22 Actors Who Crushed A Role So Hard, Nobody Else Will Ever Live Up To It

"J.K. Simmons is such a good J. Jonah Jameson, he’s played the role in three separate universes."

You know that feeling when you're watching a movie and an actor is just sooooo perfect for their role, it's practically impossible to imagine anyone else was even considered for it? Well, I wanna talk about that.

NBC

Lucky for us, u/Ghsdkgb asked the good folks of Reddit: "Which actor crushed a role so hard that nobody else will be able to live up to it?" As always, there were tons of great answers. Here are some of the most popular choices:

1. Catherine O'Hara as Moira Rose on Schitt's Creek

Steve Wilkie / ©CBC/POP / courtesy Everett Collection

— u/theshwarna

"She took that role and made it her bébé."

— u/HMWWaWChChIaWChCChW

2. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel Studios

"The man WAS Tony Stark, end of discussion."

— u/AirJvon

3. Alan Rickman as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies

Warner Bros /Courtesy Everett Collection

— u/NZT-48Rules

4. Bryan Cranston as Walter White on Breaking Bad

AMC / courtesy Everett Collection

— u/HopeSuper

"Dude literally got a letter from Sir Anthony Hopkins saying it was the best acting he'd ever seen."

— u/EveryoneHasGoneCrazy

5. Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse in Beetlejuice

Warner Brothers / courtesy Everett Collection

— u/DaLion93

6. Jessica Walter as Lucille Bluth on Arrested Development

Netflix / Courtesy: Everett Collection

— u/ModelChimp

7. Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies

Peter Mountain/Walt Disney Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

"When they inevitably recast Jack Sparrow, it'll be clear just how big a gap there is."

— u/Billbaporno

"I remember first seeing the trailer for Black Pearl in theaters. I thought nobody had ever looked as perfect for their role as Johnny looked for Jack Sparrow. The actual performance turned out to be even better than I expected. All these years later, I am still convinced that Jack Sparrow is a real person who spends his time these days playing a character called Johnny Depp."

— u/Reasonable-Reindeer

8. Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool in Deadpool

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. /Courtesy Everett Collection

"He did such an excellent job being Deadpool that I started reading a Deadpool comic with his voice in my head narrating it."

— u/422_is-420_too

9. Robin Williams as Genie in Aladdin

Disney

— u/PM_Me_Things_Yo_Like

10. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones

Paramount / courtesy Everett Collection

"He’s so deeply connected to that character that I feel it would be impossible for anyone else to fill the fedora."

— u/BrotherOfTheOrder

11. J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man movies

Columbia Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection

— u/Tobz51

"He’s so good, he’s played the role in three separate universes."

— u/CraigKostelecky

12. Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson in Parks and Rec

NBC

— u/Babblewocky

"There is no Nick Offerman, there is only Ron Swanson and Duke Silver."

— u/cdubyadubya

13. Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus in Gladiator

DreamWorks /Courtesy Everett Collection

"I have never hated a character so much till I saw him in that movie. He is so cowardly, despicable, and creepy. Phoenix did such a good job in making you loathe his character."

— u/DarthDiabetor

14. Danny DeVito as Frank Reynolds in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Patrick McElhenney / ©FX Networks / courtesy Everett Collection

"It's the best piece of casting this century."

— u/Mcpilch

"I remember seeing an interview with Glenn Howerton where he was asked if Danny is just Frank turned down a notch. Glenn replied that Frank is Danny turned down several notches."

— u/_xXmyusernameXx_

15. Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs

Orion Pictures Corp / Courtesy Everett Collection

"I particularly love the scene where she looks at Buffalo Bill’s victim and you hear her voice crack during the first part of the description, where she is looking at tiny personal details. Playing badass women often veers either toward emotionless and stalwart, or basically aping a ’80s action-film male role. Foster nailed the emotional vulnerability, ambition, and courage of that character in minute but profound ways. No one compares."

— u/elizabethunseelie

16. Patrick Stewart as Professor X in the X-Men movies

20th Century Fox Film Corp. / Courtesy Everett Collection

— u/jah05r

"He said he was unfamiliar with X-Men when they approached him about the role. When they showed him the comics, his first thought was, 'Why am I in a comic book that I’ve never heard of?'"

— u/-Ahab-

17. James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano on The Sopranos

HBO / Getty Images

— u/Fat-Villante

18. Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean

Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

— u/Whitedragonfan

19. Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy

Universal Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

— u/John_h_watson

20. Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds

Francois Duhamel/Weinstein Company/Courtesy Everett Collection

— u/DJZbad93

"His acting in the opening scene is phenomenal. To this day, I still get chills when I watch it."

— u/CHEWBRIEL

"Absolutely incredible how Waltz could change his entire demeanor with just the most subtle of facial movements."

— u/The_Multifarious

21. Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in the Alien movies

20th Century Fox Film Corp / Courtesy Everett Collection

— u/pixelburger

22. And finally, the entire Addams Family Values cast

Paramount /Courtesy Everett Collection

"Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Fester, and a special shoutout to Joan Cusack as Debbie. Probably up there as my favorite ensemble cast of all time."

— u/Artaxxx

"What makes that movie great is that every actor absolutely swung for the fences in their roles and nailed it. To have so many over-the-top performances of absolutely batshit crazy characters all land so perfectly is something special."

— u/HunterGonzo

Now it's your turn! Are there any actors you think were so perfect in their roles, they could never be replaced? Let us know in the comments below!

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity. H/T r/AskReddit.