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Some roles feel like they were written for the actor who played them. Join us as we celebrate the most uncanny, undeniable and truly inspired casting choices in movie history, from legendary heroes and unforgettable villains to scene-stealing comedic icons. These performances didn’t just fit their characters — they defined them and helped make cinema magic.
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00:00Hi, I'm Elle Woods, and this is Breezer Woods, and we're both Gemini vegetarians.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best pieces of casting in the history
00:11of cinema.
00:12Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
00:18Number 30. Amy Madigan. Weapons.
00:21This veteran actress's presence as Aunt Gladys was perhaps Weapon's best-kept secret heading into the theater.
00:27I'm happy to come by. It's fine.
00:30Okay, forgive me. We have not met, is that right?
00:34No, I don't think so.
00:35Okay, phew, because I was relatively certain I'd remember.
00:41As audiences walked out, everyone was talking about Madigan's deliciously devious turn.
00:46For a generation of younger moviegoers, this would be their introduction to Madigan.
00:50Even if you were already familiar with Madigan's past work,
00:53she proved so unrecognizable that it was as if we were seeing her for the first time.
00:57Director Zach Kregor knew within 10 minutes of a lunch that Madigan had to play this role.
01:02Marcus, get her a glass.
01:04A bowl, please.
01:07A bowl?
01:08Yes, a bowl. It's a peculiarity of mine. I don't even try to rationalize it anymore.
01:13Madigan proved especially essential since Kregor hadn't entirely figured Gladys out.
01:18Kregor gave her two possible backstories, asking Madigan to choose one.
01:22He wasn't sure which she picked.
01:24All Kregor knew was that, quote,
01:26without her, the movie doesn't work.
01:28How will that make you better?
01:33It might be just what I need.
01:36Number 29. Val Kilmer, Tombstone.
01:38While Willem Dafoe was briefly considered to portray legendary gunslinger Doc Holliday,
01:43the role ultimately went to Val Kilmer in what would become a career-defining performance.
01:48Kilmer was born to play Holliday, balancing charisma with an intense poker face.
01:53Without them guns, you ain't nothing but a skinny lunger.
01:57Ed, what an ugly thing to say.
02:01Our poor ugliness.
02:02Does this mean we're not friends anymore?
02:06You know, Ed, if I thought you weren't my friend, I just don't think I could bear it.
02:13Holliday holds his cards close to his chest, but looking deep into Kilmer's eyes,
02:17we see his fierce sense of loyalty and the death wish that fuels his self-destructive nature.
02:22Whether he dies in a gunfight or hospital bed, Holliday knows his days are numbered.
02:35Tragically, he'd come to mirror Kilmer, whose own life was cut all too short.
02:40Just like Holliday, Kilmer lived fearlessly.
02:42He took risks and knew how to make enemies, although no one could deny his passion.
02:56Why, Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked out of your grave.
03:02Number 28, Michael J. Fox, Back to the Future.
03:05Calvin Klein?
03:07It's written all over your underwear.
03:10Oh, I guess they call you Cal.
03:13No, actually, people call me Marty.
03:16It's no secret that Eric Stoltz was initially cast as Marty McFly, but deep down, the filmmakers knew that Michael
03:23J. Fox had all of the qualities the role called for.
03:26It wasn't until after shooting several scenes with Stoltz that they accepted the truth.
03:30Stoltz was a fine actor, but he lacked the comedic timing this part needed.
03:35Fox thus took over the role, although he'd have to balance night shoots with his day job on Family Ties.
03:40It takes us a little self-confidence.
03:42You know, if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.
03:47Despite having little time to sleep during his shooting schedule, you'd never guess that Fox was exhausted throughout production.
03:53This just goes to show how in sync he was with Marty, sharing a natural chemistry with the equally perfectly
03:58cast Christopher Lloyd.
04:00A bolt of lightning.
04:01Unfortunately, you never know when or where it's ever going to strike.
04:07We do now.
04:08Number 27. Sigourney Weaver. Alien.
04:11Sigourney Weaver almost didn't play Ellen Ripley.
04:14In fact, Ripley wasn't even going to be a female character.
04:17After studio head Alan Ladd Jr. floated the idea of Ripley being a woman, Ridley Scott quickly saw the potential
04:23to take the character in a fresh direction.
04:25Of course, not just any actress could have made Ripley iconic.
04:28What happened to Kane?
04:29Something has attached itself to him. We have to get him to the infirmary right away.
04:33What kind of thing? I need a clear definition.
04:35Weaver establishes Ripley as a strong, level-headed worker without necessarily overshadowing her fellow crewmates at first.
04:42This makes it all the more compelling as Ripley gradually becomes the film's de facto lead.
04:46You two go down and get all the coolant you can carry.
04:49I'll get the shuttle ready.
04:50Ripley, I'll give you back in about seven minutes.
04:54Come back up here, I'll shut the switches off.
04:57Ripley didn't ask for any of this, but like Weaver, she more than rises to the occasion.
05:02Weaver became the face of a franchise that, quite frankly, has never been able to fill the void she'd leave.
05:09What are you doing?
05:24It is impossible to envision any actor other than Robert Shaw playing local shark hunter Quint.
05:30Shaw wasn't keen on accepting the part, not being a fan of the book.
05:33However, he trusted the instincts of his wife and secretary, who encouraged him to accept.
05:38You all know me, you know how I earn a living.
05:43I'll catch this bird for you, but it ain't gonna be easy.
05:46It's a bad fish.
05:48It's not like going down the pond chasing bluegills or tommy carts.
05:52Shaw based his performance on Craig Kingsbury, who had a small role as Ben Gardner.
05:57From the get-go, we sense that Quint is an old sea dog who's seen everything.
06:01Yet the character remains an enigma for much of the film.
06:05You're sort of fireable, Quint, you know that?
06:07You're sort of fireable!
06:09Come to think of it, we never even learn his full name.
06:12When Quint finally gives us a glimpse into his past,
06:15Shaw's delivery paints such a vivid picture that it's almost as if his PTSD is also ours.
06:20So, 1,100 men went into the war.
06:24316 men come out.
06:25The sharks took the rest.
06:27June the 29th, 1945.
06:34Anyway, we delivered the bomb.
06:36Number 25, Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins.
06:47This British actress had already left her mark on stage, originating the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.
06:54With Andrews being passed over for the screen adaptation, though, it was unclear if she'd have a future in feature
06:59film.
06:59Walt Disney saw what some other studio heads did not.
07:02As I expected, Mary Poppins practically perfect in every way.
07:08Although Andrews was pregnant at the time, Disney was willing to wait for her.
07:12Patience paid off, as Andrews not only made the medicine go down with her angelic voice...
07:26She impeccably balanced Mary's whimsical aura with a no-nonsense attitude.
07:30Mary is someone who knows precisely what everyone needs, not just the children she cares for.
07:36Likewise, Andrews was everything the Banks asked for and more.
07:39Item 1, a cheery disposition. I am never cross.
07:44Item 2, rosy cheeks. Obviously.
07:48Item 3, play games all sorts.
07:52Well, I'm sure the children will find my games extremely diverting.
07:55Number 24, Anthony Perkins, Psycho.
07:58We won't spoil the twist ending of Psycho here.
08:01What we will say is that the impact of that twist is largely rooted in Anthony Perkins' performance as Norman
08:07Bates.
08:07Let's put it this way. She might have fooled me, but she didn't fool my mother.
08:12Perhaps no scene better sums up the character than his conversation with Mary and Crane in the parlor.
08:16We see an introverted man living under his cruel mother's thumb, but we also sense something darker lurking within.
08:23It seems she's hurting you.
08:26I meant well.
08:28People always mean well.
08:30They cluck their thick tongues and shake their heads and suggest oh so very delicately.
08:35As the plot unfolds, Perkins keeps us guessing whether Norman is a victim cleaning up someone else's mess,
08:41a monster pulling the strings, or a guy caught in between.
08:44A less subtle actor like Vince Vaughn could have leaned too much in one direction.
08:49With Perkins in the role, Norman manages to be all of the above.
08:53You know, I think I must have one of those spaces you just can't help believing.
08:57Number 23, Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump.
09:00Revisiting Forrest Gump over three decades later,
09:03you may be surprised to find just how well Robert Zemeckis' modern fable holds up.
09:07I've worn lots of shoes.
09:12I bet if I think about it real hard, I could remember my first pair of shoes.
09:20Mama said they'd take me anywhere.
09:22Tom Hanks' performance plays a key role in this,
09:25never overacting in a role that could have easily veered in such a direction.
09:29Hanks' southern accent in particular was a gamble,
09:32but we can't fathom Forrest without it.
09:34Where are you boys from in the world?
09:36Alabama, sir!
09:38You twins?
09:42No, we are not relationship.
09:44Above all else, Hanks infused the role with sincerity,
09:48believably playing Forrest as a simple man who just so happens to be in the right place
09:52during some of the most monumental moments in history.
09:54Like a feather in the wind,
09:56there is a natural flow to Hanks' performance,
09:59making us want to follow Forrest wherever this unpredictable life takes him.
10:02I'm pretty tired.
10:06I think I'll go home now.
10:09Number 22.
10:10Judy Garland, The Wizard of Oz.
10:12On paper, Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale probably shouldn't have worked.
10:16The studio had considered then-child star Shirley Temple,
10:19reflecting how Dorothy was supposed to be a young girl.
10:22Garland, meanwhile, was a teenager,
10:24being noticeably older than her book counterpart.
10:26Are you a good witch or a bad witch?
10:31Who, me?
10:33I'm not a witch at all.
10:34I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas.
10:37Had the internet existed in the 1930s,
10:39imagine the Oz stans arguing she was too old.
10:42Yet watching Garland in the role,
10:44all we see is a timeless talent.
10:46In a cast of literally colorful characters,
10:49Garland provides an emotional anchor as a kid from Kansas
10:52who wants nothing more than to go home.
10:54This could never be like Kansas.
10:57Annie, I must have stopped wondering what happened to me by now.
11:01Oh, scared crow, what am I going to do?
11:04Like Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked,
11:06Garland's casting may have cast a shadow of doubt.
11:09From that shadow emerged a rainbow, though,
11:11that hasn't lost its flair even decades later.
11:14If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow,
11:22why, oh, why can't I?
11:32Number 21, Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird.
11:36Atticus Finch is a man of strong conviction,
11:38someone who will always stand by what he knows is morally right,
11:42even if he knows the outcome likely won't be in his favor.
11:44No actor better encompassed such quiet integrity than Gregory Peck.
11:49You never really understand a person
11:51until you consider things from his point of view.
11:54What's that?
11:56Till you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.
12:00Those who knew Peck noticed the many parallels
12:02between the actor and the character.
12:04Peck faultlessly conveys the two sides of Atticus,
12:07the reserved yet loving fatherless children, though,
12:09and the outspoken lawyer who defends an innocent man
12:12when nobody else will.
12:13I'm no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts
12:18and of our jury system.
12:20That's no ideal to me.
12:22That is a living, working reality.
12:24Atticus's efforts may be in vain,
12:26but his example is one for future generations to live by.
12:30In Atticus, Peck gave us a role model who we still look up to,
12:34motivating us to fight the good fight.
12:36For a number of reasons.
12:40The main one is that if I didn't,
12:42I couldn't hold my head up in town.
12:46I couldn't even tell you or Jim
12:49not to do something again.
12:51Number 20.
12:52Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Terminator.
12:54So, uh, which'll it be?
12:58All.
12:59I may close early today.
13:01There's a 15-day wait on handguns,
13:03but the rifles you can take right now.
13:06You can't do that.
13:08Wrong.
13:10Casting Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator
13:12changed movie history forever.
13:14His imposing physique and stiff robotic mannerisms
13:17were not acting limitations.
13:18They were the exact ingredients needed
13:20to create an unstoppable killing machine.
13:22No other actor has ever successfully replicated
13:25his specific presence,
13:27whether it be his stilted delivery
13:28or his action star Grace,
13:30which is why the franchise consistently struggles
13:32to find its footing without him.
13:34Despite not being a trained actor,
13:36Schwarzenegger turned what could have been
13:37a B-movie villain into a worldwide pop culture icon.
13:41It is the ultimate marriage of actor and character,
13:43defining the concept of picture perfect
13:45in a way that few others can.
13:54I'll be back.
13:57Number 19.
13:59Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs
14:16With less than 20 minutes of screen time,
14:20Anthony Hopkins created a villain
14:21that has haunted nightmares for decades.
14:23His portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter
14:25is a masterclass in minimalism,
14:27proving that you don't need to scream or yell
14:29to be terrifying.
14:31Instead, Hopkins uses a polite,
14:33almost reptilian stillness
14:34to dissect people psychologically
14:36before he attacks them physically.
14:38The famous unblinking stare he adopted
14:40pierces right through the camera,
14:42becoming the very definition
14:43of staring into your soul.
14:45While many others have taken a crack
14:47at the cannibalistic doctor,
14:48it was Hopkins who turned him
14:49into a household name.
14:51And it's Hopkins who remains
14:52the definitive version of the character.
14:54And you think if you save poor Catherine,
14:58you could make them stop, don't you?
15:00You think if Catherine lives,
15:02you won't wake up in the dark ever again
15:05to that awful screaming of the lambs.
15:08Number 18.
15:09Kathy Bates, Misery
15:10I thought you were good, Paul.
15:13But you're not good.
15:15You're just another lying old dirty birdie.
15:18And I don't think I'd better be around you
15:20for a while.
15:21In Stephen King's seminal novel,
15:24Annie Wilkes is a force of obsessive nature.
15:26And Kathy Bates brought that nightmare to life
15:29with chilling and rather surprising precision.
15:31She oscillates wildly between a sweet,
15:34doting fangirl and a bone-breaking psychopath,
15:36keeping the audience on edge in every single scene.
15:39This performance was so undeniable
15:41that it made Bates not only a movie star,
15:43but one of the very few actors in history
15:46to win an Academy Award for a horror film.
15:48She helped set the gold standard for cinematic villains,
15:51creating a performance that remains
15:52just as disturbing and effective today
15:54as it was in 1990.
15:56I have this gun.
16:02Sometimes I think about using it.
16:11I better go now.
16:13Number 17.
16:14Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool
16:16A hush falls over the crowd
16:18as rookie sensation Wade W. Wilson
16:21out of Regina, Saskatchewan
16:22lines up the shot.
16:24It took years of leaked footage and studio battles,
16:27but Ryan Reynolds proved he was the only human alive
16:30capable of playing the Merc with a mouth.
16:32Reynolds shares Wade Wilson's chaotic,
16:34rapid-fire wit in real life,
16:36blurring the lines between actor and role
16:38more than anyone else on this list.
16:40And with the massive success of
16:412024's Deadpool and Wolverine,
16:44Reynolds demonstrated that his casting
16:45has serious longevity and cultural impact.
16:48Even behind a full mask,
16:50Reynolds' physical comedy and timing shine through,
16:52proving that he is a natural of the screen.
16:55He is the very soul of this massive franchise,
16:57and going forward,
16:59he is utterly irreplaceable.
17:01That does it!
17:05Oh!
17:06Oh-ho!
17:08Canada!
17:09Number 16.
17:10R. Lee Ermey, Full Metal Jacket
17:12I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman,
17:15your senior drill instructor.
17:16From now on,
17:17you will speak only when spoken to,
17:19and the first and last words
17:21out of your filthy sewers will be served.
17:23Do you maggots understand that?
17:25This entry is unique,
17:26because the actor wasn't just cast to play the role.
17:29In many ways, he actually was the role.
17:31Originally hired as a technical advisor,
17:34former real-life drill instructor R. Lee Ermey
17:37was so convincing that Stanley Kubrick
17:39cast him in the movie.
17:40As Gunnery Sergeant Hartman,
17:42his creative insults quickly became
17:44the stuff of movie legend,
17:45and they live on in the form of memes
17:47and TikTok edits.
17:49No classically trained actor
17:50could have ever replicated
17:51the authentic cadence and volume
17:53that Ermey brought to the famous barrack scenes.
17:55It remains the absolute gold standard
17:58for military casting,
17:59proving that sometimes,
18:01authenticity beats acting technique.
18:03Did your parents have any children that lived?
18:05Sir, yes, sir.
18:06How about they regret that?
18:07You're so ugly,
18:08you could be a modern art masterpiece.
18:11Number 15.
18:12Gene Wilder,
18:13Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
18:15You can suck them and suck them and suck them,
18:16and they'll never get any smaller.
18:18Never.
18:19At least I don't think they do.
18:20A few more tests.
18:21How do you make them?
18:22I'm a trifle deaf in this ear.
18:24Speak a little louder next time.
18:26Gene Wilder remains the definitive Willy Wonka
18:29because he perfectly understood
18:30the character's manic duality.
18:32Wilder infused the chocolatier with a genuine warmth,
18:35yet he could instantly pivot to being distant,
18:37unpredictable, and genuinely frightening.
18:40It's a masterclass in tonal inconsistency,
18:42which is exactly what Willy Wonka would have loved.
18:45In fact, it was Wilder who insisted on his entrance
18:48being a limp-turned somersault
18:50to establish that Wonka could never be trusted,
18:52and it was a brilliant choice
18:54that defined the character's entire persona.
18:56His performance captures the playful whimsy
18:58of Roald Dahl's world,
18:59while also maintaining that slightly psychotic edge
19:02that other versions often forego.
19:04My chocolate!
19:07My chocolate!
19:09My beautiful chocolate!
19:11Don't just stand there!
19:13Do something!
19:14Help.
19:15Police.
19:16Murder.
19:16Number 14.
19:18Samuel L. Jackson
19:19The Marvel Cinematic Universe
19:21Director Fury,
19:23the council has made a decision.
19:25I recognize the council has made a decision,
19:28but given that it's a stupid-ass decision,
19:30I've elected to ignore it.
19:31This is a rare case where the source material
19:34actually cast the actor before the studio did.
19:37Back in the Ultimates comic run,
19:38artist Brian Hitch literally drew Nick Fury
19:41to look exactly like Samuel L. Jackson.
19:43So, when the MCU launched in the late 2000s,
19:46there was only one phone call to make.
19:48Jackson, like always,
19:49brings an effortless cool to the role
19:51and helps tie the entire sprawling universe together.
19:54Whether he's shouting commands
19:55or quietly recruiting Avengers from the shadows,
19:58he embodies the ultimate spymaster.
20:00He's the perfect example of life-imitating art
20:02imitating life,
20:03resulting in a character that is now inseparable
20:06from the actor who plays him.
20:07So, you know, thanks, Brian.
20:09So, is it true
20:12that the Kree burned your eye out
20:13because you refused to give them the Tesseract?
20:16I will neither confirm nor deny
20:19the facts of that story.
20:21Number 13.
20:22Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody.
20:24That's for Bohemian Rhapsody.
20:28Rhapsody.
20:29What is that?
20:30It's an epic poem.
20:31It goes on forever six bloody minutes.
20:33It's your wife if you think six minutes is forever.
20:36Portraying a rock god is difficult.
20:39But embodying Freddie Mercury
20:40seemed downright impossible
20:42until Rami Malek took the stage.
20:44Malek not only looked the part,
20:46but he completely internalized
20:48Mercury's flamboyant physicality
20:49and electric stage presence.
20:51His meticulous recreation
20:52of the 1985 Live Aid performance
20:54is indistinguishable from the real footage.
20:57It's pure movie magic.
20:58But even beyond the spectacle,
21:00Malek found the quiet vulnerability
21:01in the man behind the legend,
21:03balancing the showman's ego
21:05with his personal loneliness.
21:06He resurrected the spirit of Queen's frontman
21:08for a new generation
21:09and earned the Academy Award
21:11for his efforts.
21:12So please,
21:14if any of you
21:16fuss about it or frown about it,
21:19or worst of all,
21:20if you bore me with your sympathy,
21:23that's just seconds wasted.
21:25Seconds that could be used making music,
21:27which is all I want to do
21:29at the time I have left.
21:30Number 12.
21:31Heath Ledger,
21:32The Dark Knight
21:42It's funny,
21:43when the casting of Heath Ledger
21:45was first announced,
21:46the internet overwhelmingly hated it.
21:48Now,
21:49his turn in The Dark Knight
21:50is possibly the most famous iteration
21:52of The Joker.
21:53Pretty much every little nuance
21:54of his performance
21:55is now iconic,
21:56from the voice
21:57to the laughs
21:58to the constant lip-smacking.
21:59Heath Ledger may have been known
22:01as a heartthrob at the time,
22:02yet he captured
22:03the terrifying essence
22:04of Batman's arch-nemesis
22:05better than any other actor,
22:07even Jack Nicholson.
22:08In fact,
22:09it stands as one of the greatest
22:11villain performances
22:12in movie history,
22:13earning Ledger
22:14a posthumous Oscar
22:15and redefining
22:16what a comic book movie could be.
22:17I believe
22:18whatever doesn't kill you
22:20simply makes you
22:21a stranger.
22:25Number 11.
22:26J.K. Simmons
22:27Spider-Man
22:28If you close your eyes
22:40and imagine J. Jonah Jameson
22:42shouting for pictures
22:42of Spider-Man,
22:43you inevitably hear
22:44the gravelly voice
22:45of J.K. Simmons.
22:46With his flat-top haircut
22:48and cigar-chomping energy,
22:49Simmons walked straight
22:50out of a comic book panel
22:51and onto the screen.
22:52The casting was so flawless
22:54that Simmons remained in the role
22:56even after it pivoted
22:57to the MCU
22:58and was rebooted
22:59with Tom Holland.
22:59He is the one constant
23:01across the cinematic multiverse,
23:03proving that while
23:04you can replace Spider-Man,
23:05you can never replace
23:06the editor-in-chief
23:07of the Daily Bugle.
23:08They know they struck
23:09movie gold with this,
23:11and they do not dare change it.
23:13Spider-Man wasn't
23:14attacking the city.
23:15He was trying to save it.
23:16That's slander.
23:16It is not.
23:17I resent that.
23:19Slander is spoken.
23:20In print, it's libel.
23:21Number 10.
23:22Margot Robbie
23:23Barbie
23:24Surprisingly to some,
23:26Margot Robbie was not
23:27the original choice
23:28to play Barbie.
23:29She later took on the role
23:31and made it her own.
23:32Her look might be
23:33one part of the decision,
23:34but Robbie also gives
23:35the character
23:36some dynamic emotions.
23:37That felt
23:40achy,
23:40but good.
23:42The titular role
23:43doesn't just pose
23:43or have fun.
23:44With the actress
23:45at the top of her game,
23:46she turns the doll
23:47from a cliché
23:48into a more
23:49well-rounded concept.
23:50No, no, no.
23:51You're describing
23:52something stereotypical.
23:53Barbie is
23:55so much more than that.
23:57The star makes Barbie
23:58much more existential,
23:59with plenty of room
24:00for black comedy
24:01and life lessons.
24:02Do you guys ever
24:02think about dying?
24:05She was also
24:06responsible for
24:07producing the movie
24:08and contributing
24:09to its box office success.
24:10On multiple levels,
24:12she was the right person
24:13to bring this
24:14Mattel product to life.
24:15Oh, and we have
24:16a female president
24:16and it's fun
24:17and work
24:17and friendship
24:18and female 24-7.
24:19Number 9
24:20Matthew Lillard
24:21The Scooby-Doo Franchise
24:29As an underrated artist,
24:31Matthew Lillard
24:32makes the most
24:33of his many iconic parts.
24:34His turn as Shaggy
24:36more than does
24:36the cartoon justice.
24:38I don't feel so good.
24:40Reminds me of the time
24:41we tried to eat
24:41the guy in the hot dog costume.
24:43His entire voice,
24:45wardrobe,
24:45and hair
24:46all help to tell a story.
24:47Not only that,
24:49he's amazing
24:49at acting to a dog
24:51that isn't even there.
24:52And there's nobody
24:53I'd rather gorge myself with
24:55than you, Scooby-Doo.
24:57My best friend.
24:59You're my best friend, buddy.
25:01You probably believe
25:02the early 2000s animation
25:03because of Lillard's work.
25:05Casey Kasem
25:06might have played
25:07the original version,
25:08but this actor
25:08brought a believable
25:09adaptation to the screen.
25:11He's just as goofy,
25:12lovable,
25:12and friendly
25:13as you'd want
25:14the real-life guy to be.
25:15Part of that works
25:16because of the performer's
25:17chameleon-like acting,
25:18giving audiences
25:19the right rendition
25:20for a new generation.
25:22Are you guys okay?
25:23Sure.
25:24As long as you define okay
25:26as in massive agony.
25:28Yeah.
25:29Number 8.
25:30Harrison Ford,
25:31the Indiana Jones franchise.
25:33And the undisturbed chamber
25:34and the grave goods
25:35that were found
25:35in another,
25:36in the area
25:37give us
25:38a
25:43reason to
25:45date this
25:46friend as we have.
25:47With all of his
25:48great roles,
25:49Harrison Ford
25:50is always
25:51Indiana Jones
25:52in our hearts.
25:53Only Han Solo
25:54can compete
25:55with this kind
25:55of classic part.
25:56It might be the one
25:57that best exemplifies
25:58his star power.
25:59He brings a ruggedness
26:01and a swagger
26:01to this archaeologist.
26:03Where's your hat?
26:04Wash your hat.
26:05So you don't look like
26:06a pig
26:07in your town.
26:08Stand up.
26:11That's not all though
26:13because the character
26:14is also funny
26:15and human.
26:16You believe the performance
26:17even more
26:18as the hero
26:18gets beat up
26:19and doesn't win
26:20every time.
26:21Ford also sells
26:22the fear of snakes
26:23well,
26:23showing that weaknesses
26:25can make somebody
26:25more interesting.
26:26You don't even question
26:27the fact that he's
26:28wearing that hat
26:29or using a bullwhip.
26:30Even in his older years,
26:32the power of his
26:33initial casting
26:34remains.
26:34You need me
26:36and you know it.
26:38Number 7.
26:39Christina Ricci
26:40The Addams Family Franchise
26:41Well,
26:42I'll tell you what.
26:43I'll buy a cup
26:44if you buy a box
26:46of my delicious
26:46Girl Scout cookies.
26:48Do we have a deal?
26:49Are they made
26:50from real Girl Scouts?
26:52It's a performance
26:53that might not have
26:54been appreciated enough
26:55during its time.
26:56Christina Ricci
26:57played Wednesday
26:57with a perfect deadpan,
26:59never winking
27:00in a darkly humorous role.
27:02Not many child actors
27:03can be that good,
27:04and so early
27:05in their career.
27:17Ricci had only
27:18started acting
27:18in movies in 1990,
27:20but she was talented
27:21enough to play
27:22every nuance.
27:23The sequel,
27:24Addams Family Values,
27:25gave her even more
27:26opportunities to stand out
27:27with the camp sequence.
27:28We cannot break bread
27:29with you.
27:31Huh?
27:32Becky, what's going on?
27:33Wednesday!
27:35You have taken the land
27:36which is rightfully ours.
27:38Her far-reaching influence
27:39here extended to the
27:40Netflix series focusing
27:41on the same character.
27:43Without this actress's work
27:44in the original movies,
27:45you could argue that
27:47Jenna Ortega's version
27:48wouldn't have happened.
27:49Children,
27:50what are you doing?
27:51I'm going to electrocute him.
27:53But we're late
27:54for the charity auction.
27:55But mother...
28:03He lit up the screen
28:05in Die Hard,
28:06but some might say
28:07that Alan Rickman
28:08became more iconic
28:09for Severus Snape.
28:10Hans Gruber
28:11was a straight-up villain,
28:12while Snape
28:12was something
28:13much more unexpected.
28:14Clearly,
28:16fame isn't everything,
28:19is it,
28:20Mr. Potter?
28:21This speaks to
28:22Rickman's subdued
28:23and dry sensibilities.
28:24While he honed his craft
28:25on the stage,
28:26he made this character
28:27sing with its theatricality.
28:28Any person found
28:30to have knowledge
28:31of these events
28:34who fails
28:36to come forward
28:39will be treated
28:45as equally guilty.
28:47The same could be said
28:48for other cast members
28:49like Imelda Staunton.
28:50With his blunt assessments
28:52and sinister undertones,
28:54the potions expert
28:54jumped off the page
28:55with this actor's help.
28:56He knew exactly
28:58how to play
28:58both the subtle humor
28:59and darkness
29:00within each line.
29:01By the end
29:02of the franchise,
29:03the performer proved
29:04he was one of the most
29:05essential parts of it.
29:06Like you two-of-a-kind
29:08sentimental children
29:09forever whining
29:09about how bitterly unfair
29:11your lives have been.
29:12Well, it may have
29:12escaped your notice,
29:14but life isn't fair.
29:15Your blessed father
29:17knew that.
29:17Number 5.
29:18Robert Downey Jr.
29:19The Marvel Cinematic Universe.
29:21Truth is...
29:29I am Iron Man.
29:32In the late 1990s
29:33and early 2000s,
29:35Robert Downey Jr.
29:36was in and out
29:36of various legal troubles.
29:38He then spent some years
29:39rehabilitating himself
29:40until Iron Man
29:42changed everything.
29:43I don't have to do anything.
29:44I've been in captivity
29:45for three months.
29:46There are two things
29:46I want to do.
29:47I want an American cheeseburger
29:50and the other...
29:50That's enough of that.
29:51...is not what you think.
29:52I want you to call
29:53for a press conference now.
29:54As Tony Stark,
29:55he found a perfect way
29:56to mix his charm
29:57and sense of humor.
29:57He became a fan favorite
29:59in one of the most
30:00successful franchises ever.
30:02With all of the competing
30:03personalities in the MCU,
30:05Downey Jr.
30:06still rises above
30:07as one of the most entertaining.
30:08Because I haven't come
30:10across anyone
30:10who's man enough
30:11to go toe-to-toe
30:12with me on my best day.
30:14He offers up
30:15his sarcastic point of view
30:16right up until
30:17he tugs at your heartstrings.
30:19Reminding everyone
30:20of his movie star attributes,
30:21the performer makes you laugh,
30:23cry,
30:24and believe
30:24he's a millionaire playboy.
30:26Let's face it,
30:27this is not the worst thing
30:28you've caught me doing.
30:29Number 4.
30:29Johnny Depp,
30:30The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
30:33Can you sail
30:33under the command of a pirate?
30:35Whatever you think of him now,
30:37Johnny Depp ended up
30:37being the definitive
30:38casting choice
30:39for Pirates of the Caribbean.
30:41He's known for
30:41disappearing into makeup,
30:43costumes,
30:44and whimsical personalities.
30:45The role of Captain Jack Sparrow
30:47checks all three boxes,
30:49but it also leaves room
30:50for more entertaining choices.
30:52Depp's performance
30:52combines his wild screen personas
30:54with a hint of rock star energy.
31:00So we just call it Square then?
31:02With his connections to music,
31:03he channeled the likes
31:04of Keith Richards for this role.
31:06There's also a goofiness
31:08to many of his scenes
31:09that seemed to free him
31:10from any constraints.
31:11Over the course of several sequels,
31:13the actor managed to make
31:15even the most absurd plots
31:16more enjoyable.
31:17So, yes,
31:18we could hold up here
31:19well-provisioned
31:20and well-armed
31:21and half of us
31:21would be dead
31:22within the month,
31:23which seems quite grim to me
31:24anywhere you slice it.
31:25Number 3.
31:26Reese Witherspoon,
31:27Legally Blonde.
31:28Oh my gosh,
31:29you guys are so sweet!
31:32After films like Election,
31:34Reese Witherspoon became
31:35a rising star
31:36in the early 2000s.
31:37Her work in Legally Blonde
31:39heavily contributed
31:40to A-list status.
31:41Witherspoon's bubbly performance
31:43as Elle might be
31:44her most iconic,
31:45turning the color pink
31:46into a human being.
31:47The character is much more
31:49than a stereotype too.
31:50I like your outfit too,
31:51except when I dress up
31:52as a frigid b****.
31:53I try not to look
31:54so constipated.
31:55Witherspoon capitalizes
31:57on this every-woman persona,
31:58playing with preconceived notions
32:00about sorority girls
32:01and blonde cliches.
32:02I go here.
32:04You go where?
32:05Harvard.
32:06Law school.
32:08You got into Harvard Law?
32:11What, like it's hard?
32:13The film lets the actress
32:14be funny, smart,
32:15and full of surprises.
32:16You could argue
32:17that many of her best roles
32:19use these same ingredients,
32:20but few are as perfect
32:22as this one.
32:23Congratulations,
32:24class of 2004.
32:26We did it!
32:32It's nearly impossible
32:34to imagine anyone else
32:35in this role.
32:36Robin Williams is the only performer
32:43that can match the energy
32:45of an animated character.
32:46In some cases,
32:48the filmmakers even let the icon
32:49alter Jeannie
32:50with his own improvisation.
32:51As I'm a column A,
32:53try all of column B.
32:56I'm in the mood
32:57to help you, dude.
32:58You ain't never had a friend like me.
33:00He brought out his own
33:01quick comedic persona
33:02in this effort.
33:03This includes
33:04all kinds of impressions,
33:06voices,
33:07and wild non-sequiturs.
33:08Jeannie, I need help.
33:09All right, Sparky,
33:11here's the deal.
33:12If you want to court
33:13the little lady,
33:14you gotta be a straight shooter.
33:16Do you got it?
33:16It's so well-tuned to Williams
33:18and his comic personality,
33:20giving him plenty of opportunities
33:21to make it his own.
33:22The artist could also turn on
33:24the more dramatic faucet
33:25when he needed it.
33:26I can't wish you free.
33:29Fine, I understand.
33:31After all, you've lied
33:32to everyone else.
33:33Hey, I was beginning
33:33to feel left out.
33:35This whirlwind performance
33:36cannot be contained
33:37within a few sentences,
33:38but it certainly jumps off the screen
33:40just like the actor does.
33:42Wish for something outrageous.
33:43Say, I want the Nile.
33:44Wish for the Nile.
33:45Try that.
33:45Uh, I wish for the Nile.
33:47No way!
33:59Before we continue,
34:01check out this single
34:02from Sound Mojo's album current,
34:04EDM Transformed.
34:05Check out the full track
34:06and album below.
34:211. Ian McKellen,
34:23The Lord of the Rings Franchise
34:25If you're referring to
34:26the incident with the dragon,
34:28I was barely involved.
34:31All I did was give your uncle
34:33a little nudge out of the door.
34:34It's hard to pick one actor
34:36to represent this series,
34:37but you can't do much better
34:38than Ian McKellen.
34:40His work as Gandalf
34:41provides the wise foundation
34:42for the franchise.
34:43He's been following us
34:44for three days.
34:46He escaped the dungeons
34:48of Barak Dool.
34:49Escaped?
34:51Or was set loose?
34:53He feels right at home
34:54with other amazing actors,
34:55while someone like Viggo Mortensen
34:57is another standout.
34:59McKellen brings a gravitas
35:00to every scene
35:01and elevates his scene partners
35:03with every line reading.
35:04You shall not pass!
35:10His British accent
35:12gives him an additional leg up,
35:13while his age and costume
35:15fit him well.
35:16Not to mention,
35:17the performer can play
35:18the older character
35:18in a believable way
35:19that's not just
35:20a fantasy caricature.
35:22The magical hero
35:23also fits perfectly
35:24into the man's eclectic career
35:25of powerful parts.
35:27End?
35:29No, the journey
35:30doesn't end here.
35:34Death is just another path,
35:38one that we all must take.
35:39What do you think
35:40is the best casting in cinema?
35:42Let us know in the comments.
35:43Ehep?
35:48Run the hideous
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