Mimi seems like a difficult character to cast if you're just looking at physicality. Do you cast someone with curves (since she's an exotic dancer) or someone on the skinnier side (since she's also a junkie)?

Try to aim for a comfortable middle? That's really the only good solution I see. That said, no one said the Cat Scratch Club was a high-on-the-hog place where all the dancers had curves. If they're willing to hire an AIDS-infected stripper, presuming they knew of her diagnosis, they're clearly a place that doesn't care about massive liability and may be hiring 5's on the hotness scale rather than 10's.

I'd go for the small side. She's small enough that it makes her look like a kid ("You look like you're 16" ; "I'm 19, but I'm old for my age") plus the HIV/AIDS would make her on the unhealthy side, PLUS the drugs would make her lose weight as well. If not super skinny, then short and sickly looking, enough to look young and vulnerable. And absolutely must be something ethnic (or be able to made to look that way) (" feels too da*n much like home, when the Spanish babies cry"; "Mimi chica, donde estas?") imo.

That's a good point. The movie makes it look like a fairly upscale club, but that's only one take on it. Plus, we know that Roger has been there several times and after losing April, I would think that he would prefer "5's rather than 10's".