Someone Asked This Online Group “What Actor/Actress Was Completely 100% Wrong For The Role?” And Here Are The Best 53 Answers

Sometimes the casting for the role is so good, it's hard to imagine someone else playing it. In other cases, the wrong actor choice just puts the audience out of the story, especially when actors playing a couple have no chemistry. 

One person asked the AskReddit forum "What actor/actress was completely 100% wrong for the role?" And over 32K other users chimed in. Some actors gave these people unfitting to the character vibes, some were too far off the described look in the books, some were a different race than their character. Bored Panda has selected the best answers. Share in the comments if you agree.

More info: Reddit

#1

Mr. Ed. The role required a horse that could talk. The horse they hired couldn't talk so they had to dub all his lines

Image credits: FatuousOocephalus

There are plenty of websites offering advice for starting and experienced filmmakers. You know those never-ending titles at the end of the movie? Yes, that many people are actually needed for large productions, and each type of crew is an important gear in the big machine. One of them is the casting crew: casting directors, associates, and assistants. The casting director is a senior role, they follow the director's, producer's, or writer's guidelines and make deals, negotiate. They have a lot to consider: talent, suitable chemistry, actor availability, and pay. The associate helps them find actors and make deals.

#2

Kristen Stewart as Snow White in Snow White and the Hunstman. Terrible.

Image credits: exploding_shadows

#3

Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. If you’ve read the book he is the exact physical opposite of the character as written.

Image credits: gardengnome15

Their assistant helps with various technical details, such as running the audition waiting room, camera work, reading the lines, etc. so the casting director can focus on the actors. If one is interested in becoming a casting director, it is advised they gain experience as a runner or assistant first, having graduated in Film and TV also helps. These beginner roles can be found on dedicated websites and social media groups dedicated to filmmakers in a particular area.

#4

Colin Farrell as Alexander The Great. As one of my old University professors once said, "I wouldn't follow that guy to the end of my DRIVEWAY".

Image credits: thecyberbard

#5

Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.

Image credits: DonnieJuniorsEmails

#6

Steven Seagal as a person who can kick ass.

Image credits: tmadik

To run the casting process professionally, there are several things to consider. Some available types of auditioning: watching showreels, which is a filmed collection of clips from different productions the actor has been in, it's cheap and quick, an actor's self-filmed reading for a particular role, it gives a sense of how suitable the actor is for the role, and more expensive - in-person auditions with or without giving script excerpts for actors to prepare in advance. The latter requires a professional and comfortable setting which would create an impression of what the production will be like.

#7

Jared Leto as the joker

Image credits: Betabutter

#8

Emma Watson as Belle in beauty and the beast. I actually thought she was the perfect choice before I saw it. But belles main qualities are supposed to be her warmth and kindness, and it felt like Emma was genuinely judging all the people living in her town. She’s a good hermione though

Image credits: allisonofgreengables

#9

Whoever the dude was in 50 shades. Christian Bale would have crushed that role

Image credits: willsbma

Often, when two actors have to interact, there is chemistry read. There, shortlisted actors play together, to see as the name suggests, if they have chemistry. This is lacking in many of the films in this list, particularly noticeable in romantic ones, people mentioned 50 Shades of Grey. However, the Pulp Fiction poster wouldn't hang in every other film student's dorm room if John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson's acting didn't complement one another so much in this drama.

#10

Cats.

Image credits: i_f#&kin_luv_it_mate

#11

Has anyone said Emelia Clarke as Sarah Connor yet? Also Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese. Actually the whole movie sans Arnold was cast fu$^king horribly.

Image credits: HelloTosh

#12

Maybe an unpopular opinion, but Sophie Turner as Jean Gray.

I like her as an actress, but I just couldn’t get into it. I felt like she struggled with hiding her accent.

Image credits: mmacaluso915

Many of the casting controversies come from changing characters' sex or race from the book or previous film or one ethnicity character being played by different ethnicity actors. The general opinion is that the actor doesn't have to be like the character in their personal life. However, in some cases such as when there is a leading transgender role, many people ask that it go to a transgender actor as they do not get many opportunities and might bring more life-like representation of the character's complexity.

#13

Cameron Diaz was horrible in the 2014 Annie remake. She hasn't made a movie since.

Image credits: ShadyIce

#14

Any movie that takes place in high school, but all the actors are in their 20s or 30s.

Image credits: symphonicrox

#15

Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker in Dracula (1992). He's charming and pretty, but he shouldn't have been in this cast against such titans as Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins. And the English accent was atrocious. In over his head. It's like Jennifer Lopez trying to sing a Céline Dion song.

Image credits: SatynMalanaphy

The Academy Awards introduced representation and inclusion standards for eligible films. While there was a lot of blowback, the standards are not that hard to meet. Though, some of them do require keeping some statistics about cast and crew composition. There are 4 standards, at least 2 of which the best picture nominees for 2024 must meet. Such as "at least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group", "The film’s distribution or financing company has paid apprenticeships or internships that are from the following underrepresented groups: women, racial or ethnic group, LGBTQ+, people with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing."

#16

Two that come to mind but weren't cast were in Lord of the Rings. Sean Connery was offered the role of Gandalf but turned it down because he couldn't understand the script. Could you imagine how bad of a casting decision that would have been now that we've seen Sir Ian McKellen in the role? Or Nicolas Cage as Aragorn?

Image credits: joshuabeebe

#17

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson in the 50 Shades trilogy

Aside from the movies being absolutely sh&^$y, the two had no chemistry with each other and it was awkward as hell to watch. More so when I found out that Jamie was married while filming those movies. The movies shouldn't have even been made.

#18

Every actress cast as Sue Richards, The Invisible Woman, from the Fantastic Four so far

Image credits: JustFlanders

Tell us what role you would like to witness being played by a different actor and why in the comments. Do you agree with the list? What do you think about diversity and inclusion standards in the entertainment industry?

#19

Did you guys forgot Ben Afflek in Daredevil?

Image credits: Rais93

#20

Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. Reacher's supposed to be 6+ feet tall, 240+ pounds, basically a brick sh^#house of a man. And someone pulling the strings said yeah, that totally sounds like Tom Cruise to me!

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#21

Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffanys --- straight up plays an Asian man in the most racist performance you've ever seen

Image credits: shootermcgavin125

#22

Shia Leboeuf in Crystal Skull. That part should've been Short Round as an adult.

Image credits: darkdent

#23

Jon Voight as a snake hunter in Anaconda is fine......but him as a PARAGUAYAN snake hunter?.....just......why lol

Image credits: birdperson_012

#24

Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York. It’s the only time I’ve really be pulled out of a movie because the casting didn’t seem right.

Image credits: akchemy

#25

Is it now the time to talk about Topher Grace as Eddie Brock/Venom?

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#26

I have no issues with Pierce Brosnan. Made a fine bond even though his scripts weren't strong. Can do comedy even.

But singing in Mamma Mia? How was that ever allowed to happen?

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#27

Just wanted to say for anyone doubting future casting, look at Robert Downey Jr as Ironman. When that was announced so many fans were up in arms and now he IS Ironman...

Image credits: Helfire7

#28

Jafar in the new Aladdin. He wasn’t believable or menacing and way too young. Plus for much of his screen time he’s standing next to Navid Neghaban, who would have been a MUCH better choice.

#29

Johnny Depp as Grindelwald. Not because of the whole situation around it, but after reading the books and the cameos in Potter, I just don't see him as Grindelwald, just as albino Depp.

Image credits: -itra

#30

Dominic Purcell as Dracula in Blade: Trinity.

That movie has A LOT of problems but Purcell just isn't believable in the role. He's also the smallest person in the movie which just makes it harder to buy him as the king of the vampire world.

Hell, Parker Posey would have made a much better Dracula because she is 100% going for it in her role and was the best part of the film.

Edit: a few people have mentioned that Purcell is 6'1 and I get that he isn't a short guy, the problem is he's shot as if he is and doesn't come off as imposing whatsoever. I left his acting off because, well...it speaks for itself.

Image credits: level 1 RhodyChief

#31

Pretty much everyone from the Percy Jackson movies

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#32

Schwarzenegger in Twins. He looks nothing like Danny De Vito...

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#33

John Dorian as Dr. Acula. He is way to hammy, and not very threatening for a vampire who is behind loads of mysterious deaths in the hospital. He clearly only got the part because he wrote the darn script for it. It was also a very racist filming process where multiple times Chris Turk was told to "act blacker". In good conscience I can't support the film

#34

Ginny Weasley... that actress just never grew into that role. I know it’s hard to cast kids that young, but man they should have replaced her for the last few movies, it was harsh seeing Harry have more actual chemistry with a Muggle coffee shop girl (who was amazing) than the supposed love of his life (who was nothing like fiery character in books).

#35

Annabeth in the "Percy Jackson" movie. The main physical feature was supposed to be the blond hair, and they somehow messed up on that.

Image credits: Crazy_Crayfish_

#36

Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone

Image credits: sabelotodo9

#37

everyone in the last airbender movie, especially considering the fact that they took the waterbenders (canonically the nation with the darkest skin coloring) and made all of them white, then made the firebenders dark-skinned.

Image credits: tonytonix

#38

Chloe Grace Moretz in the Carrie remake.

#39

John Wayne as a Native American or Anthony Hopkins as a black man come to mind.

#40

Joel McHale as Roy in the ill-fated US remake of The IT Crowd.

We want a scruffy and misanthropic IT nerd, so let's get an actor known foorrr... charisma and confidence? OK.

Image credits: lucklater

#41

Meryl Streep as whomever that was in Mary Poppis Returns. That whole scene was atrocious

#42

Dane DeHaan - Valerian

That move is pretty awesome except for him, it felt entirely miscast and I couldn't believe this guy was the kind of character they were making him out to be.

Image credits: Nonsenseinabag

#43

Nicole Kidman is cast as Lucy in Aaron Sorkin's Lucille Ball movie. She can't move her face anymore. And I like Nicole Kidman, she's done some great stuff lately but this doesn't make sense.

#44

Idk their names, but the main protagonists in the live action remake of dragon ball and also the one in the last airbender

What's crazy to me is how these movies still were able to make a profit

Image credits: DesecrateTheAbyss

#45

Ferdia Shaw as Artemis Fowl. He conveys none of the intelligence, shrewdness or relentless determination of the book character. He comes across as a child dressed up in a suit and handed cue cards with smart-sounding lines to read unconvincingly. He's a child so I'm going to lay the blame for that one on the casting director.

#46

Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, he would have been more believable as Kyle Raynor then Hal Jorden... he was regularly thrown around to play Wally West as the Flash.

They took a big(ish) popular actor and throw him at a role without any consideration that his personality matched the character.

Everything that makes Reynolds perfect as Deadpool makes him wrong as Hal Jordan.

#47

John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich. It just seemed a bit too on the nose.

Image credits: matzobrei

#48

Me watching previews: Jim Halpert for Jack Ryan...

Me after watching it: Ah s^#t he rocked it.

#49

I will take a look in the future and say Mark Whalberg as Sully in the Uncharted movie

#50

Recently watched the new series The Equilizer and saw Queen Latifah lay out a gigantic bad guy and thought “What?

#51

Kevin Hart as Roland in the upcoming Borderlands movie. Everyone who knows anything about Borderlands will agree with me. Terry Crews should be playing Roland. He's big, has comedic chops, and can play the no-nonsense straight shooter BADASS when everything else is wild.

#52

Movie hasn’t even come out yet but Kevin Hart is playing Roland in the new Borderlands movie and i can already tell you right now, it’s gonna be a terrible fu#^ing time.

#53

Non-British (particularly male) actors cast as protagonists in a medieval settings. The accents aren't just often bad, they're extremely distracting too.

What's crazy is that the supporting (often antagonist) casting are very often British and often.. very good.

Russell Crowe vs. Mark Strong in Robin Hood (2010)

Dennis Quad vs. David Thewlis in Dragonheart

Kevin Costner and Christian Slater vs. Alan Rickman in Robin Hood (1991)

There's a few exceptions. Namely Braveheart and A Knights Tale.