15 Movie Characters Who Look Nothing Like They Did In Real Life

6. Oskar Schindler - Schindler's List

If you believe his cameo in the otherwise weak Life's Too Short, Liam Neeson was offered the role of Oskar Schindler because he wrote a lot of lists. We're inclined to take that as a joke (although it didn't make us laugh, we're fairly certain Life's Too Short was meant to be a comedy), although it's as likely a reason as Spielberg casting Neeson because of his actual resemblance to the heroic Nazi.

An opportunistic businessman who saved over a thousand Jews from the Holocaust, Spielberg's movie feels like it hasn't aged a day in the two decades since its release, which was exactly the plan. Treating the subject matter (his darkest) with a eye towards accuracy, Spielberg wanted the film to be totally accurate to real events, almost serving as a documentary.

The only break in this is the casting of Irish Neeson as the German Schindler, although the Oscar nominated performance he subsequently delivered make it a negligible issue. It's worth noting that at the time Neeson was, like co-star Ralph Fiennes, a relative unknown, so much of this difference in look has been exacerbated over time.