News Summary

• A while back, redditor u/gavelpounder91 asked the internet, "Film snobs of Reddit, who was the single worst casting choice in Hollywood film history?" and it started a huge conversation. People on Reddit and the BuzzFeed Community shared what they think are the worst casting decisions ever, and it's brutal. Here's what they had to say:
• 1. Ariana Grande in the Wicked movies: "When she was cast, I was really unhappy about it because I'm not a fan. I feel like she's too breathy. In the movie, I don't hate her, but I can see your point. She's better than I anticipated, but that's because, in my head, she's not really acting; that's who she is as a person. I'm not sure who I would cast in her place either. But yeah."
• "I'm probably going to get a lot of hate for this, but Ariana Grande as Glinda. I just couldn't focus on the story; she was so distracting."
• 2. Dan Stevens in Beauty and the Beast (2017): "People didn't like Emma Watson , but imo, she was fine. Dan's voice was gorgeous, but he just wasn't ferocious enough to pull off Beast (ex: his pathetic 'Well, go ahead and starve' pout that should've been a wall-rattling yell). Then, I didn't think he looked like a handsome prince in the end with the reveal. I said, 'That is some random villager who got stuck in the castle. The actual prince is still locked up somewhere.' 😂"
• 3. Will Smith and Kevin Kline in Wild Wild West (1999): "Will Smith as James West was terrible. Actually, Kevin Kline was, too. Actually, the whole movie just didn't work."
• 4. Helena Bonham Carter in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007): "I could rant until I'm stone-cold dead about how badly miscast Helena Bonham Carter was as Mrs. Lovett. Too young, too emo, too sympathetic, not enough energy."
• 5. Bryce Dallas Howard in the Twilight Saga: "Bryce Dallas Howard as a replacement for Rachelle Lefevre. Are the movies trash? Yes. But Rachelle's Victoria was dark, menacing, and interesting. Bryce was ethereal, manipulative, and a bit dull."
• 6. Russell Crowe in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022): "Russell Crowe as Zeus. It was awful."
• 7. Tyler Perry in Alex Cross (2012): "I laughed so hard every time he was on screen that the person trying to make me watch it just turned it off. 😂😂😂"
• 8. Liv Tyler in The Lord of the Rings movies: "She can't act, and seeing her throws you out of the movie because you can only see her, not the character. She's the worst thing about those movies."
• 9. Elijah Wood in the Lord of the Rings movies: "My forever eternal disappointment and fury for the casting of Elijah Wood as Frodo. It made me want to scream and cry when I saw it in the theaters. If it had been a book, I'd have thrown it across the room — much like he apparently did to the source material after he got the script. He never read LotR , and it shows; he was nauseatingly terrible. Shudder."
• 10. Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991): "I think Kevin Costner as Robin Hood was an awful choice. He doesn't even attempt a British accent!"
• 11. Dakota Johnson in Persuasion (2022): "Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot. I don't really blame her, though; I blame the screenwriters and the director for adapting a character they clearly hated for an audience they think is too unintelligent to understand that the world used to be different."
• 12. Tobey Maguire in the Spider-Man movies: "In the third movie, I never had any idea what expression Maguire was going for. Is he sad? Happy? Possessed? Evil? Not-evil? It was all just the same expression, and it was super bizarre. I know that movie wasn't supposed to be a cinematic masterpiece, but it seemed like he was stoned during the entire film or something."
• "I'm going to get slated for this, but Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. He's so meh, and it really put me off seeing any Spider-Man films for many, many years."
• 13. Julia Roberts in Michael Collins (1996): "Maybe not the worst of all time, but Julia Roberts in Michael Collins was super jarring. Her Irish accent was willy-nilly, and when it was on, it was still pretty terrible. Plus, she just looked out of place, like they dropped a supermodel into the middle of the Irish Civil War; you shove a big name and face like hers into a historical period piece like that, you're just asking for trouble. Should have went with an Irish actress."
• 14. Mark Wahlberg in The Truth About Charlie (2002): "Mark Wahlberg in the Cary Grant role in the remake of Charade . The whole thing was a train wreck and a disgrace to everyone involved, save maybe Thandiwe Newton, but none of it was worse than Markie Mark in the male lead."
• 15. Maria Bello in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008): "Maria Bello in the third Mummy movie, replacing Rachel Weisz. It would've been better to say Evelyn died than to recast her."
• "The 'joke' about not being the same woman made me cringe. Should have waited for Rachel Weisz, or yes, had Evelyn dead, or just really busy with a library somewhere, so it was a guy's trip. I watched the movie at the cinema and haven't been able to rewatch it."
• 16. Cara Delevingne and Dane DeHaan in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017): "She had no feelings and zero chemistry with the other main character played by Dane DeHaan — who I’ve also never seen in another movie. Worst casting ever."
• "I'm still f**king mad about the casting choices in this movie except for Ethan Hawke. They needed actors who look about 20 years older and know how to deliver dialogue. They didn't look old enough to get a driver's license, let alone a pilot's license."
• 17. Mark Wahlberg in The Happening (2008): "I'm not sure any casting choice could have made that movie not suck, but I couldn't believe for even a second that Wahlberg was just a dorky science teacher trying to survive."
• 18. Topher Grace in Spider-Man 3 (2007): "Who the @#&$ cast Topher Grace as Venom?! Seriously, the kid's from That '70s Show . He's not scary at all. Especially when he was screaming in agony, I was just thinking to myself...'This is bad.'"
• 19. Denise Richards in The World Is Not Enough (1999): "Denise Richards trying to play a nuclear physicist — she was about as convincing of a nuclear physicist as a dog chewing on an atom-shaped chew toy."
• 20. Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992): "His attempt at a British accent is hilarious."
• 21. Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York (2002): "She's not bad, but can't match DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis."
• "Honestly, Daniel Day-Lewis was on another level in that movie. I remember watching it as a kid, and even then, I felt like I was watching Leo, Cameron Diaz, and a dude who time-traveled from the turn of the century. Leo and Diaz basically play themselves while Daniel Day-Lewis disappears in his role."
• 22. Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman (2012): "I just watched this movie like last week; her every emotion looked the same. The thing is, I like Kristen in the new Charlie's Angels (2019). I guess she just needs to find the right roles."
• "After I saw some of her darker, edgier, more indie roles, I realized she's amazing when she's given room to be subtle. Her energy is very reserved, but it's powerful. Personal Shopper (2016) is a strange movie that's one of my recent favorites, for example — highly recommend it."