10 Examples of How an Actor Can Both Ruin a Character and Make It Memorable

Filmmakers frequently reimagine famous literary characters, comics and iconic figures for the big screen, offering their own take on existing stories. So, of course, it’s up to the public and critics to decide which adapted version is better.

We, from incredible.club, we love discussing cinema and are always looking at how different actors and actresses can play the same hero. That’s why, in our article today, we propose to analyze together which stars did better when reassigning a character. Check out!

Snow White played by the star of Smallville: Adventures of Superboy, Kristin Kreuk, in the 2001 adaptation (Branca de Neve) turned out to be sweet and even too naive. Although the role did not bring the actress any special recognition, it was a huge boost in her career.

In a more comic version of the fairy tale with Lily Colins (Espelho, Espelho Meu, 2012), we have an innocent interpretation, but at the same time more vivid and intense. The actress managed to reinterpret the character in a new way, turning an already known heroine into a determined rebel.

Already the performance of Kristen Stewart (Snow White and the Huntsman, 2012) was heavily criticized. Some considered the actress inadequate for the role, others felt that the Twilight star was overshadowed by her partners in the scene, mainly by the charming Charlize Theron in the role of the Evil Queen. Also brought up was the lack of chemistry between Snow White and the Huntsman. Overall, however, the film didn’t do badly, managing to gross $396 million at the box office alone. It is noteworthy that the film’s sequel, released in 2016 without Stewart’s participation, did not achieve the same commercial success.

The masked hero who comes to the rescue of the needy residents of New Spain has appeared many times on film. And one of the most striking interpretations of Zorro on the big screen were the versions of Alain Delon (Zorro, 1975) and Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro, 1998; The Legend of Zorro, 2005).

The role of the “South American Robin Hood”, although quite unusual for Alain Delon, turned out to be successful. At that time, the actor was already quite associated with the image of a heartthrob hero, and participation in this spaghetti western production revealed his talent in a new way.

In 1992, Steven Spielberg decided to bring the legendary character back to life, and wanted hitherto little-known Spanish actor Antonio Banderas to play the lead role in the upcoming film. Banderas later recounted in one of his interviews that Spielberg offered him the role in 1994, at the annual post-Oscar party hosted by Elton John. The actor was filming the feature Philadelphia, in which he played a minor role, and happily agreed to the offer.

English writer Daphne Du Maurier’s novel has inspired many directors, including the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock. In the list of interpretations, we have the Hollywood actress Joan Fontaine (Rebecca, the Unforgettable Woman 1940), who gave life to the protagonist Rebecca. And in 2020, Netflix released a film of the same name starring the British actress Lily James.

To land the role, Joan Fontaine had to go through a tedious 6-month casting call, but the process was well worth it. The film received rave reviews, becoming one of the high points in both Hitchcock and Fontaine’s careers.

Despite the fact that the latest film adaptation of Rebecca received mostly average and even low ratings, Lily James’ performance was praised by critics.

Participation in the first part of The Terminator — a story about the confrontation between a man and a robot — brought worldwide fame to Linda Hamilton. And her participation in the continuation, which, by the way, was much more successful than the first part, brought the actress to the rank of stars of the first magnitude. With a budget of US$100 million, Terminator 2: Judgment Day grossed US$520.9 million at the box office, setting several records.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles starring Lena Headey received highly positive reviews. Critics praised not only the film’s excellent technical execution, but also the performances of the actors, including Lena, who masterfully conveyed Sarah Connor’s tough, resourceful, yet wistful and vulnerable nature.

The reboot of the franchise with the participation Emilia Clarke in Terminator Genisys, despite grossing a decent box office, it didn’t leave critics overjoyed. The film was classified as “messy, unremarkable and devoid of any depth”.

After the success of the first two parts of The Mummy trilogy (1999 and 2001), the production company decided to film the continuation of the touching story about the curse of an ancient Egyptian tomb. The creators got Brendan Fraser to join the project, but Rachel Weisz declined the offer due to busy schedule.

She was replaced by Maria Bello🇧🇷 And although The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor grossed just over $401 million at the box office, audiences were left unsatisfied with the film. The main complaint from fans of the franchise was the complete lack of “chemistry” between the main characters, mainly because there was so much passion between the O’Connell couple from the first productions with Weisz that sparks flew.

The character of nurse Mildred Ratched from the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest has already been played in the cinematographic world by two actresses: Louise Fletcher in the 1975 film of the same name and Sarah Paulson in the Ratched series, released in 2020.

Relentless, cold-blooded and acting like a machine, Ratched, played by Louise Fletcher, has gone down in history as one of the most intimidating villains in cinema. Her heroine evil isn’t physical, it goes much deeper: she’s a deft manipulator, shamelessly destroying her opponent’s morale. For her work in Milos Forman’s film, the movie star received an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA award, becoming the third actress in history (after Audrey Hepburn and Liza Minnelli) to receive 3 prestigious awards for one paper at a time.

The Netflix series is a kind of prequel to the cult film, and in it we can see Mildred Ratched’s path from an angel to a notorious villain. Filmmakers and Sarah Paulson made the character more understandable for the viewer, showing not only her negative side, but also her “human” side.

The film The Silence of the Lambs (1991), starring Jodie Foster, it won all five major Oscar categories at once: best picture, director, actor, actress, and screenplay. And the chemistry between Hopkins and Foster on screen, playing cat and mouse, played an important role in the success of the feature.

It was a huge challenge to surpass Jodie Foster’s performance, but ten years later Julianne Moore (Hannibal, 2001) dared to replace the Oscar winner in the role of Clarice. Moore’s footprint, unlike the young idealist played by Foster, was more dry, cynical and reserved. The film received mixed reviews. Many felt that the actress was unable to adapt to the role. In addition, Moore was also criticized for her unconvincing southern accent.

In 2021, the baton was taken over by Rebecca Brides, who starred in the series Clarice. The new project focuses on Agent Starling and her fears and demons.

The role of the nun heiress Cécile de Volanges, in the cinematographic adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos’ novel Dangerous Liaisons (1988), was a turning point in the career of Uma Thurman and brought very positive reviews. The then 18-year-old actress acted so effortlessly that she landed the role of the unsullied heroine perfectly. It is also important to highlight the weight of the cast of the film – Thurman appeared with stars like John Malkovich, Glenn Close and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Just a year later, the image of the virgin Cécile was taken to the big screen again in the film Valmont — A Story of Seductions (1989), but this time with actress Fairuza Balk. And despite the fact that Colin Firth played the main role, and director Milos Forman had already won two Oscars, the producers could not repeat the success of Dangerous Liaisons. The work received restrained and even negative reviews, and The Washington Post classified the feature as a “malicious dramatic comedy”.

A more modern adaptation of the novel, titled Second Intentions (1999), starred Selma Blair as Cécile. The film was a box office success, and mixed reviews did not prevent it from gaining public sympathy and becoming a cult production.

Anne Elliot has been played by four actresses. Among them are Amanda Root and Sally Hawkins (Persuasion, 1995 and 2007).

The 1995 film was originally made for British and American audiences, but was so well received by audiences that it was shown in other countries. The film was also praised by critics, who praised Amanda Root’s subtle performance.

However, the 2007 remake received mixed reviews despite the warm response from audiences. Impressions also differed on Sally Hawkins’ performance.

A modern version of the story is about to be released. Netflix has announced filming on the newest adaptation of the novel, which will star Dakota Johnson. This will be the first job of its kind for the Fifty Shades of Gray star. And although the actress seems distant from the character described in the work, the first images give us confidence that we will soon see a brilliant version of Anne Elliot.

Surely everyone has seen Edward Cullen played by Robert Pattinson. The role in Twilight (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012), although it became a major breakthrough in the actor’s career, ended up having consequences: Pattinson took years to get rid of the image of the glowing vampire. However, today it is difficult to imagine anyone else in his place.

However, in 2010, audiences got a chance to see a new Edward, only this time with the surname Sullen in the low-budget spoof Vampires That Bite Themselves (2010). The role was played by actor Matt Lanter, but few appreciated his performance. Critics trashed the film, but audiences still wanted to go to the cinema to see it. In the end, the film did well financially, taking in just over $80 million at the worldwide box office.

In your opinion, which actor was better in their interpretations? Tell us in the comments section.