# Perfect fit: Actors and Roles



## Violanthe (Jul 23, 2006)

We've all seen films or programs where the main characters were cast because the availability of a certain big Hollywood star coincided with the production (and budget) of the film. But what filmic stories out there have truly captured good characters with good casting? What roles and actors (or actresses, of course) are a perfect fit on screen?


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## Persephone (Jul 23, 2006)

My list:

Johnny Depp as Capt. Jack Sparrow
Ian McKellen as Gandalf
Sean Astin as Sam Gamgee
Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan Kenobi
Brandon Routh as Superman
Margot Kidder as Lois Lane
Paul Bethany as Silas
Robbie Coltane as Hagrid
Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter
Kate Beckinsale as Selina (Underworld)
Meryll Streep as Miranda (The Devil Wears Prada)


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## Mike (Jul 23, 2006)

Arnold Schwartzennegar as Conan. Need I say more?

Ben Kingsley as Gandhi. Excellent.

Omar Sharrif as Dr. Zhivago.

Nothing else comes to mind at the moment...


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## chrysophalax (Jul 23, 2006)

Yul Brynner as Ramses

James Stewart as Mr. Smith

Peter O'Toole as Henry II (both in Beckett and The Lion in Winter)

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lechter

Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine

Kenneth Branaugh as Henry V

Derek Jacobi as Claudius

Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena

To name but a few of my favourites...


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## Maeglin (Jul 24, 2006)

Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier

Ian Mckellen as Magneto

Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker (not Spiderman)

Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore (first 3 Harry Potter movies)

Whoever plays Palpatine as Emperor Palpatine

Whoever plays Snape as Professor Snape

Sean Bean as Boromir

Liv Tyler as Glorfindel (wait...... )


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## Durin's Bane (Jul 24, 2006)

Marlon Brando as the Godfather... (if I spelled the name right)
Tom Hanks as Forest Gump and that guy in Saving Private Ryan... actually in all his roles...
Ian Mckellen in The Da Vinci's Code...


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## chrysophalax (Jul 24, 2006)

Just FYI...if you don't remember the name of a certain actor or movie, go to www.imbd.com It's the perfect site for settling arguments!


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## Turgon (Jul 24, 2006)

Al Pacino ~ Tony Montana (Scarface)

Gerard Depardieu ~ Cyrano de Bergerac

The two best castings of all time.

But yes Chrys... Branagh was great as Henry V... shame about his Hamlet... good film... but the end scene... what was that all about?

Cry God for Harry! England and Saint George!!!

*goes off to invade France*


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## Maeglin (Jul 24, 2006)

Speaking of Branagh....I thought he was great as Benedic in "Much Ado About Nothing"


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## Talierin (Jul 25, 2006)

David Tennant as Doctor Who
Tom Baker as Puddleglum
The entire cast of Firefly
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow


I could prolly think of more but it's three am


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## SpankusAurilius (Jul 25, 2006)

Jack Nicholson as "The Joker" in Batman and "Jack Torrence" in The Shining.....
Sir Ian McKellan as "Gandalf" and "James Whale" in Gods and Monsters......
Humphrey Bogart as "Rick Blaine" in Casablanca.........
Christopher Walken in anything he does.......
Brad Pitt as "Tyler Durden" in Fight Club....
Sean Connery as "James Bond".....
Patrick Stewart as "Captain Jean-Luc Picard" in Star Trek TNG.....
Cate Blanchette as "Audrey Hepburn" in Aviator....
Michael Chiklis as "Detective Vic Mackey" in The Shield.....
Gary Oldman as "Dracula" (or every other role he plays, that man is pure genius).......
Harrison Ford as "Indiana Jones"........
Jim Carrey AND Kate Winslet for their respective roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind....

I could go on forever, but I think i'll just leave some of the other greats open. Good thread topic.  Where's yours at Violanthe?


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## Violanthe (Jul 25, 2006)

chrysophalax said:


> Yul Brynner as Ramses


 
I'm not much of a movie buff, but this one is one of my favorites. I definitely agree.

In general, would you folks say that these roles couldn't have been played as well (not the same, just as well) by a different but skilled actor?


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## Mike (Jul 25, 2006)

Here's one: Adrien Brody as Wladislaw Schpielman.



> In general, would you folks say that these roles couldn't have been played as well (not the same, just as well) by a different but skilled actor?


 
Most definately. I don't see anyone quite capturing the "injured intellectual" look of Adrien Brody for that role.

And Omar Sharrif...could you imagine anyone else as Dr. Zhivago?


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## Barliman Butterbur (Jul 25, 2006)

Violanthe said:


> ...what filmic stories out there have truly captured good characters with good casting? What roles and actors (or actresses, of course) are a perfect fit on screen?



I think whenever an actor owns the role and does a great job, we tend to make an indelible bond between actor and role, the more exhuberant fans often blurring the distinction.

Barley


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## Rhiannon (Jul 26, 2006)

Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson as Benedick and Beatrice in _Much Ado About Nothing_

Emma Thompson as Vivian Bearing in _Wit_.

Emma Thompson as Elinor in _Sense & Sensibility. _

Kate Winslet as Marianne in _Sense & Sensibility_. 

Alan Rickman as Col. Brandon in_ Sense & Sensibility_. 

Jennifer Ehle as Elzabeth Bennet in _Pride & Prejudice_ (BBC). Eat your heart out, Keira Knightley. Jennifer Ehle pwns you. 

The _entire_ cast of _The Philadelphia Story_, especially Katherine Hepburn and Jimmy Stuart. 

Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in _Breakfast at Tiffany's. _

Peter Sellers as Lionel Mandrake/President Merkin Muffley/Dr. Strangelove in _Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb_.

Peter Sellers as Insp. Jacques Clouseau in _The Pink Panther_. 

Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne in _Batman: The Animated Series_. Kevin Conroy is the definitive Batman to me, and he has completely owned the role in every animated series since BTAS first aired, except for this 'The Batman' thing, which I have successfully avoided seeing.

Mark Hammill as the voice of the Joker in _Batman: The Animated Series_. 

Ronald Pickup as the voice of Aslan in _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader_, and_ The Silver Chair_ (BBC). 

Kevin Smith as Silent Bob in _Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma, Chasing Amy, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, _and _Clerks II_. 

David Bowie as Jareth in _Labyrinth_. Because I love it and I'm not ashamed to admit it.


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## SpankusAurilius (Jul 26, 2006)

Barliman Butterbur said:


> I think whenever an actor owns the role and does a great job, we tend to make an indelible bond between actor and role, the more exhuberant fans often blurring the distinction.
> 
> Barley


 
I completely agree. For example, since seeing The Fellowship for the first time, I automatically picture Gandalf as Sir Ian while reading the books. In all actuality, he is the quintessential wizard in my mind. The only person I can think of that might really hold a candle to Sir McKellan in wonderous wizardy would have to be Bill Barty who played "High Aldwin" in the George Lucas gem "Willow". 



Rhiannon said:


> David Bowie as Jareth in _Labyrinth_. Because I love it and I'm not ashamed to admit it.


 
Bowie rocks that role.


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## Rhiannon (Jul 26, 2006)

He _does_. 

Also, I love Warwick Davis in pretty much everything. My favorite is Reepicheep, though.


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## Maeglin (Jul 26, 2006)

Ok I thought of another....

all the little people in the movie "Time Bandits" did a great job playing crazy little people


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## Persephone (Jul 26, 2006)

I would like to add Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, Tilda Swinton as the white witch, Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, and I also love David Bowie in the Labyrinth. I love that film. I miss Jim Henson films.


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## Maeglin (Jul 26, 2006)

Keanu Reeves?! He's one of the worst actors I've ever watched.


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## Persephone (Jul 28, 2006)

Maeglin said:


> Keanu Reeves?! He's one of the worst actors I've ever watched.


 
To each his own  ! I love Keanu, and I think he's one of the better actors in Hollywood, thank you very much.


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## Barliman Butterbur (Jul 29, 2006)

Rhiannon said:


> Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson as Benedick and Beatrice in _Much Ado About Nothing_...



I love your choice of movies! A gal after me own heart!  

Barley


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## Rhiannon (Jul 29, 2006)

Barliman Butterbur said:


> I love your choice of movies! A gal after me own heart!
> 
> Barley


 
I love both those two together  and I adore Emma Thompson in anything, she's amazing. 

I can't say the same for Keanu Reeves, though--sorry, Narya, but the only thing I've seen that I thought he was good in was _Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure_. He's so wooden, and his facial expression never changes! I watched ten minutes of _Constantine_, and couldn't bring myself to continue. And now that I've read the comic books, it's even more appalling to me.


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## Persephone (Jul 29, 2006)

Rhiannon said:


> I love both those two together  and I adore Emma Thompson in anything, she's amazing.
> 
> I can't say the same for Keanu Reeves, though--sorry, Narya, but the only thing I've seen that I thought he was good in was _Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure_. He's so wooden, and his facial expression never changes! I watched ten minutes of _Constantine_, and couldn't bring myself to continue. And now that I've read the comic books, it's even more appalling to me.


 
That's okay. I have very weird taste anyway  . I love the comic version of Constantine too. I actually hate Bill and Ted's excellent adventure. Another portrayal of his that I love is the one in Devil's Advocate.


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## Rhiannon (Jul 29, 2006)

I'm still completely baffled by the decision to change one of the fundamental things about John Constantine--the fact that he's so very _British_.


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## Maeglin (Jul 30, 2006)

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is the only movie I've enjoyed wathcing Keanu in. He played the part so well because, at least I believe, he was basically playing himself. I can just imagine the director of Bill and Ted having to keep saying, "Look at the cue card, Keanu, look at the cue card!"


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## Starbrow (Aug 1, 2006)

Robert Redford in The Natural.



> Jennifer Ehle as Elzabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice (BBC).



Tom Hanks in just about anything he does.


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