Unlike movies, characters portrayed by multiple actors are quite common in television shows for several reasons. Sometimes, showrunners are compelled to recast roles due to unforeseen circumstances such as scheduling conflicts and contract disputes. Other times, artistic purposes warrant it, especially for flashback and flash-forward scenes, where a different performer portrays the character at a different age.
David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button comes to mind in that case. The movie revolves around a man who ages backward, which requires multiple actors to embody the character at different points in life. For the following list, however, it took more than one actor to play a single character for artistic reasons that had nothing to do with age or a time jump in the story. Rather, it was necessary to engage several actors to wholly capture the character’s depth and physical attributes.
7. The Predator
The success of the first Predator film spawned a franchise with multiple sequels, alongside a crossover film series with the Alien franchise. Right from the first outing in 1987, the franchise’s appeal heavily rests on its idea of an intelligent, extraterrestrial tropy hunter. Arnold Schwarzenegger was brilliant, but the Predator captured the audience’s imagination. It took two performers to bring the deadly alien to life. Kevin Peter Hall, who stood at 7 feet 2 inches, physically embodied the character while Peter Cullen voiced the extraterrestrial creature.
6. M3GAN
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New Zealand child actress Amie Donald collaborated with Jenna Davis to bring M3GAN to life in M3GAN and its 2025 sequel, M3GAN 2.0. Both films revolve around an AI doll’s uncanny self-awareness. The commercial and critical success of the first entry inspired a sequel, which has evolved into a franchise with a third film underway. Although the second outing didn’t measure up to the first, Donald and Davis still captured the humor and dread that endeared M3GAN to moviegoers. Davis voiced the character while Donald embodied the doll’s physical movement.
5. Tony Shepard In The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Terry Gilliam’s 2008 dark fantasy stars Heath Ledger as Tony Shepard alongside Christopher Plummer and Lily Cole. When Ledger tragically passed on while working on the movie, Gilliam considered abandoning the project, but eventually came up with a creative idea to finish the film. He exploited the film’s allegorical premise, tied to a magical mirror that allows people to journey through their imaginations. The director engaged Johnny Deep, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell to portray different incarnations of Tony Shepard transformed in the Imaginarium. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was released to positive reviews, ensuring Tony Shepard’s spot among the top characters portrayed by multiple actors.
4. Sweet Tooth In Twisted Metal
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Twisted Metal wouldn’t be the same without the deranged ice cream truck driver. The killer clown personifies the cheerful mayhem that distinguishes the Peacock series from other dystopian series. Sweet Tooth’s enormous appeal ensures his ranking among the characters portrayed by multiple actors. American professional wrestler Samoa Joe physically portrayed Sweet Tooth, while Will Arnett delivered the vocal performance.
3. The Mandalorian/Din Djarin
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Pedro Pascal’s portrayal of Din Djarin in Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian was a purposeful expansion of the Star Wars universe. As the titular character, his performance was central to the overwhelming positive reviews the space action epic enjoyed throughout its three-season run. Pascal vocally embodied the character, but The Mandalorian’s onscreen presence was realized through a collaborative performance between the actor, Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, and Barry Lowin, who were all credited as stunt doubles. Essentially, Pascal’s voice captured Mando’s soul while the stunt doubles delivered the bounty hunter’s action-packed scenes under the helmet.
2. Bob Dylan In I’m Not There
The coming-of-age biographical musical drama film directed by Todd Haynes examines the life and career of American singer Bob Dylan. Instead of casting a single actor for the lead role, Haynes opted for six performers — Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Richard Gere, and Marcus Carl Franklin. Each of these actors embodied a distinctive aspect of Dylan’s life and music, delivering a disjointed but insightful narrative that resonated with critics and fans of the musical icon. I’m Not There received many coveted accolades, including an Oscar nomination for Blanchett, whose performance also won a Golden Globe award.
1. Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker In The Original Star Wars Trilogy
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Perhaps the most iconic villain in cinema’s history, the Sith lord was a taxing role that demanded the talents of three performers. David Prowse was the main actor behind the role. However, George Lucas believed his West Country accent wasn’t suitable for the character and opted to have James Earl Jones voice the character. For the lightsaber fight scenes, the late English Olympic fencer Bob Anderson played the dark lord.
In all, five performers played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars films. Richard Marquand needed a seasoned actor to play the character when he was unmasked in Return of the Jedi (1983). Sebastian Shaw was cast for the part, but was replaced by Hayden Christensen in the 2004 DVD release. Darth Vader’s massive legacy and cultural impact earn it the top spot among the best characters portrayed by multiple actors. Check out 5 upcoming game-based movies that could be huge.
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