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I know it's hard to find someone who looks very similar to some famous people, but how do you feel when the actor playing a famous person doesn't look AT ALL like the real life person? I've seen too many to count and it always annoyed me. From the Beatles, JFK, less known people like Temple Grandin (Claire Danes, seriously?), or Christina Ricci playing Aileen Wuorno's lesbian lover in 'Monster'. Of course, most people haven't seen the documentary so it doesn't matter to them. I guess does it really matter that much? I think Charlize Theron looked uncannily like Wuornos in the film, yet they couldn't get someone who looked remotely like Wuorno's girlfriend, Tracy something?
It's often because they want someone prettier, more handsome, but sometimes the actor isn't even good looking. And often I'm talking about obscure actors and small parts, so nothing to do with only having a limited range of big-name stars to choose from.
I just saw the Iron Lady, about Margaret Thatcher. While Streep doesn't look that much like Thatcher, I forgot about it because how good her acting is, and she looks passably similar. Often though, there is no resemblance whatsoever, and the casting agents obviously didn't bother to stay true to real life.
No films are more guilty of actors being nothing like r the real deal than Hollywood westerns from the 40s to the 70s. Wyatt Earp, Tom Horn , Bat Masterson, JW Hardin, even Hickock, with his one off look, was portrayed by people who did NOT look the part, realistically. Or, in true character.
Has there ever been a role Meryl has not done a wonderful job at? That woman has got to be the best actress who has ever lived. She was equally believable as Julia Child and as Margaret Thatcher.
After watching that Margaret Thatcher movie, I was so disappointed at all those protests and literal dancing in the streets after her death. It made me lose a lot of respect for the people in England.
I was even disappointed when I saw the people in New York celebrating Bin Laden's death, and I was glad Bin Laden was killed.
I would never dance on someone's grave like that. So classless!
Historical figures from long ago are easier to do. Little or no photos and not all over the media. So it is probably sufficient that one vaguely look like GW or Napolean so long as the person acts well.
Now, playing one of the Beatles or Obama is a different ball game. Even if one is deceased, like John or George, there are still tons of photos, videos, film clips, etc and there are millions of people who remember them in life.
Here's an example of producers picking acting over looks, and I think it was very successful. The movie Nowhere Boy was a great biopic about John Lennon's youth and relationship with his aunt and mother.
A great actor can make a slight change in appearance and make it believable. Rod Steiger with shaved head to play Mussolini. George C. Scott doing the same to play Patton. The voices would only matter for someone portraying the likes of JFK or FDR. Voices that everyone would recognize.
The 30's and 40's were the worst times for actors looking nothing like the character they played. Errol Flynn as Custer? Ronald Reagan as Custer?
My one pet peeve is having an actor with hair play Gen. Jodl. He was bald! Everyone has seen the picture of him signing the surrender. He had no hair!
Those were the days of the studio contracts. They wanted one of their big name stars to play a character, not some unknown who looked like the character. Those films were more like plays anyway.
I had to revive this thread because I just watched "The Aviator" last night and was struck by how much this just did not fit. I'm not a "picky" film person at all, but I know all about Howard Hughes and his life story, etc. The MOMENT I heard DiCaprio's high-pitched voice (even before I saw him, in the first scene as a grown man with dyed-black hair on the airfield), I thought, "What was Scorsese thinking?"
Then he turned around. He's short. He has blue eyes and a wide and getting-wider-every-year face, well fit for an "Orson Welles- or Marlon Brando-in-old-age" biopic, as has been suggested. From that very first scene, I couldn't stop thinking about how poorly miscast he was. So I googled it and got hundreds/thousands of hits about how he was miscast for this film.
I think Leonardo DiCaprio is a good actor ("Gilbert Grape" was all I needed to see to confirm that). But I think his director, who has turned him into his protege, has made some grievous mistakes that have cost him Oscars. I think he should ever make a movie with Scorsese again.
I doubt Leo feels that way about Scorsese. Leo would have been forgotten in two years after Titanic if it wasn't for Martin Scorsese. Now he's an A-list star and a fine actor to boot. It's a shame he didn't get an Oscar for his role in The Departed. He was so good in that movie. I also really enjoyed his performance in Blood Diamond. The funny thing is I absolutely hated Leo in Titanic, though he has really surprised and pleased me in most roles since then.
I actually liked The Aviator, but I had no idea what Howard Hughes looked like in real life.
Going back a few pages, when I saw the discussion about Walt Disney, for some reason Edward Norton came to mind as someone that sort of resembles Walt.
Anyhow, another movie that immediately comes to mind when I see this topic is Steve Jobs, where Michael Fassbender looks nothing like Steve Jobs. Putting glasses on him and a black turtleneck with jeans doesn't make you Steve Jobs.
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