Let’s just say we live in a Fantasy world where they’re making a movie version of Notre Dame de Paris and it’s a better English translation of the musical. Who could we get to play Pierre Gringoire? One possibility I could see is Terrance Zdunich.
Zdunich isn’t a widely known actor but he was in a weird horror musical called Repo! The Genetic Opera which came out in 2008. I knew about it at the time since in 2008 I was a huge Sarah Brightman fan but I couldn’t bring myself to see because Paris Hilton was in the movie. Fast-Forward to 2016, I finally watched it because I was working on a list of seven horror musicals. It was really one those movies that I found to confusing to hate but is probably not a great movie I also was wrong about Paris Hilton, she was perfectly cast as a spoiled rich girl who addicted to surgery, needs drugs and isn’t a great performer, it’s a meta role. However what struck me was Zdunich as the Graverobber.
I mean just look at him in this movie and tell you can’t see him as Gringoire? There something about the styling of The Graverobber that is very reminiscent of Notre Dame de Paris. Zdunich’s mannerism are on par with a lot of Gringoire’s actors. Even the Zydrate Anatomy number is very similar in feeling to Val d’Amour.
But if you need more convincing just watch the Zydrate Anatomy part, which also features Paris Hilton.
But what do you think? Do you think Terrance Zdunich would make a good Gringoire à la Notre Dame de Paris?
This is one my favorite non-NDDP movies/operas! I would love to see Terrance Zdunich do his own adaptation of NDDP. And he constantly casts himself in the role of “narrator”…he has two other movie musicals, based on Aesop’s Fables; the first is The Devil’s Carnival, which is mediocre at best and then the sequel, Devil’s Carnival Alleluia! It’s okay, a bit long and heavy handed though. Plus neither give the audience the satisfaction of seeing Paris Hilton’s face fall off.
I would love to see a musical version of Hunchback done by Terrance Zdunich. It would be weird and creepy.