He doesn’t have to be but in order to more accurately portray the character, he should be. Knowing what comic Magneto looks like and knowing how Ian McKellan’s version looked like was a little odd
…Sue isn’t an astronaut. Sue’s a mom. Regardless if she birthed a child yet or not, Sue Storm is the mom of the Fantastic Four. Once we get out of the casual misogny of the early 60s, saying she’s the “mom” is not a slight to the character. She’s the fierce lioness, the strong matriarch. She’s the POWER in the Fantastic Four. Alba failed because she wasn’t anything other than a pretty woman with powers–although she was slightly better in FF2.
Reese Witherspoon should have played Sue Storm.
I wish these two characters lived in the same TV universe, and could interact with each other.
Those other roles prove he can play the same guy over and over. Sometimes that guy fits the script. I liked Broken Glass and his style fit the role but I still came away thinking he is a bad actor.
I hate him so much so I can’t agree. But he is supposed to be hated so he is perfect in the role. But I hate him so much I can’t think anything good about him. I hate him. Am I being clear? (yes he is perfect for the role)
You are right, she was awful in the role and terribly miscast.
I tend to think it was more about how the character was written. Michael O’Hare was Colonel Jessup in the original Broadway production of A Few Good Men. Somehow I don’t think he was wooden in that role.
What about Tommy Lee Jones as Sam Gerard in “The Fugitive”?
I would also nominate Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink in “Resevoir Dogs”.
Well, taking a guy who already has a disproportionately large head and fitting him with a mane and a helmet only exaggerated the issue…
Worst:
Aaron fucking Eckhart as Roland Mitchell in Possession
Dick van Dyke as Professor Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Best:
Kenneth Branagh as Henry V.
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey as Romeo and Juliet
Paul Scofield as Thomas More
Robert Shaw as Quint
Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday
Worst:
George Clooney as Batman
Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu
Sylvester Stallone as Judge Dredd
Edward Furlong & Nick Stahl as John Connor
I’ll add to the chorus of those mentioning Patrick Stewart as Professor X.
Of course this was especially true since for years prior to the movie several of the artists on the comic books had been basing the way they drew the character off of Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
Christopher Lee was Saruman before Peter Jackson made his first movie.
And a fairly obscure one - Alan Rickman as Obadiah Slope in Barchester Chronicles.
Another obscure bad one:
Jason Robards as Brutus in Julius Caesar: One of the most lifeless wastes of celluloid ever captured.
Psst! Post #105.
I’m surprised not to have seen some truly iconic casting triumphs mentioned yet:
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes
Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy
Daniel Day Lewis as Abraham Lincoln
Two Law & Order replacements that worked out much better than the original casting choices:
Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy
Jerry Orbach as Lennie Briscoe
That’s a coincidence: I just mentioned the same performance.
Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes. He looks more like SH than any actor since Basil Rathbone, and he truly nailed the part, more than anyone I’ve seen before or since.
It’s surprising to see that he played Freddy in My Fair Lady (singing, no less!), Dracula on the West Coast after the revival that originally starred Frank Langella*, and, most surprising of all, Doctor Watson (!) to Charlton Heston’e Sherlock Holmes in Crucifer of Blood. I find it hard to think of him as anything but Holmes anymore.
*Raul Julia was another post-Langella Dracula, on Broadway. When I saw the production he was starring in it.
Powers Boothe in the TV miniseries Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones. He won the Emmy for his portrayal of the title role.
The casting of the Mercury Astronauts in The Right Stuff:
Scott Glenn … Alan Shepard
Ed Harris … John Glenn
Dennis Quaid … Gordon Cooper
Fred Ward … Gus Grissom
Scott Paulin … Deke Slayton
Charles Frank … Scott Carpenter
Lance Henriksen … Wally Schirra
Brilliant, especially Ed Harris and Dennis Quaid
The Best: Benedict Cumberbatch is the right everything for Sherlock Holmes.
Mark Gatniss as Mycroft Holmes is spot on.
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.
Game of Thrones : The kid that plays Joffrey. Holy hell, he is brilliant and so punchable.
The entire cast of GoT is brilliant. Just f’n brilliant.
The kid that played Malfoy, Tom something. The entire main cast for Harry Potter was extremely well cast. My personal favorites were Slughorn and Lockhart and the late Great Richard Griffiths was truly Vernon Dursley in every sense.
Lara Pulver, who plays Irene Adler in Scandal in Belgravia is absolutely amazing.
The Worst:
Whomever played the Lead in The Hunger Games, Jennifer Whatsherface. Oh, I hated her wooden acting and the fact she was about 30 pounds to fleshy for a girl growing up in a food starved area.
Halle Berry in Xmen.
Rachel McAdams single handedly nearly destroyed the orgasmic pleasure of RDj and Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes. Worst Irene Adler ever. Ever.
Keanu Reeves is fine in many films, but he was horribly miscast as Jonathan Harker in Dracula.