10 Horror Movie Casting Choices That Should've Worked (But Didn't)

Sometimes there’s nothing better than taking a comedian or comic actor and sticking them in a serious role. From the outre examples like Rodney Dangerfield in Natural Born Killers to the more natural dramatic chops of Adam Sandler, the joker gone straight is an easy way to wrongfoot your audience.

In David Fincher’s domestic horror thriller Gone Girl, there are two such examples. Tyler Perry plays the flashy lawyer representing Ben Affleck’s Nick against accusations he’s murdered his wife Amy. Perry is a great fit for the part, showbiz in front of the camera, calculating behind it. Neil Patrick Harris, meanwhile, plays Desi, an old flame of Amy (Rosamund Pike) to whom she flees having framed her husband.

Harris unfortunately flounders in the small but pivotal role, never quite sure how to play the character. Desi is simultaneously a shark and a shucker, a rich, controlling man keen to keep Amy in his life but who’ll ultimately be played by her.

The immensely likeable actor can’t quite tap into the darkness that the script demands. We’re meant to get the idea that Amy might have finally tripped up, returning to a man who’s sinister if not downright dangerous. Instead he’s a slightly toned down version of his sitcom persona.