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| Image from Hollywood Gossip |
There are no authors I love quite like Stephen King, and there are few of his books that rip your heart out like The Green Mile does. And even rarer- a Stephen King movie that gets the character completely, wondrously right. I cared about the gentle giant, John Coffey, before his story came to the big screen, but Michael Clarke Duncan brought the character to life in a way that's so rare for us book lovers. It's like King's words shaped the actor on the screen, when actually it was Duncan's skill that made it magical.
Michael Clarke Duncan passed away yesterday, and it brought back the overwhelming sadness that John Coffey's death brought to The Green Mile. I kept hoping it was a hoax, or that there'd be a last minute re-write to bring him back to life. Sadly, a great actor has gone, but for me Duncan will live on forever as one of my favorite characters. You see, I just can't separate the actor from the role, and John Coffey will live on forever in pages and on the screen. Rest in peace, Michael Clarke Duncan, I wish you safe passage.
“We each owe a death, there are no exceptions, I know that, but sometimes, oh God, the Green Mile is so long.”
― Stephen King, The Green Mile, Part 6: Coffey on the Mile
