Fictional Characters #2- The Sidekicks

Sometimes the sidekicks are as good as, if not better than, the hero or heroine they hang out with.

Hermione Granger (played by Emma Watson in the Harry Potter films)

Yes, I love book Hermione too, of course, but when I see Hermione in my mind I see the movie version.  Book smart, a little bossy, and courageous to the end.  Though it’s a little bizarre to look up to someone who is younger than you and fictional, Hermione has a spot on my heroes list.

Chewbacca (played by Peter Mayhew in the Star Wars films)

Ahh, Chewie.  How is it that a character who can’t actually talk can be so funny and endearing?  He may be a “walking carpet” but there’s no one I’d rather have co-piloting an interplanetary spaceship.

Samwise Gamgee (played by Sean Astin in The Lord of the Rings trilogy)

It’s no surprise that the chubby and diligent Sam is my favorite of the hobbits.  One of my very favorite moments from this trilogy is Sam’s speech from the end of The Two Towers, “It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger … But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come…. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something…That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.”

Alice Cullen (from the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer)

A best friend with total loyalty, unlimited funding, killer fashion sense (pardon the pun), and the ability to see the future, what more could a girl ask for?  If I could be a fictional character for a day, Alice Cullen would be in the running.  I mean, forget being rich and seeing the future, the girl is graceful.  I’d like to try that for one day.

Hugo “Hurley” Reyes (played by Jorge Garcia on Lost)

“Dude. Dude? Dude!”  Other than the ability to convey an entire thought with the inflection on a single word, I love Hurley because he snuck up on me.  Yes, of course, I instantly sympathized with the overweight character, but still, Hurley appeared to be simply the plucky comic relief to more serious characters like Jack and Sawyer.  Instead he ended up ruling the universe, in a manner of speaking, and he deserved it.