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Sometimes, even the most brilliant script can't overcome a casting disaster. We've all experienced that disappointment—settling in for what promises to be a great film or show, only to watch a miscast actor struggle through a role that clearly belongs to someone else. These casting missteps happen for all sorts of reasons: studio pressure to hire a big name, directors blinded by star power, or sometimes just plain bad judgment.
What makes these misfires especially frustrating is imagining what might have been with the right performer in place. From wooden deliveries in emotional scenes to accents that wander across continents, these 30 performances remind us that casting truly is an art form. When it fails, even the most promising projects can collapse under the weight of an actor who simply doesn't fit the part they've been given.
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#1
Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher.
Corwin 02 9 months ago
a 5'4 pip-squeak impersonating a 6'5 guy build like a house, yeah that did not look awkward at all
Senjo Krane 9 months ago
This!!! I love Jack Reacher and have read nearly all of them. I was astounded when I heard this jerk was going to be my hero.
Remi (He/Him) 9 months ago
Alan Ritchson on the other hand is and excellent choice
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#2
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
Tucker Cahooter 9 months ago
However for the dubbed releases in the international market, they managed to get horses that could speak the native language
Chris Denny 9 months ago
This is a common misunderstanding. He actually could speak but he could only speak German so they had to dub his lines in English. It was an absolute failure in the German market even though he was speaking in native tongue. The consensus was that he was inauthentic.
The Other Guest 9 months ago
"The horse they hired" excuse me he has a NAME. (Bamboo Harvester, for anyone curious.)
#4
Shia Leboeuf in Crystal Skull. That part should've been Short Round as an adult.
DennyS (denzoren) 9 months ago
I didn't really mind Shia in the role, they just could have utilized him better but I do agree on if it was Short Round it would have been a good choice.
Catlady6000 9 months ago
I liked Shia in this movie. Bur Short Round as an adult would have been awesome
#5
John Wayne as Genghis Khan.
Libstak 9 months ago
That was a joke of a film. Fun fact my dearly departed dad loved John Wayne, even walked just like him....he hated this movie. No I do not like John Wayne but I love my Dada, rest well.
JK 9 months ago
I mean, there may have been contributing factors to the way John Wayne walked. Just saying 🙄
Load More Replies... Fat Harry (Oi / You) 9 months ago
John Wayne was an appalling actor who could only play... John Wayne. He also had to be restrained from attacking Sasheen Littlefeather after her speech at the Oscars. Horrible man, awful actor.
Lee Gilliland 9 months ago
It really wasn't that bad of a movie, but is was sad that so many died from filming because of the radiation.
#6
Obvious, but necessary mention of Kevin Costner is Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. I'd say most of the starring roles were miscast, but none as offensively bad as "Kevin Costner plays....Kevin Costner".
JB 9 months ago
Alan Rickman was the only redeeming feature of the film. I still giggle at “I’ll cut your heart out with a spoon!”
Load More Replies... Libstak 9 months ago
Christian Slater was gorgeous in this though, not a great actor but he was at his best presence wise in this one.
MotherofGuineaPigs 9 months ago
Christian had the best line in the movie.
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WayoftheStarPrincess 9 months ago
I love this movie with every fiber of my being. But yeah, the casting choices are... a choice for sure.
#7
Any movie that takes place in high school, but all the actors are in their 20s or 30s.
#8
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".
#9
I'm bending the question a bit here, because The World is Not Enough still wouldn't be a good movie, but: Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist is just the worst, y'all
#10
Captain Correli's Mandolin could be a beautiful movie, if it wasn't for Nick Cage.
Senjo Krane 9 months ago
I must read this book, but I have to disagree with you about Nick. I like him. Not that I saw this movie either.....
Load More Replies... DennyS (denzoren) 9 months ago
The only thing I know about this movie is that Jake didn't tell Kevin about it and he made him watch Face Off.
#11
Steven Seagal as a person who can kick a**.
Chad Olin 9 months ago
Despite the fact that he was the first non-japanese to open and successfully run a Dojo in Japan, Seagal couldn't fight his way out of an outhouse that was in fire. His 'fighting' skills are questionable and looks like a little girl in a sped up slapping fest. A group of Girl Scouts selling cookies could take him down.
#12
Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman.
The Other Guest 9 months ago
To be fair, the movie in and of itself sucked. I don't think casting a different actress would have helped it in the slightest.
#13
I always felt Gwenyth Paltrow as Pepper Potts didn't fit. I don't know what Pepper was like in the comics, but she seemed to have very little chemistry with RDJ in my opinion. Maybe I just hate her for all the voodoo she tries to sell tho.
PeepPeep the duck 9 months ago
The only role she did well was play the star in stardust 😂 I love that movie
#14
How has no one said jake gyllenhall in prince of P E R S I A.
martymcmatrix 9 months ago
I thought we had clearly agreed to never talk about this abomination ever again‽ 🤨
#15
Batman vs Supeeman wasn’t a very good movie but it is nothing compared to the casting of Lex Luthor in the movie. Jesse Eisenberg can be a good actor but the chosen direction on Lex is a complete oposite of where Jesse shines as an actor. I have a hard time thinking about a worse actor for the role. Maybe Michael Cera.
#16
George Clooney as batman
#17
Schwarzenegger in Twins. He looks nothing like Danny De Vito...
#18
James Corden, in anything and everything he's ever been in.
#19
Jared Leto as Joker. Absolute waste.
#20
Absolutely Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I love the man, but that accent is something else. If he hadn’t been in the film I’m almost certain there’d be no debate that this was the best and most faithful Dracula adaptation.
JB 9 months ago
No. Wait! I’m pretty sure that we aren’t ever allowed to say anything negative about Keanu Reeves. Like, the dude is totally awesome. Practically perfect… no, that’s Julie Andrews. Anyway, what I mean is, we aren’t ever gonna see a Hollywood actor so, um, human. Remember that meme where he’s sat on a bench looking sad? That’s how we know he’s not wrapped in tinsel and famous dust. He’s also one of the few gorgeous people who dates an age appropriate woman and don’t give no shıts what the nay sayers, who think he should have a superficially beautiful airhead half his age on his arm, think.
#21
I know people here LOVE Adam Driver, but I found him to be extremely distracting in SW. he looks nothing like Ford or Fisher. More importantly he just looks weird (or unique depending on your perspective). I know it’s probably taboo to say this, but his nose was really distracting to look at, especially in RoS, where there’s a lot of his profile shots. I know I’ll be downvotes, but I thought I’d share anyway.
Libstak 9 months ago
His body is perpetually out of shape too, even in roles where you e pect a warrior he looks like he eats pudding 3x a day.
Earonn - 9 months ago
Because real warriors don't hang out in the gym 12 hours a day. Honestly, go and have a look at the people who, for example, do sword fighting for shows as a job. They won't have these pumped up muscles.
Load More Replies... #22
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?
Dread Pirate Roberts 9 months ago
Nicholas Cage as Aragorn? Don't give me nightmares, please >_<
Glix Drap 9 months ago
Nicholas Cage could have played an orc and would still have made a hash of it.
Load More Replies... #23
This one is more Tim Burton's fault, but Johnny Depp made an *awful* Wonka.
#24
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.
#25
Emma Watson as Belle in Beauty and the Beast. She's got the looks down, but her singing is meh to the point they had to autotune it and it sounds weird. Her acting is also stiff and fretful and she doesn't have any chemistry with any of the other actors, let alone Beast. There were better choices for the role.
#28
Did you guys forgot Ben Afflek in Daredevil?
#29
Recently finished Queen’s Gambit and thought it was great but I could not take the baby cowboy seriously
Final score:
6points
#30
Johnny Depp in the Fantastic Beasts Franchise. He just doesn't belong there. His acting is good, he nailed his speech in the second film. But no Potter World Material.
Luke Branwen 9 months ago
we should just let this IP die. I get it, it was my childhood, too, but like... did you know JKR pushed the upcoming TV reboot of HP specifically to cut off royalties of Radcliffe, Watson and Grint, who openly challenged her bigoted views?
JB 9 months ago
I’m struggling to divorce the writer from the books. But, if I’m honest, I also struggled to split the rumours of who Michael Jackson may have been from the ground breaking music he performed. Perhaps most of our greatest artists are in some way broken?
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What do you think ?
Earonn - 9 months ago
I've got a bit of a problem with "X was so good in the role of Y, nobody can be as good". Can't different actors (and producers etc.) not show different sides to one character? There's so many different Macbeths in theatres world-wide, and it's always interesting what they put forward. But one actor does really good work on a movie (and perhaps dies afterwards, that seems to help) and somehow that's the only possible interpretation of that role???? I mean, how many great Doctors did we have in Doctor Who?
Earonn - 9 months ago
I've got a bit of a problem with "X was so good in the role of Y, nobody can be as good". Can't different actors (and producers etc.) not show different sides to one character? There's so many different Macbeths in theatres world-wide, and it's always interesting what they put forward. But one actor does really good work on a movie (and perhaps dies afterwards, that seems to help) and somehow that's the only possible interpretation of that role???? I mean, how many great Doctors did we have in Doctor Who?
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