A lot of moving parts go into making any movie. From the script to the sets to the direction to the costumes, a lot of things have to go right for a film to be good. Oh, and there’s also the little factor of the actors’ performances. In these fifteen cases, all it took was one bad performance to tank the whole enterprise.
Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker’s Dracula
With respect to Keanu Reeves, his acting had a long way to go back in the early 90s. Reportedly, conditions on set weren’t great, and he was very nervous about having to speak with an English accent. He was also daunted by the caliber of actors like Gary Oldman, who, pointedly, gives a career-best performance in this film as the title character. Reeves’ awkward Jonathan Harker is completely dwarfed by his costars.
Sofia Coppola in The Godfather Part III
Francis Ford Coppola made two of the best films ever with The Godfather and its sequel. Then, for whatever reason, he decided to make a third one in 1990 and cast his daughter as Mary Corleone. Sofia Coppola is so thoroughly out of her depth that her scenes threaten to drag the entire movie down, and it’s a genuine relief when Mary isn’t on screen.
Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern
Nothing about Green Lantern was ever going to work. It’s a horrendously ugly movie with a nonsensical script and some outright terrible performances. Ryan Reynolds himself has joked at length about how terrible he was in Green Lantern, so we’ll let him off the hook this time. Thankfully, he’s more than made up with this misstep with his excellent Deadpool trilogy.
Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman
Snow White and the Huntsman wasn’t going to make any huge waves, irrespective of its lead actor. Still, Kristen Stewart couldn’t have been the best choice for the role. The Twilight actress has since gone on to star in far better movies, like Spencer, but her unenthusiastic performance as Snow White in this film is a standout low point for her.
Awkwafina in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
With no offence intended to Awkwafina, her specific brand of over-the-top energy simply didn’t work for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. While Simu Liu, Michelle Yeoh, and Tony Leung act circles around the script, Awkwafina is kind of… there.
Andie MacDowell in Groundhog Day
Andie MacDowell stars opposite Bill Murray in the otherwise-excellent comedy Groundhog Day. While Murray is a standout in the film, MacDowell’s performance is bizarrely bereft of charm. Reportedly she was cast as Rita because she could offer humor through her honesty and intelligence, as the producers believed Rita shouldn’t try to exchange witty banter with Murray’s character. This was a miscalculation that makes her scenes feel extremely out of place.
TJ Miller in Deadpool
Controversial actor TJ Miller has been accused of some pretty heinous stuff, which has led to a major reexamination of his body of work. Notably, he’s abysmal in the first two Deadpool movies and claimed he simply wouldn’t return for the third entry because Ryan Reynolds, of all people, was “horrifically mean” on the set. That sounds bogus, but Miller’s distracting performance in both films was certainly horrific enough to see him not get a call back to the third outing.
Jeremy Renner in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Weirdly enough, there was a time when several long-running action movie franchises planned to recast their main actors with Jeremy Renner. One such example of this was with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Renner is a fine actor, he just isn’t a functional replacement for Tom Cruise.
Jeremy Renner Again, This Time in The Bourne Legacy
Jeremy Renner was also considered as a potential replacement for Matt Damon in the Bourne movies, when he played the lead role in The Bounre Legacy. Basically, producers saw Renner in The Avengers and thought they could do some A-List stuff with him. They couldn’t, but that’s okay! Renner is still awesome as Hawkeye.
Ben Affleck in The Last Duel
The Last Duel is a compelling medieval drama film that engrosses audiences in its perfectly realized 14th Century setting. But then, hey, there’s Ben Affleck. It’s not exactly Affleck’s fault, as his accent and performance are both admirable. However, his conspicuous, err, Affleck-ness, really stands out and ruins the immersion.
Jake Lloyd in The Phantom Menace
The Phantom Menace is one of the worst films ever made, and it’s made worse by the abysmal performance of then-young Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker. On one level, this is a script issue. Why do we need to see what Darth Vader was like when he was a whiny kid? On another level, if Lloyd’s performance had been anything other than “somehow as annoying as Jar Jar Binks,” maybe the movie would have been more enjoyable.
Zendaya in Dune Part 2
Zendaya is a beloved actress and model, but she just didn’t bring her A-game to Dune: Part 2. She was barely in the first film, appearing mainly as premonitions. However, in the second movie, her part is substantially larger and yet her presence feels much diminished. Her flat delivery and expressionless performance suggest she’s perhaps bored by the sci-fi trappings of the movie.
Joaquin Phoenix and an Unnamed Romance Movie
In a slightly different way, Joaquin Phoenix recently quite literally ruined an entire movie by pulling out of an unnamed romance film he was involved in. Reportedly, the film had a somewhat controversial plot and Phoenix was set to portray a gay man. This might be why he got cold feet on the project, as there was pushback from the LGBT community about Phoenix, a straight man, portraying a gay character.
Read More: The 15 Worst Casting Choices Ever
Beyonce in Goldmember
Beyonce is a legendary singer for good reason. Her voice and stage presence are unmistakable. Unfortunately, she leaves a lot to be desired as a screen actor. Her role in the third Austin Powers movie, Goldmember, is painful to watch. That’s not to say that the movie was going to be an Academy Award winner without her, she’s just the most glaring thing out of place in it.
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James Franco in Anything
Full offense meant to James Franco, who has never been a captivating actor—he actively worsens every film he’s ever appeared in. That includes Spider-Man, Pineapple Express, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. His greasy, slimy screen presence just makes the proceedings as uncomfortable as possible.
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