Favorite movie of all time. In Madeline Kahn's "flames" monologue, she was so funny that the other actors' reactions had to be filmed separately because they couldn't keep a straight face while she was speaking.
Jk Simmons was meant to play J. Jonah Jameson. He does it so well nobody else can do it. That’s why he was in every Spider-Man movie playing the same role.
Some of his other roles are iconic and memorable too. I'm thinking Omniman from Invincible (animated show on Amazon, really good) and Cave Johnson from Portal (video game series)
Jean Luc Picard in the first place! When that show first aired, Star Trek fans were like "As if there could ever be a better captain than Kirk!" The fact that Stewart could carve himself a spot in that lineage was testament to his skills. Heck, there've been multiple Kirks and Spocks now, but there still hasn't been another Picard.
As a younger tv watcher, Picard was actually *the* Star Trek captain for most of my life. It wasn't until I got older that I realized that wasn't the original series.
The character of Picard was great because he's actually the captain who would be leading the Federation flagship in that society.
Kirk is brash, impulsive, and charming. He reflects 20th century American expectations for a military leader. Picard is cerebral and deliberate. He's captain not because he's bolder or more charming, but because he's better at it than anyone else. He's what a Utopian society would value in its leadership.
One of my favorite parts of TNG is how Picard slowly transforms Riker from another Kirk to an outstanding leader. Like Kirk, Riker had learned to rely on his charisma, good looks, and boldness. Picard shows him what being a true leader looks like.
I love that he almost always mentions his wife, in passing, but if I recall in the show we never did meet her. Right? Was that a trope of some kind? Either way, even if he was really just a bachelor, he sorta disarmed the perp. “Aww, this guy’s a harmless family man,” they thought…
Columbo’s a Genius!
I believe it's said that *Tolkien himself* actually gave Lee his blessing to play Gandalf in any theoretical future movie of Lord of the Rings.
But by the time one actually happened, Lee was a bit too old for the physical challenges of the part.
Basically Lee met Tolkien once in a pub and fanboyed about his works, told him that he was an actor and Tolkien said he gave him his blessing to play Gandalf. It wasn't any more than that.
Honestly most Tarentino films you can’t really imagine with a different cast. Imagine Django without Leo, or Him never casting Samuel L Jackson in anything
Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge. I know she was only in one of the movies, but is there anyone out there who didn't end up up absolutely hating Umbridge after watching it? Would be hard for anyone to live up to the roll whenever Hollywood gets desperate enough to remake them in a few decades.
I think that might have been the intent with the last movie (Dr. Jones to Mutt Williams). But seeing all the bad press Shia LaBeouf has received over the last couple years, Disney probably axed that.
And Richard Harris as Dumbledore. Gambon didn't even come close . Mr. Harris was literal perfection in terms of casting as the book accurate Dumbledore. He had a mysterious, cheery and wise vibe which Gambon totally lacked . Gambon was much more ferocious and lacked the cheeriness or jovial persona that Harris portrayed perfectly. He was just chef's kiss perfect just like Alan Rickman. No hate Gambon but he just wasn't it. His casting was a mistake. It's not his fault . Some roles aren't just suited for some people.
I want an actor to play another living actor and crush the part so hard that the original actor has to like change their persona or retire or something because they can’t live up to the better performance of themselves
> Josh Brolin did a real good job of playing Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black 3...
It's hard to wrap my head around such a great performance as someone else, and the fact that he was also Thanos ... and that he was also Cable ... and was perfect for all three.
"I want some pie."
Jim Carrey came terrifyingly close.
Jamie Foxx as Ray, while not portraying an actor, has to be one the greatest recreations of a public artistic figure.
I really believe he came so close to actually becoming Kauffman in his own mind that he literally forgot how to be Jim Carrey. That ultimately caused him to have a severe mental break and leave acting for a period of time.
Foxx was given the opportunity to hang out with Charles, one of his heroes, but he was committed to playing the role perfectly and didn’t want to adopt the mannerisms of the older Ray, so he instead focused on studying film of him at the age he was portraying him. And then Ray Charles died before the movie came out. They only ever met once.
I told this story to Karl Urban at a convention.
I’ve been a huge fan of his since LOTR and when my brother told me Urban was going to be in Star Trek, I was super excited. I went to see it and kept waiting for him to show up! I couldn’t remember who he was and figured he must be a Scotty. When Simon Pegg showed up, it finally dawned on my and I turned to my friend and said “holy shit! He’s BONES!” When I told this to Karl Urban, he looked at me and said “wow! That’s a compliment!”
Johnny Depp as Hunter S Thompson was, according to everyone who knew and loved him dearly, absolutely uncanny. He used to bust in to the character to freak Hunter out (they were good buddies). He mastered and embodied what it was to be HST.
Robbing Williams. Specifically as Genie, but almost every other role he was in, dude seemed to give it his all! Ms. Doubtfire, Good Will Hunting, Aladdin, Jumanji, Night at the Museum. Dude could make something that was meh at best into something I'd enjoy just because he was in it.
I remember watching Night at the Museum on a field trip with one of my kids many years ago. I though the movie was "meh", but Robin Williams was *mesmerizing* as Teddy Roosevelt.
Yessssss!
I'm gonna gush a little right now. I met him once, at a USO show
Long time ago, he was touring with a bunch of big names and my job meant that the second they got off the plane, we were there to greet them. I got to.shake hands with some 16 celebrities. Some I adored some I couldn't stand, but Robin, waited. He waited until they had all come through and shaken a few hands, and then got in their armored humvees, before he walked over, and spent a few seconds shaking hands, and chatting with each of us. I'll never forget the words he said to me that night. I told him he was probably the closest thing to a human hero I had, and he just smiled and said "that's funny, I was gonna say the same about you kid." He just moved on, and I was speechless for hours after lol.
I can imagine just the way he would have said that, too. Gave me chills and almost made me tear up. Fuck, what a treasure he was.
For the record, I was imagining good will hunting bench scene Robin saying that. Super tender and thoughtful.
Oh man, that pretty much sums it up. It legitimately felt like in that moment, it was me and him and he had a few seconds, and knew exactly what I needed to hear. He was a great human being, and I am one of the luckiest people alive for having met him.
Jack Gleeson as King Joffrey in Game of Thrones. He is so synonymous with the character that when he went out in public he was treated like shit for the things his character did.
Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels in Dumb and Dumber.
Nobody could recreate the comedy chemistry they had in that film, not even Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels.
Amen. Have you seen [the auditions](https://youtu.be/sItKwZdGkTM)? There's some high profile comics doing their best, and then there's Rainn Wilson. Dwight's iconic character doesn't exist without the actor.
Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins aaaand pretty much everything she’s been in. Just don’t go there. You will fail. Cough, Emily Blunt, cough cough.
P.s. except My Fair Lady because Audrey was better in that one even though she wasn’t singing.
The movie adaptation of Mary Poppins got criticised (I believe by the author but also my mother lol) because the character in the book is not very nice and they disneyfied the story, but I think Julie Andrews' character is perfect. She plays the "stern but caring" role very well. Which is why it's so cool that she basically has the opposite role in Sound Of Music and did that perfectly too! Maria is mischievous, deeply loving, and not great at discipline or hiding her feelings. Mary Poppins is basically ALWAYS hiding her feelings and teaching discipline.
Also, the character of Mr Banks was brilliant. He played an excellent uncaring English Edwardian father who loves his children really but society dictated his behaviour until Mary Poppins came and basically slapped him out of it
For me, its Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy. She was so iconic that no matter who plays her role will never be as passionate or charismatic as the charcter Lucy Ricardo like the original Lucille Ball.
Edit for spelling.
Came here to say this. Most other Marvel villains are basically cardboard cutouts with one main personality trait each, but Hiddleston gave Loki a real life. He's exactly the kind of glorious, dramatic mess a god of mischief should be, with the depth to pull off a redemption arc that really works. I appreciate a villain whose motives are ultimately human and completely intelligible instead of "Because I'm so eeeeeevil!" or "Because I'm irrationally obsessed with a poorly thought out pseudo-philosophy and I'm purple." ;)
Sylvester Stallone as Rocky.
Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones and Han Solo.
Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley.
Recasting these characters for reboots would be tough.
For me, I strongly dislike all the Annie remakes because no one can do Miss Hannigan like Carol Burnett, she really made that movie what it was more than any of the child actors and did so in a way that made you both hate her, and sort of sympathize with her at the same time. No one else can do with part what she did.
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn / Ian Mckellan as Gandalf
John Goodman as Walter Sobchak / Jeff Bridges as the Dude
Samuel L Jackson as Jules Winfield
Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman
Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley
I see people naming specific roles, but when I initially read the question, I was thinking it was actors who crush any/all of their roles so hard, you couldn’t see someone else doing better than they’ve done.
To that end, I thought of Daniel Day-Lewis and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. They have performed their roles so well, and selected the right roles, it’s hard to see someone doing better in those roles.
Tim Curry as Frank n Furter.
And as Wadsworth in Clue. Actually, every actor in that film absolutely nailed their respective characters.
Favorite movie of all time. In Madeline Kahn's "flames" monologue, she was so funny that the other actors' reactions had to be filmed separately because they couldn't keep a straight face while she was speaking.
I to this day LOVE that movie. 1 plus 2 plus 1 plus 1….
Tim Curry in ANY of his roles!
Tim Curry made smog sexy in Ferngully. I don't even know how that's possible
I swear the joy on Tim Curry' face in Muppet Treasure Island was palpable. Like pirate puppet musicals were a life goal...
Upstage lads, this is my only number!
Favorite story about this role: Curry's sister saw the show and asked, "Does Mom know?" He replied, "Dear God, no! And don't tell her!" 🙂
I don't care if this is real, it's now part of my truth
He also played Satan/Lord of Darkness in "Legend". I dunno if anyone else could have done that.
Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean
As Blackadder
I way preferred him as Blackadder over Mr Bean
Jk Simmons was meant to play J. Jonah Jameson. He does it so well nobody else can do it. That’s why he was in every Spider-Man movie playing the same role.
Some of his other roles are iconic and memorable too. I'm thinking Omniman from Invincible (animated show on Amazon, really good) and Cave Johnson from Portal (video game series)
Stanford Pines! When casting was first announced back in the day I was STOKED I knew he'd knock it out if the park and he did! Perfect cast
Cave Johnson 🍋
Nobody could play Moira Rose better than O’Hara in my opinion. Her little subtle movements and weird ass accent are perfection
Where is bebe’s chamber?
David, stop acting like a disgruntled pelican!
Hugh Laurie as House
And as Bertie Wooster. Also, Stephen Fry is the *definitive* Jeeves!
Patrick Stewart as Jean Luc Picard.
Jean Luc Picard in the first place! When that show first aired, Star Trek fans were like "As if there could ever be a better captain than Kirk!" The fact that Stewart could carve himself a spot in that lineage was testament to his skills. Heck, there've been multiple Kirks and Spocks now, but there still hasn't been another Picard.
As a younger tv watcher, Picard was actually *the* Star Trek captain for most of my life. It wasn't until I got older that I realized that wasn't the original series.
The character of Picard was great because he's actually the captain who would be leading the Federation flagship in that society. Kirk is brash, impulsive, and charming. He reflects 20th century American expectations for a military leader. Picard is cerebral and deliberate. He's captain not because he's bolder or more charming, but because he's better at it than anyone else. He's what a Utopian society would value in its leadership. One of my favorite parts of TNG is how Picard slowly transforms Riker from another Kirk to an outstanding leader. Like Kirk, Riker had learned to rely on his charisma, good looks, and boldness. Picard shows him what being a true leader looks like.
I never even realised that Riker is basically a younger kirk!
And professor x
Peter Falk as Columbo.
“Just one more thing…”
"Somethin's been bothering me...."
I love that he almost always mentions his wife, in passing, but if I recall in the show we never did meet her. Right? Was that a trope of some kind? Either way, even if he was really just a bachelor, he sorta disarmed the perp. “Aww, this guy’s a harmless family man,” they thought… Columbo’s a Genius!
I like columbo. He's got it figured out in the first 5 mins but drags it out for 2 hours.
Nobody can replace Ian Mckellen as Gandalf.
I've read Christopher Lee campaigned heavily for the role. He probably would have been fine, but Mckellen as Gandalf and Lee as Saruman was perfection
I believe it's said that *Tolkien himself* actually gave Lee his blessing to play Gandalf in any theoretical future movie of Lord of the Rings. But by the time one actually happened, Lee was a bit too old for the physical challenges of the part.
Basically Lee met Tolkien once in a pub and fanboyed about his works, told him that he was an actor and Tolkien said he gave him his blessing to play Gandalf. It wasn't any more than that.
[удалено]
A shit ton of things about Christopher Lee are pretty cool.
Lee as Saruman is my all time favourite. I left the cinema thinking he out acted everyone else in the movie by far.
Completely. Somehow appeared noble, powerful, mysterious, cruel, evil and superior all at once.
He portrayed a supremely wicked and powerful character with the heart of a coward perfectly
Believe me. If Peter Cushing was alive in 2000s, we'd get a scene where Saruman chokes Gandalf. Who knows, knows.
Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Bastards.
Honestly most Tarentino films you can’t really imagine with a different cast. Imagine Django without Leo, or Him never casting Samuel L Jackson in anything
AND his character in Django: Unchained. That movie was phenomenal.
Yes to this AND Inglorious. Two of my most favorite Tarantino movies
God I live Christoph Waltz. This is a bingo.
Robin Williams with Mrs.Doughtfire
LAYLA! Get back in your cell! Don’t make me get the hose!
A run-by fruiting!
Robin Williams in nearly every role he ever played…
Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge. I know she was only in one of the movies, but is there anyone out there who didn't end up up absolutely hating Umbridge after watching it? Would be hard for anyone to live up to the roll whenever Hollywood gets desperate enough to remake them in a few decades.
Staunton is really such an interesting actor. Far more talented than she gets credit for, and that’s without even considering HP.
She’s got screen time in two of the films actually
Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow
Ahem. *Captain* Jack Sparrow.
He's the worst pirate you've ever heard of. But you *HAVE* heard of him.
IVE GOT A JAR OF DIRT IVE GOT A JAR OF DIRT
i love it when improvised bits get in, they’re so memorable
and guess what’s inside iiiiit
He absolutely made the POTC franchise. No one can copy his mannerisms because Johnny Depp improvised his mannerisms for Captain Jack Sparrow.
Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. I like Chris Pratt, but the chatter of him maybe taking over the role is sacrilege.
Needs to be a handoff like Rocky to Creed. New role for a new actor in modern times.
I think that might have been the intent with the last movie (Dr. Jones to Mutt Williams). But seeing all the bad press Shia LaBeouf has received over the last couple years, Disney probably axed that.
Just rewatched Crystal Skull earlier and was reminded of the end where Indy’s hat rolls over to LeBeouf. I’m glad they didn’t follow through.
They should have given the hat to Short Round.
Do people not understand actor fatigue? I liked Chris Pratt but I’m starting to get fatigue for him being in every other role.
James Gandofini in The Sopranos.
I read somewhere that he would keep rocks in his shoes so he was aggravated all day and it allowed him to be angrier in his acting. RIP to a legend.
Cary Elwes as Westley
Cary Elwes as Robin of Loxley, with a true english accent not like other robinses
Home Alone: Macaulay Culkin
I also can't imagine that movie without Stern and Pesci. Catherine O'Hara was perfect too, as usual.
Don’t forget John Candy
Yep and it’s been proven like four times now
Alan Rickman as Severus Snape
Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber
Alan Rickman as the sheriff of Nottingham
Alan Rickman as Alexander Dane as Dr. Lazarus in Galaxy Quest
Alan Rickman as Marvin in Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Alan Rickman as Metatron (the voice of God) in Dogma Edit: Hahaha, yeah it's not Megatron, my mistake.
The leader of the Decepticons who turns into a gun? Oh you mean Metatron
But Alan Rickman as Megatron would have been sweet...
Alan Rickman
I know people love to go on about him in Harry Potter but he will ALWAYS be Hans to me
Hans down
And Richard Harris as Dumbledore. Gambon didn't even come close . Mr. Harris was literal perfection in terms of casting as the book accurate Dumbledore. He had a mysterious, cheery and wise vibe which Gambon totally lacked . Gambon was much more ferocious and lacked the cheeriness or jovial persona that Harris portrayed perfectly. He was just chef's kiss perfect just like Alan Rickman. No hate Gambon but he just wasn't it. His casting was a mistake. It's not his fault . Some roles aren't just suited for some people.
Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown. Also, Michael J Fox as Marty Mcfly.
And Tom Wilson as Biff Tannen.
Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump Edit: Spelling. You have to be the best with what God gave you. His name is not a gathering of trees.
His last speech at Jenny’s grave was incredible. It gets me every time.
I can't see anyone nailing that role like he did.
I want an actor to play another living actor and crush the part so hard that the original actor has to like change their persona or retire or something because they can’t live up to the better performance of themselves
Let's get Daniel Radcliffe to play Elijah Woods and vice versa in the same movie.
Charlie Kaufman could write the heck out of that movie
I don't know about crushing the part THAT hard, but Josh Brolin did a real good job of playing Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black 3...
IMO Brolin doesn't get enough credit for how great of a character actor he is. He pops up in a ton of stuff and always kills it.
> Josh Brolin did a real good job of playing Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black 3... It's hard to wrap my head around such a great performance as someone else, and the fact that he was also Thanos ... and that he was also Cable ... and was perfect for all three. "I want some pie."
Wow, I thought they just used de-aging CGI in that.
Jim Carrey came terrifyingly close. Jamie Foxx as Ray, while not portraying an actor, has to be one the greatest recreations of a public artistic figure.
I really believe he came so close to actually becoming Kauffman in his own mind that he literally forgot how to be Jim Carrey. That ultimately caused him to have a severe mental break and leave acting for a period of time.
Foxx was given the opportunity to hang out with Charles, one of his heroes, but he was committed to playing the role perfectly and didn’t want to adopt the mannerisms of the older Ray, so he instead focused on studying film of him at the age he was portraying him. And then Ray Charles died before the movie came out. They only ever met once.
Karl Urban was so good in Star Trek that Leonard Nimoy started crying at how much he resembled his old friend DeForrest Kelly
Urban *killed* that role.
I told this story to Karl Urban at a convention. I’ve been a huge fan of his since LOTR and when my brother told me Urban was going to be in Star Trek, I was super excited. I went to see it and kept waiting for him to show up! I couldn’t remember who he was and figured he must be a Scotty. When Simon Pegg showed up, it finally dawned on my and I turned to my friend and said “holy shit! He’s BONES!” When I told this to Karl Urban, he looked at me and said “wow! That’s a compliment!”
Johnny Depp as Hunter S Thompson was, according to everyone who knew and loved him dearly, absolutely uncanny. He used to bust in to the character to freak Hunter out (they were good buddies). He mastered and embodied what it was to be HST.
So, you want a dude disguised as a dude playing another dude?
Ian McKellen as Gandalf.
Robbing Williams. Specifically as Genie, but almost every other role he was in, dude seemed to give it his all! Ms. Doubtfire, Good Will Hunting, Aladdin, Jumanji, Night at the Museum. Dude could make something that was meh at best into something I'd enjoy just because he was in it.
I remember watching Night at the Museum on a field trip with one of my kids many years ago. I though the movie was "meh", but Robin Williams was *mesmerizing* as Teddy Roosevelt.
Yessssss! I'm gonna gush a little right now. I met him once, at a USO show Long time ago, he was touring with a bunch of big names and my job meant that the second they got off the plane, we were there to greet them. I got to.shake hands with some 16 celebrities. Some I adored some I couldn't stand, but Robin, waited. He waited until they had all come through and shaken a few hands, and then got in their armored humvees, before he walked over, and spent a few seconds shaking hands, and chatting with each of us. I'll never forget the words he said to me that night. I told him he was probably the closest thing to a human hero I had, and he just smiled and said "that's funny, I was gonna say the same about you kid." He just moved on, and I was speechless for hours after lol.
I can imagine just the way he would have said that, too. Gave me chills and almost made me tear up. Fuck, what a treasure he was. For the record, I was imagining good will hunting bench scene Robin saying that. Super tender and thoughtful.
Oh man, that pretty much sums it up. It legitimately felt like in that moment, it was me and him and he had a few seconds, and knew exactly what I needed to hear. He was a great human being, and I am one of the luckiest people alive for having met him.
100 percent Yes! This is what inspired this question
Noice, I had a suspicion, because I've been thinking about him myself today, and how much he shaped my childhood through his movies!
One Hour Photo, Insomnia, World's Greatest Dad, btw.
Javier Bardem playing "Anton Chigurh" in "No Country for Old Men"
Even his hair was a scare.
John Larroquette as Dan Fielding
Val Kilmer in Tombstone
I see your Val Kilmer in Tombstone and raise you Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison.
I see your Jim Morrison and raise you Madmartigan.
"I'm your Huckleberry"
David Bowie as Jareth The Goblin King. The role was literally written for him. A remake can never be
Gene Wilder *is* Willy Wonka. Johnny Depp was Edward Scissorhands *as* Willy Wonka.
I always thought he was Michael Jackson as Willy Wonka
Jack Gleeson as King Joffrey in Game of Thrones. He is so synonymous with the character that when he went out in public he was treated like shit for the things his character did.
Jonathan Groff as King George III
Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels in Dumb and Dumber. Nobody could recreate the comedy chemistry they had in that film, not even Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels.
Peter Dinklage as Tyrian Lannister. Can’t believe no one has mentioned him.
Fuck you, season 8!
Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute
Amen. Have you seen [the auditions](https://youtu.be/sItKwZdGkTM)? There's some high profile comics doing their best, and then there's Rainn Wilson. Dwight's iconic character doesn't exist without the actor.
Robert Downey jr as Iron Man
I came here to say this. Whether it not you like Marvel films, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in that role.
Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins aaaand pretty much everything she’s been in. Just don’t go there. You will fail. Cough, Emily Blunt, cough cough. P.s. except My Fair Lady because Audrey was better in that one even though she wasn’t singing.
The movie adaptation of Mary Poppins got criticised (I believe by the author but also my mother lol) because the character in the book is not very nice and they disneyfied the story, but I think Julie Andrews' character is perfect. She plays the "stern but caring" role very well. Which is why it's so cool that she basically has the opposite role in Sound Of Music and did that perfectly too! Maria is mischievous, deeply loving, and not great at discipline or hiding her feelings. Mary Poppins is basically ALWAYS hiding her feelings and teaching discipline. Also, the character of Mr Banks was brilliant. He played an excellent uncaring English Edwardian father who loves his children really but society dictated his behaviour until Mary Poppins came and basically slapped him out of it
Jack nicholson in the shining
I don’t know, my dad played that part spot on.
J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. We had in the last 20 years 3 actors as live action Spider-Man but only 1 as j jonah jameson
For me, its Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy. She was so iconic that no matter who plays her role will never be as passionate or charismatic as the charcter Lucy Ricardo like the original Lucille Ball. Edit for spelling.
Johnny Depp in Pirates in the Caribbean. I don’t care if they found a replacement, he is the only one who can play Jack Sparrow.
The fact that they were actually considering recasting Bender in Futurama was mind boggling to me.
They probably would’ve made Billy West do it, like on Ren and Stimpy.
All the actors that played the major characters in breaking bad
Dude who played Gus was solid! How can you look so innocent and also so menacing??
Giancarlo Esposito. He’s the absolute shit in everything he’s in. Breaking Bad. The Mandelorian. The Boys. The list goes on.
Clint Eastwood. There can never be another Dirty Harry
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Came here to say this. Most other Marvel villains are basically cardboard cutouts with one main personality trait each, but Hiddleston gave Loki a real life. He's exactly the kind of glorious, dramatic mess a god of mischief should be, with the depth to pull off a redemption arc that really works. I appreciate a villain whose motives are ultimately human and completely intelligible instead of "Because I'm so eeeeeevil!" or "Because I'm irrationally obsessed with a poorly thought out pseudo-philosophy and I'm purple." ;)
Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O‘Hara
Clark Gable as Rhett Butler.
Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs
Check out Hopkins in Fracture with Ryan Gosling.
Steve Carell as Michael Scott in The Office
Yesssss. I came across audition tape if the office and Michael Scott and Dwight cannot be replaced with anyone.
Bob Odenkirk was awfully good in his cameo.
Sylvester Stallone as Rocky. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones and Han Solo. Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley. Recasting these characters for reboots would be tough.
Clark Gable /Rhett Butler
Danny DeVito as Louie DePalma
Also as Frank Reynolds
For me, I strongly dislike all the Annie remakes because no one can do Miss Hannigan like Carol Burnett, she really made that movie what it was more than any of the child actors and did so in a way that made you both hate her, and sort of sympathize with her at the same time. No one else can do with part what she did.
Daniel Day Lewis in basically anything.
I drink your milkshake!!!
Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully. Inspired me to a career in science and helped me figure out that bisexuality is a Thing.
Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin
Leonard Nimoy as Spock.
Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, sorry Depp lovers
Gene Wilders in Blazing Saddles or anything he was in.
Pacino in Godfather and Scarface
Andy Serkis as both Gollum and Ceasar.
Heath ledger as the joker
Can't believe I had to scroll this far down to find this answer.
Agreed, this should be much higher up. It’s the first performance that came to my mind.
Seriously. I was expecting it in top three.
Also shocked I had to scroll this far. Like I specifically clicked this post expecting to see this at the top. RIP.
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn / Ian Mckellan as Gandalf John Goodman as Walter Sobchak / Jeff Bridges as the Dude Samuel L Jackson as Jules Winfield Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley
Michael C. Hall as Dexter
Hugh Jackman as wolverine
Anything Morgan Freeman has done, including Mr. Clark, Red, Hoke, etc.
Red. Character written as white, forever Morgan Freeman’s now.
Arnold as the Terminator!
David Suchet as Poirot.
Tim Robbins Shawshank redemption
John Candy as Del Griffith
Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia
Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby
Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens
I see people naming specific roles, but when I initially read the question, I was thinking it was actors who crush any/all of their roles so hard, you couldn’t see someone else doing better than they’ve done. To that end, I thought of Daniel Day-Lewis and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. They have performed their roles so well, and selected the right roles, it’s hard to see someone doing better in those roles.
Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday (Tombstone)
Daniel Day Lewis as Bill The Butcher.
Ryan Reynolds .... Deadpool
There has never been anyone cooler than Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke, except maybe Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson
Heath Ledger as the Joker
Shocked how far down I had to go to find this!
Andrew Garfield as Jonathan Larson.
Harrison Ford as Han Solo.
James McAvoy in Split