Movie miscasts?

[Sarah]

For me one of the stand out miscasts is Christina Ricci in 'Monster', starring Charlize Theron. She isn't a bad actress but I just thought she didn't seem right or fit in the part of the lover of Aileen Wuornos. She was too petite and timid. Any others you can think of?

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Leslie Howard in GONE WITH THE WIND -- even Margaret Mitchell said he was the only key cast member they'd hired the wrong actor for. He was an effete pantywaist in the movie instead of the cultured, haunted, laguid southern patrician he's described as in the book.

And then there's Tom Cruise in INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE. Holy Jeezus.

 

[Jessie]

I would say Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates.

Vince is a great actor but I didn't think he was right for the role of Norman Bates in the Psycho remake

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I would say Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates.

Vince is a great actor but I didn't think he was right for the role of Norman Bates in the Psycho remake

Interestingly, as much as I'm against the PSYCHO remake on principle (and for many other reasons) I thought Vaughn was strangely good, though quite different from Tony Perkins.

The one I hated was Princess Celestia as the new Marion. Anne Heche is a good actress, but unlike desperate, trapped Janet Leigh whom you felt for long after she was killed, Heche seemed like a rat-like opportunist and you forgot about her once Vince finished masturbating.

 

[Emelee]

Colin Farrell as Alexander in Alexander the great.
Ruined it.
Angelina Jolie was awesome in it though.

 

[Justine]

Much as I love Elizabeth Taylor, her role as Cleopatra is perhaps the best example of a movie miscast for many reasons, not least that Cleopatra was an Egyptian queen...

 

[Grant Jennings]

Diana Ross in "The Wiz", Dorothy is an ingenue yet they cast a sophisticated, mature woman. Casting Ross required them to rewrite the script which only made things worse.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Much as I love Elizabeth Taylor, her role as Cleopatra is perhaps the best example of a movie miscast for many reasons, not least that Cleopatra was an Egyptian queen...

One must remember, though, that Cleopatra was not Egyptian. She was a descendant of the Ptolemy dynasty, and probably not black. Her coloring was likely more Mediterranean, like perhaps Sophia Loren rather than pasty Taylor (except when she had that barge tan).

 

[Sarah]

Another that I found miscast is Edward Norton in 'Red Dragon'. I found him far too child like and immature to be an experienced FBI agent:

 

[Toni]

There is a lot of movie miscasts in the history of films, from Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" (who against all odds became an adorable icon in this role) and Deborah Kerr in "From Here to Eternity", to Meryl Streep in "The Bridges of Madison County" and the two male leads (Hanks & Willis) in "The Bonfire of the Vanities". With a bit of luck, miscasts may lead to a career breakout or a hit comeback. So everything is relative in the dream factory too.

I agree about the abovementioned Diana Ross but not the others: there was a pile of production problems and inconveniences in the making of those movies and those actors being the leads weren´t the worst of them. Angelina Jolie playing Colin Farrell´s mum was as laughable as seeing Joan Collins in a blond wig on "American Horror Story"...Agree about the actors from "Interview with a Vampire" with the exception of Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst.

Sophia Loren actually did play Cleopatra in one of her early movies, but Taylor did give to Cleo the gravitas and charisma the character needed, independently of how she should have looked. Montgomery Clift falling in love with Anne Baxter (who always looked older than her male counterparts) in Hitchcock´s "I Confess" is quite unbelievable despite his remarkable performance. Actually, every time I see Baxter in anything (including "Hotel"), I can´t help thinking she is lying and hiding something from everyone a la Eve Harrington...so I find her miscast in almost anything else.

Marilyn Monroe was miscast in "Niagara" but no one did care at all because she gave all of her to the role and audiences made it a big box-office hit. Other cases: Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in her Batman movie (and a few of others too), Cher in her Oscar-winner "Moonstruck", Robert de Niro in the "Fockers" saga, Ryan Gosling in "La La Land" (and also a few others), Leo Di Caprio in "Titanic", Julianne Moore in "Hannibal", etc. Anyway, as I said before, this doesn´t mean you can´t enjoy the movie or that it can´t really make a fortune...as odd as it may sound.