16 Times Actors Were So Poorly Cast In Movies, They Basically Ruined The Whole Thing
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Recently, redditor u/gavelpounder91 asked the internet, "Film snobs of Reddit, who was the single worst casting choice in Hollywood film history?" People shared some bad, weird, and surprising casting decisions that they strongly disagree with.
Here are some of the top-voted responses:
1.Julia Roberts in Michael Collins (1996)
"Maybe not the worst of all time, but Julia Roberts in Michael Collins was super jarring. Her Irish accent was willy-nilly, and when it was on, it was still pretty terrible. Plus, she just looked out of place, like they dropped a supermodel into the middle of the Irish Civil War; you shove a big name and face like hers into a historical period piece like that, you're just asking for trouble. Should have went with an Irish actress."
2.Mark Wahlberg in The Truth About Charlie (2002)
"Mark Wahlberg in the Cary Grant role in the remake of Charade (The Truth About Charlie). The whole thing was a train wreck and a disgrace to everyone involved, save maybe Thandiwe Newton, but none of it was worse than Markie Mark in the male lead."
3.Maria Bello in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
"Maria Bello in the third Mummy movie, replacing Rachel Weisz. It would’ve been better to say Evelyn died than to recast her."
—Anonymous
"The 'joke' about not being the same woman made me cringe. Should have waited for Rachel Weisz or yes, had Evelyn dead or just really busy with a library somewhere so it was a guy’s trip. I watched the movie at the cinema and haven’t been able to rewatch it."
4.Cara Delevingne and Dane DeHaan in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
"She had no feelings and zero chemistry with the other main character played by Dane DeHaan — who I’ve also never seen in another movie. Worst casting ever."
"I'm still f**king mad about the casting choices in this movie except for Ethan Hawke. They needed actors who look about 20 years older who know how to deliver dialogue. They didn't look old enough to get a driver's license, let alone a pilot's license."
5.Mark Wahlberg in The Happening (2008)
"I’m not sure any casting choice could have made that movie not suck, but I couldn’t believe for even a second that Wahlberg was just a dorky science teacher trying to survive."
6.Topher Grace in Spider-Man 3 (2007)
"Who the @#&$ cast Topher Grace as Venom?! Seriously the kid's from That '70s Show. He's not scary at all. Especially when he was screaming in agony, I was just thinking to myself...'This is bad.'"
7.Denise Richards in The World Is Not Enough (1999)
"Denise Richards trying to play a nuclear physicist in The World Is Not Enough — she was about as convincing of a nuclear physicist as a dog chewing on an atom-shaped chew toy."
8.Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
"His attempt at a British accent is hilarious."
9.Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York (2002)
"She's not bad, but can't match DiCaprio and Daniel Day Lewis."
"Honestly, Daniel Day Lewis was on another level in that movie. I remember watching it as a kid, and even then, I felt like I was watching Leo, Cameron Diaz, and a dude that time travelled from the turn of the century. Leo and Diaz basically play themselves while Daniel Day Lewis disappears in his role."
10.Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
"I just watched this movie like last week; her every emotion looked the same. The thing is, I like Kristen in the new Charlie's Angels (2019). I guess she just needs to find the right roles."
"After I saw some of her darker, edgier, more indie roles, I realized she's amazing when she's given room to be subtle. Her energy is very reserved but it's powerful. Personal Shopper (2016) is a strange movie that's one of my recent favorites for example — highly recommend it."
11.Jesse Eisenberg in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
"There is just no danger to the guy — he just looks perpetually like a 19-year-old college student still living at his mom's house, so I’m not gonna buy him as some evil mastermind. Thanks."
"I actually liked his performance, but it doesn’t fit as Lex Luthor. I would have been happier if they said it was another character because I did quite enjoy his acting."
12.Sofia Coppola in The Godfather Part III (1990)
"Sofia Coppola is a really talented filmmaker — as an actor, she just was not prepared for a role that big, in a movie that big. It's her father's fault for casting her at the last minute, and he admits it. Yes, everyone had their claws out ready to rip her performance, but even revisiting the movie, it's cringe-inducing. She just wasn't ready for all of that, and now that awkward performance is frozen in amber for generations to see."
13.Robert De Niro in The Irishman (2019)
"Robert De Niro as the young Frank Sheehan in The Irishman. There isn’t enough makeup and CGI in the world to make that work."
"Yeah, that was so dumb. No amount of CGI could make De Niro walk and act like a young guy. The whole 'de-aging' gimmick I think works for maybe a flashback scene or a cameo, but shooting a whole movie with it robs a younger actor of a role that they probably could have pulled off way better."
14.Russell Crowe in Les Misérables (2012)
"Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert in Les Misérables. He just can't sing nearly as well as the other cast members — especially for a movie that is a musical."
"His acting itself was just fine. The issue is that his singing was jarringly behind a lot of the other actors, especially since his main counterpart was Hugh Jackman, who has been a successful musical actor on stage. It's fine having actors that may not be the best singers, but probably not a good idea to continually put those actors in direct comparison to those that are because it highlights the major difference in ability, pulling you out of the immersion. Javert is Valjean's foil, so there's going to be constant and direct comparison between those two. You need to have the two actors on par with each other."
15.George Clooney in Batman and Robin (1997)
"As Batman, he's terrible. Awful. However, I don't think he made a bad Bruce Wayne. I feel the same way about Ben Affleck. Bad Batman, good Bruce Wayne. They both got trapped in awful scripts, but they are good actors deep down — just stuck in the tar pits of awful movies."
16.And finally: Gwyneth Paltrow in the Iron Man movies
"Gwyneth Paltrow as Tony Stark’s personal assistant-turned-CEO was god awful. Having been an admin for 30 years, the way she played that character would be an embarrassment to the profession."
"I binged MCU during the pandemic and ended up loving all of it, but every Pepper scene just threw me off. Pepper Potts is genuine, and Paltrow is probably the most aloof actor I've ever seen."
Do you agree with these? Which other actors were poorly cast in movies? Let us know in the comments below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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