10 More Best Actor Replacements In Movies
These actor replacements just might've saved these movies.
Movies are hard enough to make when the cast is locked in and everyone is happy, but it's not uncommon for major actors to take leave of a project late in the day for one reason or another.
Perhaps they have "creative differences" with the director or the filmmaker realises they're simply not a good fit for the part. Whatever the reason, an actor's sudden departure will typically leave a production scrambling to find a replacement as fast as possible.
And while this can often be disappointing to filmmakers and audiences alike, sometimes the replacements ends up being a happy accident - a fortuitous outcome because the new actor ends up totally owning the role.
And so, as another entry into our ongoing article series on the subject, here are 10 more of the best actor replacements in movies.
While many of these productions could've been handicapped or outright doomed by these actors taking their exit, each made a swift recovery by drafting in an actor who, ultimately, was seemingly a better fit for the part anyway.
Basically, everything worked out against the odds...
10. James McAvoy - Split
Up until a few weeks before M. Night Shyamalan's Split started shooting, the role of Kevin Wendell Crumb - a man with dissociative identity disorder whose psyche harbours 24 distinct identities - was set to be played by Shyamalan's regular collaborator Joaquin Phoenix.
It was never explained why Phoenix departed so late in the day, though given his history of bailing on films last-minute, it may very much have been a "him problem."
Either way, Shyamalan quickly replaced Phoenix with James McAvoy, who had just two weeks to prepare to play the challenging, multi-faceted role.
And yet, McAvoy went on to receive rave reviews for his performance, with even many of the film's detractors lauding the actor for his nuanced and persuasive portrayal of a man with DID.
Now of course, Phoenix is an incredible actor who would've absolutely done something fascinating with the character, but given what brilliance McAvoy gave us in the end, it's tough to lament what we missed out on much at all.