8 Horror Movie Re-Castings That Were TERRIBLE
3. Stuart Townsend - Lestat (Queen Of The Damned)
This one is perhaps the least surprising entry on the list, because Queen of the Damned is only a very loose sequel to cult classic Interview With A Vampire. Still, the pair obviously share elements, specifically the character of stupid, sexy vampire Lestat.
If you don't remember (I don't blame you considering they're mostly tall, pretty, long-haired white dudes), Lestat was played by Tom Cruise in Interview With A Vampire. Cruise purposefully sought out difficult roles in the 90s (including starring in Kubrick's sex-thriller Eyes Wide Shut), and his Lestat is a wholly unique creation.
The movie and performance was a hit, but when it came time to make Queen of the Damned, a follow up released eight years later, getting the star-studded ensemble cast back would have been impossible. Still, the studio needed someone to take Cruise's place, and they settled on Stuart Townsend who, well... at least had the cheekbones?
The hilarious thing here is that, initially, when Interview came out fans of the books actually thought Cruise was a terrible casting choice. However, the movie won them around so much that by the time Townsend was brought in (who ultimately wouldn't have been kindly received even without the comparison), fans couldn't imagine Lestat on screen without Cruise playing him.