This is the cast which I chose for M. Butterfly, looking beyond race or culture, and basing it upon their acting ability and how well they would relate to their respective roles.

Rene Gallimard

Adrien Brody

Rene Gallimard is a former diplomat and prisoner of France. He was charged with treason for providing documents to the Chinese. He did this through his lover Song. Gallimard was not a man that one might be overwhelmed by, he even admitted this to himself. He was not very handsome, nor was he debonair, he was just a very plain man who was married, but never stopped seeking love. He only married his wife because he needed someone. He never really felt like she was the one for him. I would chose the actor Adrien Brody to portray him in that role. I feel like Adrien has the look for this character because he is not very good looking, nor does he have a lot of personality. He just seems very plain.

Song Liling

Rex Lee

Song Liling is a person with a deceptive secret. Not only is Song living a lie, Song is a spy sent by Comrade Chin. Song was a young Opera singer who seemed to accept Gallimard for who he was. Little did Gallimard know he was a pawn in Songs deceptive web. Song carried on a 20 year affair with Gallimard without telling him that he was actually a man. He was obtaining secret information from Gallimard that he fed to Comrade Chin. The actor that I chose to play Song is Rex Lee (TV Series Entourage) because he is a homosexual man who is extremely dramatic. He has the build and attitude to play a woman like Song. He is versatile, he can go from tender to loveable in a heartbeat. I know that he will be perfect for this role.

Marc

Mark Dane

Marc is Gallimard's childhood friend, who seems to be a handsome ladies man. He is the exact opposite of Gallimard in many ways. He is handsome, sexy, and a smooth talker. Even though they are opposites, they are great friends that bring out the best in each other. I would chose Mark Dane (TV Series Grey's Anatomy) to play his part. He is a sexy, smart, outgoing actor who always gets the girl on Grey's Anatomy. He seems to exude this character, and it feels as though he was born to play Marc.

Helga

Kim Cattrall

Helga is married to Gallimard, who she is not actually in love with. She stayed with him for his diplomatic status. She was a sweet woman who was faithful to her husband in many ways. Helga finds out about Song, but she really did not do anything about it because she loved her diplomatic lifestyle. She was willing to deal with just about anything in order to maintain her way of living. I have chosen Kim Cattrall to portray this role because she seems like a woman who is all about status. She is materialistic and was romantically linked to a Canadian Prime Minister. I believe she is the type of woman to settle for anything so that she can have everything.

M. Toulon

Denzel Washington

M. Toulon is the French Ambassador of China, who seems to be hard on the outside, but smooth and conscientious on the inside. He promotes Gallimard just when Gallimard thought he was going to be transferred. He seems to really care about his job and wants the best for his country. I chose Denzel Washington to play this character because he plays roles with authority very well. He commands attention on the screen and in real life.

Comrade Chin

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Comrade Chin is the Chinese Communist Party Official. He has overseen Songs work as a spy since the revolutionary upheavels of the 1960's. He presided over Songs confession of his offenses against party doctrine, which Chin has never questioned. I chose Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger because he is a powerful man, with a military background. I feel like he is macho and arrogant, just like Comrade Chin's character is. I know that he would do a great job in that role.

Renee

Cameron Diaz

Renee is a young woman who meets Gallimard and is strangely attracted to him. She is a beautiful girl with a nice body. Gallimard compares her to a girl from a magazine. She is a student whose father is an exporter. She comes to China to learn Chinese, where Gallimard becomes intrigued with her. She seems to be mysterious, and he is excited about having sex with her. I believe that Cameron Diaz would be excellent to play this role since she seems to be carefree. She is a beautiful woman who knows exactly what she wants and does not hesitate to go for it. I know that she would do this part justice.