50 Huge Movie Characters That Were Completely Miscast

A movie can have the best things in place behind the scenes, from the writers and directors to the wardrobe and art department, and everything in between, yet even if all of those things are perfect, they can be undermined by what happens on the screen.

Ultimately, audiences buy into the characters of a story more than anything else, and as such, they need to be brought to life in the right way by the right people. Putting the proper actors in place is absolutely vital in the film industry, which is what makes it so amazing that the mark is missed so often.

There have been those chosen to lead franchises that couldn't have felt more out of place, characters brought to life from novels, comic books, or games that didn't feel even close to reminiscent of who they were meant to be, and even actors cast in the same movie that should have had each other's roles.

For the most part, with a few exceptions, there are no bad actors on this list. The vast majority are incredibly talented, and have produced stellar work outside of these particular projects, for which they were very clearly wrong. 

One of the biggest factors in The Silence of the Lambs being as compelling as it was was the outstanding job done by the casting department. Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter opposite Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling was movie magic, and though she was no Foster, there was certainly nothing wrong with Julianne Moore's portrayal of a grittier and more world-weary Starling in Hannibal.

This presented something of a challenge when Hannibal returned with Red Dragon in 2002. Who could work opposite Hopkins as Will Graham on the same level as Foster and Moore? Unfortunately, the answer wasn't Edward Norton.

Norton has been very good in a lot of different roles, but he couldn't put across both the intense and robotic nature needed for Graham, while also being a likeable protagonist for the audience to get behind. It was similar in Norton's role as Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk, in that he unfortunately just isn't the man for a likeable protagonist. 

This miscasting was only driven home by Hugh Dancy's portrayal of the character in the TV series. Here, Mads Mikkelsen was a perfect continuation of Hannibal Lecter, while Dancy as Will Graham was far superior to Norton in his brilliance, his damaged mind, and his vulnerability.