# The best casted role TV or film or biggest casting mistake **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2013, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139 "2013-04-08T07:23:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/61 "2013-04-08T20:35:50Z")
John Houseman as Professor Kingsfield in _The Paper Chase_. Ted Knight, Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Murray in _CaddyShack_ ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/62 "2013-04-08T20:40:26Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > As for bad choice Hayden Christensen as Anakin/Vader. That should be a walkaway win. I’m willing to give Christensen a certain amount of slack on this one, since he was having to act under the direction of George Lucas, who is pretty well-known to provide his (flesh and blood) actors with very little in the way of useful direction. I’m not sure that any other actor of Christensen’s age and experience level could have done much better. Before being cast as Anakin, Christensen had gotten quite a bit of acclaim (including a Golden Globe nomination) for _My Life as a House_, and he later got several award nominations for _Broken Glass_. He’s not a bad actor, but the Star Wars movies were not going to be where he got the direction to shine – for that matter, the Prequel Trilogy was filled with actors who were well-regarded for their other work, but most of them turned in fairly wooden performances in these movies. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/63 "2013-04-08T20:45:16Z")
Perhaps too recent to judge clearly, but Kevin Spacey in the US version of _House of Cards_… I simply can’t imagine another actor bringing half so much to that role. Lester Burnham with power. As for miscast, I think a singing Sly Stallone speaks for itself. His mother should have shot him. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/64 "2013-04-08T20:56:00Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Right choice (in terms of worsts), but not for the right reason. Hardcore geeks obsess about the looks of a character, but that’s not what will make or break a movie for the general public. If the character can act the part, we’ll believe it. But what the producers didn’t know was that you have to cast the leads in a superhero movie with actors who can be convincing as the secret identity. Robert Downey Jr. is great as Tony Stark, Tobey Maguire was convincing as Peter Parker, Christoper Reeve worked as Clark Kent. Anybody can put on the suit; Jessica Alba failed because she couldn’t (or the director didn’t tell her to) play an astronaut. Frankly, I don’t expect Oscar worthy acting in a comic book movie nor am I much of a hard core geek. (How dare you! :D) But if fidelity to the original looks aren’t that important then why the need to transform her into a blond Nordic. Why not just say Susan Storm is now a brown-eyed brunette? ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/65 "2013-04-08T21:01:35Z")
Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston as Gomez and Morticia Addams. Special mention for Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams. Two movies that worked almost entirely because of casting alone. Worst - well, I risk the Wrath of Skald here, but I thought Miranda Otto was a terrible choice for Eowyn. Too little, too pretty, too girly, and couldn’t swing a sword to save her life. Needed to cast Dernhelm, not Eowyn. She’s not a bad actress, and I’ve enjoyed her in other movies, but a bad, bad casting choice for that particular character. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/66 "2013-04-08T21:41:48Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > Why not just say Susan Storm is now a brown-eyed brunette? A question more movies need to ask themselves when working from a written source. It isn’t as if Alba wasn’t beautiful as-is, nor was her character’s super-power being blonde. Just let her be a brown-eyed brunette. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/67 "2013-04-08T22:06:52Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > A question more movies need to ask themselves when working from a written source. It isn’t as if Alba wasn’t beautiful as-is, nor was her character’s super-power being blonde. Just let her be a brown-eyed brunette. And I would have no problem with that. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/68 "2013-04-08T22:12:20Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > A question more movies need to ask themselves when working from a written source. It isn’t as if Alba wasn’t beautiful as-is, nor was her character’s super-power being blonde. Just let her be a brown-eyed brunette. And, a million OCD fanboys suffer from exploding craniums. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cinnamontictacs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cinnamontictacs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cinnamontictacs)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/69 "2013-04-08T22:19:03Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Raising Arizona? And Matchstick Men! I love Nic Cage’s crazy ass i don’t even care Obvious one but Natalie Portman in V for Vendetta was a terrible decision. And I don’t know if anyone has seen Girls but Chris O’Dowd’s American accent is DISTRACTINGLY bad. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/70 "2013-04-08T22:36:41Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I believed Brandon Routh as Clark Kent. I didn’t believe him as Superman. I think that was a script problem, not an acting problem. As **Mika** said when the movie came out, Superman is not a deadbeat dad. And, even powerless, he’d have put up a better fight against those three thugs. Anyway, the worst casting in that movie was the yougn woman who played Lois. Kate Bosworth, I think. She simply looked far too young to be an award-winning reporter AND mother. She looked about fourteen, tell you the truth. > [@Mrs.Cake](#): > > Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston as Gomez and Morticia Addams. Special mention for Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams. Two movies that worked almost entirely because of casting alone. > > Worst - well, I risk the Wrath of Skald here, but I thought Miranda Otto was a terrible choice for Eowyn. Too little, too pretty, too girly, and couldn’t swing a sword to save her life. Needed to cast Dernhelm, not Eowyn. She’s not a bad actress, and I’ve enjoyed her in other movies, but a bad, bad casting choice for that particular character. I don’t have time to chastise you for your impudence today, **Mrs. Cake**. Please call Operations to schedule a vicious wet-willying. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/71 "2013-04-08T22:39:42Z")
Jimmy Stewart in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”. You believe he would do all the stuff George did for his family and friends. He’s also good at the stress-induced freak out. And of course you believe everyone loves him. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/72 "2013-04-08T22:40:15Z")
The guy that plays Joffrey in Game Of Thrones deserves special mention in the “Best” category, IMHO. For one thing he plays 14 pretty convincingly for a guy in his twenties. He also just looks like the kind of guy that would be an utter dick. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/73 "2013-04-08T22:58:19Z")
Timothy Olyphant in [Justified](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1489428/?ref_=sr_1). He can narrow his eyes and talk in a menacing whisper, but I don’t buy him as a child of Kentucky, let alone a tough guy. He’s too slight, too pretty, and his skin is too perfect. He looks like a Hollywood actor pretending to be a tough guy. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/74 "2013-04-08T23:02:20Z")
Best: Robbie Coltrane in _Cracker_ was bloody amazing. No one else could play that role. George Clooney in _From Dusk 'til Dawn_ was just fun to watch. Probably the only film Tarantino has been in which I actually though he suited his character. Joe Pesci in _Goodfellas_ Val Kilmer in _Tombstone_ & _Kiss Kiss Bang Bang_ Worst: Eddie Murphy in pretty much anything since 1990 (Donkey in _Shrek_ being the exception). ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/75 "2013-04-08T23:26:36Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > Timothy Olyphant in [Justified](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1489428/?ref_=sr_1). He can narrow his eyes and talk in a menacing whisper, but I don’t buy him as a child of Kentucky, let alone a tough guy. He’s too slight, too pretty, and his skin is too perfect. He looks like a Hollywood actor pretending to be a tough guy. Yep. He did okay in the first two seasons of _Deadwood_, and then became part of season 3’s many problems by turning into a sort of self-parody, capable of nothing but standing around looking pissed off. He carried that flawed portrayal into _Justified_, IMHO, as much as I otherwise like the latter show. ---
**Author:** ![cinnamontictacs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cinnamontictacs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cinnamontictacs)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/76 "2013-04-08T23:29:28Z")
Tommy Lee Jones in Natural Born Killers always stands out to me for some reason, he played his role so well. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/77 "2013-04-08T23:58:11Z")
Andreas Katsulas as G’Kar on **Babylon 5**. He had the gravitas to shine from behind the makeup, and nobody else could have pulled off the sheer joy of the part. OTOH, Michael O’Hare was horribly cast as Sinclair. The bulkheads had more character. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/78 "2013-04-08T23:59:36Z")
In \*\*The Wire \*\*I thought most of the thugs were well cast, particularly Omar, Slim Charles and Marlo Stanfield. They had the right look and the acting skill to create believable characters. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/79 "2013-04-09T00:06:39Z")
If I’ve read the novel, or studied the actual person from history, I may have disagreement with the actor who’s cast for box office appeal **Khartoum** from 1966 suffers so obviously from Olivier in blackface that Charleton Heston’s miscasting as Gordon isn’t as noticeable. Omar Sharif (who was busy being miscast as Zhivago) and John Mills would have been so much better. I never really cared for Nancy Marchand as Livia in the Sopranos. She could have been playing a mean old WASP in Minneapolis or a mafia matron, for all I could tell. Laila, (who is from Minneapolis) who played her in the flashbacks, nailed the part. Of course, Sian Phillips as the original Livia in **I Claudius** is the gold standard for best cast actress. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139/80 "2013-04-09T00:12:34Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > As for bad choice Hayden Christensen as Anakin/Vader. That should be a walkaway win. I’ll see your Hayden Christensen (which I agree with) and raise you one Andie MacDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral. Way to shit all over an otherwise fun movie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-casted-role-tv-or-film-or-biggest-casting-mistake/655139.md?page=5)