...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!
Textual Celebrity Resemblance
- 166 statements
- 30 feature instances
- 44 referencing feature instances
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | type |
FeatureClass | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | label |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | page |
TextualCelebrityResemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | comment |
Creating new characters and describing them in detail so the reader has a quick and easy understanding of what they look and sound like is tough. Much easier? Describing them as looking or sounding like a famous celebrity! If the reader knows the celebrity (and that might be a big if, depending on the target audience and the amount of time that passed since the work was published), it allows for a quick reference and something the reader can think of or picture quickly. If not, then the reader is cheated out of a description in what might seem like lazy shorthand. Common in fanfiction by less ambitious authors. Why bother wasting words on descriptions when you can just say your heroine looks just like Cameron Diaz or Audrey Hepburn? Bonus points for combining this with Description in the Mirror: "Our heroine glanced up from brushing her teeth and was struck, not for the first time, by how much she looked like a young Steve Buscemi..." Also frequently used in-universe specifically for the purpose of "dating" a work, where one character (or the first-person narrator) describes another using intentionally outdated (contemporary) references in line with the date and location of the setting in order to build atmosphere. Note: This is a narration in literature trope. Please don't add any examples that exclusively involve dialogue or internal monologue. This refers only to when the narration of the story itself describes the characters' appearance by making a celebrity comparison, not when characters do. Contrast with plain ol' Celebrity Resemblance. Compare Comic-Book Fantasy Casting for drawn examples. See Hypothetical Casting for instances where the author pictures a certain actor in a role but only mentions it through Word of God. |
|
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | fetched |
2024-01-28T22:46:08Z | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | parsed |
2024-01-28T22:46:08Z | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | processingComment |
Dropped link to Bjork: Not an Item - IGNORE | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | processingComment |
Dropped link to CelebrityParadox: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | processingComment |
Dropped link to EccentricMillionaire: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | processingComment |
Dropped link to GirlOfTheWeek: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | processingComment |
Dropped link to InUniverse: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | processingComment |
Dropped link to MUSH: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | processingComment |
Dropped link to MadScientist: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | processingComment |
Dropped link to Parodied: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | processingComment |
Dropped link to TheDragon: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_16b77c5d | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_16b77c5d | comment |
Terry Nicolas from Twelve Days is described as looking like the love child of Harry Belafonte and Eartha Kitt. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_16b77c5d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_16b77c5d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Twelve Days | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_16b77c5d | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_1bdeba5a | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_1bdeba5a | comment |
In X-Men novels, Storm is now described as resembling Halle Berry. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_1bdeba5a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_1bdeba5a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
X-Men (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_1bdeba5a | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_2aab556e | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_2aab556e | comment |
Trueman Bradley: Trueman notes that Detective Sam Buckley looks like both Superman and Slam Bradley. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_2aab556e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_2aab556e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Trueman Bradley | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_2aab556e | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_2cee002d | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_2cee002d | comment |
Used in-universe in Meet the Robinsons, where Wilbur tells Lewis that his father - away on a trip at the time - looks like Tom Selleck (a picture of Selleck is even used when Lewis tries to figure out the Robinsons' family tree). Actually, Wilbur does this to throw Lewis off, as his father, who's an older Lewis, is voiced by Selleck in a Casting Gag but looks nothing like Selleck. This line is changed in various dubs based on whoever the actor voicing Corenlius is. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_2cee002d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_2cee002d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Meet the Robinsons | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_2cee002d | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_331ed304 | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_331ed304 | comment |
In the Sweet Valley High books, Mr. Collins was described as looking like Robert Redford. In the new, updated editions he's just described as looking like "a movie star". | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_331ed304 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_331ed304 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Sweet Valley High | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_331ed304 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_3aa3c416 | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_3aa3c416 | comment |
Conversed in Death Is Forever, where a character complains to Bond that an author whose book he is reading constantly uses it to describe people. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_3aa3c416 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_3aa3c416 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Death Is Forever | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_3aa3c416 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_3df37b17 | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_3df37b17 | comment |
Gabe thinks his boss at the music store looks like an older Beck. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_3df37b17 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_3df37b17 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Beck (Musician) (Music) | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_3df37b17 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_405021fa | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_405021fa | comment |
In Moon Daughter, the narrator describes Hades as looking "kind of like Johnny Depp super pale, but he had black hair in a ponytail and a little eyeliner but not too much cause he isn't gay." | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_405021fa | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_405021fa | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Moon Daughter / Fan Fic | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_405021fa | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_46d48eba | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_46d48eba | comment |
James Bond In Ian Fleming's novels Casino Royale and Moonraker, 007 is described as looking like Hoagy Carmichael. Hugo Drax's right-hand man, Willy "The Persuader" Krebbs, in Moonraker is described as looking like young Peter Lorre. Since the actor himself had been typecast as slimy villains, this helps to describe the character's role in the story. Lavender Peacock, the Girl of the Week in Licence Renewed, is described to be reminiscent of Lauren Bacall as a young woman. "Sinful" Cindy Chalmer in Role of Honour reminds Bond of a much younger Ella Fitzgerald. Conversed in Death Is Forever, where a character complains to Bond that an author whose book he is reading constantly uses it to describe people. Mary Goodnight in Carte Blanche has a strong resemblance to Kate Winslet, which has inspired several of her admirers to send her gifts inspired by the 1997 film Titanic, in which Winslet had a starring role. |
|
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_46d48eba | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_46d48eba | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
James Bond | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_46d48eba | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4c3bb3ca | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4c3bb3ca | comment |
Sam from A Boy Made of Blocks was born with thick brown hair and big lips that made him look like a tiny, incontinent Mick Jagger. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4c3bb3ca | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4c3bb3ca | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
A Boy Made of Blocks | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4c3bb3ca | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4e9e9863 | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4e9e9863 | comment |
In Arsenic and Old Lace, Jonathan Brewster's uncanny resemblance to Boris Karloff is frequently commented on by the other characters, as well as being mentioned in the script when he first enters. It's Jonathan's Berserk Button, and in the original production was also an Actor Allusion. In fact, Karloff was supposed to play him in the film version, but he was busy doing so onstage | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4e9e9863 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4e9e9863 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Arsenic and Old Lace (Theatre) | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4e9e9863 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4ff8055d | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4ff8055d | comment |
The first volume of Labyrinths of Echo establishes that Juffin Hally looks like an aging Rutger Hauer; Shurf Lonli-Lokli, like a young Charlie Watts; and Melamori Blimm, like Diana Rigg in her Bond Girl days. Also, Kofa Yokh's appearance is compared to Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret. This becomes a plot point late in the second volume, where Max almost lets himself be convinced that all of them were just figments of his imagination, based on his favorite movies—a possible instance of the author admitting to lazy writing, as this technique is never used again throughout rest of the series. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4ff8055d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4ff8055d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Labyrinths of Echo | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_4ff8055d | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_5feb5688 | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_5feb5688 | comment |
John Dies at the End has a lot of fun with this. For example, there's a cop the narrator says reminds him of Morgan Freeman, despite looking nothing like him. He then refers to him as Morgan Freeman for the rest of the novel. It then subverts this by having a character named Jennifer Lopez who looks nothing like the singer. The narrator has to actually make the distinction for the reader, saying it's not the Jennifer Lopez, just a girl with the same name. It's even clarified that the Narrator doesn't recall the name of the black actor that the cop actually looks like, he just uses Morgan Freeman as a stand-in for that actor's name. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_5feb5688 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_5feb5688 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
John Dies at the End | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_5feb5688 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_6e15faef | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_6e15faef | comment |
In The Cuckoo's Calling, protagonist Cormoran Strike is described as looking like "a young Beethoven who had taken to boxing." In the second book his client Leonora Quine is compared to a long-haired Rose West by the British Newspapers. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_6e15faef | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_6e15faef | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Cuckoo's Calling | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_6e15faef | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_750016d6 | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_750016d6 | comment |
In Mindblind, a girl at a party says that Nathaniel looks like a cross between Lucas Till and Alex Pettyfer. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_750016d6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_750016d6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Mindblind | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_750016d6 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_76e88c0b | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_76e88c0b | comment |
In Trainspotting (the book, not the film), Mark Renton is said to resemble Alex McLeish, while Sick Boy and Tommy are said to look like Steven Seagal and Harrison Ford respectively. Whilst the idea of either of the latter two playing Scottish heroin addicts is nothing if not an arresting mental picture, the film adaptation was somewhat less ambitious in its casting ambitions. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_76e88c0b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_76e88c0b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Trainspotting | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_76e88c0b | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_795a0fb0 | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_795a0fb0 | comment |
Ebony opens the notoriously bad Harry Potter fanfiction My Immortal by describing herself as looking like Amy Lee from Evanescence (the fanfic is titled after one of the band's songs), and states that anyone who doesn't know who she is should GTFO. Other characters (despite them being featured in a hit movie and having their actors be celebrities) also are described as resembling celebrities, such as Vampire Potter and Joel Madden, or Draco Malfoy and Gerard Way. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_795a0fb0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_795a0fb0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My Immortal / Fan Fic | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_795a0fb0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_8947e94e | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_8947e94e | comment |
The series Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan repeatedly compares the title character to Kurt Cobain. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_8947e94e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_8947e94e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_8947e94e | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_9990177f | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_9990177f | comment |
"Sinful" Cindy Chalmer in Role of Honour reminds Bond of a much younger Ella Fitzgerald. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_9990177f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_9990177f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
RoleOfHonour | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_9990177f | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_9e003c9 | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_9e003c9 | comment |
The novelization of Resident Evil – Code: Veronica has Claire Redfield noting that Steve Burnside greatly resembles Leonardo DiCaprio. This was meant as an affectionate Stealth Insult to the franchise, as this was such a common complaint about the game that the developers actually changed Steve's appearance before re-releasing it on PS2. Of course, this was back in Leo's cutesy-boy early years, but... ouch. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_9e003c9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_9e003c9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (Video Game) | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_9e003c9 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_a6706695 | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_a6706695 | comment |
Erin from The Nowhere Girls is obsessed with Star Trek: The Next Generation, and is pleased to note that her crush Otis Goldberg somewhat resembles Wesley Crusher. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_a6706695 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_a6706695 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Nowhere Girls | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_a6706695 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_b27fdd6d | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_b27fdd6d | comment |
Major Major Major Major in Catch-22 is described as looking so much like Henry Fonda that some of the other characters even start to suspect that he is Henry Fonda. In an interview, Joseph Heller said that, in a movie version, he would want Major to be played by either "Henry Fonda or by somebody who looks nothing like Henry Fonda." (In the 1970 film adaptation, he was played by Bob Newhart). | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_b27fdd6d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_b27fdd6d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Catch-22 | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_b27fdd6d | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_be03a5ee | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_be03a5ee | comment |
Left Behind describes its villain, Nicolae Carpathia, as looking like a young Robert Redford. This is meant to give an idea of the charm he evokes. In one book, the female lead was established as having a crush on Robert Redford, and the male lead was described as looking a bit like him "if he was a rummy and a drunk." This is clarified within the same paragraph as like "two people had constructed a model human from identical parts, but one had followed the instructions and the other had just bashed it together." Another character's description, in its entirety, is that "he had a Henry Fonda-ish quality to him". |
|
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_be03a5ee | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_be03a5ee | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Left Behind | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_be03a5ee | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_da948186 | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_da948186 | comment |
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children: Paige tells Gabe he looks a little bit like James Franco. Gabe thinks his boss at the music store looks like an older Beck. He thinks Mara looks like a teenage Björk. |
|
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_da948186 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_da948186 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_da948186 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e15ecef5 | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e15ecef5 | comment |
The Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty novelisation describes Raiden as looking 'like a young David Bowie'. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e15ecef5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e15ecef5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (Video Game) | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e15ecef5 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e186e2cf | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e186e2cf | comment |
How NOT to Write a Novel marks this as a lazy and ineffective storytelling device, giving two reasons why it doesn't work: First, if you just say your character looks like someone and drop the mic, then pre-existing impressions of that someone on the audience will, subconsciously or consciously, affect their perception of your character. Second, if you describe them relative to a celebrity (a younger George Clooney, a white Jet Li, a male Scarlett Johansson, etc.), then the reader will be doing the math when they should just be thinking of your character. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e186e2cf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e186e2cf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
How NOT to Write a Novel | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e186e2cf | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e764d136 | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e764d136 | comment |
Parodied in So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish: | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e764d136 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e764d136 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_e764d136 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_f648564 | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_f648564 | comment |
Invoked in Heroes Rise with Black Magic, via Hello, [Insert Name Here] letting you make them look like any celebrity of your choice, which the narration makes passing mention of from then on. Your character even gets the option to Lampshade this, to which Black Magic responds by awkwardly changing the topic. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_f648564 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_f648564 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Heroes Rise (Video Game) | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_f648564 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_f77887d | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_f77887d | comment |
In Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse, Wormwood's Perception Filter human appearance is stated several times to look like Brad Pitt, although the visual likeness isn't very close. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_f77887d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_f77887d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_f77887d | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_febf009f | type |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_febf009f | comment |
In Afrotistic, a girl at school tells Noa she looks like an angular-faced Keke Palmer. | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_febf009f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_febf009f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Afrotistic | hasFeature |
Textual Celebrity Resemblance / int_febf009f |
The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.
Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.