In my last post, I talked about the worst movie casting decisions ever (read that here: http://bit.ly/1PXWNdt). Today, I am taking a look at some of the best casting decisions in movies. These actors and actresses were the perfect fit for their role. Without them, these movies would not be as good as we know they are.
#5: Jake Gyllenhaal (Lou Bloom – Nightcrawler)
Without Gyllenhaal, this movie would just be another film swept under the rug without any serious consideration. Gyllenhaal’s snub at the Oscars for not even being nominated for Best Actor is absolutely ridiculous. He carried the movie on his back and turned it into one of the greatest films of 2014. Gyllenhaal plays a sociopath who will, literally, do anything for a good news story, legal or not. The movie is a great critique of the 24-hour news cycle we live in today and would not be what it is without Jake Gyllenhaal. Here is a great featurette describing Gyllenhaal’s character Lou Bloom: http://bit.ly/1ECVPzo.
#4: Andy Serkis (Gollum – Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
This man is responsible for the ever-increasing use of motion capture in Hollywood today. His breakthrough role as Gollum completely changed cinema. Serkis has been in so many historic franchises (Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes, King Kong, Avengers, and soon to be Star Wars) but his best job was Gollum. I have a hard time believing that anybody could have done as great of a job as the deranged creature as Serkis. It takes a lot of skill to do this: http://bit.ly/1DWcgCe
#3: Sean Connery (James Bond – James Bond franchise)
Sean Connery was the original James Bond that turned the Ian Fleming novel’s into the hit movie franchise it is today. He was in the first seven Bond films and solidified him as a cultural mainstay. Nobody could have started off the franchise better and it will be a long time before anybody is a better “Bond.” Anybody who has seen Skyfall or plans to watch Spectre this summer needs to god back and watch some of the original James Bond films with Sean Connery.
#2: Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark – Iron Man franchise, Avengers)
The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe rode on the success of Iron Man and the success of Iron Man rode on Robert Downey Jr. If he didn’t do a great job as Tony Stark (Iron Man’s alias), we would not be lining up to go see Avengers 2 this May. He is responsible for building the second most successful movie franchise of all-time (and it’s poised to surpass Harry Potter a month after the release of Age of Ultron). Although the decision to cast Downey Jr. was an extremely controversial one after his documented history with narcotics, Marvel made a great choice. He skyrocketed from a B-list celebrity to one of the biggest names in Hollywood. It also helps that Tony Stark looks and acts just like Robert Downey Jr. in real life. This was one of the best casting decisions ever made.
Honorable Mention
Sigourney Weaver (Ellen Ripley – Alien franchise)
Humphrey Bogart (Rick Baine – Casablanca)
Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal Lecter – Silence of the Lambs)
Benedict Cumberbatch (Alan Turing – The Imitation Game)
#1: Heath Ledger (The Joker – The Dark Knight)
Heath Ledger thrust himself into this role when he was selected by Christopher Nolan to portray The Joker in the Batman Begins sequel. He played the perfect psychotic movie villain that even had some psychological on Ledger when filming was done. From the laugh to the facial features, he absolutely nailed this performance. I mean wow just look at how great he is at playing insanity incarnate http://bit.ly/1DPXXFi. Ledger completely dedicated himself to the role of the Joker and it is pretty evident when you watch the movie.
CinemaStickler 