up to describe...well, to describe men who look like Mr. O'Loughlin or Ryan Reynolds...HELL-O!). Sure, Alex has already played a vampire, but he was meant to be a wolf...scouts honor, have you seen him shirtless!?

Mo (I'll save her full name so you have to read the book to find out) Duvall-Wenstein is part Jewish, part hippie and all her own person. She needs to be portrayed by the kind of person who looks too girlie to go out of doors, but isn't afraid to, oh I don't know, hit a werewolf over the head with a fire extinguisher.

Michelle Monoghan

I picked Michelle because I thought she was a dainty little actress until I saw Eagle Eye and she is amazing in action.

OK, so now here's where you're going to have to bear *snicker, snicker* with me because there are soooo many minor characters in this book, so many wonderful characters in this book that I had to cast the lot of them (well, almost all of them, anyway).

Mo's parents

James Read and Mia Farrow...excellent parents

James Read was so wonderfully good as the sweet well meaning father in Charmed that I think he would be lovely as Ash the anti-establishment, hippie, but endearing father. And, it is no coincidence that Read was on the brain as he co-starred with Swayze in North and South. Saffron played by Mia Farrow is brilliant, as she made an excellent, singing unicorn princess in 1982. She's subtly funny, she's fierce and would have no problem visiting you unexpectantly and throwing out all your Snoballs, but she's also sensitive and wants you to love her.

Sean Bean

Buzz is the owner of the diner/bar where Mo gets a job as a short order cook, she turns the place around. He's supposed to be big and manly,  blonde and square-jawed, gruff and kind. Everyone loves him and while he pretends otherwise, he loves everyone else, especially his wife, Evie. Sean Bean looks the part because he definitely manly, blonde and when he smiles birds sing and fawns tip toe from the forest to see the beauty. Watch the PBS Sharpe series if you don't know what I'm talking about.

Rosario Dawson

Now, Evie is supposed to be younger and more youthful than her husband, "nut brown" (yeah, not my favorite line from the book either) and Cooper's cousin. Rosario Dawson is beautiful, could easily pull of being the wife of a diner owner. I think she could kick butt as easily has she could don an apron and make inedible pie.

Evangeline Lilly

Cooper has this sister, Maggie, who would just as soon as bite you at the jungular as talk to you. She's featured in the second book of the series, but all she does in this one is whine, beat up people, whine, beat up more people, whine some more and, yet in the end, we're supposed to find her endearing enough to want to read more about her. Evangeline Lilly is fierce, but I don't mind!

Tom Hardy

Cooper also has a cousin. Eli is like Maggie in the sense that he wants whats best for the pack and leads the pack after Cooper gives up his leadership. I pick Tom Hardy to play this part because he could easily be your best friend or your worst enemy. When people start to go missing how willing is Eli to help find them?

Cooper's mother

Lynda Carter

Um...Lynda Carter played Wonder Woman, I think she can play the single mother of a pack of wolves, easy breezy lemon squeezy!

Aaron Eckhart

You don't have a good romance novel if you don't have another man who likes the heroine. This man has to be the opposite of the other guy (you know the foil) and you have to know from the very beginning that he isn't the right choice. Alan is that character. He's a ranger and blonde and nice...too nice.

Which leads me to Mo's best friend Kara, she still lives in the South, but manages to give Mo the support she needs when she needs it and even makes a visit. I imagined Jessica Simpson.

Jessica Simpson

She's sweet, will tell you like it is and just reminds me Southern hospitality!

Now, the next grouping of minor characters come in pairs...

Dolly Parton and Bill Erwin

You'll have to read the book to figure out why I put these two characters together. Susy Q is the mail lady and she's supposed to have big hair and wear loud Western clothing, I immediately thought of Dolly. Abner is this cute little old man. He's a local of Grundy and tries to entice Mo to move in with him because she cooks so well. There are lots of cute old men to choose from, however, I chose the now deceased Bill Erwin because he just reminds me of the best, sweetest little old man ever.

Alex Pettyfer and Paul (Holy Wow!) Newman

Cooper is supposed to have a grandpa that doesn't look a bit over 45 and a brother who's a flirt who doesn't mind being in the nude. Paul Newman (even in the last years of his life) was quite a looker and would make an excellent sick and stubborn grandfather and Alex Pettyfer (sorry I couldn't find this pic in color) is so pretty that it would be a shame to not have him play the fun-loving brother.

There are a several characters I left out, but I believe the above characters are the essential characters in this wonderfully delightful, sexy book about love and werewolves and the Alaskan frontier. I hope I've given you enough reason to read the book, and, inadvertently, I've given you a lovely list of shows and movies to watch!

If you would like to see my first EVER Fantasy Cast click here. (It's for The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand).

And, here's a cast from the Queen of All Things Fantasy Casting. She added different characters to her list.