Trying to find the right actors for a film can be pretty difficult.
From the lead role, to an extra in the background, every decision is pivotal to a film's success.
In the following cases, the casting decisions were so terrible that it left a lasting impression
on us all, and not the one they were hoping for.
Unfortunately for these actors, they were caught in the crossfire for playing characters
that they just weren't right for.
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
One of the all-time great comic book villains, Lex Luthor is right up there with Magneto
and Dr. Doom.
So when news broke that Jesse Eisenberg would play Superman's arch-enemy in Zack Snyder's
Batman versus Superman: Dawn of Justice, let's just say that fans weren't exactly pleased...
Things only got worse once people actually saw the film.
While DC fans and movie critics usually don’t see eye to eye, almost everyone agreed that
Eisenberg was totally miscast as the Man of Steel's main villain.
Many believed that his interpretation of the character was far too manic, way too loud,
and too similar to a certain Clown Prince of Crime.
"Little red notes, big bang, you let your family die!"
While there's no denying Eisenberg is a brilliant actor, here's hoping his Lex Luthor stays
locked up for a long time.
“Ding ding ding ding ding” “Ding ding ding ding ding”
Scarlett Johansson as Major
One of the biggest casting scandals in recent history started in 2015, when the world learned
that Scarlett Johansson was cast as Major in a live-action remake of the 1995 film,
Ghost in the Shell.
The original is generally regarded as one of the greatest animes of all time.
One problem?
Major is Japanese.
Johansson is not.
The news of her casting sparked fury, not only by people who saw this as racially insensitive,
but by people who wanted an authentic film.
Over 100,000 people signed a petition in protest.
Advocacy Groups condemned the news, and soon #WhiteWashedOut was trending on Twitter.
The film ended up bombing at the box office and some suspect that the critical backlash
surrounding the whitewashing incident was the reason for it.
Hopefully, the Scarlett Johansson controversy will convince Hollywood to be a little more
diverse when it comes to casting—although it'll probably just inspire studios to stop
remaking anime movies altogether.
Mark Wahlberg as Elliot Moore
By and large, M. Night Shyamalan has a pretty solid track record when it comes to casting.
But as far as casting mistakes go, it doesn't get much worse than Mark Wahlberg in The Happening.
Put Wahlberg in the right film, you get movie gold.
But shove him into the wrong movie and you'll send your audience into the wrong kind of
hysterics.
And in this eco-thriller, Wahlberg is definitely in the wrong role, playing a panicked high
school science teacher with some of the worst line delivery in cinematic history.
"Plan on murdering me in my sleep."
"What? No!"
In all fairness, Shyamalan's script isn't doing Wahlberg any favors, but the actor does
bring an extra special awfulness to the film.
Even Wahlberg himself admitted the film wasn't his best work, saying that it was "a bad movie."
Still, we kind of sympathize with the guy; he probably just wanted to try something different.
“Just a second” "There were children in that room."
"Elliot please tell us what to do."
"I need a second.
Why can't anyone give me a goddamn second?"
Robert De Niro as The Creature
The legendary Robert De Niro's experienced a rare flop with his performance as "The Creature"
in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Sure, he might've been less ridiculous if he had less ridiculous makeup, but the problems
didn't end there.
His portrayal was also panned for maintaining a modern New York accent in mid-1700s Geneva.
The fact that he was still the same "You talkin' to me" De Niro that we all know and love was
distracting at best and absolutely terrible at worst.
Kevin Spacey as Bobby Darin
When singer Bobby Darin died at 37, his legacy left a big impact on the music world.
Among his dedicated fans was Kevin Spacey, who spent more than a decade trying to make
Beyond The Sea, a bio-pic about Darin's life.
Most studios were reluctant to finance the film because Spacey wanted to produce, direct
and play the lead… even though he was significantly older than Darin.
Spacey stuck to his guns and eventually got the deal done with Lionsgate.
Many thought that he did a great job performing Darin's songs, but that there was something
weird about watching a man in his mid-40s playing a character in his late teens.
"You don’t care about people hun, you don't give a damn about 'em."
New York Magazine wrote that Spacey was "too jowly" for the role, adding that it felt "downright
pervy" to watch his love scenes with Kate Bosworth.
So while you've got to give Spacey points for dedication, casting someone who wasn't
two decades too old for the part would've been a better move.
Jennifer Lawrence as Joy Mangano
Everybody knows Hollywood has a major problem when it comes to casting women over 30.
That means a lot of younger actresses get parts that are probably better suited for
ladies with a bit more life experience.
If you need proof, look no further than David O. Russell’s casting of Jennifer Lawrence
in Joy.
This fact-based 2015 film focused on Joy Mangano, a 34-year-old single mom who overcame life's
obstacles by creating a self-wringing mop and finding success as a TV personality.
As the movie centers on a woman in her mid-30s, it might've worked better if the role had
gone to someone in that same age bracket.
Even Lawrence confessed she was too young for the role, but she justified it by saying
Russell doesn't worry about "silly questions" like age.
That sounds nice when you're getting high-profile parts, but "older" actresses might not think
those questions are quite so silly.
Sofia Coppola in the The Godfather: Part III
When Francis Ford Coppola made the decision to put his daughter Sofia in the role of Mary
Corleone in the third Godfather film, the results were disastrous.
Whereas the first two films in the Godfather trilogy were exceptionally good, Part III
was a mess.
Her stiffness on-screen was palpable, especially in the moments when she shared the screen
with her more established co-stars.
"Dad?"
Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi
File this one under "never again".
Mickey Rooney's cartoonish portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany's is basically
unwatchable.
Rooney was widely respected, thanks to the rest of his immense body of work, but the
image of him wandering around with taped eyelids and large false teeth is hard to unsee.
So much so that the film, which is otherwise revered for Audrey Hepburn's iconic lead performance,
has been consistently hit with backlash for its cultural stereotyping.
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