We all may have our favourites when it comes to iconic movies, their characters, and more specifically, the actors who gave the character a real face. Among all of the thousands of portrayals of different characters from Hollywood movies, we felt that there were at least a few that we figured would be better off left alone and not recast.
So here are 20 movie characters and the actors whose portrayals should never be recast.
1. Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa/ Rocky
Nostalgia has its perks. Rocky Balboa should never be reprised, in my opinion, purely out of respect for the man who created, nursed and then built the character to mammoth status. Stallone was and is the only one who can.
2. Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow/ Pirates Of The Caribbean
Just made sense, this one. Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Jack Sparrow created enough of hysteria for it to probably have become the most worn Halloween cosplay role ever. This doesn’t happen to often.
3. Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump/ Forrest Gump
A no-brainer, of course. Tom Hanks playing Forrest Gump in the movie is one of the most iconic movie portrayals of all time. His performance was unparalleled and can’t be replaced. Period.
4. Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone/ The Godfather
Considered as one of the best performances in movie history, in one of the most admired movies of all time by one of the most celebrated actors of the generation. The Godfather needs to remain untouched! Don’t even think about it, Hollywood.
5. Johnny Depp as Edward Scissorhands/ Edward Scissorhands
Tim Burton and his creation, Edward Scissorhands, pretty much created a cult fan-following. The surreal settings and Johnny Depp’s memorable performance can never be recreated and nor should anyone attempt to even try.
6. Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley/ Alien
Ellen Ripley, for her time, was perhaps the most progressive thing happening in cinema. The Alien franchise didn’t just go down in history as a cult phenomenon, perhaps as much as Ripley, it became a full fledged franchise.
7. Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy/ Anchorman
If you haven’t gotten around to watching the Anchorman series, we suggest you do this on priority and you’ll figure out why Will Ferrell is on the map. And no, we don’t want anyone replacing him either.
8. Macauley Culkin as Kevin McCallister/ Home Alone
Do we really need to say any more? Macauley Culkin’s role in the Home Alone series was so widely appreciated that the little guy got typecast before his career even kick-started. As sad as that may be, he’s still irreplaceable.
9. Bruce Willis as John McClane/ Die Hard
If you’ve never been a Die Hard fan, you’ve never known what true action looks like. Bruce Willis didn’t just give us the regular American cowboy hero, he gave us the badass we all wished we could be and nothing and no one should take his place
10. Malcolm McDowell as Alex Delarge/ A Clockwork Orange
Perhaps purely because of the menacing performance he gave, Malcolm McDowell is half the reason why A Clockwork Orange was the masterpiece that it was. Much like how we don’t want another Kubrick, this one shall be best left alone.
11. Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch/ To Kill A Mockingbird
Based on the Harper Lee novel, Gregory Peck’s portrayal of the protagonist went down in history as one of the most revered and memorable performances ever. This one is a must watch for the sheer intensity of his acting. Not one to be replaced, eh?
12. Jeff Bridges as Jeff Lebowski/ The Big Lebowski
We all remember the ‘Dude’, don’t we? The Big Lebowski is a total laugh riot and Jeff Bridges is the only one who could pull off being The Dude. Watch it, roll over and laugh your ass off and remember that no one else could do the character justice.
13. Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates/ Psycho
We can’t miss out on Norman Bates if we’re talking about iconic. And most would perhaps agree that Anthony Perkins was the perfect man to have been the menacing face of Bates. Tell me that smile doesn’t creep you out.
14. Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane/ Citizen Kane
There’s good reason why Orson Welles is considered a genius. Ask any cinephile and you’ll know the reason is CItizen Kane and the mass hysteric reverence it inspired – from audiences, to critics, to filmmakers. This should not be and cannot be remade, it just can’t.
15. Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson/ Fargo
The 1996 dark comedy crime thriller film written, produced, edited, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen starred Frances McDormand as a pregnant Minnesota police chief investigating roadside homicides. And her performance was pivotal to this classic.
16. Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil/ The Exorcist
The Exorcist is pretty much what our worst nightmares were about back when we were growing up. Linda Blair’s menacing performance was absolutely, viscerally harrowing. That’s not going to happen again.
17. Arnold Schwarzenegger as Terminator/ The Terminator
He is the most recognisable action movie star and character ever, because The Terminator is pure gold. I’m sure fans out there are still torn between whether it was more about the robotic ball-buster or Schwarzenegger himself.
18. Robert Duvall as Lt Col Bill Kilgore/ Apocalypse Now
Not to mention that Apocalypse Now is arguably one of the best and most revered war films in cinema history, Robert Duvall’s performance as Lt Col Bill Kilgore is a fan-favourite and a critics pick for supreme badass.
19. Morgan Freeman as Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding/ The Shawshank Redemption
We’re not too sure if any character Morgan Freeman has played over his lifetime can be done better by anyone else, but Red had to make to this list. Memorable, gritty and amazing, his performance is definitely one of a kind.
20. Daniel Day-Lewis as William Cutting/ Gangs Of New York
Martin Scorcese managed to direct Daniel Day-Lewis’s ridiculously splendid and mortifying performance as Bill Cutting from Gangs of New York – the story of New York in the years following the American Independence.