# Hot characters played by not-hot actors **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 22, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437 "2008-04-22T19:12:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/61 "2008-04-23T00:27:07Z")
Lucy Liu on Ally McBeal. Lucy’s not bad looking, but not stunning. But her character was smokin’ hot. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/62 "2008-04-23T00:34:40Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] Oh, my word, yes. Hot does not describe her in that movie. I rather suspect that, at some point, Gomez sat his brother down and said, “You’re letting this woman manipulate you in every way–and I TOTALLY see why.” [/QUOTE] Trivial point about **Adams Family Values** : the role ultimately played by Joan Cusack was written for Kathleen Turner. When Turner dropped out of the project, there was some talk of casting Sharon Stone before Cusack got the part. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/63 "2008-04-23T01:31:09Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] Oh, my word, yes. Hot does not describe her in that movie. I rather suspect that, at some point, Gomez sat his brother down and said, “You’re letting this woman manipulate you in every way–and I TOTALLY see why.” [/QUOTE] I think she looked like an older, heavier version of the hot hot hot hot chick from The Wall. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/64 "2008-04-23T02:45:26Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] Hugh Laurie is not hot. Dr. House is hotter than is humanly possible. [/QUOTE] +1 ::swoon:: And free Vicodin?! ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/65 "2008-04-23T05:28:07Z")
Henry Winkler is an ordinary-looking fellow, but the girls wouldn’t leave The Fonz alone. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/66 "2008-04-23T05:48:57Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] [Ellen Barkin’s](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000289/) IMDB bio describes her as “unconventionally pretty,” and she is indeed. But somebody more conventionally pretty should have been cast in some of her movies where she played the Object of Desire – e.g., _Switch_ and _The Big Easy._ [/QUOTE] Pistols at dawn, Sir (Madam?). I would never describe Ms. Barkin as “pretty”, but in The Big Easy, she was **smokin’ hot**. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/67 "2008-04-23T05:50:09Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee] Lucy Liu on Ally McBeal. Lucy’s not bad looking, but not stunning. But her character was smokin’ hot. [/QUOTE] Word. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/68 "2008-04-23T06:42:14Z")
[QUOTE=Christopher] > [@BrianGlutton](#): > > Renee Zellweger is really no prettier than – I’m gonna go out on a limb here and agree that she is not exactly super hot. It’s something about her cheeks I think. [/QUOTE] She is storing [nuts](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm623416832/nm0000250) for the winter. ---
**Author:** ![Kalibakthegreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@Kalibakthegreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalibakthegreat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/69 "2008-04-23T07:11:05Z")
I’ve been watching reruns of _Sex in the City_, and the episode-by-episode love interest guys are just an endless parade of **mutants**. Dorky, schlubby, awkward, funny-looking, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/70 "2008-04-23T07:29:05Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] She is storing [nuts](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm623416832/nm0000250) for the winter. [/QUOTE] I’d let her… …never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/71 "2008-04-23T11:17:58Z")
[QUOTE=Kalibakthegreat] I’ve been watching reruns of _Sex in the City_, and the episode-by-episode love interest guys are just an endless parade of **mutants**. Dorky, schlubby, awkward, funny-looking, etc. [/QUOTE] One of the guys (the one who used the toilet with the door open) wasn’t so much ugly as the missing link. I couldn’t for the life of me work out what it was that was supposed to attract Miranda to him. The fact that he left the door open whilst taking a shit was simply the final nail in a very big coffin. ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/72 "2008-04-23T13:16:32Z")
[QUOTE=The New and Improved Superman] The ‘stud guy’ in “Queer As Folk” (american version). Only saw it a couple of times, so I don’t know his character name. But every time I saw it, all the other guys were constantly gushing about how unbelievably smoking hot he was, and the blonde twink was always drooling over him. I was flummoxed. If I passed him on the street I wouldn’t have bothered to look once, let alone twice. [/QUOTE] Actor - Gale Harold, character - Brian Kinney. Part of his allure on the show was his “I don’t give a bleep” personality. But I dunno, I’ve seen every episode, always thought he was pretty smokin’. Didn’t have the crazy hot body like Ben or anything, but I’d still turn my head at him. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/73 "2008-04-23T13:44:28Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] Anyone can be knee deep in random pussy if they are willing to smile and speak softly. [/QUOTE] 🙂 Psst… how you doin? ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/74 "2008-04-23T14:00:13Z")
[QUOTE=The Controvert] 🙂 Psst… how you doin? [/QUOTE] Speaking of “how you doin?”, what about Matt LeBlanc? Even before he got fat, I don’t see the appeal. Yet Joey was always talking about how good looking he was. As an aside, being good looking is not directly correllated with getting with good looking partners. Especially for guys. Guys with witty personalities can do alright despite being a little less than Adonis. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/75 "2008-04-23T14:02:06Z")
Mae West. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/76 "2008-04-23T14:15:35Z")
[QUOTE=chaoticbear] +1 ::swoon:: And free Vicodin?! [/QUOTE] Hugh Laurie AND House are hot. House played BY Hugh Laurie is the parlay of hot. I will give him MY Vicodin. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/77 "2008-04-23T14:16:47Z")
I need help! I can swear there’s been at least one movie where Frances McDormand was presented as hot. To the point that I was amazed when I saw it was she in the role. I have looked through her IMDB pictures and whatever role it was wasn’t in that batch of shots. She’s among my favorite actresses for somebody who can carry almost any role, and whose skills exceed those of most actors working today. But hot: not. On her best day in makeup and hairdo and maybe some other disguise materials, she’s no better than okay. So what movie was it where she passed for hot? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@The\_Lovely\_Margo\_Lane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lovely_Margo_Lane)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/78 "2008-04-23T14:57:36Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] I need help! I can swear there’s been at least one movie where Frances McDormand was presented as hot. To the point that I was amazed when I saw it was she in the role. I have looked through her IMDB pictures and whatever role it was wasn’t in that batch of shots. She’s among my favorite actresses for somebody who can carry almost any role, and whose skills exceed those of most actors working today. But hot: not. On her best day in makeup and hairdo and maybe some other disguise materials, she’s no better than okay. So what movie was it where she passed for hot? [/QUOTE] I thought she came off as believably alluring in _The Man Who Wasn’t There_, especially the scene where she’s in the bath and Billy Bob shaves her legs. I may be biased, though, since I like her looks anyhow. There’s definitely something about the way she carries herself throughout that movie, though- great posture and a haughtiness that shows that the character thinks she’s all that, so I believe it. [linky](http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aamanwhowasntpicsd.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/79 "2008-04-23T14:58:42Z")
[QUOTE=Oslo Ostragoth] Pistols at dawn, Sir (Madam?). I would never describe Ms. Barkin as “pretty”, but in The Big Easy, she was **smokin’ hot**. [/QUOTE] She was pretty in Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, and smokin’ hot in the recent Ocean’s 13. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437/80 "2008-04-23T14:59:44Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] I need help! I can swear there’s been at least one movie where Frances McDormand was presented as hot. To the point that I was amazed when I saw it was she in the role. I have looked through her IMDB pictures and whatever role it was wasn’t in that batch of shots. She’s among my favorite actresses for somebody who can carry almost any role, and whose skills exceed those of most actors working today. But hot: not. On her best day in makeup and hairdo and maybe some other disguise materials, she’s no better than okay. So what movie was it where she passed for hot? [/QUOTE] Sam Raimi’s Darkman, playing opposite a then-unknown Liam Neeson. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-characters-played-by-not-hot-actors/446437.md?page=5)