Mis-casting: Which actor did you feel did NOT best represent the book character?

[chipmonkey]

Mine are:

Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart
Winona Ryder as Jo from Little Women ( she did a nice job but I wouldn't have cast her!)

Hugo

Keira Knightley as virtually anyone she's ever played, with the possible exception of the girl in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Harrison Ford should have had the Da Vinci Code in the bag... not Tom Hanks.

And no-one has ever, ever, ever got Cathy right in Wuthering Heights. Not even Merle Oberon. (though obviously Larry was fab). It should have been Kate Bush really.

Wizard of Oz
David Blunkett as the Lion
David Hamilton as the Tin Man
Tony Blair as the Scarecrow
Hazel Blears as Chief Munchkin
Peter Mandelson as the Wicked Witch

Would agree that John Hannah was wrong as Rebus. What were they thinking?

every version of pride and prejudice has been miscast because they always refuse to make Elizabeth less pretty than Jane so the story never really works

agree tom cruise was fab in Interview with a vampire - and i had graoned when he was cast.

Yes, Ken Branagh miscast as Lockhart, should OBVIOUSLY have been Rik Mayall.
www.theambassadors.com/common_graphics/productions/p3422_m1.jpg

Bill Nighy as James Mortmain (the father) in I Capture the Castle. Just all wrong.

Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn. Scarlett Johannssen as her sister Mary. FGS.

This thread makes me realise how rarely I see a movie these days.

I wasn't sure about Meryl Streep as the editor in Devil Wears Prada. Good actress but didn't look right and not really scary enough.

I think it was disturbing that Meryl Streep look so unlike Anna Wintour - but then I suppose that they had to keep as far away from an Anna Wintour lookalike as possible.

Agree about every Elizabeth Bennet being too pretty, and about Rik Mayall as Lockhart.

And who on Earth thought that Keanu Reeves would fit into Bram Stoker's Dracula?

I was so sure he'd get the part. Kept imagining it when reading the book to dd. Was stunned when it was Branagh.
Yes, the makers of Devil Wears Prada were apparently terrified of being sued by Anna Wintour.
Great anecdote (not sure if true or not) - junior staffer in office when anna wintour crashes flat on her face in front of her when her heel catches in carpet. MOre senior staffer hisses, 'for gods sake, just step over her!' so junior staffer steps over Anna's supine body as if she isn't there. Anna gets up, nobody says a thing.

Regarding Rik Mayall.
I read somewhere ( I can't remember where) that one of the Harry potter films actually had Peeves the Poltergeist in it, and Rik Mayall did the voice, but it never made it into the final version.

I've never liked Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter - he's too solid-looking and looks like he possesses no imagination whatsoever. And as he's got older he's become positively muscle-bound. My Harry Potter is far skinnier and more sensitive-looking.

Tom Hanks in the Bonfire of the Vanities -- not at all how I pictured that character in the book.

Pagwatch, disagree about P&P casting, as pretty as Jennifer Ehle is in the BBC version, I thought the actress who played Jane was much more attractive in a conventional sense

Robert Pattison as 'Edward' in Stephanie Meyers 'Twilight'

He is just so NOT my Edward

Rik Mayall was cast as Peeves (perfect) but they cust out all his scenes, he was understandably pissed off, and refused to take part in any more o the movies

Agree that CLive Owen would havebeen great as sirius

Now lUcius Malfoy - jason Isaacs is an inspired choice. Apparently the producers etc were going to make him look like a businessman in a suit with short hair, but Jason Isaacs insisted on the long white hair and robes etc. Good man! Malfoy is supposed to be an uber-wizard, not a muggle banker!

Ooh yes, Luscious Malfoy

lol @ luscious Malfoy!

I prefer Snape.

Michael Gambon as Dumbledore. Completely and totally wrong. I cannot imagine who ever thought he was right for the part.

It should have been Ian McKellen or Derek Jacobi IMO.