Moonlightaholics

Oh SirenSong... those are from the original pilot shoot, yes? Verrry attractive... kinda darker Mick...

And Sister! My son had the same pajamas as the little boy in this ep... it was an touching moment... seeing little limp bodies is just hard...

wpgrace wrote:DC... you and I are awake past our bedtime... practicing for Wednesday night???

You got me, Grace!
Check the pics from the TR set that girl, anastasia, posted. I posted the link in the Alex thread. That back shot is to die for

wpgrace wrote:Oh SirenSong... those are from the original pilot shoot, yes? Verrry attractive... kinda darker Mick...

Yep, those are from the original pilot presentation. I think they might have used some of that flashback moment in the actual series, but not the other 2. Baby Mick.....always makes me smile.

I have a few from the first pilot. Love baby Mick too

I think the hair is just sooooo cute at that length, but it definitely made him look younger for some reason.

Baby Mick....

SirenSong wrote:I think the hair is just sooooo cute at that length, but it definitely made him look younger for some reason.

Baby Mick....

LOL! I was just about to say that! Baby Mick was adorable but it amazes me that he looked that much younger! I see a real difference, there's the hair length but something more, and it was only a few months in between filmings, right?

mwj01 wrote:

SirenSong wrote:I think the hair is just sooooo cute at that length, but it definitely made him look younger for some reason.

Baby Mick....

LOL! I was just about to say that! Baby Mick was adorable but it amazes me that he looked that much younger! I see a real difference, there's the hair length but something more, and it was only a few months in between filmings, right?

The hair length was a factor, but there's also some intangible something else that made him look older. And you're right, it was just a few months in between, so what was it? For example, in this pic, you can barely see the hair, but he still looks younger. How? You can clearly pick it out as being baby Mick.

wondergirl9847 wrote:

...Alex acted his a*s off in that scene.

He certainly did!

Christy--so worth repeating these. God, love that one in the middle.

SirenSong wrote:

mwj01 wrote:

SirenSong wrote:I think the hair is just sooooo cute at that length, but it definitely made him look younger for some reason.

Baby Mick....

LOL! I was just about to say that! Baby Mick was adorable but it amazes me that he looked that much younger! I see a real difference, there's the hair length but something more, and it was only a few months in between filmings, right?

The hair length was a factor, but there's also some intangible something else that made him look older. And you're right, it was just a few months in between, so what was it? For example, in this pic, you can barely see the hair, but he still looks younger. How? You can clearly pick it out as being baby Mick.

This has always puzzled me... he looks older as Mick than as any other guy he has played... I haven't seen enough Andy shots to have an opinion... and the glasses make it hard to pin Vincent... but BabyMick DOES look younger and it is not just the hair... y'all are right... but I don't know why you're right...

YOUNG MICK -vs- OLDER MICK

Like you ladies, I also struggled with trying to figure out why Alex looked so young during the initial pilot (which was re-shot when TPTB recast the entire show) and the Mick St. John we ended up seeing on our tube. Here's my theory....

Alex shot the 20-minute pilot for Moonlight. Probaby took about a week to finish up. But for whatever reason, CBS/the WB/Silver didn't like it. No chemistry, apparently. So the let go all of the cast except Alex. They reshoot the pilot, this time with the new cast and since its close to upfronts, its a rush job. Long hours for all involved. Both Alex and Sophia have mentioned that that first pilot episode and the next 2 or 3 were very rushed, with them filming at all hours of the day and night, for days on end. My theory is that Alex looked young and fresh in the original pilot because he wasn't as exhausted as he was when putting together the episodes wherein we all came to know and love Mick.

It seems like the Moonlight episodes were all a product of the "hurry up and wait" variety. The writer's strike forced them to shut down for a long period of time, but when they came back, they were once again forced to film in a hurry, to get something together for airing. Again, the cast was pushed beyond what most would expect. But Alex more so than the others cuz he's in almost every scene. Add to that Alex's own "walk in the shoes of every character" and his dedication to his craft, he once again ended up looking really tired and drawn. Long hours and stress like that can make anyone look older and beyond their years. I don't think any of us have not at some time commented on how tired Alex looked in some of the pics that were taken of him during the year Moonlight was in production.

Then, when Moonlight was cancelled and Alex ran off to Mexico, then later a holiday in Australia, he came back home to the States looking young, carefree and full of life. In other words, he was actually looking his age (32) and not older as he had the previous year.

Thats my theory. I could be totally wrong and it could be how the scenes were shot by the cameramen and the director. I'm no pro about lighting and angling, so perhaps someone else can comment on that, but I really think Alex looked so much more mature because he was run ragged and tired because of the hectic shooting schedule.

What do you'all think? My theory have any merit or do you'all have your own theories?

Susie, I think your theory has merits, especially in the later episodes. I have another theory.
Baby Mick was clean shaven and wore clothing you would expect on a 20 year old. Our Mick has darker hair, sideburns and stubble. That alone could make him look older. And he wore much cooler clothing, more timeless and less flashy. Dark clothes always look more sophisticated, and he looked richer, wearing high quality jeans, watch, jackets.

Baby Mick was shot with more light, and a softer light. "Our" Mick was shot with film noir elements, dark, unusual angles, crisscross patterns of shadows, and a lot of hard edges.

I think his loft added to that, it's a grownup digs, with no clutter, almost zen like. We didn't see Baby Mick's digs at all if I recall correctly, but we saw the pompous lodgings of the older Josef in some promo shots and the black stretch limo he used to be driven in.

Again, it might also be the contrast of the Josef character. The original Josef was an older mentor of Mick and treated him like a child, giving him advice. The new Josef is much cooler, younger looking, drives his own Ferrari and doesn't give advice in that mentor voice, but like a buddy.

I guess it's a combination of all of that that makes Mick look older in the show as we saw it.

I agree, francis. Also, the Beth that was used in the few scenes we saw of the unaired pilot looked very young, child-like, not like Sophia's Beth at all. That could have also contributed to Mick's "look" in the unaired pilot. And you are so right about the lighting. The Mick we came to love had those noir elements all around him. Dark backgrounds, and with his clothing being so cool in colors (to blend in with the humans ), I totally agree with what you're saying. I too think its a combination of both.

Susan, francis - fascinating thoughts and I think you're both right. I also think it was a symptom of the devotion that everyone involved in Moonlight had that once the show went into production every single detail (set, costume, lighting, photography, etc. etc.) was crafted like a work of art. We were supposed to be able to see Mick as an old soul, as someone who had lived in spite of his apparent age - so that's precisely what we saw.

Red

Great scene from LLF

And another one