Anonymous
08/30/2021 21:52
Subject: Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:- Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York
- Emma Watson in the Beauty and the Beast remake
- Russell Crowe in Les Miz
The whole Gangs of NY was weirdly cast. I ordinarily love Daniel Day Lewis and found him really tough to watch in that. I know he had some egghead explanation for why the accent was period accurate but it’s unbearable.
Anonymous
08/30/2021 21:28
Subject: Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Speaking of West Wing, Mary Louise Parker was so terrible as the feminist activist. She was great as the clueless narcissist suburban mom on Weeds but her vacant thing just did not work in the west wing role. I worked at a feminist organization for years and knew no one like that. Could have been a great role is it had been played by someone more like Allison Janney that could really bring the sharp strong vibe. Also I never felt like she had any chemistry with josh but I know that’s hard to cast for. I don’t know if they originally intended him to end up with his secretary or whether they just had such good chemistry that the writers did that.
Yes, I hated her in that role. That whiny voice and affect.
Yep, MLP was so irritating in that role. Don’t even get me started on Mandy. Moira Kelly wasn’t great in One Tree Hill, either, and it’s not like her castmates were so hot in comparison.
NP and West Wing fan here, and it's a relief to hear someone else say out loud that Mary-Louise Parker was annoying in what should have been a great role. I can take her in it because the role itself does have good lines etc., brings up some good plot points, and acts as a useful foil for the Josh-Donna slow burn, but Parker's affect is so flat. Is she like that in everything?
It's surprising that, with SO many terrific casting choices even for very small roles, West Wing got two key characters so wrong, with both Amy (Parker) and Mandy (Kelly). But the Mandy role itself was terribly conceived and written from the start, whereas Amy Gardner had reason to exist and be in the orbit of the rest of the cast. Mandy as a character, no matter who would have played her, was simply a terrible idea, and never fit with the rest of the characters. She also had NO actual work to do that wouldn't have been done by some far less senior staffer. Not defending Moira Kelly, though; she was pretty awful. But she was also handed a thankless role.
At least both characters were gone fairly quickly and are such small blips in the vast casting for West Wing.
I think the problem is Sorkin...he's terribly sexist and defensive about being sexist. So, somehow, MLP is his conception of a strong feminist...even though actual feminists find her to be a terrible caricature of a feminist. Her backstabbing Josh about the marriage incentives is almost unwatchable to me, because she uses their intimacy against him.
I much prefer the Sorkin seasons, but after he left most of the women characters became better (except S5 Abbey which was like WTF?! and CJ becoming COS was difficult to believe even though she remained as awesome as ever). Jeanine Garofolo's character as a smart, tough person who can go toe-to-toe with Josh was way, way, way better written. Also, I don't particularly care for MLP's flat intonation schtick, but I think it could have worked for Amy had the character been less terribly written.
Anonymous
08/30/2021 21:10
Subject: Re:Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Tom Cruise as the Vampire Lestat and Brad Pitt as Louis. Neither was right for the part.
+10000 back when I cared about books made into movies.
Rutger Hauer would have been perfect as Lestat
He did play a vampire - in the Buffy movie in the early 90s.
Yes and he was fantastic. That movie was so great - NEVER understood the serious Buffy series…
Wow I’ve never met a single person that thought the movie was better than the series.
I mean… it’s “Buffy”! She was supposed to be an airhead! That’s what made it different and entertaining, IMO.
see, I liked the movie when it came out. But I then fell in love with the series.
Joss Whedon wrote the movie, but it wasn't produced as he wanted it (it went way too campy for him)
The series was what he wanted it to be-dark, but with humor.
Anonymous
08/30/2021 19:42
Subject: Re:Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:As long as we're on the subject of TV shows, I find certain members of the Law and Order cast unwatchable. Like I wanted to love the first female detective on the original Law and Order, but that "Detective Beauty Queen" character was awful, both her role and her acting. I also didn't like Serena the blonde lawyer on the original Law and Order. She seemed to enunciate her words very slowly like she had just learned big words like "deposition". My favorite DAs were Michael Moriarty and Jill Hennessy (Claire Kincaid) and my favorite detectives were Lenny Briscoe (of course!) and Ed Green.
Was that Carey Lowell or Angie Harmon? I loved the no-nonsense police boss (Lt Van Buren) Lenny and Ed were the best pairing.
Anonymous
08/30/2021 19:37
Subject: Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:Halle Berry as Storm. Why not Iman??? Whyyyyyyyyyyy
OMG, yes! This exactly!
Anonymous
08/30/2021 17:22
Subject: Re:Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Tom Cruise as the Vampire Lestat and Brad Pitt as Louis. Neither was right for the part.
+10000 back when I cared about books made into movies.
Rutger Hauer would have been perfect as Lestat
He did play a vampire - in the Buffy movie in the early 90s.
Yes and he was fantastic. That movie was so great - NEVER understood the serious Buffy series…
Wow I’ve never met a single person that thought the movie was better than the series.
I mean… it’s “Buffy”! She was supposed to be an airhead! That’s what made it different and entertaining, IMO.
Anonymous
08/30/2021 13:24
Subject: Re:Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
As long as we're on the subject of TV shows, I find certain members of the Law and Order cast unwatchable. Like I wanted to love the first female detective on the original Law and Order, but that "Detective Beauty Queen" character was awful, both her role and her acting. I also didn't like Serena the blonde lawyer on the original Law and Order. She seemed to enunciate her words very slowly like she had just learned big words like "deposition". My favorite DAs were Michael Moriarty and Jill Hennessy (Claire Kincaid) and my favorite detectives were Lenny Briscoe (of course!) and Ed Green.
Anonymous
08/30/2021 12:52
Subject: Re:Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Tom Cruise as the Vampire Lestat and Brad Pitt as Louis. Neither was right for the part.
+10000 back when I cared about books made into movies.
Rutger Hauer would have been perfect as Lestat
He did play a vampire - in the Buffy movie in the early 90s.
Yes and he was fantastic. That movie was so great - NEVER understood the serious Buffy series…
Wow I’ve never met a single person that thought the movie was better than the series.
Anonymous
08/30/2021 12:40
Subject: Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Speaking of West Wing, Mary Louise Parker was so terrible as the feminist activist. She was great as the clueless narcissist suburban mom on Weeds but her vacant thing just did not work in the west wing role. I worked at a feminist organization for years and knew no one like that. Could have been a great role is it had been played by someone more like Allison Janney that could really bring the sharp strong vibe. Also I never felt like she had any chemistry with josh but I know that’s hard to cast for. I don’t know if they originally intended him to end up with his secretary or whether they just had such good chemistry that the writers did that.
Yes, I hated her in that role. That whiny voice and affect.
Yep, MLP was so irritating in that role. Don’t even get me started on Mandy. Moira Kelly wasn’t great in One Tree Hill, either, and it’s not like her castmates were so hot in comparison.
NP and West Wing fan here, and it's a relief to hear someone else say out loud that Mary-Louise Parker was annoying in what should have been a great role. I can take her in it because the role itself does have good lines etc., brings up some good plot points, and acts as a useful foil for the Josh-Donna slow burn, but Parker's affect is so flat. Is she like that in everything?
It's surprising that, with SO many terrific casting choices even for very small roles, West Wing got two key characters so wrong, with both Amy (Parker) and Mandy (Kelly). But the Mandy role itself was terribly conceived and written from the start, whereas Amy Gardner had reason to exist and be in the orbit of the rest of the cast. Mandy as a character, no matter who would have played her, was simply a terrible idea, and never fit with the rest of the characters. She also had NO actual work to do that wouldn't have been done by some far less senior staffer. Not defending Moira Kelly, though; she was pretty awful. But she was also handed a thankless role.
At least both characters were gone fairly quickly and are such small blips in the vast casting for West Wing.
It's a bummer because season 1 of west wing is so good and Moira Kelly was so awful that I fast forward past her to this day. Mary-Louise Parker was annoying and didn't seem to understand her character but I found her watchable.
Anonymous
08/30/2021 11:10
Subject: Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Speaking of West Wing, Mary Louise Parker was so terrible as the feminist activist. She was great as the clueless narcissist suburban mom on Weeds but her vacant thing just did not work in the west wing role. I worked at a feminist organization for years and knew no one like that. Could have been a great role is it had been played by someone more like Allison Janney that could really bring the sharp strong vibe. Also I never felt like she had any chemistry with josh but I know that’s hard to cast for. I don’t know if they originally intended him to end up with his secretary or whether they just had such good chemistry that the writers did that.
Yes, I hated her in that role. That whiny voice and affect.
Yep, MLP was so irritating in that role. Don’t even get me started on Mandy. Moira Kelly wasn’t great in One Tree Hill, either, and it’s not like her castmates were so hot in comparison.
NP and West Wing fan here, and it's a relief to hear someone else say out loud that Mary-Louise Parker was annoying in what should have been a great role. I can take her in it because the role itself does have good lines etc., brings up some good plot points, and acts as a useful foil for the Josh-Donna slow burn, but Parker's affect is so flat. Is she like that in everything?
It's surprising that, with SO many terrific casting choices even for very small roles, West Wing got two key characters so wrong, with both Amy (Parker) and Mandy (Kelly). But the Mandy role itself was terribly conceived and written from the start, whereas Amy Gardner had reason to exist and be in the orbit of the rest of the cast. Mandy as a character, no matter who would have played her, was simply a terrible idea, and never fit with the rest of the characters. She also had NO actual work to do that wouldn't have been done by some far less senior staffer. Not defending Moira Kelly, though; she was pretty awful. But she was also handed a thankless role.
At least both characters were gone fairly quickly and are such small blips in the vast casting for West Wing.
Anonymous
08/30/2021 11:00
Subject: Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:- Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York
- Emma Watson in the Beauty and the Beast remake
- Russell Crowe in Les Miz
Yes. Odd choice.
+1 re: Emma Watson.
Also, Emma Watson in "Little Women." I haven't seen her in the couple of indie movies I think she's been in, but she seems to have very, very limited range. She seems like an intelligent person with real commitment to some causes, which is all nice. But I think her acting career has come about entirely based on goodwill toward her for being in the Harry Potter franchise--years ago, now.
Anonymous
08/29/2021 19:03
Subject: Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Daniel Radcliffe as Harry. He wasn't horrible in the first 4, but I couldn't stand him as older Harry.
Love me some Daniel Radcliffe as Harry.
For me the miss was Ginny Weasley. I’m sure she’s a lovely person, but she was so blah and Ginny was supposed to be all sassy and outgoing. Also she looks like Harry’s mom, which is weird.
Yeah, she lacked charisma and didn't have the sparkle one would have thought attracts Harry. A lot of people marry people who remind them of their mom/dad so the latter problem didn't bother me. Ron Weasley was cute in the first two movies and then just got kind of potato with red hair looking.
Anonymous
08/29/2021 18:49
Subject: Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:- Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York
- Emma Watson in the Beauty and the Beast remake
- Russell Crowe in Les Miz
Yes. Odd choice.
Anonymous
08/29/2021 18:48
Subject: Re:Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Tom Cruise as the Vampire Lestat and Brad Pitt as Louis. Neither was right for the part.
+10000 back when I cared about books made into movies.
Rutger Hauer would have been perfect as Lestat
He did play a vampire - in the Buffy movie in the early 90s.
Yes and he was fantastic. That movie was so great - NEVER understood the serious Buffy series…
Anonymous
08/29/2021 17:20
Subject: Worst hollywood casting decision ever?
Anonymous wrote:Daniel Radcliffe as Harry. He wasn't horrible in the first 4, but I couldn't stand him as older Harry.
Love me some Daniel Radcliffe as Harry.
For me the miss was Ginny Weasley. I’m sure she’s a lovely person, but she was so blah and Ginny was supposed to be all sassy and outgoing. Also she looks like Harry’s mom, which is weird.