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Roles you're surprised an actor/actress got over another actor

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Bladenic

Member
Basically, when you look at the list of possible contenders for a role and you're thinking "How the hell did the winner get the role over this/some/all of the contender?"

I'll start off with the casting of Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins. How did Katie Holmes get the role over either Sarah Michelle Gellar and more importantly, Rachel McAdams. I didn't think her performance was as bad as most people say, but come on. Either of the contenders would have been better IMO.
 

Dommo

Member
Nolan isn't exactly the best at picking actresses. I mean, look at The Dark Knight and Maggie G.

He's quite excellent at casting otherwise though. Especially considering they're not always the most obvious choices. Heath Ledger getting fan backlash prior to footage being released being the standout.
 
This guy

tumblr_lbldilzAzg1qc5r0f.jpg


over this guy

220px-Jake_Lloyd.jpg


I mean come on!
 
He's quite excellent at casting otherwise though. Especially considering they're not always the most obvious choices. Heath Ledger getting fan backlash prior to footage being released being the standout.

That's true, but he also gets a hard on for certain actors and I think it gives him casting tunnel vision.
 

SteveWD40

Member
I was surprised at the time that Daniel Craig got Bond over Clive Owen, however since then Craig has owned the role and Owen has indicated he was never even met over the role let alone auditioned and wouldn't have taken it in any case...
 

Dommo

Member
I was surprised at the time that Daniel Craig got Bond over Clive Owen, however since then Craig has owned the role and Owen has indicated he was never even met over the role let alone auditioned and wouldn't have taken it in any case...

I was gonna bring up Daniel Craig but it's one of those cases where it's surprising he got it, but afterwards absolutely rocked the role and I couldn't imagine anyone else doing the part. Such a good Bond.
 

Wiktor

Member
Tyler Perry has more power and pull than Idris.
Does he really? For a crime thriller I mean? Especially since this isn't some unknown IP. Alex Cross is well known brand and in such cases producers should worry more about finding a good fit for the role instead of well known actor, especially one that might cause negative reaction, like Perry does,
 

Bladenic

Member
That's true, but he also gets a hard on for certain actors and I think it gives him casting tunnel vision.

He definitely has a big hard on for JLG and Marion Cotillard. They're both good actors, but it's clear that their roles in Rises were created only so they could be in the movie.
 

SteveWD40

Member
I was gonna bring up Daniel Craig but it's one of those cases where it's surprising he got it, but afterwards absolutely rocked the role and I couldn't imagine anyone else doing the part. Such a good Bond.

Pretty much what I said ;)

Also surprised, but not in a bad way, I was always a fan of Craig, I think I was just intrigued.
 
I'll start off with the casting of Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins. How did Katie Holmes get the role over either Sarah Michelle Gellar and more importantly, Rachel McAdams. I didn't think her performance was as bad as most people say, but come on. Either of the contenders would have been better IMO.
Sarah Michelle Gellar can't act.
 

Solo

Member
I was surprised at the time that Daniel Craig got Bond over Clive Owen, however since then Craig has owned the role and Owen has indicated he was never even met over the role let alone auditioned and wouldn't have taken it in any case...

Craig didn't "get the role over Owen". He got it over Henry Cavill and Goran Visnjic. Owen was never part of the equation.
 

SteveWD40

Member
Craig didn't "get the role over Owen". He got it over Henry Cavill and Goran Visnjic. Owen was never part of the equation.

Yes, I am aware of that, you might have been able to discern that from my post where I mentioned Owen has indicated he never was.

I meant surprised at the time, when no one knew for sure if he had been, I knew Cavill and the ER dude were screen tested but Owen might have been offered that and turned it down.
 
Harrison Ford over pretty much anybody else in Blade Runner.

Rick Deckard is the complete opposite of the kind of character Harrison Ford is best at.
 

Joni

Member
This guy

tumblr_lbldilzAzg1qc5r0f.jpg


over this guy

220px-Jake_Lloyd.jpg


I mean come on!
Yes, the 10 year old should have played the romantic relationship instead of the 20 year old. I almost skipped all the Star Wars movies because the first movie was boring me to death. Hayden Christensen was an improvement.


Mark Hamill over Robert Englund on the other hand...
 

methane47

Member
Yes, the 10 year old should have played the romantic relationship instead of the 20 year old. I almost skipped all the Star Wars movies because the first movie was boring me to death. Hayden Christensen was an improvement.


Mark Hamill over Robert Englund on the other hand...

Isn't padme supposed to be like many years older? Something like 8 years older?
 

Solo

Member
Yes, I am aware of that, you might have been able to discern that from my post where I mentioned Owen has indicated he never was.

I meant surprised at the time, when no one knew for sure if he had been, I knew Cavill and the ER dude were screen tested but Owen might have been offered that and turned it down.

My point was simply: why would you be surprised that an actor the execs wanted who auditioned for the role got it over an actor they weren't looking at and who didn't audition for it? It's like saying I'm surprised Henry Cavill was chosen over Brad Pitt for Superman.
 

Kosmo

Banned
Greg Kinnear over Woody Harrelson for the gay guy in "As Good as it Gets"

Woody was on Howard Stern and said he was "too fem" in his audition, LOL
 

SteveWD40

Member
My point was simply: why would you be surprised that an actor the execs wanted who auditioned for the role got it over an actor they weren't looking at and who didn't audition for it? It's like saying I'm surprised Henry Cavill was chosen over Brad Pitt for Superman.

Because, at the time, no one knew he didn't audition and no one knew they didn't look at him, hence "surprised at the time".

It was on Charlie Roses interview with Owen years later, when even the well informed journalist thought he had turned the role down, that he said he had never even got that far.
 

SteveWD40

Member
Owen wouldn't have been much of a Bond anyways, so all ended well. And Owen got CoM out of it.

Agree 100%

I think the hype was born out of him impersonating Connery in a Tux in Croupier, he became like Dalton and Brosnan (both discussed for the role many years before they got it).

I just wish he was doing more now, he was fucking excellent in Trust.
 
I still can't believe that Harrison Ford got the role of Indiana Jones over Tom Selleck.

Wasn't Ford a proven film actor at that point. Also, Selleck had his Magnum commitments or the role would have been his.

You should watch the Indy inspired Magnum P.I. episode. It will fill your needs.
 

SteveWD40

Member
Will Smith over Tom Cruise in Enemy of the State.

Similar to Selleck in Indy, Cruise was cast but Eyes Wide Shut ran over so they had to go with Smith, you can almost tell the role wasn't written for him but he was at the time the only other box office guarantee besides Hanks.
 
Yes, the 10 year old should have played the romantic relationship instead of the 20 year old. I almost skipped all the Star Wars movies because the first movie was boring me to death. Hayden Christensen was an improvement.
At first I thought it was Emile Hirsch in the second pic :lol
 

Sol..

I am Wayne Brady.
Foxx over Elba for Django.

seconded.

But really I'd choose several actors over Foxx. From Anthony Mackie to Michael Ealy. Foxx has way too much style and not enough fire. But I guess if you gonna do a role about a slave that kills slave owners you better get the most charismatic dude you can find. QT can dance around the topic all he wants, but you know he probably pushed mad hard for Will.
 

strobogo

Banned
Whoever Michael Rispoli beat out for his role in The Rum Diary. I feel like he only got it because he had a similar swarthy look that Benico del Toro has. He was clearly a replacement and was even trying to ape his speaking patterns from Fear and Loathing. I think he is the main reason the movie wasn't that good. He was terrible.
 

Fritz

Member
How do you guys inform yourself about casting choices? I mean okay, some are well known and some randoms may pop up here and there but I could never remember those.
 
Keanu Reeves over Will Smith for The Matrix.

original version would have potentially been:

Will Smith - Neo
Val Kilmer - Morpheus
Jean Reno - Agent Smith


Would have been a completely different film.
Loved what Hugo Weaving did (he's always 100% solid), but man I would have loved to see a brutal, emotionless Reno in that role.
 
Surprised Martin Freeman got cast as Bilbo Baggins instead of James McAvoy (unless it was a scheduling problem or something else I'm not aware of). Really happy with the choice, though.
 
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