Do you picture actors in your mind when you read?

[Agne]

No, unless I read a book after seeing a movie. Then I cannot help it and always imagine the characters just like they looked in the movie, even though the book's descriptions might be very different from how the characters appeared in the movie.

[[nette]]

I don't really picture an actual character, but I do picture an actual person. When the book comes out as a major motion picture, or else a tv series, and I pictured the characters differently than the cast the director/producer created, I become really disappointed.

[fari30]

Not really. I try to picture the characters in my mind and I like it better that way. Even after I have watched the movie and am rereading the book, I can picture my own characters.

[KirstyJ1994]

I do usually imagine someone in my head, but not a specific person. However, if it's a book where I have seen the film then I usually picture the people from the films e.g Harry Potter, Twilight etc

[dina77]

When i read if the book is a good one i don't see the words on the pages it is like watching my own private movie in my head - all with unknown actors as my imagination provides all the details from the books. I think that is why a lot of the time when i do watch the movies they never quite measure up the the worlds that i imagined in my own head.

[prarich]

Yes I do. Visualization is very important to be able to assimilate a story. Hence I like elaborate descriptions of all characters, which covers their age, ethnicity, physical description, dress and overall appearance.

[sarah-k]

I don't usually. But I do find myself making up how the characters look if I don't like the exact description the author gives (is that bad? ) I do sometimes picture the actor if I can't nail down what the character looks like from what's given, then it's nice having the actor for reference.

[V_bansal2912]

Always...I tend to imagine the place and people whenever I read a good book..!!

[Inishowen_Cailin]

Picturing an actor would not be my natural response to a text. Normally if there is a good description in the story it guides my mental image of the character. I don't picture actors unless I've already seen the movie and have their image in my head.

[CrescentMoon]

No, I imagine the way the characters look in my own head usually. But I have tried to picture actors in my mind for specific characters before, but it felt weird and didn't last. If I tried to picture the actor, I would think about the actor's personality and traits and it would interfere with the way I read about the character.

[dishaprashant]

yes yes yes indeed yes. Every book I read compels me to visualise an actor playing that character in reel life. After finishing with reading Fifty Shades of Grey I could imagine Robert Downey Jr or Chris Hemsworth playing the central character of Christian Grey and Jennifer Lawrence playing Anastasia Steele.

[Alexandra Bayer]

Not unless the book has been made into a TV show or movie. Otherwise, I just never seem to picture their faces.

[dishaprashant]

watching a movie and then reading a book gives you a ho-hum feeling. But reading a book and not finding the movie worth it is terribly painful to digest. It is true that the context of a book cannot be completely projected through a movie. But a movie looses its essence if it fails to properly adapt a book.

[nikki_p]

No I don't think I ever picture any actors when I read a book. I'm actually not a movie person, so whenever a book gets adapted into a film, I'll probably never watch it. Not because I'm against it, simply because I just don't care about movies. So I don't ever have the problem of picturing the actors of the film whilst I'm reading the book. BUT when I do watch the movies, then yes, I picture the actors, and it can get annoying, but not always. For example, Harry Potter. Every time I decide it's a good time for a reread I can't help but picture the actors. I think it's totally okay though, because to me Harry Potter did awesome casting and I love the movies as much as I love the books. The only other movie adaptations I have watched were the ones for the Twilight Series, and The Lord of the Rings. I'll be honest with you, I have yet to read LOTR but I will! So the movies haven't affected me yet. And I'll have to be honest with you again, I enjoyed the Twilight series (don't kill me). But I absolutely despised the movies. They were horrible. And unfortunately, I picture all of those stupid actors whenever I read the books and it KILLS ME. NONE of them actually look the way I pictured them the first time I read the books, but now I can't help to think of their ugly faces whenever I decide to reread the series. It's horrible.

[Sarah1]

If I have seen the book as a movie first I do. That is why I like to read the book first. Then I get to make up my own mind what they look like.

-- May 17th, 2014, 3:49 pm --

I don't really picture an actual character, but I do picture an actual person. When the book comes out as a major motion picture, or else a tv series, and I pictured the characters differently than the cast the director/producer created, I become really disappointed.

I find it dissapointing too!