Here are the stars who didn’t look anything like the real life figures they were pretending to be. No amount of makeup, lighting, or CGI could help in these cases.
Ray Liotta as Joe Jackson - Field of Dreams
Take your pick withRay Liotta. In two years he made two classic films—Field of DreamsandGoodfellas. Neither the real“Shoeless Joe”norHenry Hillresembled Liotta in the slightest.
But the portrayal of Jackson is our pick, and not just because of their faces.
Shoeless Joe Jackson, who was famously banned from baseball for allegedly throwing the 1919 World Series, was a left-handed hitter. He threw right-handed.
In Field of Dreams, Liotta bats righty and throws lefty! Pretty big error as far as we’re concerned. At least they got his position correct: left field.
Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs - Steve Jobs
The iconic founder of Macintosh had a distinct look—in both appearance and style. The black turtle neck and jeans combo will forever be associated withSteve Jobs.
But no amount of stylizingMichael Fassbendercould fool us into thinking we were watching the man he was supposed to be. In fact, the role almost wasn’t his.
BeforeDanny Boyletook over forDavid Fincheras director, the part was going to be played byChristian Bale.
And Christian Bale with longer hair and a beard looks like Steve Jobs’s long lost brother! Fassbender plays the part brilliantly, but seeing Bale in the role would have been surreal.
Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig - The Pride of the Yankees
Sometimes casting a silver screen legend as a sports legend gets you into a little bit of a pickle. When you know each person’s face so well, it’s not as easy to suspend your disbelief.
WhenThe Pride of the Yankeescame out,Gary Cooperwas on top of Hollywood.
Lou Gehrighad achieved great fame as a New York Yankee. Then he achieved even more in his untimely death, succumbing to ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
The appearance of each man was very much ingrained into the public consciousness in 1942. And they looked nothing alike. Cooper was also a lousy baseball player.
Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich - Erin Brockovich
If this list were about bad performances by actors playing real people, we wouldn’t dare putJulia Robertson it.
Any movie lover old enough to remember the ‘80s and ‘90s knows that that smile (and that laugh) is like no other.
That includesErin Brockovich. Thankfully for audiences, not many knew who Brockovich was, so we were able to get lost in Roberts’s performance. In fact, she took home Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in the film.
But have a look at the real life whistleblower. See a resemblance? Of course you don’t.
Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J. Simpson - The People vs. O.J. Simpson
The “trial of the century” came to life again in a series that managed to makeJohn Travoltalook likeRobert Shapiro. We believed we were watchingMarcia ClarkandJohnnie Cochran—even the greatKato Kaelin!
Not everyone was convincing, however.
Even the best makeup folks in town couldn’t turnCuba Gooding Jr.intoO.J. Simpson. This doppelgänger failure was too distracting to accept him as the defamed double murder suspect, whether in the Bronco or the courtroom.
The rest of the casting was spot on, especially the guy who playedLarry King(Larry King played Larry King).
Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum - The Greatest Showman
If they held aP.T. Barnumlookalike contest, you might seeJim Broadbentor John C. Reilly faring quite well. Go ahead, look them up if you have your doubts.
ButHugh Jackman?? Why would they cast him as the Barnum & Bailey Circus founder?
Well, he can sing, that’s why. Oh, and he’s a movie star, and this was a huge movie. Jackman relishes the role, giving it his all and belting out big songs from beginning to end.
There’s no indication that the real Barnum could sing, but we know what he looked like. And he looked likenotHugh Jackman.
Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan - I’m Not There
I’m Not Thereis an experimental film casting several actors as the iconic folk musician. None look much like the realBob Dylan.
Asking us to suspend our disbelief and buyCate Blanchett, of all people, as Dylan? That’s a bit of a stretch.
Critics and the Academy didn’t care. Blanchett was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the film.
It’s ambitious casting, no doubt, but no woman wants to be told she resembles Bob Dylan. And not many actually do. Among the many: Cate Blanchett.
