After all the serious topics of the past, I thought I’d just go with something frivolous for a change.

I often encourage students of BaZi to use the lives of the rich and famous to study and learn BaZi – the lives of pop stars, actors, actresses and politicians being more public than the average person, it is an ideal opportunity to observe the co-relation between BaZi and events in a person’s life.

I’ve found it interesting to compare the roles that actors/actresses undertake, to their BaZi. Now, actors (I use the gender neutral version here) are often fearful of being type-cast or pigeon-holed into the same type of part. Versatility is an important skill for an actor, both from a career advancement standpoint, and of course, a creative fulfillment standpoint. And in theory, being actors, they are supposed to have a chameleonic quality and be able to play any part equally well.

However, I have found some examples of where an actor succeeds particularly well in a part or becomes notable/famous as a result of a part, and it so happens that the role links into their BaZi. This of course prompted me to consider if Hollywood casting directors are guided in their choices by the invisible hand of BaZi. That or most actresses cannot really escape their true selves (as revealed their BaZi) and so when they are ‘acting’ a part, they are really just being themselves. And I am not for a minute suggesting there is no genuine acting involved – but it is certainly easier to act a role that you are somewhat familiar with (or cosmically destined to play) than it is to play one that you’re inherently unfamiliar with right?

So here are a few examples of my theory of Casting by the BaZi.

Glenn Close – Devilish Casting?

Glenn Close in Damages

Amongst Glenn Close’s most famous parts include epitomising the femme fatale in Fatal Attraction, bringing to life Cruella DeVil, and playing the consummate scheming dirty lawyer in Damages. Indeed, many of her famous parts epitomise the Chinese character trait known as ‘Kan’ in Cantonese. ‘Kan’ does not have an English equivalent – it is not used to denote evil (since it is not exclusively associated with being a bad person) but is more a combination of scheming and cunning. It can be used negatively but can also be used in a context of admiration of Machiavellian scheming abilities.

Now, in BaZi, this attribute can be said to be represented by the Rooster and the Rabbit Branches. This is of course one of the Six Clashes but broadly speaking, the presence of both these Branches in a chart tends to be seen as the signal that a person is capable of being a plotter, a schemer, cunning and deceptive. This is because Rooster (Xin) and Rabbit (Mao) each contain the two stems which are seen as being most representative of cunning, plotting, scheming, calculating and survivalist attributes and qualities. In addition, both these Branches are also Peach Blossom Stars, which indicate the ability to make use of sex appeal or sexualise their deceit or deception or schemes. This is not to say a person with the Rabbit and Rooster Branches is evil, or bad, or someone to disassociate with. Rather, it suggests that the person has a edgy side to them, a certain cunning, that cannot be and should not be under-estimated.

This is Glenn Close’s BaZi chart (time not correct)

Glenn Close BaZi (Time not accurate)

I have circled the Rooster-Rabbit in her chart. Now, to my mind, this Rooster-Rabbit explains Close’s ability to play the part of the bunny-boiling mistress in Fatal Attraction so well. In a sense, it could be said she’s not really acting, but drawing on an innate understanding of the character. In her own chart, there is a Rooster-Rabbit clash, signifying at least one experience of betrayal in her life, and one that relates to love or romance, since the two stars are Peach Blossom Stars. As the Rabbit and Rooster are stars that signify cunning and the ability to be deceitful, hence her ability to play a femme fatale who carefully plots her vengeance on her lover. As the two stars contain Xin and Yi, the two stars that are most conscious of ‘face’, hence also her ability to convincingly portray a woman who upon being scorned, is intent on wrecking vengeance in the most nasty way possible. Mao also represents the Direct Resource star in her chart, which is also the star of comfort, and face value and how a person is perceived by others. Xin and Mao, as a visual image, suggests slowly cutting, slicing and dicing away at something. Hence, in Fatal Attraction, her character torments Michael Douglas in her vengeance.

In Damages, Close plays a Patty Hewes, a lawyer who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals in a lawsuit. Again, that ruthlessness and willingness to do anything it takes could be drawing upon the Rooster-Rabbit in her chart. The character of Patty Hewes in Damages plots and schemes – Xin and Mao in action. She is patient, proceeding a step at a time and inflicting small blows with each plot – again, Xin and Mao in action. Finally, the character of Patty Hewes is very true to Close’s own Day Master, which is Ding. Ding Fire people are best at illuminating, leading a chart, rising to a great challenge. Fire can be big or it can be small and in the show, Patty is able to retreat and go on the offensive, at the blink of an eye. Patty tries to act like a mentor to the character of Rose Byrne (a very Ding thing to do), but at the same time, we know Patty is capable of great rage, and great calm. Again, the very attributes of Ding Fire, which can be a raging rampaging Fire, or a calm illuminating and warming flame that lights the darkness. Fire can transform and change, it can warm or it can burn. And these are in a sense, the attributes that Patty Hewes epitomises, and characteristics which Glenn Close portrays immensely convincingly. Perhaps because they are simply attributes which she already has inherent in her?