From Air Bud to Alec Lightwood- A closer look at Kevin Zegers

You may not have realized it, but many of us grew up watching Kevin Zegers. I kept looking at pictures of him when we first published the rumor from Just Jared that Kevin landed the role of Alec Lightwood in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones thinking "I know this guy from somewhere...". Since I'm a massive fan of the show Gossip Girl, I could only remember Kevin in his role as Damien Dalgaard, the not-so-nice-guy who was supplying little Jenny Humphrey with drugs.

After yesterday's big announcement by TMI author Cassandra Clare, I kept trying to decide what I thought about him as Alec. On one hand, the guy has the look for Alec in some respects. He can pull off that grungy look and moody personality that Alec has in the first book, but I kept being plagued by the fact that he's a little bit older than Jamie Campbell Bower and Lily Collins. Cassie kept assuring fans yesterday that he reads younger on screen. That part is very true. As seeing him on Gossip Girl, I know he can pull off at least late teens/early 20's. I was just couldn't separated that role from the actor himself.

So, I went searching on some sites to see just how far Kevin's career spans. Luckily, thanks to the massive amount of fodder on the interwebs, it finally dawned on me that Kevin starred along side a sports-loving dog in the Air Bud movies! If you remember back, Kevin was Josh Framm in the films Air Bud, Air Bud: Golden Receiver, Air Bud: World Pup, and Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch. He was ADORABLE in these movies.He was so cute and just sparkled on screen. What wasn't to like?

Now, I know there has been some mixed reaction to Kevin being cast. I too was a little bit unsure at first. All of us here at The Mortal Institute have talked and talked about what we like or don't like about him. I think what it is going to boil down to is that we should all take the weekend and review some of his work. Kevin had a major role in the Academy-Award nominated independent film Transamerica (2005) where he starred along side Felicity Huffman as the street hustling bisexual son of a male-to-female transsexual. He was praised by the critics for the role and in 2006 won the Cannes Film Festival Choppard Award, which is given to promising young actors. He was also in the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead and played the role of Trey in The Jane Austen Book Club in 2007. He's been in other films that may not be as familiar like It's a Boy Girl Thing, Frozen and the 2012 TV miniseries Titanic: Blood and Steel.

Did this just become an article to support Kevin Zegers as Alec? I think in the process of writing this, yes, it just may have. The thing I love most about the Shadowhunter fandom is how we have embraced each new actor that has been cast. What is most important is that the movie be driven by a brilliant cast and a fresh, unique script. Thanks to a stellar casting team, it seems like they have taken the time and found actors that are both new to the scene and seasoned professionals. They all bring such different acting abilities and career experience. And if nothing else, Cassie really wants us to trust the choices that have been made in the casting process. We should all take a deep breath and relax. I know we are all jittery and anxious for the movie and want it to be just right. I think it will be. I think we will all sit down in the theater a year from now at the premiere and wonder why we were all so worried in the first place.

So, I would say Keep Calm and Enjoy the TMI Casting Ride! We still have a few more actors that will be cast, and I'm sure it they will make us just as happy as the other cast members have! :)

Here's your homework: watch Kevin's films and judge not based on the few pictures we have seen of him, but on his actual acting ability. Once you have, please share your thoughts with us. We'd love to hear from you via the comments box below or you can go onto Twitter and chat with me there!