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Some biopic performances vanish so completely into the real-life figure that they feel uncanny, while others miss the mark in ways that are impossible to ignore. Join us as we celebrate the actors who truly captured their subjects and call out the ones that felt more like impersonations gone wrong. Which transformations worked for you?
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at actors who practically got lost in the lead role of biopics,
00:06as well as actors who just lost track of the role.
00:09I'm not crying.
00:11I'm not crying. I'm trying not to stick you with a knife in your fat, flubbly stomach.
00:16Well, knife away!
00:17Best, Charlize Theron as Eileen Wuornos, Monster.
00:21In portraying this real-life serial killer, Theron completely disappears into this role,
00:26both in her physical transformation and her emotional commitment to telling Wuornos' story.
00:32I did. I just...
00:35It's not my fault.
00:37I...
00:40I couldn't...
00:41As for the former, Theron gained 30 pounds for the role in War Prosthetics,
00:46making her completely unrecognizable.
00:48But beneath the makeup, Theron balances a raw, terrifying rage with a profound, heartbreaking vulnerability.
00:55They gotta tell you that thou shalt not kill shit and all of that.
00:59But that's not the way the world works, Selby, because I'm out there every fucking day living it.
01:05Who the fuck knows what God wants?
01:08Instead of mimicking a historical figure,
01:11she humanizes a vilified killer without ever romanticizing her horrific crimes.
01:16By capturing Wuornos' erratic mannerisms, defensive posture, and deeply fractured humanity,
01:21Theron elevated the standard for biographical performances,
01:25creating a hauntingly authentic portrait that remains elite in cinema history.
01:30Maybe if I just can't...
01:31If I just can't help me, you know...
01:35You can...
01:37You can...
01:38You can help me.
01:44The social network's fantasy of a feistier Mark Zuckerberg was relatively convincing
01:51thanks to Jesse Eisenberg's riveting performance.
01:54But by the time of the Facebook Files scandal,
01:56the controversial tech CEO had developed a more stony charisma.
02:00Facebook isn't the ref, that's the point.
02:02Look...
02:02That's the point, Charlie.
02:04We're not the ref.
02:06We're the public square.
02:08While highly anticipated, Strong's portrayal wasn't liked by everyone.
02:12Though he nailed Zuckerberg's technical mannerisms,
02:15his unblinking eyes and stiff posture were dead on,
02:19he came off as more of a caricature than a fully realized human being.
02:23Eisenberg gave us a dynamic, ambitious Zuck,
02:26whereas Strong's is unfortunately quite robotic and often one-note.
02:32The debate is over.
02:33Best.
02:34Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote.
02:36Capote.
02:38It's hard to replicate the lyrical Alabama affect of author Truman Capote
02:42without sounding like you're teasing.
02:44One of the most recognizable character actors of his day
02:47somehow mastered the mannerisms with utmost reverence.
02:50I'll tell you, I was in Marilyn's apartment just last week
02:54talking about movies, art.
02:56Finally, I had to break it to her that of the four Matisses hang on her wall,
03:01two are upside down.
03:05Can I have another, please?
03:07Sure, Philip Seymour Hoffman wasn't as visibly well-cast as Toby Jones,
03:11who was himself praised in Infamous the following year.
03:14Well, their names are Dick Hickok and Perry Smith.
03:19Have you met them?
03:20Met them?
03:21My dear, I've been in their cells.
03:23But Capote lives up to its title as the definitive account of a colorful personality's bleak journey
03:29to write the masterpiece in Cold Blood.
03:31That's almost entirely thanks to Hoffman's impeccable delivery of Capote's iconic speech
03:36and gestures, underscored by the frailties of a multifaceted man.
03:40This is absurd.
03:43Do you know what absurd means?
03:47Capote won the late legendary actor his only Academy Award
03:51and is still seen as a masterclass in transformation.
03:55All literature is gossip, but we're here to give you a richer perspective.
04:00Scan the QR code to explore more pop culture content on the 24-7 Ms. Mojo livestream.
04:05To answer your question, I'm following Breakfast at Tiffany's
04:09by blazing a different path, by inventing an entirely new kind of writing.
04:15Worst, Brendan Fraser as Dwight D. Eisenhower. Pressure.
04:19An Oscar-winning comeback may have generated too much hype for Brendan Fraser's casting
04:24as Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II.
04:26As far as capturing the burdened grit of the decorated general and future U.S. president,
04:31the actor does not disappoint.
04:33I need a forecast.
04:36I'm, yes, I'm concerned that what you're asking me is scientifically impossible, sir.
04:42Long-term forecasting is really only ever educated guesswork.
04:46Monday is not long-term for Chris.
04:48Does Monday sound like long-term to you and Janet Somersmith?
04:51Still, the taller, stockier Fraser is a distracting departure from Ike's lean and lively demeanor,
04:57and his measured Midland dialect sounds almost parodied in Fraser's distinctive baritone,
05:02as his ill-fittingly booming voice commands every one of his scenes in pressure.
05:07It's important to remember to separate talent from miscasting.
05:17Casting directors should also remember that not every actor's comeback needs a real-world
05:21role this recognizable.
05:23Best.
05:24Chadwick Boseman as James Brown.
05:26Get on up.
05:27Whether he was Jackie Robinson or Thurgood Marshall, Chadwick Boseman's dedication to historical figures sure showed off his vocal range.
05:35This is a man's world.
05:40This is a man's world.
05:46But it wouldn't be nothing.
05:49Nothing.
05:51Without a woman on a bed.
05:55Recreating the voice and physicality of the Godfather of Soul was nonetheless considered unthinkable before 2014's Get on Up.
06:03Boseman threw himself into refining the raspy swagger of James Brown to complement overdubs of his surely incomparable singing.
06:19And when the actor takes to the stage for one of Brown's hyper-athletic live performances,
06:24he completely disappears in the spectacle.
06:27There could never be anyone who both looks and performs like Brown.
06:30But as far as capturing the icon's persona along with his soul,
06:34we've got to give it up to Boseman.
06:36My record live at the Apollo is the first RBI album in the history of the world to reach the
06:40top 10.
06:41Stayed up there for 66 weeks.
06:44Man, that record come across.
06:46I mean, it hit hard.
06:48Ugh!
06:49Worst.
06:50Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan.
06:52Reagan.
06:53It's hard to see and hear Dennis Quaid as anyone other than Dennis Quaid.
06:57At least Jerry Lee Lewis himself praised the actor's gritty interpretation of him in 1989's Great Balls of Fire.
07:04I want to love you like a lover's shit.
07:07You're fine.
07:08So kind.
07:09But as closely as Quaid resembles one of the biggest stars in political history,
07:13he shockingly doesn't fit in 2024's Reagan.
07:17You know I can't do this without your support.
07:20You always have my support.
07:22I know I can't just let you chop wood for the rest of your life.
07:26Both men are above the cheaply made, cloying sanitization of Ronald Reagan's complicated legacy.
07:31After roughly two years of prep though,
07:34Quaid's squinty, folksy embodiment of his favorite president borders on comedic.
07:39In spite of the wildly speculative and false reports,
07:43we do not negotiate with terrorists,
07:46and we did not trade arms for hostages.
07:50He was bound to be among Reagan's many nominees at the Golden Raspberry Awards that year.
07:55It's still painful to see men as mythical as Quaid and Reagan fall so far.
08:00Best.
08:00Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf.
08:03La Vie en Rose.
08:04Writer-director Olivier Daon reportedly developed La Vie en Rose with Marion Cotillard in mind,
08:10based solely on her eyes.
08:25She otherwise looked nothing like tragic singer Edith Piaf
08:29before the hair and makeup teams completely transformed Cotillard's outward image.
08:34The internal conflicts, as well as the voice and demeanor,
08:37were completely nailed by the actress with little formal training.
08:55Her astonishing performance based on private research
08:58affirmed Daon's own brilliant intuition with casting.
09:01Cotillard went on to dominate the 2007 Global Awards season,
09:06cementing her status as a major star worldwide.
09:09It's a wonder how the world even recognized her
09:11with how deeply she committed to La Vie en Rose.
09:21Worst.
09:22Michael Chiklis as John Belushi.
09:24Wired.
09:25It sounds like the right move to have a gritty, dramatic actor
09:28depict the brief life of comedy great John Belushi.
09:31But no, Michael Chiklis in fact had no prior film experience
09:35when he took on the full tonal spectrum in Wired.
09:38And he goes into the wind-up.
09:45And here comes the pitch.
09:47Oh, strike two!
09:50He is done, ladies and gentlemen.
09:52He simply cannot believe it.
09:54The independent biopic was panned by critics,
09:57including Belushi's peers,
09:59as feeling like a Saturday Night Live parody
10:01of the man's intense craft and chaotic personal struggles.
10:05Chiklis mostly just bears a passing resemblance,
10:08at least if you're wearing sunglasses.
10:10Luckily, his acting received enough positive buzz
10:12for him to bounce back from the near-ruinous debut.
10:15What else?
10:1710, 20 acid trips.
10:21Uh, four different kinds of amphetamines.
10:26Oh, and I have a Quaalude habit.
10:30Next of kin.
10:33My wife, Judy.
10:35Perhaps his career's main shield
10:37is the fact that so few people remember Wired.
10:40Best, Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln.
10:43Lincoln.
10:44My left foot, the story of Christy Brown
10:46showed the depths of Daniel Day-Lewis' commitment
10:49to real people.
10:50This extended to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln,
10:52who left behind no audio and video record for reference.
10:56Well, people do that, I suppose.
10:59I signed the Emancipation Proclamation
11:02a year and a half before my second election.
11:05I felt I was within my power to do it.
11:07However, I also felt that I might be wrong about that.
11:10I knew the people would tell me.
11:12I gave them a year and a half to think about it,
11:14and they re-elected me.
11:15Steven Spielberg delayed production on Lincoln for a year,
11:18while the British-Irish actor plunged into accounts
11:20of the American figure's every characteristic.
11:23The Great Emancipator wasn't the booming baritone of myth,
11:26but a thin Midwestern gentleman with flourishes of passion.
11:30Dedication to weight loss and posture completed the illusion.
11:33I might be wrong, Mr. Hutton,
11:35but I expect colored people most likely be free.
11:39And when that's so,
11:40it's simple truth that your brother's bravery
11:42and his death helped make it so.
11:45Historians were astounded by this virtual resurrection
11:48of Lincoln to preserve his likeness on film.
11:51Day-Lewis truly made history come alive,
11:54then made history with his third Academy Award
11:56for Best Actor.
11:57To do all which may achieve and cherish
12:02a just and a lasting peace among ourselves
12:09and with all nations.
12:15Worst, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Audrey Hepburn,
12:19the Audrey Hepburn story.
12:20The unparalleled elegance of Audrey Hepburn
12:23doesn't exactly scream, scream queen.
12:25Jennifer Love Hewitt nonetheless aspired
12:27to emulate the classic starlet,
12:29executive producing and starring in the ABC TV movie
12:33The Audrey Hepburn Story.
12:34Critics were split on Hewitt's merit,
12:37but agreed that she didn't remotely resemble
12:39the wayfish noble.
12:40You want me to act and play.
12:41You won't have to act anything, darling.
12:45You are Lizzie Roderick.
12:47They were less kind about her attempt
12:50at Hepburn's elaborate transatlantic accent.
12:52A 12-year-old Emmy Rossum's spot-on portrayal
12:55in flashbacks makes the issue even more glaring.
12:59None of this excused the cruder publicity
13:01about Hewitt's appearance and ability,
13:03which she bravely called out.
13:05Her career thrived through the backlash,
13:07but it resembles Hepburn's about as much
13:10as the two screen icons resemble each other.
13:13Best, the NWA actors, straight out of Compton.
13:16With Ice Cube and Dr. Dre helping shape this biopic
13:19about NWA's early days and their eventual split,
13:22the whole production leans into being as real as possible.
13:25Yo, Dre.
13:27What up?
13:27I got something to say.
13:29They brought in O'Shea Jackson Jr.
13:31to play his dad, Ice Cube,
13:33who pushed him to train and earn it
13:35instead of handing him the part.
13:37Meanwhile, Dr. Dre told Corey Hawkins to relax
13:39and just feel his way into the role.
13:41Shit, we could probably do something with that.
13:43That's what I'm saying, man.
13:45Start a label or something, man.
13:47A label.
13:48Jason Mitchell didn't have Eazy-E to guide him,
13:51but his work shows how much time
13:53he spent studying him closely.
13:54The whole cast really throws themselves fully
13:57into telling this story with honesty,
13:59heart,
13:59and a genuine respect for everything
14:01the group truly lived through.
14:03This is why we got money?
14:05To act like we ain't got no goddamn sense,
14:07we could have did all this dumb shit
14:09back in Compton.
14:10Worst.
14:11Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs.
14:13Jobs.
14:14Before Jobs,
14:15Kutcher was mostly known for comedy,
14:17so casting him as Steve Jobs felt...
14:19unexpected.
14:20I'm really excited to be here.
14:22We have something really special
14:25to share with you today.
14:27He definitely looked the part,
14:28but many people walked away thinking
14:30looks alone couldn't carry the whole thing.
14:33To be fair,
14:33the blame doesn't land entirely on Kutcher.
14:36When I founded this company,
14:37I had one goal in mind,
14:40and that was to do
14:41what nobody else considered possible.
14:44To put the power and the beauty
14:46of the world's most advanced technology
14:49in the hands and homes of people
14:51just like you and me.
14:53Plenty of folks feel the movie itself
14:55just doesn't give him much to work with.
14:57Basically calling the script flat
14:59and saying this version of Jobs
15:00doesn't really get an arc
15:02people can latch onto.
15:03For some,
15:04it was tough to buy the performance altogether.
15:07Don't get us wrong,
15:08not everyone thought he was a bad pick,
15:10but most agreed that the weak screenplay
15:12didn't do him any favors.
15:14Hiring you
15:15was the worst mistake
15:18I have ever made.
15:21Best.
15:22Sean Penn as Harvey Milk.
15:23Milk.
15:24This is the kind of casting
15:25that probably wouldn't happen now,
15:27but Sean Penn brings so much heart
15:29to the role
15:29that it's easy to see
15:30why people still talk
15:31about this performance.
15:33I am not a candidate.
15:34I am part of a movement.
15:35The movement is the candidate.
15:37There is a difference.
15:38You don't see it,
15:40but I do.
15:41He disappears into it
15:42in a way that makes you forget
15:43you're watching an actor at all.
15:45Milk was such a huge figure
15:47in California politics,
15:48the first openly gay man
15:50elected to public office
15:51in the state.
15:52And Penn really taps into
15:53both the emotional weight of that
15:55and the determined strength
15:56it takes to carry it.
15:58I want to recruit you
15:59for the fight
16:00to preserve your democracy.
16:03Brothers and sisters,
16:05you must come out.
16:06Come out to your parents.
16:09Come out to your friends,
16:11if indeed they are your friends.
16:13He makes Milk feel like
16:14a real fleshed-out person,
16:16not just a historical name.
16:18And that's why he ended up
16:19taking home the Oscar.
16:20Tonight,
16:22we are clear
16:23that there is a place for us.
16:26My brothers and sisters,
16:28we can come home again.
16:31Worst,
16:32Kevin Spacey is Bobby Darin,
16:34Beyond the Sea.
16:35Before anyone even opened
16:37their mouths,
16:37people were already thrown off
16:39by the huge age gap
16:40between Spacey
16:41and the version of Bobby Darin
16:42he was supposed to be playing.
16:44As long as we're being honest,
16:45isn't the real truth,
16:46he's too old
16:46to play this part.
16:48It also doesn't help
16:49that Spacey starred in,
16:50directed,
16:51co-produced,
16:52and co-wrote it,
16:53which had plenty of people
16:54calling the whole thing
16:55a straight-up vanity project.
16:57Some even questioned
16:58if Darin's life
16:59really needed a biopic
17:00in the first place.
17:01Listen,
17:02with rock and roll,
17:02I'm like a thousand
17:03other guys out there
17:04and you goddamn well know it.
17:05I gotta prove I can sing.
17:07I want it all.
17:08I want the major leagues.
17:09I want nightclubs.
17:09I want Vegas,
17:10movies, TV.
17:11This album will make it happen
17:12all fast,
17:13faster than you can imagine.
17:14On top of that,
17:15the movie's non-linear,
17:17slightly fantasy-style approach
17:18didn't work for everyone.
17:20And no matter how well
17:21Spacey sang,
17:22audiences just couldn't see past
17:23a 40-something man
17:25trying to pass as someone
17:26nearly half his age.
17:38Best.
17:39Austin Butler as Elvis Presley.
17:41Elvis.
17:42Austin Butler really connected
17:44with Elvis from the very start,
17:46even during his audition.
17:47When he got the role,
17:48he completely disappeared into it,
17:50capturing Elvis' voice,
17:52moves,
17:53and magnetism
17:54without ever turning it
17:55into a caricature.
18:06It felt like Butler
18:07had taken great care
18:08to show us the man
18:09behind the legend,
18:10not just the flashy showman
18:12with hypnotic hips.
18:13The Presley family
18:14loved it too.
18:15Priscilla and Lisa Marie
18:16both praised Butler
18:17and the film
18:18for handling Elvis' story
18:19with real care
18:20and authenticity.
18:21I'm so tired
18:22of playing Elvis Presley.
18:24Too many people
18:25who lie on me.
18:30I love you
18:32and your daughter loves you.
18:36We don't care about the money
18:38or anything else.
18:39We just want you to be happy.
18:40His performance earned
18:41huge acclaim
18:42and an Oscar nomination.
18:44Butler got so lost
18:45in the role
18:46that even after
18:47shooting wrapped,
18:48Elvis still hadn't
18:49quite left the building.
19:03When reviews dropped
19:04for this biopic,
19:05they were brutal.
19:07And no one got hit
19:08harder than Lindsay Lohan,
19:10who was trying
19:10to make her big comeback.
19:12So shoot me.
19:13Do I sound defensive?
19:15Because I'm not.
19:16One outlet even suggested
19:17this role could end her career,
19:19while another called
19:20her performance
19:20quote,
19:21half train wreck,
19:22half SNL skit.
19:23The kindest word
19:24we managed to find
19:25that described her performance
19:26was mediocre.
19:27It's what's wrong with us.
19:29Apparently,
19:30people don't want
19:30to be seen with us.
19:32Apparently,
19:33no one in London's
19:34ever had an affair.
19:35Let me guess,
19:37your niece?
19:38Hypocrites,
19:39all of you.
19:40So,
19:40what went wrong?
19:41For starters,
19:42many didn't think
19:43Lohan had the look,
19:44the voice,
19:45or the presence
19:46to pull off
19:46Elizabeth Taylor.
19:47What she did deliver
19:48came across as
19:49quote,
19:50flat,
19:50wooden,
19:51and completely
19:52quote,
19:53lacking charisma.
19:54For many,
19:54it felt like nothing
19:55more than a stunt casting,
19:57and not even a good one.
19:59You're still a star.
20:00Hey,
20:01you are the biggest star.
20:02I'm a joke.
20:03No.
20:04Best,
20:05Renee Zellweger
20:06as Judy Garland.
20:07Judy.
20:08Renee Zellweger
20:09took her performance
20:10up and beyond
20:10the rainbow
20:11with her emotional
20:12honesty
20:12and thoughtful
20:13attention to detail.
20:14And I love you too.
20:17In fact,
20:18I love this whole town.
20:20Though you will
20:21always be special.
20:24This wasn't about
20:25just mimicking the icon,
20:27but about truly
20:27capturing her voice,
20:29her fragility,
20:30and her spirit.
20:31Zellweger even sang
20:32some of the songs live,
20:34letting audiences
20:34feel the warmth
20:35and richness
20:36of her voice
20:37in real time.
20:37Buzz,
20:38buzz,
20:38buzz,
20:39went the buzzer.
20:40Plop,
20:41plop,
20:41plop,
20:42went the wheels.
20:47She brought out
20:48both Garland's
20:48incredible stage energy
20:50and the pain
20:50she carried offstage,
20:52from her tough childhood
20:53to the weight of fame.
20:54The result feels real
20:56and deeply moving.
20:58Critics praised
20:58how fully she embodied Garland,
21:00giving us the next best option
21:02to watching the real Judy
21:03and helping the film
21:04earn widespread admiration.
21:06I love you all.
21:09You won't forget me,
21:11will you?
21:14Promise you won't.
21:16Worst,
21:17Johnny Flynn as David Bowie,
21:19Stardust.
21:20The long,
21:21lean musician
21:21and actor
21:22Johnny Flynn
21:23seemed to be safe casting
21:24for David Bowie.
21:25In fact,
21:26Gabriel Range's
21:27Stardust
21:27was considered
21:28too safe
21:29in its unimaginative
21:30retread of the
21:31majestic artist's
21:31first U.S. tour.
21:44The bland,
21:45stereotypical characterization
21:47and shoddy prosthetics
21:48undercut Flynn's dedication.
21:50Despite his best efforts
21:51and working around
21:52the failure to secure rights
21:54to Bowie's music,
21:55he just couldn't sell
21:56one of the most identifiable
21:58voices and appearances
21:59in popular music.
22:08By no means
22:09could that justify
22:10the sometimes
22:11threatening backlash
22:12that Flynn claimed
22:13to receive.
22:14His casting
22:14was just another reason
22:16why Stardust
22:17was dismissed
22:17by critics
22:18and audiences
22:19as, quote,
22:19A God-awful
22:20Small Affair.
22:38Best.
22:39Jamie Foxx
22:40as Ray Charles.
22:41Ray.
22:41Few actors
22:42manage to embody
22:43the person they're playing
22:44quite like Jamie Foxx
22:45did here.
22:46So I'm thinking
22:47we go with your middle name,
22:49Charles.
22:50As in Ray Charles?
22:52You don't care
22:53what you call me, man.
22:53Just as long as my name
22:54is on the record.
22:56It's like he studied
22:57Ray Charles under a microscope,
22:59picking up everything
23:00from his posture
23:00to his tiniest mannerisms.
23:02He even went through
23:04a physical transformation
23:05to look more like the singer
23:06and spent hours
23:07practicing at the piano
23:09so no one could
23:09accuse him of miming.
23:10Now, baby, listen, baby,
23:12don't you treat me this way
23:13Well, I'll be back
23:15on my feet someday
23:16Don't care if you do
23:17cause it's understood
23:18You ain't got no money
23:20You just ain't no good
23:21The singing might not
23:23all be him
23:23but he more than
23:24makes up for it
23:25with a magnetic
23:26stage presence
23:26and a real capture
23:28of Charles'
23:28quieter private moments.
23:30Foxx brings
23:31Charles' soul to life
23:32and watching him
23:33you feel the man
23:34behind the legend.
23:35No surprise
23:36it earned him an Oscar.
23:37Oh, I can't
23:39watch this
23:40Mama, it's all
23:45It's all right now
23:51You know a casting choice
23:53is bad
23:53when even the actor
23:54ends up apologizing
23:56for taking the role.
23:57Worse still
23:58Nina Simone's own family
23:59actively distanced
24:00themselves from the film.
24:02Wild is the wind
24:12Makeup and prosthetics
24:14were used to make
24:15Saldana look more
24:16like Simone
24:16but many people
24:17found that offensive.
24:19It felt like they
24:20cared more about
24:20appearance and bringing
24:21in a household name
24:22than honoring
24:23who Nina really was.
24:25Turn the other cheek
24:35It's almost like
24:36they didn't even
24:36fully understand
24:37the story
24:38they were trying
24:38to tell.
24:39Simone's family
24:40was unimpressed
24:41with the choice
24:41especially after
24:43Saldana initially
24:44defended her casting.
24:45The estate even
24:46tweeted
24:54What are your favorite
24:56and least favorite
24:57casting choices
24:57in the biopic business?
24:59Share your selection
25:00in the comments below.