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March 13, 2006 4:07 PM

I hope this isn't considered too chatty for askme. I am searching not for chat but for a list of examples--of actors and actresses who were, in your opinion, just born to be cast in a certain role. Examples: Schwarzenegger, with his particular look and accent as well as the muscles, was just born to be Conan. Angelina Jolie was born to be Lara Croft, whatever you think of the movies there's no arguing with the casting. Shelly Duvall was born to be Olive Oyl. Please continue.

I'd also enjoy hearing your candidates for ideal just-born casting that, sadly, never happened. Example, Orson Welles was just born to be Nero Wolfe, pfui to all the world's producers for never making a Wolfe movie starring Welles.

posted by jfuller to Media & Arts (20 answers total)

Christopher Walken was born to play Willy Wonka. Too bad Tim Burton didn't listen to me!
posted by grumblebee at 4:11 PM on March 13, 2006

John Malkovich as John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich.
posted by mullacc at 4:14 PM on March 13, 2006

Harrison Ford was born to be Indiana.
posted by madajb at 4:19 PM on March 13, 2006

Jean Luc Picard/X-Men dude in the wheelchair. (It's late here, give me a break).
posted by Leon at 4:19 PM on March 13, 2006

Vin Diesel : Riddick in Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick
posted by jaded at 4:22 PM on March 13, 2006

Interestingly, all the "real" examples you provided were previously comics / games. So you already had a visual image of these characters. The actors just happened to fit that fairly well.

IMHO with examples from (non-visual) literature you won't find a consensus on this. Everyone builds their own image of a character in their mind and these will differ quite considerably from one another. That's the whole beauty of it!

(e.g. Christopher Walken?? WILLY WONKA??? NEVER!! lol)
posted by ClarissaWAM at 4:24 PM on March 13, 2006

Hayden Christensen was just born to play Darth Vader.
posted by thirteenkiller at 4:28 PM on March 13, 2006

Bruce Willis was born to play Gully Foyle in the as yet un-made and totally in my mind movie version of "The Stars My Destination."
posted by tkchrist at 4:28 PM on March 13, 2006

Devito as the Penguin?

van Damme as some emotionless soldier/cyborg in Universal soldier?
posted by PurplePorpoise at 4:32 PM on March 13, 2006

Jack Black was born to play Ignatius Reilly.
posted by contessa at 4:33 PM on March 13, 2006

Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe?
posted by box at 4:36 PM on March 13, 2006

Ryan Phillipe was born to play Dorian Gray....and last I heard, he is.
posted by fire&wings at 4:36 PM on March 13, 2006

Thandie Newton in Beloved. (NSFW)
posted by hermitosis at 4:36 PM on March 13, 2006

Christopher Reeve as Superman.
posted by briank at 4:36 PM on March 13, 2006

Peter Boyle was born to be Frankenstein's Monster. (Well, it's true.)
posted by itchie at 4:37 PM on March 13, 2006

(slight shift)....I've always thought Manhunter was perfectly cast.
posted by JohnR at 4:38 PM on March 13, 2006

Also...

Prior to the release of "Master and Commander", there was always quite a debate among Patrick O'Brian fans as to who would be the "perfect" Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. I have to say I think Russell Crowe really fit my image of Aubrey to a tee (but not so much Paul Whatshisname as Maturin)
posted by briank at 4:39 PM on March 13, 2006

I'm a fan of the novel Cold Mountain. After seeing the film Contact, I came away convinced that the leads — Jodie Foster and Matthew McCoughnehey (or however he spells it) — had to be cast as Ada and Inman. Alas, we got that waifish guy I loathe in the lead instead...
posted by jdroth at 4:41 PM on March 13, 2006

Christian Bale as Bateman in American Psycho.
posted by mullacc at 4:43 PM on March 13, 2006

The entire cast of The Godfather.
posted by rentalkarma at 4:44 PM on March 13, 2006