Everyone’s likely wondered just what in the heck an actor was doing when they were given a part that fans had been waiting to see filled by someone, anyone, that could possibly bring the character to life. There are those that are capable of taking on pretty much any role they’re given, and then there are those that waste a role when it’s handed to them in a number of different ways. In some instances, it’s not exactly their fault since they might have been given a role because there was no one else that wanted it at the time, or it could have been that someone in the casting department really dropped the ball and somehow didn’t see that this was a horrible idea. But whatever reason is used one can honestly say that there are some actors that were given great roles that could have been one of the highlights of their career, but somehow became laughable attempts at portraying a character that still haunts them today. It’s not always the case, but there are some actors that will never really live down famous roles that they supposedly squandered. Whether it’s their fault or not, these roles are bound to stick with them simply because they’re glaring blemishes on the actor’s career.
Here are a few great roles that were wasted on the actors that took them.
5. Paul McGann – Doctor Who
In all fairness, he wasn’t a horrible Doctor Who, depending on who a person talks to, but he missed out on the revival of the series in 2005 all the same since it took a long time to get the project on American TV due to a number of different complications. Seeing as how McGann was in a movie version of Doctor Who there were massive continuity issues and it’s fair to say that longtime fans of the show are likely to debate whether he was even worth putting in the mix, or if he could have been one of the best doctors to bring back for the series. It’s hard to say really since the span of time between the show ending and then rebooting created a lot of debate with the fanbase.
4. George Clooney – Batman and Robin
Clooney was extremely fortunate that this movie didn’t end up ruining his reputation since it was bad, like really bad, like bad to the point that you don’t want to remember that it even happened. He was definitely a decent Bruce Wayne since he has a natural charm that’s hard to ignore, but the moody and otherwise dark nature of Batman isn’t something he could really pull off since he was still in character as Bruce Wayne when he was in the outfit. Michael Keaton and Christian Bale were far better suited to the role of Batman and Wayne since the two of them could brood like no one else that’s put on the suit.
3. Jamie Dornan – Fifty Shades of Grey
Charlie Hunnam was supposed to be the guy that would turn on the charm for the role of Christian Grey, but instead, the role went to Jamie Dornan, who many women happened to like, but still managed to criticize since it feels as though he just wasn’t the guy to take on the role. There’s so much that can be said about these movies, and a lot of it is less than flattering since beyond the prudish feelings that it might invoke in a lot of folks, the laughable premise and plot were enough to get a lot of people talking, and it’s why the movie has been parodied more than once over the years.
2. Topher Grace – Spider-Man 3
Let’s look at the comic book version of Eddie Brock/Venom and then look at Topher Grace. No one else in the casting department saw an issue with this? As the movie Venom showed, the main character didn’t have to be a musclebound psycho, but it would have been so much better if Spider-Man 3 would have featured an actor that didn’t look like he came directly from the newsroom of the local community college. Eddie Brock has always been a slightly muscular guy, and Venom has always been a certifiable nightmare, but somehow Spider-Man 3 turned him into a skinny, anemic-looking version of himself, and Topher’s less than convincing act didn’t help.
1. Keanu Reeves – Dracula
From the look to the horrible accent to the fact that Keanu probably didn’t belong in this movie, it’s very fair to say that he was one of the least effective parts. It’s almost like putting a California surfer dude into a fancy set of clothing and telling him to act like he’s in a vampire movie. Wait, it kind of was like that in the first place. In fact, the only thing that would have convinced people that this had happened would have been if Keanu had said “Whoa”.
Some actors can’t help but ruin roles since, in all fairness, the roles they were in were wasted on them.
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