Wrong Casting?

[GuildfordGal]

As I read The Shipping News for the 250th time, I'm reminded again that Gerard Depardieu (questionable person, brilliant actor) should definitely have been cast as Quoyle.

The rest of the cast - Julianne Moore and Judi Dench were perfect. Kevin Spacey was all wrong ('a great, damp loaf of a body')

Which other film roles have been so completely miscast as this brilliant example

@cafenoirbiscuit

Brenda Blethyn as Vera. Her accent is wrong.

I've got nothing against Brenda Blethyn but there's something about her portrayal of Vera that just grates at me and I'm not comparing it to the written character because I haven't read the books. It just doesn't feel right so I don't watch it.

Same with Jimmy Perez in Shetland - Dougie Henshall I'll watch in anything but he's just wrong in Shetland. And he doesn't have the dark haired half Spanish look he was blessed with in the books.

Everyone in 'The Beach' except for Robert Carlyle! I loved the book, the film was all wrong and dire!!!

Not a film but a tv series - I'm not sold on Martin Compston in Line of Duty. Can't quite articulate why.

@MadreDios

Anne Hathaway in One Day

The worst, most unforgivable miscasting. They needn’t have looked any further than Jodie Whittaker for the lead - at the very least she’s bloody northern - who played her friend. Absolutely shocking error.

They needn’t have looked any further than Jodie Whittaker for the lead - at the very least she’s bloody northern - who played her friend

I'm really really trying not to add to this thread that Jodie Whittaker should never have been cast as Dr Who, but...

I like her well enough I suppose, and God knows I tried to watch, but she's wrong wrong wrong. She wasn't helped by the companions and writing, but still. I know she's got a ton of fans here though, so my opinion is a drop in the ocean of general approval .

Kristen Stewart as Snow White. Just didn't work for me (but she was perfect as Bella in Twilight).

The girl who plays Ginny in Harry Potter - no hate on the actor but just terrible casting.

@ExJasper

Not a film but a tv series - I'm not sold on Martin Compston in Line of Duty. Can't quite articulate why.

Absolutely agree but same as you can't articulate why. The others are all perfect.

It's not even been made yet but Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was made for that part, he looks EXACTLY like the character!

Armie Hammer in Call Me By Your Name. Too old, and therefore made the relationship seem creepy

I can't bear watching Meryl Streep in Mama Mia as she's the same age as my mum, which means she would have been at least 35 when she got pregnant on her Greek holiday and not the naive young thing that the film portrays. Michelle Pfeiffer would have been better (lost interest at that point with regards re-casting all the old men who were prospective fathers)

Oh and whoever mentioned Grease - Jeff Conaway (Kenickie) played the Danny role on stage. He was miffed to lose it to Travolta in the film version and then they rubbed salt in the wound by giving the Danny character the Greased Lighting (car workshop scene) song when it originally belonged to Kenickie.
Poor old Jeff....

That was me, yes that makes sense actually as it was Kenickie's car.
Kenickie definitely made a better bad boy and was more attractive. On the Grease documentary the women say they all fought over Kenickie.
Danny always came across as slimy, but I'm not a Travolta fan anyway.

Agree with PP regarding Alan Rickman and Snape. I cannot imagine someone doing a better job of it.

I'm not sold on Martin Compston in Line of Duty. Can't quite articulate why.
For me it's because he's putting on an accent. His speech always sounds just slightly wrong –inflections, cadence etc.

@Mother87

Was never sure about Clint Eastwood in Bridges of Madison County... Or Nicholas Cage in Captain Corelli...

I think CE really works in Madison County because it's such a different role from things I've seen him in. I do like the film too (bit of a guilty pleasure).

HerBigChance - yes loved the film... Meryl Streeps hand clutching the car door handle when she sees Kincaid across the street near the end... (I suppose I'm just not 'keen' on CE) maybe Kevin Costner (too obvious) or Sam Elliot..

Intermittent Martin Compton is Scottish - I’ve always thought he does a good job playing a Londoner 😊

I used to think I was being a bit unfair to the child actors in HP. They were only 11/12 when they started and aren’t all child actors pretty dreadful?

I disagree. Some child actors are very very good. Freddy Highmore springs to mind - although he was a little bit too young at the time for the HP casting. In HP most of the child cast were very obviously 'acting' and it never seemed natural. For me the worst were the twins. Dear god they were bad - and they never improved. Some improved, but still weren't great.

Remember Keanu in Dracula? I'm not sure if that was bad casting or genius because everyone had to watch it to see how terrible he was. He can carry some films off. This was not one of those films :)

That bloke in Valerian, who was also Harry in one of the Spiderman films. I actually thought the spiderman casting was pretty good but he really doesnt work as the lead in a space-agey action film.

I also agree with Emma Watson in B&tB. She isn't captivating enough as a lead.

Kristen Stewart in pretty much anything. All that breathing and gurning ffs.

Emily Blunt in the new Mary Poppins. Too posh & stiff.

Pauline Collins in Shirley Valentine
I think it should have been Julie Walters

Emily Blunt in Girl on the Train - really not a convincing heavy drinker.

David Thewlis is OK, but Gary Oldman and Alan Rickman are magnificent.

So you don't think Gary Oldman looks like a beegee?

Actually barry gibb would have been more convincing. Go on. Have a little Google of a young Barry.

FourTurnings, yeah, I know he's Scottish, that was my point –he's doing an accent. I can hear the Greenock through the assumed accent, which is distracting, and I think him having to concentrate on it affects his acting too.
I always think the same about Jessie Buckley, who often seems to be cast as English; she's a great actor but having to do the accent makes her a little less great.

Oh! And Henry Cavill in anything. He's so goddamn boring, like a blank plank just standing around.

Oh Henry cavill as the witcher is just perfect though. And i don't care if he just stand around if i get to look at him

I liked Henry Cavill in The Tudors as Charles Brandon. That sort of blankness came across as aristo arrogance and really suited the character.