I think a perfect cast for Dr. Julia Hoffman would be...........Kathy Bates. Wait, wait, wait - hear me out. I can kind-of see her character formed somewhat in the way Grayson Hall did it (I don't know if she did, but it's just the way I see it as formed). Dr. Hoffman is not exactly a knock-out; she has her own unique - and even regal in her own way - look. Not being exactly Cindy Crawford, she spent her personal life trying to find some love, but was never quite successful. So, she throws herself into her career, becoming an incredible physician, experienced in various facets of the profession, from hemotology to psychiatry. In her private life, she closes in on herself, but still there is always that desire to find someone - anyone - who will give her the most miniscule romantic time of the day. She keeps that to herself, unknown even to her friends. And then along comes this mysterious "case" in which she is asked to get involved, leading her to Barnabas (Depp). The rest of the story plays out, including her plan to "cure" him. They are both strong personalities, clashing with each other, and then coming to a truce, and then to somewhat of a trust. Barnabas begins to show his appreciation, and Dr. Hoffman begins to - wrongly - read the much "younger" Barnabas as having an romantic interest in her. And away we go. I can just so see Ms. Bates doing this. I can also see her playing Countess Natalie DuPres, an aristocratic woman with an equally strong personality. Ms. Bates is an incredible actress, a box-office draw, an Oscar winner.
And, to be pefectly honest, I don't want to see people hired because they're just a bunch of young "hot stuff." I never saw the aborted 2004 WB pilot; however, while it was being developed, I was very uncomfortable with some of the people they casted to play the characters. To me, many were just a bunch of Beverly-Hills-90210 (or whatever that zipcode is) clones, making it look like Melrose-Place-Meets-Buffy. I don't know if that's how the pilot turned out (because I didn't see it), but I just think that Depp and Burton should look at what's more "realistic" to make it a character-driven film, rather than just a bunch of hit-the-gym-six-days-a-week-and-eat-rabbit-food-late-twenty-somethings-looking things that just don't reflect how normal folks living in Maine would appear.
Gerard