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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask which roles you think no-one else could play

125 replies

StrangledVowels · 12/07/2025 20:10

Some actors or actresses embody a role so completely, it’s inconceivable anyone else could ever play the same part. They could never be satisfactorily re-cast.

The first one that jumps into my mind is Peter Falk as Columbo. It’s hard to imagine anyone else in that role - he was and always will be Columbo.

Can anyone think of any others?

OP posts:
stonebrambleboy · 12/07/2025 23:07

Diane Morgan is Philomena Cunk

NoNameMum · 12/07/2025 23:08

ThreePointOneFourOneFiveNine · 12/07/2025 22:19

Megan Follows as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables.
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory.

And Jonathan Crombie as Gil ❤️

Sometimeswinning · 12/07/2025 23:08

Sigorney Weaver Alien, Johnny Depp Jack Sparrow, Colin Firth p and p and Alan Rickman as snape, Phil Glenister as Gene Hunt I’ve not read anyone else who isn’t replaceable. (The friends cast I guess but I love all of them so…)

nopiesleftinthisvehicle · 12/07/2025 23:08

Molly Ringwald (remember her?) turned down Pretty Woman, when it was still planned to be a dark film
John Travolta turned down many of the roles Gere played.

Hard agree on Al Pacino as Michael and DiNiro was perfect as the young Vito.

BlankTimes · 12/07/2025 23:15

Philip Glenister as Gene Hunt in Life on Mars

and Ashes to Ashes.

WhyDoesItAlways · 12/07/2025 23:21

Catherine Ohara as Moira Rose. In fact, all of the Rose family were perfectly cast.

Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent.

Funnywonder · 12/07/2025 23:32

Julie T Wallace as Ruth in The Life and Loves of a She Devil.

Bettysnow · 12/07/2025 23:35

John Thaw in Morse

TheDandyLion · 12/07/2025 23:35

Rowan Atkinson - Mr Bean.

youreactinglikeafunmum · 12/07/2025 23:36

Kevin spacey as the guy in House of Cards - probably because no-one is as sinister irl as he is

youreactinglikeafunmum · 12/07/2025 23:37

WhyDoesItAlways · 12/07/2025 23:21

Catherine Ohara as Moira Rose. In fact, all of the Rose family were perfectly cast.

Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent.

Omg Roy Kent! Hes here, hes there, hes everyfuckingwhere

Irl hes quite well spoken 😒 - i prefer his character

margotsdevil · 13/07/2025 00:36

Gene Wilder as the original Wonka.

Alan Rickman as Snape.

Dame Maggie in both Downton and HP.

GoodLaudanum · 13/07/2025 00:39

Jim Carrey - The Grinch

Smallsalt · 13/07/2025 00:54

Frasier Crane ( Kelsey Grammar) and Nialls Crane ( David Hyde Pierce).

Eliza Doolittle ( Audrey Hepburn)

Scarlet O'Hara ( Vivien Leigh)

Smallsalt · 13/07/2025 00:57

NoNameMum · 12/07/2025 23:08

And Jonathan Crombie as Gil ❤️

Show quote history

Oh my god yes

Actually the whole cast. Marilla was perfect too.

MistyGreenAndBlue · 13/07/2025 01:06

ThreePointOneFourOneFiveNine · 12/07/2025 22:19

Megan Follows as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables.
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory.

I hated Megan as Anne. But I'd read the books first and she just didn't LOOK like the Anne LM Montgomery described at all. Red hair is not enough to be Anne Shirley.

WilfredsPies · 13/07/2025 01:15

Anthony Hopkins will always be the one and only Hanibal to me I agreed with this until I saw Mads Mikkelsen play him, he was bloody brilliant.

Kevin spacey as the guy in House of Cards - probably because no-one is as sinister irl as he is I haven’t wanted to watch his version because I don’t think anyone could improve on the original, Ian Richardson.

steff13 · 13/07/2025 01:17
Michael Keaton Smile GIF

Michael Keaton is Batman.

Nellodee · 13/07/2025 06:12

Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker. Joanna Lumley as Patsy.

tattoolondon · 13/07/2025 06:39

Hugh Laurie as House, it shouldn’t work but it does
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock

SundayGirl1 · 13/07/2025 06:40

David Bamber as Mr. Collins!

Bliejogs · 13/07/2025 06:44

AnneLovesGilbert · 12/07/2025 20:12

Suchet as Poirot. I know other people have done it before and since but they’re not good. He is Poirot. He’s perfection.

Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.

The Crocodile Dundee man.

And completely agree about Columbo.

Yeah, people may prefer other versions of Poirot on film/TV, but Suchet IS Poirot, 100% faithful to the book character. Absolute perfection.

InMyOpenOnion · 13/07/2025 06:51

Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly
Tony Robinson as Baldrick
John Cleese as Basil Fawlty

SchnizelVonKrumm · 13/07/2025 07:01

REDB99 · 12/07/2025 20:23

Joan Hickson as Miss Marple

Alan Rickman as Snape (completely disagree with PP about Daniel Radcliffe, he’s a terrible actor)

John Thaw as Morse (although I liked Sean Evans In Endeavour)

Sean Bean in Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Edited to add Idris Elba as Luther

Edited

I love Alan Rickman as Snape but always think he was a bit too old for the part (Snape was at school with Harry's parents so meant to be about late 30s/early 40s in the 1st book).

He's obviously too old now but I think Hugh Grant would have been brilliant as Snape if he hadn't got himself stuck in the romcom trap in the 90s.

Takemybrainaway · 13/07/2025 07:12

The cast of My Fair Lady