V's Cast of Actors Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hugo Weaving

V to Evey: "People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people."

The role of V was originally portrayed by actor James Purefoy, however he left partway into the filming over creative differences. His opening scenes and some action scenes are all that remain. Since he was wearing the signature Guy Fawkes mask in these, the scenes could be used after being overdubbed by Hugo Weaving, the British-born actor who replaced him. Hugo Weaving had previously worked with the Wachowskis, who were producers for the film and wrote the screenplay. He was Agent Smith in the Wachowskis-directed "Matrix" trilogy (1999-2003) so he was a known entity.

The film was intended to be released in 5 November 2005 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot involving Guy Fawkes. The delay in the film's release was stated as being to allow visual effects to be finished although there was speculation that the July 2005 London bombings were also a factor in the postponement. V succeeded where Guy Fawkes failed.

Answer: Natalie Portman

Evey: " My father was a writer. You would've liked him. He used to say that artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up."
V: "A man after my own heart."

Natalie Portman portrayed the British Television Network runner Evey Hammond who became enamoured of V. She had her head shaved as part of her role (which was done in one take during the filming) and also underwent voice coaching to acquire the necessary British accent.

A number of the characters underwent significant changes between the graphic novel and the film. V himself became more of a romantic freedom fighter rather than the graphic novel's ruthless killer careless of loss of life. In Evey's case, the differences were more in the detail rather than a complete makeover. Portman took a more central role through her acting. V's portrayal was constrained by being masked, so any nuances through facial expression were lost.

Answer: John Hurt

Sutler to Creedy: "England prevails because I say it does."

John Hurt portrayed to High Chancellor Adam Sutler, the authoritarian leader and founder of the Norsefire political party. He also portrayed the characters lampooning his Sutler character in a comedy sketch. In the graphic novel, the character's name was Adam Susan. Sutler could be seen as a portmanteau word combining 'Susan' with 'Hitler'. The various government officials were named after body parts - the "Head" in the case of Sutler.

It was not the first time Hurt had been cast in a dystopian film. Ironically, he portrayed the protagonist Winston Smith in the 1984 film adaptation of George Orwell's novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four" (1949). Smith would no doubt be horrified to be turned into the very thing he was rebelling against.

Answer: Stephen Rea

Irish actor Stephen Rea portrayed the veteran detective Eric Finch, the "Nose". He was the policeman charged with finding V and came across as a conflicted lawman. The actor has often played complex and morally ambiguous characters. In this film the detective was hamstrung to some extent by not knowing V's true name or what he looked like. During his investigations he uncovered shocking state secrets which made him question his beliefs. At one point he gained information from a former covert operative (who happened to be V in disguise):

[V (as Rookwood) has just laid out a lengthy tale of political corruption to Finch.]
Finch: "Rookwood. Why didn't you come forward before? What were you waiting for?"
V: "For you, Inspector. I needed you."

Answer: Tim Pigott-Smith

The power behind Sutler's throne was Peter Creedy, the Party Leader of Norsefire and the head of Britain's secret police. The character was portrayed by Tim Pigott-Smith. He, backed up by his Fingermen (secret police), proved to be V's most challenging adversary. A confrontation eventually took place:

Creedy: [shooting at the approaching V] "Die! Die! Why won't you die?... Why won't you die?"
V: "Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy. And ideas are bulletproof."

Answer: Roger Allam

The graphic novel was a response to Thatcherism and was more about anarchism versus a British fascist state than the more ideology-defanged police state found in this more US-centric interpretation. Themes of racial purity and moral ambiguity were toned down. Updating the story to reflect more recent political times was one of the reasons given.

The arrogant TV host presenting "The Voice of London" news programme, Lewis Prothero was portrayed by the award-winning Roger Allam. Former commander of Larkhill Detention Centre where V was 'created', Prothero was a vitriolic mouthpiece for the government. His past caught up with him:

[Watching the TV coverage of Lewis Prothero's "accidental death"]
Evey: "She's lying."
V: "How do you know?
Evey: "She blinks a lot when she's reading a story she knows is false."

Answer: Sinéad Cusack

V's background involved time at Larkhill where he underwent various cruel experiments at the hands of Dr. Delia Surridge, effectively creating the powerful and vengeful V. Surridge was portrayed by Irish actress Sinéad Cusack. In the film, Surridge has been feeling her guilt over her Larkhill work and seemed to welcome V's arrival, knowing he had come to kill her:

[Surridge accepts the rose from V and studies it]
Surridge: You're going to kill me now?
V: [Holds up a syringe] I killed you ten minutes ago ... while you slept.

Answer: Stephen Fry

Gordon: "You wear a mask for so long, you forget who you were beneath it."

One of the regime's pet hates was homosexuality. Stephen Fry portrayed the closeted gay TV presenter Gordon Deitrich. Deitrich seemed to enjoy skirting with disaster, at times going outside his censor-approved variety show scripts and poking fun at Sutler. Deitrich was also a friend and confidant of Evey. In the graphic novel, the character was a minor criminal rather than a TV presenter and became Evey's lover after taking her in when he found her stealing food from his bins.

Allan Moore, the writer behind the graphic novel, disassociated himself from the film. He had some poor experiences with earlier adaptations. Producer Joel Silver acquired the rights for the film in 1988 however early scripts strayed quite far from the graphic novel before the Wachowskis became involved. Joel Silver consider the finished version to be reasonably faithful to the original, albeit updated.

Answer: John Standing

Religious fundamentalism was one of the aspects of Norsefire, coupled with intolerance for other religions. In the graphic novel, Norsefire gained control over the Church of England and ensured it followed Norsefire-friendly policies. In the film, the religious character was Anthony Lilliman, a bishop at Westminster Abbey who was driven by his perverse sexual cravings. His past history as a priest at Larkhill saw him attract V's attention. The character was portrayed by British actor John Standing

Answer: Imogen Poots / Natasha Wightman

The character Valerie Page was a lesbian actress who died in a prison cell next to V at Larkhall. She had a profound effect on V and, through a letter she left, on Evey. The young Valerie was portrayed by Imogen Potts in her first film role whilst Natasha Wightman, in her last film before taking a break from acting, portrayed the prisoner version. Having had her head shaved for the role, the police were called when Wightman was mistaken for someone trying to break into her house, as reported in "The Advocate" magazine.