The Jade Legacy Dream Team Cast Series: Finn Wolfhard as (the) CHRONICLER

Image obtained from gq.com.mx

We put a face first, perhaps, to the most mysterious character of the whole saga in terms of appearance. You can't imagine how many times I've had to answer questions about his looks. I don't say much in the books about his appearance. However, he is one of the few characters whose age is accurately pointed: about 15 years old at the beginning of the narrative.

The Chronicler's mission is to be the true connector between author, reader and work; hence his descriptive indeterminacy. As a character his work is to establish a bridge between you, the saga and me. He is more a transcript of the reader than of the author himself, although he has definite characteristics. And yes, it is obvious that he also has something of me in him.

It is normal for readers to imagine him as a shy, low-profile teenager (naturally, being the youngest of the whole cast) with certain connotations that bring him closer to a hybrid stereotype between nerd (geek) and freak. Without a doubt, I find everything I need in Finn Wolfhan to play our Chronicler.

A new batch of very young actors is bursting onto television and offering us a catalogue from which it is increasingly difficult to make a single selection.

However, Finn Wolfhan stands out in his own right. Most of us began to appreciate his acting skills in Stranger Things (Netflix, 2016) as Mike Wheeler, one of the lead characters; and almost simultaneously as Richie Tozier in the film adaptation of Stephen King's classic, It.

I was seduced by this young actor's ability to make you focus on him and almost immediately couldn't help but see the Chronicler in his features, mannerisms and general body language.

One might think that Chronicler's looks are irrelevant when it comes to determining an actor to play him. We could think: being such an undefined character in his physical description, any 15-year-old boy could play him. I think that with Chronicler in particular, for me, the opposite is true, paradoxical as it may seem.

Image obtained from Sensacine.com

It is certainly irrelevant whether the character (and the actor) is dark or blond, but Chronicler's overall appearance should convey his fragility, his capacity for observation, his restless, analytical and introspective mind. He must be a low-profile but not forgettable character. He should be there without being there, without stealing the limelight, but you can't understand the whole without his presence.

I find Finn's features as a whole deeply magnetic. I think he projects all those things that define the character. When I look at him I definitely see that reserved and observant, deeply intelligent and deductive boy who builds the core of the character in Chronicler... to which he also brings a point of seductive tenderness and fragility that, in fact, are not present in Chronicler but which would not be alien to him at all. There's a melancholy quality to the whole thing that I think is spectacular for the character in the flesh.

Finn Wolfhan has grown up, obviously; but he still has a physique that allows him to play with the age range of a character. Even today he still accepts characters below his age, a trait he shares with other actors who are very versatile in this point and which he will probably maintain for a long time, given his physical build. This capacity, moreover, would allow us to play with Cronista's own physical evolution, which, despite being the most evident, is the most diluted in the text of the saga. Cronista's physical change, although it is not emphasised too much, is probably the most evident of all the cast, as he goes from adolescent to adult over the course of the saga.

Image from Themoviedb.org

The young Canadian's acting range is impressive for his age. I am especially struck by the ease with which he can hold short shots, with a deep, almost speaking gaze. His gestures are fluid, very natural, very much in keeping with the idea that, I think, Chronicler should have on screen. For those of you who have enjoyed his work in the original version, you will have noticed that this guy's voice, modulation and pronunciation are mesmerizing. So even for narrative voice-overs this guy is good. A trully gem.

Image from Nacionflix.com

For me, Finn Wolfhan is a perfect fit for the role of the Chronicler and he was one of my quickest and easiest choices.

I don't know what you think, but you are free to do so.

Next up: Claudia. A very, very difficult choice.

See you next Thursday.

All images in this article are taken from film content websites. Their use is strictly for illustrative purposes. There is no intention to infringe image rights or intellectual property rights, nor is there any intention to make any commercial or lucrative use of them.