Ugly People in "Beautifl" Roles

Cafe Society
1

Re-watching “The Man in the Iron Mask” and THIS THREAD reminded me of a gripe I have with Hollywood. I have seen several movies, TMITIM being one of them where one character (Christine) is supposed to be of such surpassing beauty (or machoness) that they are irresistible. Yet casting brings in somebody that, even after makeup gets done with them, looks, at best, plain.

What is with that? The whole point of the role is just to stand around and look pretty! You would think that in Hollywood there would be more attractive starlets waiting for work than Woolworth has beads. So how do they end up so badly miscasting the “beauty” so often? And I don’t think that this is a “beauty in the eye” thing either.

Any other examples and any theories about why this is are appreciated.

2

I think I had a seizure while typing it or something.

3

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Personally, I think they should be giving Kathy Bates more screen time.

4

Actually, you have it completely backward. Far more often it is beautiful people in “ugly” roles. Case in point: the Terence McNally play, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, a story of a homely waitress and an ex-con fry cook who fall in love. On Broadway, the role of the ugly waitress–her looks are an important point in the chacrater development–was played by Kathy Bates. In the movie version, she’s played by Michelle Pfeiffer.

5

Or how about Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality?

Even with a bad hair style and a snorting laugh, she’s still hotter than any woman in my office. My suspension of disbelief does not extend far enough to believe anyone would find her unattractive. (Except for perverts like me, who like our women to show some curves.)

6

Good call. Also Nicole Kidman in Cold Mountain is shot as though she is Audrey Hepburn. MS Zellwegger requires less suspension of disbelief.

7

Everything is a “beauty in the eye” thing when it comes to attractiveness.

8

I thought that Gabrielle Anwar played Christine in that movie but after checking IMDB, it appears I was mistaken. So now I don’t know what to think.
The thing is, by ordinary people standards, she probably is a “surpassing beauty”. Problem is so is everyone else on screen.

And if you get actors who are too pretty but unable to act, you end up with ‘The Musketeer’ - a visually pleasing yet boring and forgetable movie.
“I wanted ‘Maryanne on Gilligan’s Island’ ugly, not ‘Cornelius on The Planet of the Apes’ ugly. T.V. ugly, not ugly ugly.”

9

I never saw The Man in the Iron Mask, but a quick seach through the IMDB turned up these photos of actress Judith Godrèche from when she was in Ridicule. This is the woman you’re calling “at best, plain”? I can see how she might not be your type (she’s not really my type either), but she’s certainly no hag.

Like the others in this thread, I’ve got to question your basic premise. I’ve seen plenty of films in which perfectly lovely women were cast as Plain Janes but I’ve never seen an ugly person cast as a great beauty. There are plenty of Hollywood starlets who don’t really do it for me personally (too skinny, pretty but bland, etc.), but that doesn’t mean they’re ugly.

It sometimes does happen that period pieces cast a woman with modern supermodel/Hollywood-type good looks in a “beauty” role and she seems out of place. . .like a modern supermodel/Hollywood-type who’s been transported back in time. But again, that doesn’t mean the woman is ugly, just that she doesn’t have the best “look” for the role.

10

One of the most insufferable films I have ever been subjected to was “The Truth About Cats and Dogs”.

I mean, give me a goddamn fucking break. Janine Garafalo (curvy, super-cute face, awesome smile, hotter than lava, I want her to do a nude scene, NOW) pining away for this guy because she knows she can’t hold a candle to Uma Thurman (pasty, anorexic-looking, fakish smile, ice queen).

What, are we all fucking idiots out here in the audience? Do these Hollywood jerkoffs really expect us to buy this crap?

Fuck off!

11

Not to join the pile-on, but I concur with everyone else who questions the premise of the OP. It is so far away from reality that I’m tempted to ask what he was smoking when he wrote it.

As my evidence I submit the very bad film Swept From The Sea, which introduces us to Amy Foster, a girl considered so homely and awkward-looking that when the Russian castaway falls in love with her, everyone in town thinks that’s a wonderfully merry joke.

Amy is played by Rachel Weisz

12

First of all, great call by Loopydude - I couldn’t agree more! The movie just didn’t work for me on any level because I too find Garafalo w-a-ay more attractive than Thurman.

Back to the OP, I offer another example: the 1999 version of Onegin starring Ralph Fiennes. It’s a great movie in every way, except that the plot hinges on Tatyana being irresistably hot, so much so that Evgeny Onegin will countenance breaking all the prevailing social, cultural and moral codes of his time to be with her. And who do they cast? Liv Tyler. I mean, suspension of disbelief is one thing but… discounting the evidence of my own eyes… ?

Liv is also supposed to be an walking talking 10/10 ravishing beauty by the casting people who worked on the LOTR. Well, I’ve spent a while in Los Angeles and I’ll bet anyone any amount of folding stuff that given one hour in LA I can find three actresses who could handle either the Onegin or the LOTR role at least as well as dear Liv and who also look stunning.

13

Ooh good one. I knew there was a great example on the tip of my tongue, and that was it. I didn’t even think elves could have black hair.
Galadriel, supposedly the stunningest women who ever stunned, didn’t really do much for me, despite the fact that she was well played.

14

As with Truth About Cats And Dogs, you can cover both points with another film as well. Let’s take a little glimpse into what I call “How That Pitch Meeting Should Have Gone”:

Moronic Producer: “Allright C.J., I’ve got a great project lined up for ya! It’s called Beautiful, ya see. It’s a sweet story about this woman, ya see, who’s been obsessed with being a beauty queen ever since she was a little girl, ya see. She’s been working her way up the pageant circuit, and is about to hit the big time, when it comes out that her best friend’s kid is actually her own, ya see, and beauty queens can’t have kids, ya see, so, ya see, she has to choose between being a beauty queen and being a mother! It’s got everything, ya see! We’ve lined up Hallie Kate Eisenberg as the kid! Nobody in the world wants to take a nine-iron to her head for all those fricking Pepsi commercials! We got it all here, ya see! The gorgeous lead, an incredibly cute kid, the frumpy friend, lotsa romance and sex appeal, and get this! We’ve got Minnie Driver committed for the lead! Guaranteed boffo box office!”

Destination Films Exec: “Uhhhh huh. Got someone lined up for the frumpy friend?”

MP: “Yeah, that Joey Lauren Adams chick from Chasing Amy.”

DFE: “So…the movie is called Beautiful?”

MP: “You got it!”

DFE: “And it stars Minnie Driver?”

MP: “You bet!”

DFE: “As a…beauty queen? Who wins pageants?”

MP: “Yes sir!”

DFE: “And Joey Lauren Adams, as her frumpy friend?”

MP: “Youuuu betcha!”

DFE: “Get out of my office. Smithers, release the hounds.”

15

I don’t think Julia Roberts is a very Pretty Woman. Sorry.

16

When I read the OP, what immediately came to my mind was Robin Wright(now Mrs. Sean Penn) in The Princess Bride.
I mean , the ENTIRE PLOT hinges around her being the most beautiful girl ever, and I’m sorry, she just doesn’t look THAT beautiful (Admittedly, she looks like she’s been crying her eyes out throughout the film). She’s not ugly, but as has been stated, she’s just so PLAIN.

Chris W

17

The girl from Say Anything, and the Princess from Spaceballs.

18

How about Rosie O’Donnell as Betty Rubble in “The Flintstones?”

19

I see plenty examples of this if we talk about male actors rather than female actors.

When Harry Met Sally. Please tell me how every woman in Harry’s life from that movie was ten million times better looking than Billy Crystal.

Back to School. In what Universe does Jadzia Dax fall for that creepy dude from Christine?

In The Line of Fire. Rene Russo suddenly gets the hots for then-63-year-old Clint Eastwood. Say what?

As Good As It Gets. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Etcetera.

20

What? Are you sure you’re not thinking of some other film? Her beauty is entirely inconsequential to the plot. Humperdink says the people of Florin are “taken” with her, but that’s not really the same thing.