Actors who look nothing like the character they're playing

Liza Minelli as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, looked right but sounded totally wrong as she was supposed to be English with a dreadful singing voice.

I have to agree with most of the comments. If you've read the book before the production it's often very disappointing. The latest Ipcress and Bridgerton stuff are a case in point.

I've seen several films in which actors portrayed Winston Churchill. Some of them did not closely resemble him facially but I found their acting ability far outweighed what they looked like.

I have always thought Elizabeth McGovern in Downton Abbey looked far too young to be mother to Mary, Edith and Sybil, and she doesn’t seem to be ageing either. Maybe it’s because I can still see Lady Marjorie Bellamy in Upstairs, Downstairs, in my mind!

Tom cruise played Jake reacher in a Lee child film I read the book years earlier and my vision of Jack reacher was a 6 foot man similar to Clint Eastwood

Kenneth Branagh is not Poirot. His moustache was totally wrong. I can’t watch Tiny Tom Cruise in anything. I thinks it’s mainly the Scientology thing. And yes, he is far too short. He probably has to stand on a box or maybe they dig trenches for his Co-stars.

LullyDully

My all time moan was the creepy Nicholas Cage as Captain Corelli.

Not a bit like I imagined him either, short dark and sultry Italian sexy maybe Robert da Nero when he was younger.

I had a very romantic idea of Mr Rochester (in Jane Eyre) until I saw him played by Orson Wells ?

It has to be Dick Van Dyke as Bert in Mary Poppins .
He looked the part but he didn't sound it !

Robert Redford as Denys Finch Hatton in Out of Africa .

Kenneth Branaugh as Hercule Poirot .
I hate his interpretation .

Linda Thorson as the replacement Emma Peel in The Avengers .
A stunningly attractive girl ,but too chubby and her clothes made her look huge .

When reading a book we often visualise the characters as well as absorbing the author's description and when portrayed they are disappointing .

Calendargirl

I couldn’t agree more. The choice of Joe Cole ruined the Ipcress File series for me. He did indeed look about 12 with a sulky petulant pout plus very short - just lacked any charisma. The worst miscasting that I have seen in a long time.

Jumblygran

I enjoyed Agatha Raisin but I haven’t read the books.
I was prepared to dislike Jenna Coleman as Victoria but her acting was so convincing that I forgave her for being too pretty.
As an Outlander fan I am finding most of the characters are so different from the books I have stopped watching.

The best thing is the story I read about John Mortimer who when writing the Rumpole books ended up with Leo McKern’s voice in his head as he wrote.

I was initially disappointed when first watching Outlander as I had expected both Jamie and Claire to look totally different but now I think that both Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe match their characters very well.

The whole point of Normal People was that the main character was fat and frumpy but then lost a lot of weight and became beautiful. I did enjoy the series, not having read the book, but it did mean the relationship between the two main characters didn’t make sense.

Jane Ayre was described as ugly yet in films the best is a plain actress and some have been positively pretty !
And I’m afraid that I couldn’t get my head around Jodie Turner-smith as Anne Boleyn. Jodie is beautiful and a very good actress but not Anne Boleyn, that was worse than someone who is nothing like the book described playing a fictional character, this was a historic character and it made the whole programme unwatchable for me.

I found Ben Wishaw in This is going to Hurt difficult to get used to after reading the book and seeing the writer on the TV. I think the TV programme is a lot different to the book, but I’ve got used to it now, and both the book and TV programme are good in their own right, and Adam Kay wrote both.

I read James Bond at a young age and when I first saw Sean Connery he was just as I imagined. The others haven't been too bad but Roger Moore - No Way Jose. In any case as far as I was concerned he was always Simon Templar.

Oh EEJit, I did like Basil Rathbone as Sherlock, but once Jeremy Brett came along, he was my ideal Holmes, can't now imagine any other.

In 1932 my grandfather went to the cinema to see his first film ever, called 'Rose of the Bonny Briar Bush.'

When he discovered the film was nothing like his favorite book, he vowed never to watch another film..... and he didn't until his death

I do not think we can reasonably expect a fictious character to resemble the person we saw in our mind's eye when we read the book. My idea of say, Hercule Poirot is probably nowhere near yours, or for that matter Agatha Christie's.

Where it does annoy me is when historical figures from recent history where there are photos and portraits of the actual person in plenty are portrayed by actors who bear no resemblence to these pictures.

But drama is an art form, so why should someone playing the part of a historical person need to look like them? Surely the interpretation of the part is what counts, or should count most?

I was thinking, once Dakota was in, Jamie was Her choice of leading man maybe?but he certainly spoiled it for me.

And i agree about 50shades films- Jamie Dornan nothing like book description imo- neither was Dakota Johnson like Anastasia- aah, the perks of having famous acting parents eh?

Didnt early episodes of morse have a welsh sidekick though? A guy with glasses?Or am i thinking of another show??

PECS

I am quite liking Joe Cole's Harry Palmer portrayal.

Me too!

Oh yes it happens all the time, particularly with 'real life' stories, depicted on tv- the actors portraying them are ALWAYS much prettier/handsome, better, fitter etc than the real life person, even the murderers! It annoys me no end...and yes it was Rebus GillT57- Ken was probably more alike to the book, but i prefer John as an actor.

GillT57

Ken Stott is Morse to me, John Hannah is a fine actor, but not gruff Morse.

I think you mean Rebus.

Oh, I loved Richard Chamberlain in Thornbirds - in fact, Richard Chamberlain in anything !
Jamie Dorman is a lovely man when you see him interviewed, but not my idea of Christian Grey, sorry.
One actor that must have friends in high places is the actor Ciaran Hinds - is exactly the same in whatever drama he is in !