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40 Times Producers Chose The Wrong Actors For The Role, According To People In This Online Group
Sometimes the casting for the role is so good, it's hard to imagine someone else playing it. In other cases, the wrong actor choice just puts the audience out of the story, especially when actors playing a couple have no chemistry.
One person asked the AskReddit forum "What actor/actress was completely 100% wrong for the role?" And over 32K other users chimed in. Some actors gave these people unfitting to the character vibes, some were too far off the described look in the books, some were a different race than their character. Bored Panda has selected the best answers. Share in the comments if you agree.
More info: Reddit
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#1
Mr. Ed. The role required a horse that could talk. The horse they hired couldn't talk so they had to dub all his lines
There are plenty of websites offering advice for starting and experienced filmmakers. You know those never-ending titles at the end of the movie? Yes, that many people are actually needed for large productions, and each type of crew is an important gear in the big machine. One of them is the casting crew: casting directors, associates, and assistants. The casting director is a senior role, they follow the director's, producer's, or writer's guidelines and make deals, negotiate. They have a lot to consider: talent, suitable chemistry, actor availability, and pay. The associate helps them find actors and make deals.
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#2
Any movie that takes place in high school, but all the actors are in their 20s or 30s.
Ozacoter 3 years ago
I agree. It gives teenagers a lot of insecurities about their looks and since the actors are old they add a ton of kissing/sex that is also not realistic for teenagers. It seels them the harmful idea that everybody had sex by 15-16 and that there is something wrong if they didnt.
#3
Colin Farrell as Alexander The Great. As one of my old University professors once said, "I wouldn't follow that guy to the end of my DRIVEWAY".
Their assistant helps with various technical details, such as running the audition waiting room, camera work, reading the lines, etc. so the casting director can focus on the actors. If one is interested in becoming a casting director, it is advised they gain experience as a runner or assistant first, having graduated in Film and TV also helps. These beginner roles can be found on dedicated websites and social media groups dedicated to filmmakers in a particular area.
#4
Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. If you’ve read the book he is the exact physical opposite of the character as written.
#5
Kristen Stewart as Snow White in Snow White and the Hunstman. Terrible.
To run the casting process professionally, there are several things to consider. Some available types of auditioning: watching showreels, which is a filmed collection of clips from different productions the actor has been in, it's cheap and quick, an actor's self-filmed reading for a particular role, it gives a sense of how suitable the actor is for the role, and more expensive - in-person auditions with or without giving script excerpts for actors to prepare in advance. The latter requires a professional and comfortable setting which would create an impression of what the production will be like.
#7
Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffanys --- straight up plays an Asian man in the most racist performance you've ever seen
#8
Cats.
Often, when two actors have to interact, there is chemistry read. There, shortlisted actors play together, to see as the name suggests, if they have chemistry. This is lacking in many of the films in this list, particularly noticeable in romantic ones, people mentioned 50 Shades of Grey. However, the Pulp Fiction poster wouldn't hang in every other film student's dorm room if John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson's acting didn't complement one another so much in this drama.
#11
Two that come to mind but weren't cast were in Lord of the Rings. Sean Connery was offered the role of Gandalf but turned it down because he couldn't understand the script. Could you imagine how bad of a casting decision that would have been now that we've seen Sir Ian McKellen in the role? Or Nicolas Cage as Aragorn?
#12
Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. Reacher's supposed to be 6+ feet tall, 240+ pounds, basically a brick sh^#house of a man. And someone pulling the strings said yeah, that totally sounds like Tom Cruise to me!
JuniorCJ82 3 years ago
Probably the same moron who suggested Julia Roberts for Harriet Tubman.
Many of the casting controversies come from changing characters' sex or race from the book or previous film or one ethnicity character being played by different ethnicity actors. The general opinion is that the actor doesn't have to be like the character in their personal life. However, in some cases such as when there is a leading transgender role, many people ask that it go to a transgender actor as they do not get many opportunities and might bring more life-like representation of the character's complexity.
#13
Schwarzenegger in Twins. He looks nothing like Danny De Vito...
#14
Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker in Dracula (1992). He's charming and pretty, but he shouldn't have been in this cast against such titans as Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins. And the English accent was atrocious. In over his head. It's like Jennifer Lopez trying to sing a Céline Dion song.
Julia Atkinson 3 years ago
Keanu is a graduate of the D**k Van Dyke Dialect School. So is Winona Ryder - their scenes together were excrutiating
The Academy Awards introduced representation and inclusion standards for eligible films. While there was a lot of blowback, the standards are not that hard to meet. Though, some of them do require keeping some statistics about cast and crew composition. There are 4 standards, at least 2 of which the best picture nominees for 2024 must meet. Such as "at least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group", "The film’s distribution or financing company has paid apprenticeships or internships that are from the following underrepresented groups: women, racial or ethnic group, LGBTQ+, people with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing."
#16
Shia Leboeuf in Crystal Skull. That part should've been Short Round as an adult.
#17
Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson in the 50 Shades trilogy
Aside from the movies being absolutely sh&^$y, the two had no chemistry with each other and it was awkward as hell to watch. More so when I found out that Jamie was married while filming those movies. The movies shouldn't have even been made.
Final score:
125points
JuniorCJ82 3 years ago
Why does an actor being married make any romance movie/scenes awkward? Not every actor in the world is single.
#18
Emma Watson as Belle in beauty and the beast. I actually thought she was the perfect choice before I saw it. But belles main qualities are supposed to be her warmth and kindness, and it felt like Emma was genuinely judging all the people living in her town. She’s a good hermione though
Lauren Caswell 3 years ago (edited)
I only heard this idea recently: maybe belle is bored because the whole town was enchanted to forget the beast, so they might also be stuck in some loop. Belle and her father joined the village after leaving Paris, and after the beast enchantments were cast. Maybe she found the village boring because it really was super-monotonous (cause of the spell) 🤷♀️
Tell us what role you would like to witness being played by a different actor and why in the comments. Do you agree with the list? What do you think about diversity and inclusion standards in the entertainment industry?
#19
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but Sophie Turner as Jean Gray.
I like her as an actress, but I just couldn’t get into it. I felt like she struggled with hiding her accent.
#20
Whoever the dude was in 50 shades. Christian Bale would have crushed that role
#21
I have no issues with Pierce Brosnan. Made a fine bond even though his scripts weren't strong. Can do comedy even.
But singing in Mamma Mia? How was that ever allowed to happen?
#23
everyone in the last airbender movie, especially considering the fact that they took the waterbenders (canonically the nation with the darkest skin coloring) and made all of them white, then made the firebenders dark-skinned.
#24
Has anyone said Emelia Clarke as Sarah Connor yet? Also Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese. Actually the whole movie sans Arnold was cast fu$^king horribly.
#25
Just wanted to say for anyone doubting future casting, look at Robert Downey Jr as Ironman. When that was announced so many fans were up in arms and now he IS Ironman...
Devil's Advocate 3 years ago
Yes, but the complaints were all BEFORE the movie, then he went and nailed it! Then, he did Dolittle. We don't talk about Dolittle.
#26
Ginny Weasley... that actress just never grew into that role. I know it’s hard to cast kids that young, but man they should have replaced her for the last few movies, it was harsh seeing Harry have more actual chemistry with a Muggle coffee shop girl (who was amazing) than the supposed love of his life (who was nothing like fiery character in books).
Ozacoter 3 years ago
I think that the problem here is direction and not the poor actress. Book Ginny is funny, athletic and cool while movie Ginny is super akward. They made her play the stupidest scenes like tying Harrys shoelaces or the coolie scene. I dont think that the poor girl had much to work with.
#27
Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York. It’s the only time I’ve really be pulled out of a movie because the casting didn’t seem right.
#28
John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich. It just seemed a bit too on the nose.
Titas Burinskas 3 years ago
I agree, John Malkovich was miscast, there was someone who could play John Malkovich better than John Malkovich.
#29
John Dorian as Dr. Acula. He is way to hammy, and not very threatening for a vampire who is behind loads of mysterious deaths in the hospital. He clearly only got the part because he wrote the darn script for it. It was also a very racist filming process where multiple times Chris Turk was told to "act blacker". In good conscience I can't support the film
#30
Johnny Depp as Grindelwald. Not because of the whole situation around it, but after reading the books and the cameos in Potter, I just don't see him as Grindelwald, just as albino Depp.
#31
Cameron Diaz was horrible in the 2014 Annie remake. She hasn't made a movie since.
#32
John Wayne as a Native American or Anthony Hopkins as a black man come to mind.
#33
Jon Voight as a snake hunter in Anaconda is fine......but him as a PARAGUAYAN snake hunter?.....just......why lol
Lyone Fein 3 years ago
Hollywood has not yet figured out that there are great actors of color all over. . . . Other than their go to tokens.
#34
Pretty much everyone from the Percy Jackson movies
#35
Jafar in the new Aladdin. He wasn’t believable or menacing and way too young. Plus for much of his screen time he’s standing next to Navid Neghaban, who would have been a MUCH better choice.
#36
Nicole Kidman is cast as Lucy in Aaron Sorkin's Lucille Ball movie. She can't move her face anymore. And I like Nicole Kidman, she's done some great stuff lately but this doesn't make sense.
#37
Every actress cast as Sue Richards, The Invisible Woman, from the Fantastic Four so far
Kat Sotiriou 3 years ago
Right!!! Jessica Abla had to wear a blonde wig with blue contacts it was off-putting. Was there no blue eyed blonde actress available?
#38
Dane DeHaan - Valerian
That move is pretty awesome except for him, it felt entirely miscast and I couldn't believe this guy was the kind of character they were making him out to be.
#39
Joel McHale as Roy in the ill-fated US remake of The IT Crowd.
We want a scruffy and misanthropic IT nerd, so let's get an actor known foorrr... charisma and confidence? OK.
Horatio Jay 3 years ago
That was awful casting. It was even more cringe-inducing that he was alongside Richard Ayoade in a WORD-FOR-WORD remake.
#40
Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone
What do you think ?
Tuna Fish 3 years ago
I'm an old so I'm gonna say the roles of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt should have been switched in Anne Rices' "Interview with a Vampire". I mean come on Pitt was made to play Lestat and Cruise is who you envision when you read Luis. Interview-...fb1069.jpg 
Tuna Fish 3 years ago
I'm an old so I'm gonna say the roles of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt should have been switched in Anne Rices' "Interview with a Vampire". I mean come on Pitt was made to play Lestat and Cruise is who you envision when you read Luis. Interview-...fb1069.jpg
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