What Were Casting Directors Thinking When They Chose These Actors For These Roles?

Published on 09/06/2020

Cameron Diaz In Gangs Of New York

Fair enough, it must not be easy to impress the audiences when Daniel Day-Lewis stole the show in Gangs of New York. The Oscar-nominated Martin Scorsese film was dominated by the talented actor. Even though most of the members of the cast could hold their own, Cameron Diaz stood out from the crowd in a bad way. She was cast to play Jenny Everdeane, a pickpocket who becomes the love interest of the protagonist played by Leonardo di Caprio. The actress is best known for her comedy projects, so people were curious to see her in a dramatic role. Sadly, she just seemed miscast for the role. On top of that, it did not help that her Irish accent was not exactly up to par.

Cameron Diaz In Gangs Of New York

Cameron Diaz In Gangs Of New York

Jesse Eisenberg In Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice

Lex Luthor is easily one of the most iconic comic book villains in history. When word got out that he was going to be in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, it was a given that fans would speculate about the actor who was going to play him. Fans wanted Bryan Cranston for the role, especially since he has proven to us how great he was at playing villains. People were shocked to hear that the part instead went to Jesse Eisenberg! Even though movie critics and fans are not always on the same page, they seemed to agree that someone else should have played the character. People found his interpretation of Lex Luthor to be much too loud and too manic. In fact, some fans even said that it felt like he was gunning for The Joker instead!

Jesse Eisenberg In Batman V Superman Dawn Of Justice

Jesse Eisenberg In Batman V Superman Dawn Of Justice

Johnny Depp In The Lone Ranger

These days, people will openly criticize a white actor if they play an ethnic character. And rightfully so! The past couple of years have not been easy on Johnny Depp. Sadly, The Lone Ranger did not help his career improve whatsoever. Disney allegedly lost an incredible $190 million on this film because the viewers and critics were not impressed with the movie at all. One of the biggest problems had to do with the casting of Johnny Depp in the role of Tonto, who is supposed to be Native American. The actor is best known as a chameleon, who can turn into every single character imaginable with the help of prosthetics and heavy makeup. But it did not seem like to do such a thing when it comes to this character because it carried racist undertones.

Johnny Depp In The Lone Ranger

Johnny Depp In The Lone Ranger

Chloë Grace Moretz In Carrie

Why did anyone feel the need to remake Carrie in the first place? If you ask us, there was no need to do such a thing in the first place. From the way that it bombed at the box office, it looks like most people thought so too. What they got wrong is that they cast Chloe Grace Moretz to play an awkward misfit when she looks more like the cheerleader who will bully Carrie herself. Since she was already pretty in the first place, the prom scene did not have the same effect that it did in the original. The scenes are awkward for this reason but not the sort that the film needed. It was supposed to be about the torment that a young girl goes through at the hands of her bullies and mother. It did not make sense because the actress did not look the part!

Chloë Grace Moretz In Carrie

Chloë Grace Moretz In Carrie

John Cusack In The Butler

When it comes to the silver screen, John Cusack is best known for playing likable everyman types. That is the reason he was so great as the lead in High Fidelity and Say Anything. It was a strange choice to cast him as the 37th President of the United States. If you ask us, this was a huge gamble from the get-go. But Lee Daniels did not seem to get this because he even miscast Cusack in two of his films. In The Paperboy, Cusack was cast to play a murderous sex maniac. It was a strange choice, but his Nixon role in The Butler made even less sense. We are sure that most viewers would agree that he did not sound nor look anything like the president even with his prosthetic nose.

John Cusack In The Butler

John Cusack In The Butler

Keanu Reeves In Bram Stoker’s Dracula

When it comes to acting so bad that it was funny, Keanu Reeves has several performances on the list. First of all, it was weird to see him play the supporting character Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Even though the film bagged three wins at the Oscars for its makeup crews, costume, and sound effects, but his performance could have been better. Let us just say that we are not impressed by his over-the-top reactions and horrible British accent. Francis Ford Coppola, the director, said that the actor tried his hardest when it comes to copying the accent. Sadly, it did not work the way that he wanted. Coppola explained, “He wanted to do it perfectly, and in trying to do it perfectly it came off as stilted.”

Keanu Reeves In Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Keanu Reeves In Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Ashton Kutcher In Jobs

Many comedic actors want to break out of the stereotype by taking on serious roles. However, we think that there are more roles fitting for Ashton Kutcher than Steve Jobs who revolutionized the field of tech. After all, this was the guy who brought Kelso to life in That ‘70s Show! It is pretty hard to believe that the Dude, Where’s My Car star would be the person who came up with the iPhone and iPod. If you want to watch something that does not require as much suspension of disbelief, we recommend that you check out the biopic with Michael Fassbender instead.

Ashton Kutcher In Jobs

Ashton Kutcher In Jobs

Angelina Jolie In Alexander

It was already bad enough to cast Colin Farrell to play the title character, but it was strange to see Angelina Jolie play his mother. We can see why people were skeptical from the very start. She is not nearly old enough for the past, so it is strange that they did not have her use prosthetics. At the time, she was no more than 29 years old, while Farrell had been 28. You can probably understand where we are coming from! This really brings to light the fact that Hollywood refuses to cast older actresses. It is a real problem even to this day.

Angelina Jolie In Alexander

Angelina Jolie In Alexander

Vince Vaughn In Psycho

A lot of people found this remake of the Hitchcock film strange. People found it unnecessary, but that is not the weirdest thing about the movie just yet. Why did they cast Vince Vaughn to play Bates? There must have been more actors who could have played a character that should have been frail. At the time, the actor must have still been trying to get a feel for who he was. By then, he had already been in Rounders and Swingers but had yet to make it big as a comedy star as Wedding Crashers and Old School had not yet come out. As you can imagine, he did not do a very good job in Psycho. It is a good thing that the original is still around.

Vince Vaughn In Psycho

Vince Vaughn In Psycho

Denise Richards In The World Is Not Enough

A Bond girl should not only look good, but she should also be witty, challenging, and fun to watch. Unfortunately for Denise Richards, people now consider her performance as one of the worst takes on the role. We are referring to her portrayal of Dr. Christmas Jones in The World is Not Enough (1999). In those days, she was best known for her topless scene in The Wild Things. Sadly, she was unable to add depth to this character. Even though she herself said that it was a “brainy” role, she failed to show the viewers this aspect of the character. To be honest, no one could believe that she was a nuclear scientist. Richards was even hailed the Worst Supporting Actress during the Razzie Awards. This made history because it was the first film in the series to have received a Golden Raspberry.

Denise Richards In The World Is Not Enough

Denise Richards In The World Is Not Enough

Russell Crowe In Noah

Another Hollywood mystery is how much filmmakers enjoy making movies about bible stories. Fair enough, The 10 Commandments has earned classic status, while The Passion of Christ earned a lot of money at the box office. Maybe they can stop there, however. For one thing, it is hard to believe that a Kiwi actor like Russell Crowe could be Noah. After all, we are talking about this Middle Eastern man who created a huge wooden ark to rescue all the animals from the huge flood. The movie made a lot of people angry, and not just the religious ones. As a matter of fact, it has been banned in a couple of Muslim countries because it contradicts the teachings of Islam.

Russell Crowe In Noah

Russell Crowe In Noah

Sofia Coppola In Godfather III

Did you know that Sofia Coppola is not only the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola but also the cousin of Nicolas Cage? She is a talented screenwriter and director in her own right, even winning an Academy Award for the screenplay of Lost in Translation. However, her acting in The Godfather III was very stilted. Let us not be too harsh because she went uncredited when she first appeared in The Godfather and The Godfather II. Her dad must have shaken his head when he saw her performance in the third installment of the film. It is generous to call her portrayal monotonous because it was very dull. Many people thought it was a good thing that she got killed off.

Sofia Coppola In Godfather III

Sofia Coppola In Godfather III

Kevin Costner In Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves

Who would have thought we would ever see a long-haired man from California play Robin Hood? Kevin Costner did not do justice to the legend with his uninspired portrayal of the mythical English character. He did not even attempt to do the accent! If you ask us, it was even worse because this followed his amazing performance in Dances with Wolves. His Robin Hood seemed like a cross between Crash Davis in Bull Durham and Elliot Ness in The Untouchables. However, the acting could have been miles better. To his credit, the film was pretty bad enough on its own.

Kevin Costner In Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves

Kevin Costner In Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves

Ryan Reynolds In Green Lantern

It is hard to make a superhero unlikable. But Ryan Reynolds succeeded in this when he took on the role of Green Lantern. Martin Campbell, the director, must have thought that he had someone to rival Iron Man by casting another snarky and handsome leading man. Sadly, he was mistaken. Reynolds did not have the same gravitas, which is not a bad thing on its own. We are glad that he got a second chance when he was cast to play Deadpool. He was great in this role, but no such as the green crime-fighting hero. It was no wonder that the movie bombed when the lead was so miscast.

Ryan Reynolds In Green Lantern

Ryan Reynolds In Green Lantern

Colin Farrell In Alexander

Over the years, Colin Farrell has impressed us a fair number of times. Even so, his portrayal of the lead character in Alexander was an exception to the rule. For one thing, people found his casting to be culturally insensitive since he is not Greek. Not only that, but he simply did not look right for the greedy and morally bereft emperor that we have come to know as Alexander the Great. In 2013, he talked about the bleach blonde dye job when he was a guest on The Graham Norton Show: “That was my Doris Day look…Alexander was the golden-locked child, but he shouldn’t have been. He should’ve been brunette. And maybe he shouldn’t have had an Irish accent — only from the 7,000 reviews I read.” Oops.

Colin Farrell In Alexander

Colin Farrell In Alexander

Halle Berry In Catwoman

When Halle Berry took on the role of Catwoman, she was several years away from winning her Oscar. At the time, she had already tried her hand at a superhero role. After all, she played Storm in the X-Men franchise by then. Sadly, she failed to exceed the expectations that people had of her following the spectacular portrayal of Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns (1992). The new version of the film did not have the same seductive nature of the old one. People instead thought that it was hypersexualized and over-the-top. We bet that it was tough since Catwoman is among the worst superhero films in history. Regardless, the performance could have been better.

Halle Berry In Catwoman

Halle Berry In Catwoman

Everyone In Fifty Shades Of Grey

The Fifty Shades of Grey film was an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the novel with the same title. It is sad that the movie did not capture what made the book so famous. Among other things, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan simply did not have enough chemistry to pull off the story. If you know even a single thing about the story, then you would understand just how important this is. There are even reports that the lead actor and actress truly hated one another while working together. This has yet to be verified, but we can see why people would think such a thing from their acting alone.

Everyone In Fifty Shades Of Grey

Everyone In Fifty Shades Of Grey

George Clooney In Batman & Robin

A lot of famous men have taken on the role of Batman, though they have seen different levels of success. Fans had been outraged when it first came out that Heath Ledger was going to bring the Joker to life. If you are a fan of the Dark Knight, then you would know that George Clooney has only played the character once. This was in Batman & Robin, the very same movie that had the bat nipples. We can be lenient here since he had been surrounded by bad villains played by the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, and Alicia Silverstone as Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and Batgirl.

George Clooney In Batman & Robin

George Clooney In Batman & Robin

Topher Grace In Spider-Man 3

Even though Spider-Man 3 does not hold a candle to the new movies, this movie will always have a special place in our hearts. People did not approve of the decision to cast Tobey Maguire as the superhero. However, it sounded even stranger to make Topher Grace play Venom in the third movie of the series! Let us remind you that this was the actor who made a name for himself as Eric Forman in That ‘70s Show. We all know that the villain should have been played by a bigger guy. If you ask us, Tom Hardy was a much better fit for this character.

Topher Grace In Spider Man 3

Topher Grace In Spider-Man 3

John Wayne In The Conqueror

This actor was born in Iowa, which might be the whitest area in the United States. On the other hand, Genghis Khan famously hailed from Mongolia. John Wayne made waves in the industry as the star of many Westerns, so it was odd to see him play Khan in The Conqueror (1956). Could he have gotten bored of his regular genre after being in the business for 30 years? If it was not that, maybe Howard Hughes offered him a huge sum of money to work on this project. At any rate, the movie was just as bad as this casting choice. You might have heard people call this one of the worst films in history.

John Wayne In The Conqueror

John Wayne In The Conqueror

Scarlett Johansson In Ghost In The Shell

Here is another famous incident of whitewashing in Hollywood that happened fairly recently. People simply could not believe that someone would cast Scarlett Johansson in a movie like Ghost in the Shell in the year of the Lord 2017. While the performance was not bad on its own, it was still cringe-worthy for her to play this character. However, it simply does not feel right to give a role like this to a white actress considering what Hollywood is like. After all, Asians are already underrepresented in the industry as it is. We are not all that surprised to hear that fans of the anime circulated petitions to recast the role. Could this have led to its eventual failure? Maybe it was nothing more than karmic justice at play when the film turned out to be a critical and commercial flop.

Scarlett Johansson In Ghost In The Shell

Scarlett Johansson In Ghost In The Shell

Mickey Rooney In Breakfast At Tiffany’s

The next one is pretty big. It seems like people continue to overlook this part of the movie when they talk about Breakfast at Tiffany’s. We wonder if the people who claim to be huge fans of the movie know that Mickey Rooney pretended to be Japanese and wore fake teeth in it. The character was the only non-white person in the film, but he was actually played by a white guy. It is unfortunate that the character was played in a very stereotypical way. Even though they could have simply cut out the character, they decided to keep him there for comic relief.

Mickey Rooney In Breakfast At Tiffany’s

Mickey Rooney In Breakfast At Tiffany’s

Jared Leto In Suicide Squad

Before Suicide Squad was released, the marketing team worked hard to show off the cast of characters during promotions. Let us just say that Jared Leto went to extreme lengths to become the Joker. It is said that he sent used condoms to the rest of the cast! Will Smith even said that he never really met the actor on the set. After hearing the news, people prepared to be captivated by his performance when the movie finally came out. Unfortunately, the only memorable thing about his role was just how forgettable it was. Margot Robbie outshone him with the way she portrayed Harley Quinn! On top of that, his portrayal did not have the same chaotic and dangerous vibe that Heath Ledger had during his turn. Well, it was a good thing that he was far from the only problem that the movie had.

Jared Leto In Suicide Squad

Jared Leto In Suicide Squad

Hayden Christensen In Star Wars

This prequel has become a galactic joke no matter how much people enjoyed the original trilogy. This has a lot to do with the exaggerated portrayal of Hayden Christensen. People thought that it would have been exciting to see Anakin Skywalker turn into Darth Vader. At the time, the actor only had a couple of roles under his belt. It was probably difficult to keep up with the likes of Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson, Natalie Portman. However, this does not make the performance any less laughable. It has even turned into a meme! In all fairness to him, however, the writing could have been a lot better as well.

Hayden Christensen In Star Wars

Hayden Christensen In Star Wars

Emma Stone In Aloha

No matter how you look at it, Aloha was simply not well-received. Among other things, people criticized the film because it cast Emma Stone to play a character called Allison Ng. If you still don’t get it, the actress is neither of Chinese nor Hawaiian descent. People thought that it was a prime example of whitewashing in Hollywood. The actress has revealed her own thoughts on the matter when she talked to Los Angeles Times about it: “I’ve become the butt of many jokes. I’ve learned on a macro level about the insane history of whitewashing in Hollywood and how prevalent the problem truly is. It’s ignited a conversation that’s very important.” The romantic-comedy went on to flop at the box office. However, this had more to do with the general lack of interest instead of the miscasting.

Emma Stone In Aloha

Emma Stone In Aloha