12 Most Ridiculous Biopic Castings Of All Time
2. Cate Blanchett - Bob Dylan (I'm Not There)
Though the rest of this list might suggest otherwise, ridiculous casting isn't always bad, and occasionally it's even done on purpose to brilliant effect.
Todd Haynes' ambitiously surreal Bob Dylan biopic saw six different actors play the singer-songwriter at various stages of his life: Christian Bale, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw and, yes, Cate Blanchett.
Blanchett plays "Jude Quinn", a mid-sixties approximation of Dylan, and as jarring a concept as this seems, she gives a frighteningly chameleonic performance that's really quite incredible in its own right.
It's easy to scoff at the flourish as arty-farty nonsense on paper, but Blanchett scored a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her stunning work, which playfully toys with the notion of "gender ownership" of biopic roles. It's incredibly difficult to pull it off, but dammit, she made it look effortless.