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Some of the most memorable biopic portrayals didn’t just impress audiences—they won the approval of the real people behind the stories. From iconic musicians and athletes to notorious figures, these performances captured the essence of their subjects so well that the individuals themselves publicly praised the actors. Join us as we explore the heartfelt reactions from legends like Muhammad Ali, Elton John, Tonya Harding, and more!
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00:00Just a little bit intimidating to have two people who you're trying to inhabit in some way, watching what you're
00:06doing.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at some of the best acted performances in biographical films that were
00:13beloved by the person being played.
00:15Taron has recorded, re-recorded all the songs that are in the movie and sings them quite brilliantly.
00:24Muhammad Ali, Ali.
00:25People who don't really know much about me, it'll tell them more about who I am.
00:32They'll understand more about the legend of Muhammad Ali.
00:36One of the greatest boxers of all time deserves a biopic of the same caliber.
00:41Luckily for Muhammad Ali, he got that with the Will Smith-led Ali.
00:45I am the greatest. I'm a bad man. I should love the world.
00:50Did he ever hurt you, Sasha?
00:52I'm only 22 years old. I ain't got a rock on my face.
00:55I must be the greatest. I must be the greatest.
00:58The film covered a decade of the fighter's life, from his victories in the ring to his legal troubles.
01:03Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for the role, but the only judgment that mattered was Ali's.
01:09He gave a nod of approval, a gesture that made Smith realize just how well he'd done.
01:14Ali later took to the Oprah Winfrey show to share his thoughts and make a few wisecracks,
01:18including that Will was almost as pretty as he was.
01:21Did he get your moves right, do you think?
01:24My moves.
01:27You know, floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee, rumble young man.
01:30Well, tell the truth now.
01:31Tell the truth, did he?
01:32You know.
01:33He's not as dumb as you look.
01:35Smith served as a pallbearer at his funeral, proving just how honored he felt by the portrayal.
01:41Tommy Wiseau, the disaster artist.
01:43Champions aren't the only ones deserving of award-winning biopics.
01:46Even though Tommy Wiseau is primarily known for creating one of the worst movies of all time,
01:51the process of making said flick has proven to be a point of cultural interest.
01:55You are tearing me apart, Lisa!
01:58Why are you so hysterical?
02:00Do you understand life?
02:02Do you?
02:03Fans were able to get a peek behind the curtain during 2017's The Disaster Artist,
02:08starring James Franco as Wiseau.
02:10The film showed the process behind the making of The Room,
02:13including some of Wiseau's most baffling acting and directorial choices.
02:17That's not true.
02:18At least we have a closed set.
02:20Not closed set.
02:21Open set.
02:22Life is not closed set.
02:24I want everyone to see.
02:25You especially.
02:27Tommy enjoyed Franco's impression and said he did a great job,
02:31except when it came to throwing footballs.
02:33He commended the makeup artists for their work,
02:35before going on to say that there was nothing to talk down about.
02:38I think everyone in America should see it.
02:41Yes.
02:42As close as it is.
02:42How closely do you think James and the story captured your essence?
02:47I will say 99.9%.
02:49Bethany Hamilton, Soul Surfer.
02:51After surviving a shark attack at just 13,
02:54she was determined to tell her story
02:56and was involved throughout every step of the process.
02:59From collaborating on the script
03:01to making sure the incident wasn't over-dramatized,
03:04Bethany Hamilton had plenty of influence on her 2011 biopic Soul Surfer.
03:08It actually took a good five years to get Soul Surfer actually on the road
03:12and actually starting to film.
03:14And my family and I met with the director, Sean McNamara,
03:18and fell in love with him, and everything just kind of came to place.
03:21She had a hand in choosing the actress that would portray her,
03:24leading to Anna-Sophia Robb getting the part.
03:26She even helped the actress learn some beginner surfing moves,
03:30which helped them grow closer and eventually become friends.
03:33We trained a lot and a lot of paddling.
03:36I'm more of a paddler than an actual super.
03:38I was like, I'm a body surgeon, it's like, blah, blah, blah.
03:42When the film was released,
03:43Hamilton was blown away by the final result.
03:45She commended Robb's dedication to accuracy
03:48and went on to say that she gave an incredible performance.
03:51We got to talk a lot before filmmaking
03:54and kind of get to know each other,
03:55so I think that helped her portray me a little bit better.
03:58And yeah, she did good.
04:00Brian Wilson, Love and Mercy.
04:02Playing a musical genius is no easy feat,
04:05particularly one as complex as the co-founder of the Beach Boys.
04:09Paul Dano was determined to pull it off
04:11and dedicated himself to learning everything there was to know about Brian Wilson,
04:15both the good and the bad.
04:17I feel like Brian is his music and the music is Brian,
04:21although I'm not speaking for him, but that was just my impression.
04:24So I started trying to learn a few of the songs on the piano,
04:27trying to learn how to sing
04:28and put a lot of work into that
04:30just because it was the easiest way
04:32to sort of connect to the spirit of, you know, the character.
04:36Besides learning about the artist himself,
04:38he also taught himself how to play the piano and sing.
04:41When the film was finally released,
04:43the singer had nothing but nice things to say.
04:45Brian, what was it like for you watching these scenes
04:47with Paul Dano in the recording studio being created, recreating...
04:51Well, it was so factual that it scared me, you know.
04:54I was very amazed by how factual
04:57and how closely they portrayed my personality
05:00and the way I produced records.
05:02He reported that the movie helped him get in touch with himself and his past,
05:06and even went on to say that Dano helped him find his voice again.
05:10He was also amazed by Paul's vocal talents,
05:12and even commented that Dano sounded similar to himself.
05:16Could I ever find in you again
05:23Things that made me love you so much then
05:47In the mid-20th century, she shook up the art world
05:51with the revelation that her husband had plagiarized
05:53her instantly recognizable paintings,
05:55resulting in a bitter legal battle between them.
05:57Margaret Keene got a chance to tell her story to a new generation
06:01with the biopic Big Eyes,
06:02starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz.
06:05Although Keene hadn't heard of Adams prior to the movie being made,
06:08all that changed once it actually released.
06:11I saw excerpts from her different movies,
06:13and I thought she'll do a good job,
06:17and she did more than a good job.
06:20She was amazed by the physical similarities,
06:23and even noted that Adams reminded her of herself in old pictures.
06:26She wasn't just impressed by the visual aspect.
06:29She commended the star for perfectly capturing her emotions during that era,
06:34further cementing Adams' legacy as an actor.
06:36I was laughing and crying, and so was Jane.
06:40It was really something.
06:42Joan Jett, The Runaways
06:44Though she eventually became a larger-than-life figure in her own right,
06:48Jett's beginnings were much more humble.
06:49The 2010 film The Runaways chronicled Joan Jett and her band's rocky road to fame,
06:54from their songwriting process to their personal struggles.
06:58It's a lose-lose situation.
06:59How's that?
07:00Well, if you win, you beat up a girl.
07:02If you lose, you get beat up by two.
07:04Teenage ones.
07:06All right, sound check is canceled.
07:08Maybe if you ever headline, you'll get one.
07:11Kristen Stewart portrayed the iconic rock star,
07:13and she easily earned her approval.
07:15Jett was pleased by how seriously the actress took the role,
07:18and how dedicated she was to delivering a good performance.
07:21We got a chance to meet, and I thought she was just a really authentic,
07:26real person who wanted to do the right thing with this role.
07:31And when I asked her if she was going to cut her hair,
07:34and she said, yeah.
07:35And I thought, you know, I felt good about it.
07:38While she approved of the acting,
07:40she was truly astonished by Stewart's vocals,
07:42and commended her for singing the songs herself.
07:45It was the perfect follow-up role for Stewart
07:47following her appearance in the Twilight Saga,
07:49and Jett's seal of approval no doubt helped people realize how talented she is.
08:04Jordan Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Street
08:06Making a memorable biopic is easy
08:08when you have a larger-than-life subject to base your performances off of.
08:12Leonardo DiCaprio had this opportunity
08:14while portraying the infamous stockbroker and criminal in The Wolf of Wall Street.
08:18How can I not get stressed out?
08:19Look at the knuckleheads you got working for me.
08:21I know the knuckleheads, but I need them to want to live like me, you get it?
08:25To live like me.
08:26The film didn't pull any punches,
08:28and showed everything from the businessman's crimes
08:30to his substance-fueled meltdowns.
08:33Although it wasn't always glamorous,
08:34the real Jordan Belfort loved every moment of the impression.
08:47He felt the star had captured his essence and released it throughout the film,
08:52without trying too hard to sound like him.
08:54Belfort also mentioned how good DiCaprio was
08:57at picking up on his more subtle traits and mannerisms,
09:00and even went on to say it was his favorite movie of all time.
09:03Obviously, I think Leo is the greatest, and you should do.
09:07Tonya Harding, I, Tonya.
09:09Biopics about complex people are often the most interesting,
09:13particularly when they go out of their way to show all of those nuances.
09:17Margot Robbie did an excellent job of this in I, Tonya,
09:20a film centered around disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding.
09:23I thought being famous was gonna be fun.
09:31I was loved for a minute.
09:39Then I was hated.
09:40The movie shows her entire life,
09:42from her rough childhood to the moment she pled guilty
09:45for planning an assault against Nancy Kerrigan.
09:47After seeing it herself, Harding was emotional.
09:50When I saw it, I was watching Marco.
09:53I wasn't watching a movie about me.
09:55I was watching Marco, and then I went,
09:57oh my goodness, that's about me.
10:03But you pulled it off so beautifully.
10:06She was shocked by the amount of time Robbie had spent learning more about her,
10:10and took the time to point out how incredible her portrayal was.
10:13It was clear she had a deep respect for Robbie,
10:16and the actress's response showed the feeling was mutual.
10:19I think you're an incredibly resilient woman to be sitting here today.
10:23I saw a glimpse of it.
10:24I didn't live through it the way you did,
10:26and even still, that was, it was intense.
10:30Elton John, Rocket Man.
10:32Portraying an icon isn't as easy as one might think,
10:35especially when that star is still alive to see it.
10:38It's not Bohemian Rhapsody where the brilliant Remy Malek,
10:42who played Freddie, you know, lip-sync.
10:44You're actually doing the whole thing, and how did you approach playing me?
10:48Taron Egerton had a tall order when he was tasked with playing Elton John in Rocket Man,
10:53and John being so involved in the film no doubt added to those expectations.
10:57Once the movie came out, however, it was clear that he had exceeded every one of them.
11:03Rocket Man!
11:08Elton recalled looking up at the screen and seeing and hearing himself rather than Egerton,
11:13which reportedly made him emotional during the screening.
11:15He was also amazed by how the covers had turned out,
11:18and even said that no one had ever sung his songs as well as Taron had.
11:22People have told me that it's seamless, the music lifts the music from scene to scene.
11:26But his music, what I've heard, is quite unreal.
11:30Quite unreal.
11:32Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:36Eddie Edwards, Eddie the Eagle.
11:38Much like Elton John, skier Eddie the Eagle was blown away by Egerton's portrayal of him.
11:43He had me down to a T. It was amazing.
11:46He's a fantastic actor, and I hope he just goes from strength to strength.
11:50He's done a wonderful job.
11:52Molly Bloom, Molly's Game.
11:54She gushed about Chastain's performance, especially with limited time to prepare.
11:59I thought she gave an incredible performance.
12:02It's too meta to say, like, how she played me.
12:07Yeah.
12:07Yeah, I mean, I think I would want her to play me for life.
12:12Saru Briarley, Lion.
12:13He reported feeling mesmerized after seeing Dev Patel play out his life story.
12:18Come on.
12:20Is that all?
12:22No.
12:23I can't.
12:26I can't.
12:28I can't.
12:29I can't.
12:30Aaron Ralston, 127 Hours.
12:33He commended Franco for his portrayal of his physical and emotional state during his ordeal.
12:38He got all these little things that in the end turned little, just little nuances and touches in the film
12:44that my sister and my mom were sitting next to me watching it.
12:48And Elbow, we were like, oh, that's so you, Aaron.
12:50You know, he totally got you.
12:51So that was what showed me that all of that work that went into it and their incredible talent paid
12:57off.
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13:14Stephen Hawking, The Theory of Everything.
13:16When you're part of a film which is depicting people who are living, the stakes suddenly get, like, a level
13:21higher.
13:22Channeling one of the most brilliant minds of all time would be hard for even the most seasoned actor.
13:27While Eddie Redmayne had plenty of experience under his belt before being cast in The Theory of Everything, he was
13:32still taking a chance playing Stephen Hawking.
13:35He knocked the portrayal out of the park.
13:37And it wasn't just critics that thought so.
13:39I was rather surprised that a major film company should want to make a film about me.
13:46The main ball scene was spectacular, especially the fireworks.
13:51The astrophysicist was convinced he saw himself on the big screen and was moved to tears while watching it for
13:56the first time.
13:57He even went on to endorse the impression and film.
14:00He adored Redmayne's performance so much that he did the unthinkable.
14:04He allowed the director to use his own copyrighted voice rather than the imitation one they'd created.
14:09There ought to be something very special about the boundary conditions of the universe.
14:16And what can be more special than that there is no boundary?
14:20Which pop culture or historical icon do you think should have a biopic made about their life?
14:25Let us know in the comments below.
14:26Let us know in the comments below.
14:27Let us know in the comments below.
14:27Let us know in the comments below.
14:27Let us know in the comments below.
14:28Let us know in the comments below.
14:29Let us know in the comments below.
14:30Let us know in the comments below.
14:30Let us know in the comments below.
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