I can’t tell you how many times my husband and I watch a movie and afterwards, I’ll say that the movie was great, but the lead guy – or some other main character – was completely miscast.

I’ll give you a couple of examples, then I want you to tell me yours.

Viggo Mortensen in the Lord of the Rings. I especially didn’t like him in The Return of the King. I thought he looked silly, prancing around in that crown. Now, I know I’m typing sacrilege, but that’s just how I feel. I didn’t like him as Strider, and I thought he was a scraggly, over-acting mess as Aragorn.

 

Adrian Lukis as Mr. Wickham in the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice. Come on. This is a guy who has every young girl’s heart pattering in her breast. This actor would have been a better Mr. Collins (although I thought they cast Mr. Collins perfectly). I preferred the Mr. Wickham in the Kiera Knightly version. At least this one might cause palpitations in the Bennett sisters.

 

 

 

 

 

Kathryn Heigl as Stephanie Plum in One for the Money. The movie was a disappointment – sometimes favorite books just shouldn’t be put into movie form, you know? I could SO see Kristen Wiig as Stephanie. Or somebody else with a better comic edge. I did like the actor who played Joe Morelli – an Irishman, in fact. I thought he was perfect as Joe.

 

Justin Timberlake in In Time. I guess his acting was ok – but his voice. It just wasn’t commanding the way a leading man’s should be. It sounded a bit wimpy. I would have liked someone like Chris Pine in that role.

 

I’m going to go out on another limb here and tell you that I’m not crazy about Toby Stevens as Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre. But Michael Fassbender worked perfectly for me – in the most recent version. And though I love Alan Rickman, I thought he was too old to play Colonel Branden in Sense and Sensibility (the Emma Thompson/Hugh Grant version). Sure, Branden should be older – but 35, not 45!

 

What do you think? Am I completely off base here? What characters do you think have been miscast in movies in the past few years? Argue with me if you like – I don’t think you’ll be able to change my mind! But I am going to choose one commenter and send her a copy of my most recent book The Warrior Laird. Maybe you’ll be able to tell me who you think should play the lead characters in that book!