50 Huge Movie Characters That Were Completely Miscast
19. Cameron Diaz As Jenny Everdeane - Gangs Of New York
It may not be up there with the best in his body of work, which in fairness is a damn high bar by which to be compared, but Gangs of New York is still a strong outing from the legendary Martin Scorsese.
Naturally buoyed by the typically outstanding performances of Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio, the unfortunate truth is that as Jenny Everdeane, Cameron Diaz does stand out more than a little bit. Granted, it would have taken something special to stand toe to toe with Bill the Butcher and Amsterdam, but Jenny was never given a chance.
At the time, Diaz was known far more for her roles in the romantic comedy world, in the likes of There's Something About Mary and The Sweetest Thing, as well as fun but hardly deep roles in The Mask, Shrek, and Charlie's Angels. In this world, she excelled, but to go from that to a Scorsese picture opposite two of the finest of their generation was a step too far.
As Jenny, Diaz brought a weak link in the film, and whether it was down to a lack of experience, chemistry, or just being out of her depth, it did naturally affect the result of the picture around her.