Who would you nominate in a poll for the best and worst casting in movie history? ++++++++++++ 07-06-03, 06:47 PM Sherasi I think that Vivian Leah (sp?) was the perfect choice for Scarlet O'Hara.
As for worst casting.... hmmmmmmm...
I have to think about it..........
07-07-03, 07:15 AM Rainmaker I don't know if I can judge best and worst of all movie history but I don't think anyone could play Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies better than Alan Rickman.
As for worst casting, Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu in the first two episodes of Star Wars!
07-07-03, 10:23 AM DorianGreyed Surely one of the worst was Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula. He almost single-handedly sank a fantastic movie. Fortunately, his role was not a large one. He was conpletely out of his league, unable to convey anything close to the required emotion. His scenes could have been subtitled 'Bill and Ted Go to Transylvania.' No longer able to do teen roles, he needs to stick to roles that require no emotion. He does well conveying that.
07-07-03, 05:57 PM dogspit Hmmm, I will start with a couple of the best jobs of casting then revisit this thread later.
John Malkovich as the assassin in In the Line of Fire was brilliant. He lent an air of evil and intellect that few others could approach.
Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins in LOTR : Fellowship of the Ring. I did not expect much of him, but he did truly become the character.
Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate. He was virtually unknown (having only two bit parts in previous films) but carried the role and made the film a classic.
Awesome topic, I hope it grows and I intend to visit it again with more stuff.
07-07-03, 09:07 PM LVLF worst?...Keanu Reeves in ANY MOVIE HE'S EVER BEEN IN. My dog can act better than he can. And I have to say Jack Nicholson in 'The Shinning' was badly miscast, as well as Shelly Duval, for the same movie. Now, I'll have to put some thought into this, and I'll return much more prepared.
07-08-03, 12:21 PM Texan-In-Exile For Best Casting:
Bela Lugosi as the title character in Dracula (1931) Anthony Hopkins as "Hannibal Lecter" in The Silence of the Lambs Jim Carrey as "Andy Kaufman" in Man on the Moon
And I understand there are plans for a Bewitched movie, possibly starring Nicole Kidman as "Samantha" and Jim Carrey as "Darren." I can't think of two people who resemble Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York more than do Kidman and Carrey!
I thought Jack Nicholson was perfectly cast as "Jack" in The Shining.
For Worst Casting:
Although they are/were great actors, I thought that James Arness and Brian Keith were miscast as "Jim Bowie" and "Davy Crockett" respectively in the TV movie The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory. I would have liked it better if their roles had been reversed.
Michelle Johnson as "Jennifer" in Blame It on Rio. Her acting just didn't seem natural, especially her speaking parts.
I know I'll think of some more later...
07-09-03, 11:51 AM DorianGreyed I agree that Nicholson was perfect in The Shining. Two roles completely unsuited for the actor chosen, stand out. John Wayne as Genghis Khan in "The Conqueror." John Wayne as a Centurion in "The Greatest Story Ever Told." (The Conqueror has an interesting bit of Trivia attached to it. I will post it in Trivia soon.)
10-09-03, 08:31 AM dogspit One minor role that I thought was brilliantly cast was Vincent Schiavelli as the ghost in the subway in the Patrick Swayze movie Ghost. He was so perfectly bitter and creepy !
10-09-03, 06:22 PM MrsS Best...Drew Barrymore as Charlie in Firestarter! Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest. One that surprised me, Tom Cruise in Interview With the Vampire...I thought he'd screw up the role royally, I was wrong. Worst....Hmmm......Lemme get back to you on that...
10-09-03, 07:02 PM DorianGreyed More Best Casting: The entire cast in "The Conversation."
John Houseman in "The Paper Chase." This movie, made in 1973, was Houseman's 3rd as an actor. He had a role in 1938 as a duelist, and an uncredited role in 1964's "Seven Days in May." He did keep busy in with other things, however. Houseman and Orson Welles were the founders of the Famous Mercury Theatr; Houseman was a producer of unit 891, the government theatre project funded by the WPA. He also was the overseas Director of the Office of War Information during WWII, and was also associated with the Voice of America. (It was Houseman in the commercial for Smith-Barney who said ""Smith-Barney. They make money the old-fashioned way...they EARN it!") Houseman also taught acting at Julliard School of Fine Arts for awhile.
Lee Strasberg in "The Godfather, Part II." This was Strasberg's first role. Strasberg became the Actors Studio director in 1950. A proponent of "method" acting, he influenced several generations of actors, from Marlon Brando to Dustin Hoffman.
Anthony Quinn as "Alexis Zorbas." (Read the book; Zorba was Macedonian.)
10-10-03, 09:00 AM shelster Best casting...I have to agree with Sherasi..the entire cast of Gone With the Wind.
Also, Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.
I find it interesting that Vivien Leigh was considered a poor choice for the role of Scarlett because she was british and the people of the south were very offended by that choice.
I remember thinking when "Pirates" was released "johnny depp...a pirate????"
Boy did he prove me wrong.
I can't think of anyone offhand that was a poor choice.... I have heard that Kevin Spacey in the Shipping News was a poor choice, but I didn't read the book so I can't really say for sure. I personally like him in everything he has ever done.
10-10-03, 09:31 AM Georgia85 Jim Carrey is being considered for the role of Darren in "Bewitched"? I had no idea, but I can so see a resemblance now that you mention it. And I remember the first time I ever saw a pic of Nicole Kidman I thought to myself that if "Bewitched" was ever made into a movie she would be the perfect lookalike for Elizabeth Montgomery!
My thought on the worse casting was Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly. However John Malkovich was perfect in his role as Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde!
10-13-03, 08:45 PM auntikhaki I don't feel qualified to judge good or bad casting decisions either, rainmaker.
I can think of a few casting decisions that were surprisingly good: Bruce Willis in Sixth Sense, Russell Crowe in Gladiator, and Catherine Zeta Jones in Chicago.
I think the casting for The Avengers with Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman was doomed, and I think that the chemistry between Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic was more friend vs. lover.
10-14-03, 02:12 AM DorianGreyed Seeing Depp's name made me think of two excellent examples of great casting: Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi and Vincent D'Onofrio as Orson Welles in Tim Burton's Ed Wood. Landau's role was huge, and he deservedly won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, although he could have easily won Best Actor, had not Tom Hanks been in that category. No one votes against Hanks. D'Onofrio's very small role as Welles was amazing, and it was hard to accept that this was the suicidal Private Pyle in "Full Metal Jacket." D'Onofrio can now be seen in "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" as Detective Robert Goren.
10-23-03, 10:47 AM Texan-In-Exile Thought of a really good case of "clever" casting: The Long Riders (1980) This movie features real brothers playing - well - brothers! James and Stacy Keach play the James brothers; David, Keith and Robert Carradine play the Younger brothers; Randy and Dennis Quaid play the Miller brothers; and Christopher and Nicholas Guest play the Ford brothers.
Now who woulda thought of that?
10-23-03, 06:24 PM MrsS I almost forgot about one of the best bits of casting of all time...Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday in Tombstone! A dazzling performance, I am not a fan of Kilmer for the most part, but I can't think of another actor who could have made Doc come to life like he did.
10-23-03, 08:18 PM shelster Ok, on that note..how about Val as Jim Morrison in the Doors...
"The killer awoke before dawn and he...."
10-24-03, 11:36 AM LVLF I completely agree with you about Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday, MrsS.. I judge a lot of acting by that role. He was brilliant.
Here is one badly miscast role; Nick Nolte in Lorenzo's Oil. PaLEEZE! There was no other actor out there that was better suited for that role? His incredibly bad Italian accent alone was enough to make my hair stand on end!
10-24-03, 03:41 PM dogspit Casting I loved Bruce Willis in the first two Die Hard[/b] movies. When the first came out i expected him to be his character from Moonlighting, but he was quite well suited for the role.
One casting choice I hated was Sandra Bullock in Two Weeks Notice. She is so incapable of "chemistry" that she made an already predicatable movie into a disaster.
10-24-03, 03:55 PM mattlynda best- the entire cast of the lord of the rings, with the huge exception of liv tyler. she fits into the worst category. best- harrison ford as indiana jones. best- alan rickman in anything. Big Grin
worst- tom cruise in interview with the vampire. ick.
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