Colour-blind casting for Dickens' David Copperfield

Writer-director Armando Iannucci says the film, which stars Dev Patel, is a fresh comic take that stays true to the book

Writer-director Armando Iannucci (above) says he had envisioned actor Dev Patel (left) as the title character of The Personal History Of David Copperfield since embarking on the project.
Writer-director Armando Iannucci says he had envisioned actor Dev Patel (above) as the title character of The Personal History Of David Copperfield since embarking on the project. PHOTOS: MATT CROCKETT, SHAW ORGANISATION
Writer-director Armando Iannucci (above) says he had envisioned actor Dev Patel (left) as the title character of The Personal History Of David Copperfield since embarking on the project.
Writer-director Armando Iannucci (above) says he had envisioned actor Dev Patel as the title character of The Personal History Of David Copperfield since embarking on the project. PHOTOS: MATT CROCKETT, SHAW ORGANISATION
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Acclaimed comedy writer-director Armando Iannucci boldly reimagines Charles Dickens' most famous character in the film The Personal History Of David Copperfield - most notably by casting British-Indian actor Dev Patel as the iconic hero, a poor orphan who perseveres to become a writer in Victorian England.

Speaking at a screening of the movie in Toronto, Canada, Patel - star of the Oscar-winning drama Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - says he hopes the movie offers a new generation the chance to discover the author's classic tale of grit and "find a face they can relate to" in its multi-ethnic cast.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 17, 2020, with the headline Colour-blind casting for Dickens' David Copperfield. Subscribe