Smooth Criminal
Casting shadow trader Tariq Al Karim for Outrageous Fortune was one of those rare cases where the actor informed the character. I mean, I knew I was writing someone with intelligence, charm and a hefty dose of menace, and who I could believe was in charge of a crew of shadow traders (those who live outside the civil laws of Fortune).
I wanted all that, but I didn't actually get very far into writing Tariq until after I was reminded of Alexander Siddig.
Once I had the actor in my head, I could really push forward with the writing, and in fact I dropped back and redrafted his opening scene to better fit the fully fleshed image.
Charm? Check.
Intelligence? Check.
Menace? Check.
And if you don't believe me, take a look, here:
Kind'a makes the shadow trade look good.
Just saying.
Image courtesy of treckcore.com