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I’ll give you one guess which category I fall under. (Though I’ve always preferred the term hopeful romantic.)
Okay. If we’re being real, my adolescence can best be described as “boy-crazy” :) But as I look back on my earliest movie star crushes, lovingly nurtured by the very woman I inherited the gene from, maybe this silliness wasn’t so pointless after all.
Whether you’re a reader, writer, or movie aficionado, have you ever thought about what influences your affinity for a hero? I asked myself that very question, and suddenly my world came full circle. Maybe I was just refining my tastes to pick an amazing husband. To help me write a variety of multilayered heroes.
So here's why young Laurie’s favorite heroes were swoonworthy and how they groomed me to write romance:
Tony Micelli / Who’s the Boss
A good hero isn’t afraid to stand up to the heroine when she’s about to make a bad decision or being otherwise unreasonable. Hey, it can happen! Tony and Angela had an unconventional relationship in Who’s the Boss since Angela was technically his employer. But when it came down to it, he wasn’t afraid to give her tough love when she needed it the most. Along the same vein, their chemistry was built on the banter between them. An unusual relationship dynamic can lend itself to some great dialogue. So in my book (pun totally intended), a hero ultimately needs to be
able to give it right back to the heroine.
Prince Philip / Sleeping Beauty
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Sully / Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
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Han Solo / Star Wars trilogy
One of my favorite hero tropes is the hero who is ruined by the heroine. In a good way, of course. Perhaps he's wounded and swore off women forever. Maybe, like Han Solo, he is engaged
in roguish ways. Whatever the case, when the hero meets the heroine, it's all over. And she inspires him to be a better man. I mean, look what Han Solo turned into when he met Princess Leia. From regular scoundrel to integral role in saving an entire galaxy. If that doesn't entice a reader to root for a couple, nothing will. And that reader possibly doesn't have a soul.
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Thomas Magnum / Magnum P.I.
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Thanks to my AlleyCat favs for inviting me to post! This has truly been a writing bucket list moment! Now I want to know:
Romance fans, who were the heroes that started it all for you? What is your number one condition that makes a hero swoonworthy?**************************************************************************
The spaghetti sharing scene in Lady and The Tramp.
ReplyDeleteOkay, kidding. But I do like dogs.
Anyhoo…shoot. I'm way older than you, so let's see…I'd have to say the epitome of a movie hero for me was Robert Redford. Out of Africa, Up Close and Personal…pretty much everything he's every starred in…yeah. In my high school days of course I thought Tom Cruise was the bomb. Meh. Must have been partying too much. :) I cut my teeth on romance novels and Jane Austen, and Gone With the Wind. Plays like My Fair Lady, The Kind and I, The Sound of Music all taught me a thing or two about refined romance. I'm glad for those memories because once the 80's came along, things started going down hill pretty quick. With the exception of a handul of movies, I have to say they just don't make 'em like they used to.
Interesting what shapes us, isn't it?
Agreed on Robert Redford. Early-career Liam Neeson and DeNiro were also pretty handsome!
DeleteLove this post, Laurie!!
ReplyDeleteLet's see, swoon worthy heroes.....you've already named a few of them. Loved Magnum PI. ;) That red convertible only helped him in my opinion. ;)
Looking more recent, I really like Declan's character in Leap Year. He protects Anna in a quiet way, even as he baits her. :) (Do you remember the stolen luggage scene?).
Another one is Mr. Knightley in Emma, for a reason you described in your post: He speaks the hard truths because he loves Emma. It helps that Jeremy North was handsome, even in those hair do's. :)
I love me some Declan!!!
DeleteYes to Declan! I love the character of Mr. Knightley, too. The one with Romola Garai had a dreamy Knightley, too!
DeleteOH, I LOVE this post!!!! So so good!
ReplyDeleteHmm, lets see... you certainly touched on the good ones. Love the transformation of Han Solo! And I adore the Love-Hate relationship dynamic! But there's also something about the strong, silent, steady type like Sully. And PS.. he was so stinkin' hot!
I was a big fan of the whole Angel/Buffy romance. I mean, talk about forbidden love between a vampire with a soul and a vamp slayer. That's some brilliant conflict right there. The whole dark, broody, sensitive protector thing worked for me in a big way. And of course I had pics of David Boreanez on the back of my door. Would have pasted them to the back of my eyelids if I could have. He was definitely my biggest celebrity crush. And I didn't have many.
Flynn Rider really worked for me too. Can you tell I like the bad boy/rogue types with a heart of gold? Sigh. Yep, definitely a hopeless (and hopeful) romantic here. :)
I need to check out Buffy, apparently. I missed out during my high school and college years always in sports and plays hehe!
DeleteAnd yes, I know exactly how you feel about those bad boys :)
DeleteTom Cruise, huh Cathy?? Man, I just don't get the appeal there. He so doesn't do it for me. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm with Amy, Loved me some Buffy and Angel. A hero willing to sacrifice his happiness for the one he loves always makes me swoon.
ReplyDeleteI also loved Pierce Brosnan in Remington Steele and Bruce Willis in Moonlighting. And Uncle Jesse from Full House, ;)!
Loved this post, Laurie!
Pierce Brosnan is definitely dreamy. Even in his roles today. Have you seen I Don't Know How She Does It? One of my newer favorites!
DeleteUncle Jesse was probably sixth on this list. The song "Forever" still does things to my heart :)
Haha! My mom loved Tom Selleck, too. But I have to be honest. My young crushes tended more along the lines of Kirk Cameron and Michael J Fox. Neither of which were exactly mature romantic heroes.
ReplyDeleteFlynn Ryder worked for me, too, Amy. I think he was a good mix.
Great post for Laurie!!!
Don't you mean Mike Seaver and Alex Keaton!? :) Loved those shows! I've seen every episode.
DeleteLaurie, it's so nice to have you on the Alley today! I loved this post! I used to love Who's the Boss! I always had a lot of celebrity crushes too, I liked strong but sensitive types and the "best friend" heroes like we see in movies like While You Were Sleeping. I know that's done a lot, but I never get tired of it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting me! While You Were Sleeping is in my top 10 :) Jack!!
DeleteGreat post, Laurie. It's been so much fun having you on the Alley today.
ReplyDeleteI fit in the category of liking the rascal types who, although tempered in romance, remain the rugged guy. I cut my teeth on Romancing the Stone. Jesse, the man whose face we never see but are immediately drawn to in Joan Wilder's novels. sigh. The dashing knight on his stead is a rockin' winner in my book. Then again, today, I might let him sit in a Red convertible Ferrari--sigh
Ruggedly handsome always makes me swoon, Mary! Thanks for hosting me :)
DeleteI'm trying to remember the heroes of my adolescence ... & which of them impacted my idea of romantic notions. And the first two that come to mind are so random I'm not sure anyone else will have heard of them. One of them was a movie called The Fifth Musketeer starring Beau Bridges. His character doesn't look like a hero or, for most of the movie, even really act like one but, in the end, he wins the day & defeats the evil king, who is also his twin brother. At least that's how I remember this movie I haven't seen in a few decades.
ReplyDeleteThe second was a made-for-TV Christmas movie called The Gift of Love (based on O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi), with Timothy Bottoms & Marie Osmond. (I watched it recently & could see why she pursued a singing career over an acting one. :-) ) What I remember of that movie was that he just loved her -- simply and honestly. And he would let her go if that would lead to her best life.
I guess I like the unexpected hero types.
Sharyn, I love the unconditional love between a hero and heroine. As long as they end up together in the end :)
DeleteLaurie do you know how HARD it is to answer that question???
ReplyDeleteIt's a modern one, but I think it was Colin in Julie Lessman's A Passion Most Pure. I mean, who couldn't help but fall in love with that bad boy? You have to love a naughty hero that is transformed by the heroine. ;)
GREAT post! Loved it.
Casey, exactly! When someone asks me my favorite, I'm inclined to ask which category :)
DeleteI admit to having a Kirk Cameron poster on the back of my door - as we as a John Stamos one! That little bit of naughty within the nice sure is fun.
ReplyDeleteAnd Sulley...heavens to Betsy! (very Aragorn-ish)
My mom says my Dad looks like Tom Selleck - especially when he smiles :-)
Now I see what groomed you to write your own swoonworthy heroes! Thanks again so much for hosting me <3
DeleteGreat post! My first swoonworthy heroes were MacGyver because he could get himself out of anything. And the guys on Miami Vice because they looked cool with their slick hair and fancy suits.
ReplyDeleteNumber one condition to make a hero swoonworthy? Selfless actions and good looks (of course!)
I think you summed it up perfectly. Yes and yes! Good answer, Preslaysa :)
DeleteAdding an accent and an attitude seems to work well for most people :-) LOL
ReplyDeleteOkay so this is a movie and not a book (although it SHOULD be a book), but my all-time favorite hero is Justin Matisse (aka Harry Connick, Jr.) in HOPE FLOATS. Love that slow Southern drawl, that he's so good with Bernice and her cousin, and that lopsided grin. Oh...and the house he's building... well, watch the movie and see!
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