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Some actors vanish into their roles, while others make us wonder what they were thinking! Join us as we dive into the big screen's most amazing and most abysmal portrayals of real-life figures. From transformative triumphs that capture a person's very soul to cringe-worthy misfires that leave audiences scratching their heads, get ready to see the impressions that truly hit the mark and those that totally missed it.
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00:00Where'd Al Yankovic?
00:03Um, do I know you?
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:08And today, we're counting down our picks for the most amazing and the most abysmal portrayals of real-life people
00:13ever captured on the big screen.
00:15This day I have long awaited.
00:17And now I am beset by weaklings and traitors.
00:21And victory is slipping from my grasp.
00:26Number 10. Best. Chadwick Boseman as James Brown.
00:30Get on up.
00:30There was never a role that the late Chadwick Boseman couldn't pull off.
00:34From Jackie Robinson to T'Challa, he excelled every time.
00:38That being said, one of his best performances was that of James Brown.
00:43See, I can't never quit when it gets hard.
00:45Quit, you're going backwards, you're going backwards, you're dead.
00:49No, I take it.
00:50And I take it.
00:51And I flip it.
00:53How goes forward?
00:54Taking on the legendary singer was no small feat.
00:57And Boseman stepped up to the challenge.
00:59Capturing Brown's magnetic energy, flaws, and charisma, the Oscar nominee also nailed his signature dancing and sound.
01:07The best biopic performances are ones where you see the person, not a caricature.
01:11And Chadwick Boseman single-handedly achieved that.
01:14That's why the funk don't quit.
01:16How we done, Mr. Bird?
01:17I'm afraid not, Mr. Brown.
01:18I say how we done?
01:19I think we still got more funk in the trunk.
01:21Number 10.
01:23Worst.
01:23Colin Farrell as Alexander the Great.
01:26Alexander.
01:27Unfortunately, this biopic was far from great.
01:30In 2004, Oliver Stone's Alexander brought the Macedonian king, aka Alexander the Great, to the big screen.
01:36Despite an all-star cast and massive budget, this period piece was a bust.
01:41You behave so shamelessly in public.
01:44Because it was meant to be.
01:46This isn't how I wanted to become king.
01:48No one blames you.
01:50They blame me already behind my back.
01:52It's secret.
01:53Plagued with historical inaccuracies, the film fell harder than a crumbling empire.
01:58But that wasn't the only thing wrong with it.
02:00Colin Farrell, who played the title role, was completely miscast.
02:04Have I become so arrogant that I am blind?
02:11Sometimes, to expect the best of everyone is arrogance.
02:16The use of his Irish accent didn't help matters, and neither did his wooden acting.
02:21That being said, Farrell is a talented actor, with a near-flawless track record.
02:26Thankfully, Alexander was just a rare misstep.
02:29No, we all suffer.
02:32Your father?
02:34You're mine.
02:36They all came to the end of the time, and in the end, when it's over, all that matters is
02:40what you've done.
02:46Shortly after making a splash with his techno-thriller series, Mr. Robot, this actor stepped into a new genre, the
02:53biopic.
02:54You're five minutes too late.
02:56Our lead singer just quit.
03:01Well, then you'll need someone new.
03:04Any ideas?
03:08What about me?
03:09In 2016, it was announced that Rami Malek would be taking on the role of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in
03:14the film Bohemian Rhapsody.
03:16The highly anticipated project saw Malek seamlessly transform into the iconic musician.
03:22Channeling Mercury's dynamic stage presence and rock star persona, the actor also mastered his accent.
03:28Despite the movie earning some lukewarm praise, the actor was well-received, so much so that it earned him an
03:34Academy Award for Best Actor in 2019.
03:36It's because we are the champions!
03:50Of the world!
04:01Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar, J. Edgar.
04:04He's one of the greatest actors of his generation, but even the best can't win them all.
04:08In 2011's J. Edgar, Leonardo DiCaprio plays the late FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.
04:14Helen.
04:19Yes.
04:23Do I kill everything that I love?
04:25Directed by Clint Eastwood, many found the biopic to be a mess.
04:29And then there's DiCaprio's performance.
04:31For an actor with a body of work like his, this portrayal was kind of underwhelming.
04:37Weaving in and out of Hoover's accent and excessively shouting, it just doesn't meet Leo's standard.
04:43To be fair, he was acting in a film with many flaws, so there was a lot working against him.
04:48They are entirely self-serving, and their leadership is openly critical of this department here.
04:54Did you read the memos that I sent?
04:56No, no, I can't say that I have.
05:02This role took method acting to a whole new level.
05:06When Jim Carrey signed on to play comedian Andy Kaufman in the biopic Man on the Moon, he went all
05:11in.
05:11You don't know the real me.
05:15There isn't a real you.
05:20Oh yeah, I forgot.
05:23Always in character, Carrey delivered a thoughtful, raw, and deeply earnest portrayal of the beloved artist.
05:29Never breaking during the four-month-long shoot, Carrey requested that everyone refer to him as Andy,
05:35creating a surreal experience behind the scenes.
05:37In fact, his process was so in-depth that it spun off a 2017 documentary called Jim and Andy, The
05:44Great Beyond.
05:45I didn't know it was real and not real.
05:47You just went with Andy and Tony and wherever their whim took you,
05:53and the emotions oftentimes were very real.
05:58Number 8.
05:59Worst.
05:59Naomi Watts is Diana, Princess of Wales.
06:02Diana.
06:03I'm a non-starter.
06:05Why do you think they've decided that?
06:11Because I do things differently.
06:13Over the years, there have been a handful of on-screen portrayals of the late Princess Diana Spencer,
06:19from Elizabeth Debicki and Emma Corrin on the Crown, to Kristen Stewart and Spencer.
06:24There's been no shortage of strong depictions of the late royal recently.
06:28Years prior, Naomi Watts played her in a biopic titled Diana, which chronicled the final years of her life.
06:34So, what have we got?
06:36These are the transcripts of the LBC early morning phone-in.
06:39The women are very strong for you.
06:41The men about 50-50.
06:42Yes, I've analyzed the TV pundits and that trend carries through.
06:45It seemed like a perfect fit, considering Watts and Spencer look-alike,
06:49but that's where the similarities end.
06:52The film and Watts' performance failed to capture Diana in any way, shape or form.
06:56The whole thing plays like a hammy soap opera, and doesn't do Diana any justice.
07:01It's a bit dramatic.
07:02Dramatic!
07:04Dramatic!
07:05My whole life has been dramatic!
07:08It's been full of the sound of people shutting doors on me!
07:11Number 7.
07:13Best.
07:13Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison.
07:15The Doors.
07:16This performance lit everyone's fire.
07:18The late Val Kilmer as rocker Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors is everything he should be and more.
07:24I'm the Lizard King!
07:27I can do anything!
07:29Come on, raise your hands if you understand!
07:33From his eerily similar vocals to his no-holds-barred portrayal of the troubled musician,
07:39Kilmer doesn't just portray Morrison, he channels him.
07:42A lot of what makes his portrayal such a success was his preparation.
07:46I believe in a long, prolonged derangement of the senses to attain the unknown.
07:53Although I live in the subconscious, our pale reason hides the infinite from us.
07:59Before shooting, the Top Gun alum dedicated months to rigorous rehearsal,
08:04eventually learning 50 of the band's songs.
08:06They say practice makes perfect, and in this case, it couldn't be more true.
08:11You get yours, baby, I'll get mine.
08:16Gonna make it, baby, if we try.
08:20Number 7, worst.
08:23John Wayne as Genghis Khan, The Conqueror.
08:25There's a lot of bad biopics, but this one might be the worst.
08:30John Wayne as Genghis Khan in The Conqueror almost sounds too wild to be true.
08:34Unfortunately, it's real, and Wayne produces a doozy of a performance.
08:38Tempting but unwise, my brother. Listen to me.
08:41There are moments for wisdom, Jamuga, then I listen to you.
08:44And there are moments for action, then I listen to my blood.
08:47First off, his casting is racially problematic,
08:50and many would argue he had no business playing the Mongolian leader.
08:54The use of his Western accent is laughable, and his acting isn't much better.
08:59You're as surprised, as I was.
09:01Yet we both have cause to know the perfidy of Kumlick, and the Mercatargatae's ambition.
09:07True.
09:08Not only was he bad, but the film was a disaster.
09:11It was shot in Utah near a nuclear testing site,
09:14and over the years, 91 crew members were diagnosed with cancer.
09:18Our losses.
09:20This needs more care than I can give it.
09:22Our losses, are they great?
09:29Angela Bassett proved her mettle when she stepped into the shoes of the legendary singer Tina Turner.
09:35Playing the iconic performer in the film What's Love Got to Do With It,
09:38Bassett danced and acted her way to an Academy Award nomination.
09:53Her performance is so spot-on that it's almost like watching a documentary.
09:58To prepare for the role, Bassett did 16-hour-long rehearsals to get every move and gesture just right.
10:04Her hard work paid off, and now the role lives on as one of the best biopic performances of all
10:09time.
10:10I just believe that anything is possible.
10:13You know? Anything.
10:15And it took me a long time to get Ike out of my system.
10:18And now that I've done that, I'm ready.
10:21I'm ready, and I know what I want.
10:23Number 6.
10:25Worst.
10:25John Travolta as John Gotti.
10:27Gotti.
10:28There are a lot of things wrong with 2018's Gotti,
10:32and unfortunately, John Travolta's performance is one of them.
10:35Playing the famed New York City Mafia boss John Gotti,
10:38the actor's portrayal is just a straight-up bad imitation
10:41rather than a fully realized embodiment of the person he was playing.
10:45Listen to me, and listen to me good.
10:48You're never gonna see another guy like me if you live to be 5,000.
10:52Not only that, but the depiction comes off as revering Gotti
10:56rather than critiquing a man who committed countless heinous crimes.
11:00Upon its release in theaters,
11:01the film ended up receiving a jaw-dropping 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
11:06Like, what's that movie you like so much?
11:08About spaghetti, meatballs or something.
11:10Go see that.
11:11Come on!
11:12We ain't got all day!
11:13Number 5.
11:14Best.
11:15The NWA Actors.
11:16Straight out of Compton.
11:18With Ice Cube and Dr. Dre helping shape this biopic
11:20about NWA's early days and their eventual split,
11:24the whole production leans into being as real as possible.
11:27Yo, Dre.
11:28What up?
11:29I got something to say.
11:30They brought in O'Shea Jackson Jr. to play his dad, Ice Cube,
11:34who pushed him to train and earn it instead of handing him the part.
11:38Meanwhile, Dr. Dre told Corey Hawkins to relax
11:41and just feel his way into the role.
11:43Shit, we could probably do something with that.
11:45That's what I'm saying, man.
11:46Start a label or something, man.
11:49A label.
11:50Jason Mitchell didn't have Eazy-E to guide him,
11:52but his work shows how much time he spent studying him closely.
11:55The whole cast really throws themselves fully into telling this story with honesty,
12:00heart, and a genuine respect for everything the group truly lived through.
12:05This is why we got money?
12:07To act like we ain't got no goddamn sense,
12:09we could have did all this dumb shit back in Compton!
12:12Number 5.
12:13Worst.
12:13Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs.
12:15Jobs.
12:16Before Jobs, Kutcher was mostly known for comedy,
12:19so casting him as Steve Jobs felt...
12:22unexpected.
12:22I'm really excited to be here.
12:25We have something really special to share with you today.
12:29He definitely looked the part,
12:31but many people walked away thinking looks alone couldn't carry the whole thing.
12:35To be fair, the blame doesn't land entirely on Kutcher.
12:38When I founded this company,
12:40I had one goal in mind,
12:42and that was to do what nobody else considered possible.
12:46To put the power and the beauty of the world's most advanced technology
12:52in the hands and homes of people just like you and me.
12:55Plenty of folks feel the movie itself just doesn't give him much to work with.
13:00Basically calling the script flat,
13:02and saying this version of Jobs doesn't really get an arc people can latch onto.
13:06For some, it was tough to buy the performance altogether.
13:09Don't get us wrong,
13:10not everyone thought he was a bad pick,
13:12but most agreed that the week's screenplay didn't do him any favors.
13:16Hiring you
13:18was the worst
13:20mistake I have ever
13:22made.
13:24Number 4. Best.
13:26Sean Penn as Harvey Milk.
13:27Milk.
13:28This is the kind of casting that probably wouldn't happen now,
13:31but Sean Penn brings so much heart to the role
13:33that it's easy to see why people still talk about this performance.
13:36I am not a candidate. I am part of a movement. The movement is the candidate. There is a difference.
13:42You don't see it, but I do.
13:45He disappears into it in a way that makes you forget you're watching an actor at all.
13:49Milk was such a huge figure in California politics,
13:52the first openly gay man elected to public office in the state.
13:56And Penn really taps into both the emotional weight of that,
13:59and the determined strength it takes to carry it.
14:02I want to recruit you in a fight to preserve your democracy.
14:06Brothers and sisters, you must come out.
14:11Come out to your parents.
14:13Come out to your friends, if indeed they are your friends.
14:17He makes Milk feel like a real fleshed out person,
14:20not just a historical name.
14:22And that's why he ended up taking home the Oscar.
14:24Tonight,
14:26we are clear
14:27that there is a place for us.
14:30My brothers and sisters,
14:32we can come home again.
14:40Before anyone even opened their mouths,
14:43people were already thrown off by the huge age gap between Spacey
14:46and the version of Bobby Darin he was supposed to be playing.
14:49As long as we're being honest,
14:50isn't the real truth,
14:51he's too old to play this part.
14:53It also doesn't help that Spacey starred in,
14:56directed,
14:56co-produced,
14:57and co-wrote it,
14:58which had plenty of people calling the whole thing a straight-up vanity project.
15:02Some even questioned if Darin's life really needed a biopic in the first place.
15:07Bobby, please don't.
15:07I'm with rock and roll.
15:08I'm like a thousand other guys out there and you goddamn well know it.
15:10I gotta prove I can sing.
15:12I want it all.
15:13I want the major leagues.
15:14I want nightclubs.
15:15I want Vegas,
15:16movies,
15:16TV.
15:17This album will make it happen all fast,
15:18faster than you can imagine.
15:19On top of that,
15:20the movie's non-linear,
15:22slightly fantasy-style approach didn't work for everyone.
15:25And no matter how well Spacey sang,
15:27audiences just couldn't see past a 40-something man
15:30trying to pass as someone nearly half his age.
15:48Austin Butler really connected with Elvis from the very start,
15:52even during his audition.
15:53When he got the role,
15:55he completely disappeared into it,
15:57capturing Elvis' voice,
15:58moves,
15:59and magnetism without ever turning it into a caricature.
16:12It felt like Butler had taken great care to show us the man behind the legend,
16:17not just the flashy showman with hypnotic hips.
16:19The Presley family loved it too.
16:21Priscilla and Lisa Marie both praised Butler and the film
16:24for handling Elvis' story with real care and authenticity.
16:46His performance earned huge acclaim and an Oscar nomination.
16:50Butler got so lost in the role that even after shooting wrapped,
16:54Elvis still hadn't quite left the building.
17:11When reviews dropped for this biopic, they were brutal.
17:14And no one got hit harder than Lindsay Lohan,
17:17who was trying to make her big screen comeback.
17:19So shoot me.
17:20Do I sound defensive?
17:22Because I'm not.
17:23One outlet even suggested this role could end her career,
17:26while another called her performance, quote,
17:28half train wreck,
17:29half SNL skit.
17:31The kindest word we managed to find that described her performance was mediocre.
17:34It's what's wrong with us.
17:37Apparently, people don't want to be seen with us.
17:39Apparently, no one in London's ever had an affair.
17:43Let me guess.
17:44Your niece?
17:46Hypocrites, all of you.
17:47So what went wrong?
17:49For starters, many didn't think Lohan had the look, the voice, or the presence to pull off Elizabeth Taylor.
17:55What she did deliver came across as, quote,
17:57flat, wooden, and completely, quote, lacking charisma.
18:01For many, it felt like nothing more than a stunt casting.
18:04And not even a good one.
18:06You're still a star.
18:08Hey, you are the biggest star.
18:10I'm a joke.
18:11No.
18:12Number 2.
18:13Best.
18:14Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland.
18:16Judy.
18:16Renee Zellweger took her performance up and beyond the rainbow with her emotional honesty
18:21and thoughtful attention to detail.
18:23And I love you too.
18:25In fact, I love this whole town.
18:29Though you will always be special.
18:32This wasn't about just mimicking the icon, but about truly capturing her voice, her fragility, and her spirit.
18:40Zellweger even sang some of the songs live, letting audiences feel the warmth and richness of her voice in real
18:45time.
18:46Buzz, buzz, buzz, went the buzzer.
18:49Plop, plop, plop, went the wheels.
18:52Stop, stop when my heart strains.
18:55She brought out both Garland's incredible stage energy and the pain she carried off stage.
19:00From her tough childhood to the weight of fame.
19:03The result feels real and deeply moving.
19:06Critics praised how fully she embodied Garland,
19:09giving us the next best option to watching the real Judy and helping the film earn widespread admiration.
19:14I love you all.
19:18You won't forget me, will you?
19:23Promise you won't.
19:25Number 2.
19:26Worst.
19:27Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson.
19:29Urban Myths.
19:30Imagine making a casting choice so bad that the episode actually gets pulled from the air.
19:35I sense the danger.
19:36Yeah, you just need to look at Fiennes as MJ to know this couldn't possibly go well.
19:41Director Ben Palmer said they cast him because they believed he would give the most, quote,
19:46nuanced, characterful performance,
19:47but also admitted that finding someone who actually looked like Jackson would be tricky.
19:51Miss Taylor.
19:52You caught me, darling.
19:53Get ready for the finale.
19:57The Jackson family was not having it,
20:00leading to criticism and calling out what they saw as an attempt to, quote,
20:03whitewash the singer.
20:05Harris Jackson is outraged by this bizarre portrayal of her father.
20:09She's calling it shameful.
20:11Even Fiennes later admitted the whole thing was misguided.
20:14With smarter casting,
20:16maybe we will still get to see that supposed star-studded road trip.
20:20The only way out was to drive.
20:22And according to legend, that's what Michael Jackson decided to do.
20:25He rented a car from, of all places, Rent-A-Wreck,
20:28and he and Brando picked up Liz Taylor here at the swanky St. Regis Hotel.
20:33Their destination lay 3,000 miles away.
20:37Before we unveil our top pick,
20:39here are a few honorable and dishonorable mentions.
20:42Best.
20:43Daniel Radcliffe as Al Yankovic.
20:45Weird.
20:46The Al Yankovic Story.
20:47No one could have played Weird Al better than Harry Potter himself.
20:50All right.
20:51Just mailed the tape off to Captain Buffoon.
20:54Now I guess all I gotta do is sit back and wait to become famous.
20:58Best.
20:59Jennifer Lopez as Selena Quintanilla-Perez.
21:02Selena.
21:02We could fall in love with this performance anytime.
21:05Pues me siento muy orgullosa de estar aquí con todos ustedes.
21:09Y me siento muy...
21:14Me siento muy...
21:18Excited.
21:19Worst.
21:19Hilary Swank as Emilia Earhart.
21:22Emilia.
21:22Unfortunately, this portrayal never took flight.
21:25Haskins is a king cow, able queen queen.
21:28We must be on you, but cannot see you.
21:31Fuel is running low, but unable to receive you by radio.
21:36We are flying at altitude 1,000 feet.
21:39Over.
21:40Best.
21:40Denzel Washington as Malcolm X.
21:43Malcolm X.
21:44A role that earned Washington an Oscar nomination.
21:46Before there was any such thing as a Republican or a Democrat,
21:50we were black.
21:51Before there was any such thing as a Mason or an elk, we were black.
21:54That's right.
21:55Before there was any such thing as a Jew or a Christian, we were black people.
22:00In fact, before there was any such place as America, we were black.
22:04Right.
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22:20Number 1.
22:22Best.
22:22Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles.
22:24Ray.
22:25Few actors manage to embody the person they're playing quite like Jamie Foxx did here.
22:29So I'm thinking we go with your middle name.
22:32Charles.
22:34As in Ray Charles.
22:35You know, I don't care what you call me, man.
22:37Just as long as my name is on the record.
22:39It's like he studied Ray Charles under a microscope, picking up everything from his posture to his
22:44tiniest mannerisms.
22:46He even went through a physical transformation to look more like the singer, and spent hours
22:51practicing at the piano so no one could accuse him of miming.
22:54Now baby, listen baby, don't you treat me this way, cause I'll be back on my feet someday.
23:00Don't care if you do, cause it's understood, you ain't got no money, you just ain't no good.
23:05The singing might not all be him, but he more than makes up for it with a magnetic stage presence
23:10and a real capture of Charles' quieter private moments.
23:13Foxx brings Charles' soul to life, and watching him, you feel the man behind the legend.
23:19No surprise it earned him an Oscar.
23:36You know a casting choice is bad when even the actor ends up apologizing for taking the role.
23:41Worse still, Nina Simone's own family actively distanced themselves from the film.
23:47Wild is the wind, so wild is the wind.
23:57Makeup and prosthetics were used to make Saldana look more like Simone, but many people found
24:02that offensive.
24:04It felt like they cared more about appearance and bringing in a household name than honoring
24:08who Nina really was.
24:19It's almost like they didn't even fully understand the story they were trying to tell.
24:24Simone's family was unimpressed with the choice, especially after Saldana initially defended
24:29her casting.
24:30The estate even tweeted, quote,
24:32Please take Nina's name out your mouth for the rest of your life.
24:35My time here is over.
24:37It's all f***ing done!
24:39Which famous figure would you like to see portrayed in a biopic?
24:42Let us know in the comments.
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