5. Woody Allen And Albert Brooks
It's no secret that Woody Allen has been on the lookout for Woody Allen-types to take the lead roles in his movies ever since he got too old to play the character himself (these are 'the surrogates'). In his time, he's dabbled with Owen Wilson (too cool), Will Ferrell (too naive) and Josh Brolin (too Josh Brolin), without once looking to the man dubbed the 'West Coast Woody Allen' to take the part. A neurotic, self-deprecating yet warm everyman with the necessary intellectual edge, Albert Brooks matched Allen closer than most actors that ever took the surrogate Woody Allen role. Over a decade younger than Allen, there was a period in the 80s and 90s where it looked like Brooks would become the next Woody Allen 'surrogate', but it was never to be.