Hollywood doesn't always get it right! Join us as we count down our picks for the most disastrous casting decisions in movie history. From bizarre accents to cultural missteps, these performances left audiences scratching their heads and critics reaching for their red pens. Which miscast role made you cringe the hardest?
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at iconic characters who were played by the worst possible choices.
00:17Number 10, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice.
00:30On paper, modernizing this villain isn't a bad idea. Jesse Eisenberg, after all, had already played an arrogant tech mogul in the social network, but the performance was far too bizarre even for a superhero movie.
00:44This take on Lex Luthor was awkward and strangely frantic. His monologues also weren't deliciously evil, just flat-out annoying.
01:00Even Superman seemed thrown off by how weird he was acting. It didn't help that DC fans had hoped to see the Luthor from the comics, who was a tougher and much more cunning villain.
01:09Instead, we're left with an entitled nerd, who never seemed like a threat to Superman.
01:14Now God is good as dead.
01:19Number 9, Johnny Depp as Tonto, The Lone Ranger.
01:22And so we'll return him to the Earth. Right.
01:30You know what? I would like to thank you.
01:34This Gore Verbinski western could have rivaled Pirates of the Caribbean. However, it was bogged down by a boring plot, flat characters, and terrible casting.
01:43Armie Hammer is forgettable in the title role, but Johnny Depp's Tonto was doomed from the start.
01:48He played the Comanche warrior even though there's no confirmation, other than Depp's own personal belief, of his being a member of a Native American tribe.
01:56Disney seemed to care more about getting a big name than casting someone of Comanche ancestry.
02:04The bizarre choice didn't pay off in the end, as Depp was extremely dull as the sidekick, who came off as a poor man's Jack Sparrow.
02:11Like you make up everything. You sold out your whole village for a watch. And now you're an outcast. You're banned apart. A messed up little kid who couldn't live with what you did.
02:23Number 8, Topher Grace as Eddie Brock slash Venom, Spider-Man 3.
02:27Humbled and humiliated to ask you for one thing.
02:38This Raimi 3quel had a lot to live up to. After the success of Green Goblin and Doc Ock, Venom seemed like the perfect villain to end the trilogy on.
02:46Sadly, he didn't live up to the hype. Instead of being a muscle-bound rage monster, this Venom was more of an arrogant frat boy.
02:53He does deserve some credit as Peter Parker's rival at the Daily Bugle.
02:58He's busy.
03:00Oh no, I'm just here to talk to you, beautiful.
03:03What's that smell?
03:04That's a little something called, nice and easy.
03:07But Topher Grace just wasn't cut out to play Spider-Man's scariest villain. Not once did he seem intimidating, nor was he fun to watch on screen.
03:14And did he really have to peel back his mask to show his face that many times?
03:19What you can't kill.
03:25Eddie, the suit!
03:26Number 7, Tom Holland as Nathan Drake, Uncharted.
03:30The Prince of Persia movie got flack for casting Jake Gyllenhaal, but that was nowhere near as egregious as this.
03:36I kill you!
03:46Give back what you stole, Persians!
03:48Nathan Drake is supposed to be a dryly funny, self-aware thief.
03:52More importantly, he always seems out of his depth.
03:55But in the Uncharted movie, we never believe that Tom Holland is in danger.
03:59He survives every action scene unscathed.
04:01That might be because Tom's trying a bit too hard to look cool.
04:10Even his fight scenes feel more Spider-Man than Indiana Jones.
04:13We could forgive all that if he was charismatic and witty.
04:16But even when he's given dialogue straight out of the games, he can't deliver.
04:20It's like he's playing dress-up instead of embodying the character.
04:23All hands on deck! Raise the anchor! Hoist the mainsail!
04:27Hey, Jack Sparrow! Stay sharp!
04:30Number 6, Kevin Costner as Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves.
04:41This actor is no stranger to epic period pieces.
04:44Given his experience in the genre, you'd expect him to commit to a more grounded Robin Hood.
04:48Instead, he gave a performance that's not only laughably bad, but downright confusing.
04:53He acted the part of the English folk hero with an American accent.
04:57Thank you, Wolf.
04:59You wish to end this?
05:01Yeah.
05:02You wish to go home?
05:04Yeah.
05:05Then we must stop fighting amongst ourselves.
05:07And the results are unintentionally hilarious.
05:10His delivery seems strangely amateur and had absolutely no charm to it.
05:14Director Kevin Reynolds thought giving Costner an accent would be too distracting for viewers.
05:19He might have been right, but going this route didn't pay off either.
05:27Will!
05:33Number 5, Russell Crowe as Javert, Les Miserables.
05:37Despite an unconventional production, this film got great performances out of its cast.
05:51Hugh Jackman and Samantha Barks brought their theater chops to the big screen.
05:55Even non-musical actors Eddie Redmayne and Anne Hathaway held their own.
05:59Listen, my friends, I have done as I said.
06:01I have been to their lines.
06:02I have counted each man.
06:04I will tell what I can.
06:06However, Russell Crowe as Police Inspector Javert could not keep up.
06:10He gave it his all, but from the start, it was clear that he couldn't carry a tune.
06:14He's a good actor, but his inexperience makes us wonder why he was cast at all.
06:18He wouldn't have stood out as much if he didn't share screen time with Broadway-level vocalists.
06:22Number 4, Emma Watson as Belle, Beauty and the Beast.
06:35In the era of Disney's lackluster remakes, this one stands out for having one of the weakest leads.
06:40Although Emma Watson is a talented actor, the decision to cast her as Belle was baffling.
06:58Her performance lacked the warmth, enthusiasm, and wonder that defined the character.
07:03But perhaps the worst aspect of this take was the singing.
07:06Paige O'Hara's voice in the original is iconic, rich, expressive, and unforgettable.
07:17Hearing that get replaced with flat, auto-tuned vocals was a travesty.
07:21At least Disney learned their lesson and cast actual singers in their later remakes.
07:25Still, this one remains a low point.
07:36Number 3, Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, Bram Stoker's Dracula.
07:41Music! Those animals!
07:48One of the reasons this horror became a classic is its memorable cast.
07:52Gary Oldman was iconic as the titular vampire, delivering a haunting performance.
07:57Keanu Reeves, on the other hand, was memorable for entirely different reasons.
08:01As Jonathan Harker, he struggled with how dramatically demanding the character was.
08:13Compared to the exceptional Anthony Hopkins and Winona Ryder, Reeves looked stiff and out of place.
08:19His attempt at an English accent is also one of the most infamous in cinema history.
08:23Fortunately, he later found his stride in roles that played to his strengths.
08:26Big theatrical drama just wasn't his thing.
08:29Really you?
08:34No.
08:36No! Wait!
08:37No! Let them go!
08:38Let them go!
08:39Number 2, Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone.
08:42Nina.
08:43Can I travel?
08:45Where and for how long?
08:48America, for a week?
08:51A month?
08:52It's hard to believe this casting choice was made in the 2010s.
08:55This biopic tells the story of Nina Simone, a legendary musician and civil rights icon.
09:00Simone was celebrated for her powerful voice, activism, and unapologetic black identity.
09:06She faced discrimination for her dark skin and broad nose, features that defined her message of pride.
09:12Zoe Saldana didn't have such traits, so she used makeup and prosthetics to alter her appearance.
09:17No, no I don't.
09:18I...
09:19I think the United States failed.
09:23My country failed my people.
09:25My people failed me, and that's why I'm here.
09:28We can't fathom how anyone thought this was a good idea.
09:30It was offensive, not only to audiences, but to Simone's own daughter, Simone Kelly, who refused to endorse the movie.
09:36Zoe has since said she regrets the role, saying I should have tried everything in my power to cast a black woman to play an exceptionally perfect black woman.
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10:11Number one, John Wayne as Genghis Khan, The Conqueror.
10:15Tempting.
10:16Tempting but unwise, my brother.
10:17Listen to me.
10:18There are moments for wisdom, Jamuga, then I listen to you.
10:21Do we even need to explain how bad this is?
10:24Released in 1956, The Conqueror stars John Wayne as the Mongolian warlord.
10:29The acclaimed actor, of course, is not of Mongol descent.
10:32Even by 1950's standards, this was one of the worst castings of all time.
10:37Wayne donned yellow makeup and offensive hairstyles to look the part.
10:41My son, this you cannot do.
10:44There'll be an end of talk on her account.
10:46Bring me, drink.
10:48That, coupled with his lazy acting, made for a hilariously bad performance.
10:53We'd criticize him for not even trying an accent, but that would have probably made the film even worse than it already is.
10:58It's so bad that it's nearly impossible to get through any of his scenes without laughing.
11:03You stand with them?
11:05Where is your faith, my brother?
11:07How is to bring under my standard all the tribes of the Gobi?
11:11If you had the chance, which one of those roles would you recast?
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