What is it about Gilbert Blythe that has prompted so many dreamy sighs over the last century and nine years?
Yes, we’ve loved him for no less than 109 years!
He may seem like a mild-mannered boy-next-door, without a lot of flash and drama, but it’s his stoic devotion that makes him complex and intriguing, intriguing enough to captivate us for eleven decades!
In our minds’ eye, Gilbert is crazy cute and crush-worthy. Impish. Adorable, but not overly so. For many, he is our ideal, the guy next to whom we compare all other guys.
Sure, he’s flirty (“Hey Carrots, Carrots!”). But there’s so much more.
Gilbert notices Anne for who she is: blazingly bright (never a popular trait for girls in Edwardian times), fearsomely clever and decidedly other.
Great balls of fire, readers! He loved her for her SOUL.
Somehow, he was drawn to Anne’s idiosyncratic qualities. Her quirks. Her perfect imperfections, if you will. And I will. He likes that she’s not like the other girls (sigh). He sees her vegetable-hued braids, her absurd vocabulary, her dreaminess and featherbrained ways, and he adores her for them.
Who among us doesn’t want to be noticed and adored for exactly who we are—pungent hair color, quirks, flaws and all?
Anne never had to hide her brokenness in front of Gilbert. And we long for someone with whom we don’t have to hide ours.
I believe in writing him Lucy Maud Montgomery created her ideal, and ours too. She gave Gilbert all those stellar qualities she never found in a man, not in her passionate relationship with farmer Herman Leard or her complicated and sometimes tortured marriage to Ewan MacDonald.
No doubt about it, our man Gil is hard to live up to. And when he is poorly cast, the whole production kind of crumples. Who among us hasn’t seen a woefully wrong Gilbert in a play and wanted to leave? I’ve seen productions of Anne of Green Gables where Anne is extremely well cast, but when the Gil actor cannot keep up with her that’s the beginning of the end for me. I wash my hands of the whole affair!
(I was thrilled, therefore, to see a fabulous actor embody Gil in the musical “Anne and Gilbert” in Charlottetown three summers ago! By the way, I think that newer musical is positively SCRUMMY, much better than the AOGG musical!)
So we’ve obviously come to Part 3 in my “Who Played it Best?” blog series. Two weeks ago I compared three cinematic Annes, giving Megan Follows my pick for best portrayal, while also recognizing the dazzling and authentic work of Amybeth McNulty. Last week, somewhat controversially, I picked my best Marilla: “Anne with an E’s” Geraldine James by a hair over the beloved Colleen Dewhurst.
This week we will compare three Gilberts, 1985’s Jonathan Crombie, 2016’s Drew Haytaoglu from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables (who also stars in parts 2 and 3, as yet unaired in the USA), and Lucas Jade Zumann’s Gil in 2017’s “Anne with an E.”
Who played Gil best?
Full disclosure: I have no intention of picking anyone but Jonathan Crombie, but I do think this is a good discussion.
Pros: You know how I said LMM gave Gil all these amazing qualities she was looking for but had never found? Jonathan lived into them and up to them–indelibly.
In watching his portrayal, we realized that we shared Gil’s unpretentious dream of a home with a hearth-fire, a cat, a dog, and the footsteps of friends. We realized, like Anne, that our happiness was not to be found in diamonds and sunburst marble halls, but in true, abiding love. That became our dream, too. We wanted to find our own Gilbert Blythe. When he died of a brain hemorrhage two years ago, my website crashed because so many folks came by to mourn with me. He meant so much to so many people, and continues to give us flutters and elicit sighs everytime he looks at Anne with “inexpressible drollery.”
I have a friend who worked with JC in a day camp one summer when they were teens. She said he was just as sweet and funny and gallant as Gilbert. And you could tell. His very character shone through in his portrayal.
Cons: None, except that he might have been a bit old (18) to play Gilbert Blythe, which worked for college-aged Gil but not as well for young Gil, getting bonked with a slate. Gil was supposed to be about 13, 14 I think, in the book.
Drew Haytaoglu, L.M. Montgomery’s ‘Anne of Green Gables’
Pros: Drew is cute and does a fine job with the limited script he’s been given.
Cons: This poor kid never stood a chance. Although I do like him better in the clips I watched of Part 2: The Good Stars, he just seems too young to be Gilbert, even though he is the right age. He looks younger than Anne (Ella Ballentine), and just doesn’t seem to possess the knightly quality a good Gilbert should have. Or maybe he does, but he doesn’t get the chance to show it off, with this skimpy, skippy script.
Lucas Jade Zumann, “Anne with an E”
Pros: I held my breath when I knew we’d be meeting Gilbert Blythe in Episode 2 or 3, but was almost instantly placated, and even captivated, by Lucas Zumann.
I wrote here:
“…kindred spirits, we can all collapse in relief (because a poorly cast Gil is an abomination). This young actor embodies Gilbert in a worthy fashion. He’s thoughtful but never brooding, quiet but not shy, perceptive, and charmingly gallant, a budding nobleman of Avonlea village.”
Lucas is truly a fantastic Gilbert for a new generation, with strong character, an easy, gentlemanly way about him, and a rueful smile that would melt a heart of stone (which he’ll need after calling Anne “Carrots”). He knows what he wants, and what he wants is a smart girl with whom he can discuss everything. Instead of having his male ego bruised by Anne’s triumphs in school, he seems to be thrilled with the competition, an “iron sharpening iron” relationship that makes him smarter, stronger, and better. I can’t wait to see where they go with Anne and Gil as they get older in the new series.
Cons: Not his fault, but I didn’t care for the way they made Gilbert an orphan. It seemed to take his character on an unnecessary detour.
The Best Gilbert goes to..
Jonathan Crombie. Honestly, if it were not for Jonathan Crombie’s portrayal, I would be 100% for Lucas. I AM 100% for Lucas, except that he’s not Jonathan, and therefore this contest is unwinnable!
What do you think? Who played Gil best and WHY? (It got a little tedious for 100 people to say “Colleen Dewhurst” was their best Marilla, but not say why…)
If you love to discuss ‘who played it best?’ Don’t miss my analysis of “Little Women” and who played Teddy and Professor Bhaer best!
Jonathan Crombie for the win! Because I grew up with him and he was my ideal and kept me from falling for guys who didn’t share his qualities of kindness and integrity and character. He helped me never to settle for anything less than a “Gilbert ” of my own , who I found in my husband.
When he died a couple of years ago, I really grieved. But he will live on forever in Avonlea and in our hearts.
I’d forgotten all about PBS Gilbert. He was a nice enough kid but nothing sparked.
Lucas Jade Zumann is something else! He’s a very very close second to Crombie. He has that dreamy, boyish, sweet strength that Gilbert should have.
I’m mad that they made him an orphan and he’s off to see the world- because I want him to stick around Anne and Avonlea. I hope he comes back soon- for the second season!
You always say something perfect. Aimee!:
“(Jonathan Crombie’s Gilbert) kept me from falling for guys who didn’t share his qualities of kindness and integrity and character. “
I will be abstaining from a choice here, more or less. I do not think it is fair to compare the Gilberts, in fact, I think it is an impossible task. We just haven’t seen enough of Gilbert in the new Anne with an ‘e’ and Jonathan Crombie, in comparison, had several miniseries worth to attach himself to our hearts.
There are still some good points to be made about the Gils.
The Age
Let’s start with Jonathan. He fit the part well with his gallant personality, I thought and think, but not so much with his age. In fact, he didn’t fit at all as the age of 18 is as far from 13 as the earth is from the sun. I find it ridiculous how so many of the youngsters shows, portraying teens in high school, use actors that are all in their college years. I remember watching the show Gilmore Girls many years ago. The main character Rory was 18 and posing as 16 but her friend Lane (played by Keiko Agena) was 26 and passing as 16 too! It’s strange how we just accept this as we’re so used seeing it being done.
Lucas at 15 is a much better fit. His portrayal also seemed to do justice to the character. He was able to present himself as the slayer of dragons quite well.
The Script
Jonathan’s Gilbert is Lucy’s Gilbert. His character follows the books tightly which I approve of. He is ever so present in Anne’s adventures and is as important to the story as Anne and the Cuthberts.
Lucas has a different character to play. Anne with an ‘e’ changed him quite a bit. As Lorilee mentioned, this Gilbert is made an orphan and he leaves Avonlea to work and travel. Maybe it just feels very different because when these things happen the season is over. Maybe if we had a season two already we might think differently but right now, his story feels short, a bit secondary and without a clear destiny.
PS: Whichever Gilbert you choose, breaking slates is delightful in all versions.
PS2: Oh dear, I seem to have forgotten about Drew Haytaoglu. I will confess, it was done on purpose.
Yes, it’s hardly fair to the new Gilberts when we’ve had Jonathan Crombie’s performance in our minds for 32 years! But I still thought it was worth the discussion.
Jonathan Crombie was born to play Gilbert. His chemistry with Megan Fellows was amazing and I especially loved the scenes when he goes to war and then, finds Anne again. Those, to me, are the scenes in which both actors shined.
I agree that Jonathan looked like a man, when he played “young” Gil, but who cares, I mean its Conathan Crombie.
BTW, the race wasn’t even close, for me, when it comes to who played Anne best.
After the Sullivan production featuring Jonathan and Megan, the franchise ended for me. There will never be another Anne and Gil – they are still living happily in their home somewhere on PEI>
So cute. “There will never be another Anne and Gil – they are still living happily in their home somewhere on PEI”. This is something Anne would say…:)
I just love Jonathan because he makes Gilbert come alive. Also because of the way he says “Sorry”-my mom always mimics him 🙂
Ha! So funny on the super Canadian “sorry” pronunciation! I used to say it that way too! “Sore-y.” 🙂
Jonathan’s “sorry”, yes! The way he said it, I too began saying it like that haha, for being an Australian and having a lot of Candian dramas on our TV screens, I had never really realised how the way they spoke until I had rewatched the AOGG 1985 series and heard Jonathan’s pronunciation of “sorry” haha. As everyone said there was no competition with Jonathan’s portrayal of Gilbert, but now watching Anne with An E Lucas’ portrayal is a close second for me, his personality and teasing nature and cheekiness is truly Gilbert in the books – he nailed it.
Johnathon, of course, but I haven’t seen enough of the other two. I, like Anne take a long time to fall in love. Lol
“I, like Anne, take a long time to fall in love…” LOVE! 🙂
Crombie of course. Huge crush on him. BUT Lucas is adorable. I’m struggling mainly with the deviations from the book in the series, but Lucas is charming and I have enjoyed his performance very much. Same I feel with Anne, Megan is the best, but I adore (forgot her name from Anne with an E!) love her as Anne. The PBS series I didn’t really like. So this summer, my goal is to read the entire series (hope to at least get the first 3 books read)
Ellen! You peach, you. Yes to all of this and reading the books!!! Have you read Emily?
I love your idea of a “who played it best” discussion! I need to catch up on the others, but of course I HAD to weigh in on Gilbert. A “good” or “bad” Gilbert is the make-or-break point for me in ANY AOGG production. I can tolerate a poorly cast Anne more than I can tolerate a poorly cast Gilbert (don’t ask me why that is, I have no idea). Gilbert has been my life-long crush. I have loved him so long that I can’t remember NOT loving him. As an academic (I run a retention program for under-privileged students at a community college) I love the fact that he appreciates Anne’s intelligence. He sees Anne for who she is, and loves her for who she is, even when she can’t see it for herself. I could go on and on forever about why I love Gilbert Blythe in general, but the point of this post is to compare actors, so, moving on….
I must confess upfront that I have not seen the Ella Ballentine version of AOGG, so I cannot accurately weigh in on Drew Haytaoglu’s portrayal of Gilbert. However, I always do a little bit of research on the actors playing Anne and Gilbert in any new adaption before I watch it and the actor playing Gilbert must pass my (self-admittedly) somewhat vague and arbitrary “Gilbert test.” I have to be able to envision them as Gilbert, or I won’t watch it. I couldn’t get past this point with Drew and therefore haven’t watched this adaption. Gilbert is my litmus test. Perhaps I will watch it someday, but I haven’t reached that point yet.
Jonthan Crombie. I struggle a little bit with words when it comes to Jonathan Crombie–he simply IS Gilbert. He fully embodies the character in a way that I have rarely seen in acting in general. When I read the books I hear Gilbert’s lines being spoken in Jonathan’s voice. I visualize his specific body language and facial expressions. Jonathan Crombie and Gilbert have become one and the same in my mind. That makes it difficult for me to accept anyone else in the role, but I took a chance with Lucas Jade Zumann in “Anne With an E” and boy, am I ever so glad that I did! However, I do agree with you on the age thing–Jonathan Crombie was the ideal college-age-and-forward Gilbert, but he felt a little old for a young Gilbert. He’s supposed to be what… about 15 when he and Anne meet? I have an AOGG book at home with a timeline, I would have to consult that to be sure…. but Jonathan Crombie does feel older than 15.
As with all new actors playing Gilbert, I vetted Lucas Jade Zumann prior to watching Anne With an E. This gorgeous and talented child passed my litmus test–I could envision him as Gilbert. I had a few struggles with “Anne With an E,” but LJZ was not one of them. I thought he was absolutely fantastic in the role. He was genuine and authentic to the character of Gilbert and played the role brilliantly. He was my saving grace at points throughout the series when I struggled with the off-bookisness of it. This was a huge step for me because I have always been so fully devoted to Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert that I couldn’t really imagine myself accepting and loving anyone else in the role as much as I did LJZ. He broadened my horizons a bit, and I am truly grateful for that. I have learned that loving LJZ in the role is not a betrayal of JC and does not lessen my love for JC–there’s room to love both of them.
Obviously, if I have to pick a “who played it best” I’m going with Jonathan Crombie here. But JC and LJZ have almost become equal parts Gilbert in my imagination–just at different ages. I see LJZ as an ideal young Gilbert, and JC as an ideal college-age-and-beyond Gilbert. I would love to see what LJZ could do with the character of Gilbert five years from now–that might REALLY broaden my horizons!
Bethany!!!! YES: “I can tolerate a poorly cast Anne more than I can tolerate a poorly cast Gilbert (don’t ask me why that is, I have no idea).” I also have no idea why that is for me! 🙂
I would for sure list Jonathan as the best Gil. It’s difficult to make comparisons. Had there been multiple adaptations throughout the 80’s and 90’s there would be more of a chance for another Gil to outshine Jonathans but there has been something established with his portrayal. That being said Lucas is definitely a second. I am like everyone else that it’s a shame he’s kind of dealing with the handicap of how much his story line deviates. As far as the other Gil that poor kid doesn’t stand a chance. Is it me or did he seem physically younger than the Anne in that series? He’s supposed to be older. I wonder if the reason for the delay is to allow the kids to age along with the production so hopefully his next portrayal will be better suited. I’m still open. One thing I feel we’ve lost with Jonathan’s sad passing is the chance for the three Gil’s to meet. Could you imagine the original passing the torch so to speak? I can so see Jonathan mentoring the boys to do their best to make their version of Gil their own. That would have been a wonderful documentary or the very least interview.
Yes, I know he would have been so gracious in “passing the torch”!
Oh my, where do I begin with Jonathan Crumbie?! Oh I was in LOVE with Gilbert or maybe it was Jonathan himself…what a handsome guy. And his accent!!!!!!! And knowing that he is no longer here just breaks my heart. What a talented actor he was! I like this new Gilbert but I’m sorry, he will NEVER, EVER be like the first Gilbert. I know that’s a very vague answer but I can’t really explain it. Sorry. And I’ll post on your blog too because I want to be entered to win the art work. Thank you Lorilee, I look forward to your next comparison…Matthew, maybe?
Jean, you are a peach! 🙂 It also breaks my heart that Jonathan is gone too soon! He embodied Gilbert so beautifully.
Jonathan Crombie was the perfect Gil. He had natural warmth, and conveyed so much when he looked at Megan. They had wonderful chemistry.
Jonathan Crombie was who I grew up watching, but this new Gilbert has potential.
El mejor es jonathan Crombie, es el Gilbert más guapo, actuaba con naturalidad y tenia una gran conexión con Anne shirleir, tanto que su madre se llama Anne shirle, es casualidad no… yo creo que todo estaba preparado para que tuviese el papel de Gilbert, y no solo eso Megan Follow es más bella que las otras actrices. Defintivamente Crombie y Follow los mejores actores.
To answer your unanswered question to me Colleen Dewhurst was the best Marilla because she had that magical Marilla combination; high morality, stubborness and great sense of humor. Yes, in Anne with an E, Marilla and Anne have closer relationship but I still prefer 80´s version where they work hard to build that relationship (like in the books) and the result is more satisfying (Marilla considering Anne as her own flesh and blood). I also loved that Colleen was a huge fan of Montgomery´s work and even moved into Prince Edward´s island. Now that is dedication!
Lucas Jade Zumman played Gil best. He is the only one who player Gilbert well. And he is the only one who is as handsome as they described in the book.:)
Lucas Jade zumman is by far the best in my mind because he has the perfect amount of charm and the way he looks at Anne is perfect. Plus they give him so much more of a story in Anne with An e.
I have not to date ever read the AOGG books but I probably will now. I do know the plots of all of them and I have seen the AOGG earlier films/ series. Having now seen all three seasons of “anne with an E” – I found it wonderful. I think Moira Walley-Beckett cast choice was excellent. Her capacity to bring the audience into the series and really feel what the characters feel is wonderful. Amybeth McNulty makes a great Anne but the real star for me is Lucas Jade Zumann and I goes as far to say clearly the best Gilbert – I’m 65 but talk about this series taking me down memory lane to when I was that age really resonates (I have my own Gilbert that I have been with since 16)… How can anyone not love Gilbert’s qualities and values – he exudes the perfect man qualities and as well as his smooth melting speaking voice, smouldering eyes and he just oozes sensuality in every scene he is in. It’s amazing how the directors got such a high level of maturity out of these teenage millenials! – very impressive. I found the last 10 mins of episode 10 season 3 (with Anne and Gilbert) ended too abruptly. It would be cruel of Netflix and CBC not to have a season 4.
I’m 17 years old and honestly if I was older I would think once of the other two people but I think Lucas he plays Gilbert amazingly while fitting in with Gilbert’s personality.Plus he is so hot!the end with that kiss was amazing it was like it was real!