20 Book-To-Movie Castings That People Actually Kind Of Hated

TLDR; people have a lot opinions about the Harry Potter films in particular.

We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which book characters were cast all wrong for the movie adaptations. Here are some of their responses!

1. Emma Watson as Meg March in Little Women

Columbia Pictures

"I love her but her portrayal of Meg felt really flat and her American accent seemed to keep slipping in parts."

—hello24

2. Geraldine Sommerville and Adrian Rawlins as Lily and James Potter in the Harry Potter series

Warner Brothers

"Not only were the actress who played Lily’s eyes brown, thereby making the whole ‘you have your mothers eyes’ thing ridiculous, both her and James were way too old. Harry’s parents were 21 when they died, but the actors they picked were clearly in their late 30s. I know they only appear for brief scenes but it would have been so much more poignant if they had been the correct ages, showing how much they sacrificed for Harry and how tragically short their lives were."

—hjj2

3. Theo James as Tobias Eaton in Divergent

Lionsgate

"Don't get me wrong, he is a fantastic actor! But Tobias was meant to be young (18 years old) and Theo James looks about 35. Also I feel like he totally missed the essence of the character – the sarcasm, the youth, and the light side – and instead only focused on trauma and seriousness. Maybe that was a director thing but it definitely was not the Tobias that we knew and loved in the books!"

—g4c1cb8b47

4. Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher in the Jack Reacher movies

Paramount Pictures

"In the book, he is a huge, slightly scary, muscular, 6’7” man. His looming presence is an important part of his character. So they cast....Tom Cruise??"

—kristinw49b7cbdb7

5. Eric Bana as Henry DeTamble in The Time Traveler's Wife

Warner Brothers

"My husband and I each have favourite authors and books, but as a couple, this is our all-time favorite book. We even have a quote from it tattooed on our legs. Rachel McAdams was not a bad choice for Claire, but The Hulk as Henry?! C'mon! I never had a super clear image of who should be cast, but it definitely wasn't Eric Bana (I do, however, remember both of us being happy when Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt bought the rights...and then devastated when they split without anything being done on the movie.)"

—t4eacbd9f1

6. John C. Reilly as Larten Crepsley in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Universal Pictures

"The casting (and overall book-to-movie) of Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. For anyone who was a fan of the book I think they'll agree the casting of John C. Reilly as Mr Crepsley was the most ridiculous casting ever! Someone like Willem Dafoe would have been perfect!"

—othfan94

7. Emma Watson as Sam in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Summit Entertainment

"As much as it pains me to say it because I love her as a person, but Emma Watson as Sam in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. She did the best that she could but she wasn't right for the role. Her weaknesses showed more when compared to Ezra Miller's Patrick whom he played perfectly IMO"

—misssianelliott

8. Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany Maxwell in Silver Linings Playbook

The Weinstein Company

"She was amazing in the role hence why she won the Oscar, but I struggled to get over her age in it. She was 21 at the time of filming and she was meant to be playing a near-enough 40 year old! She just looked so young compared to Bradley Cooper and as good as she was acting-wise I really struggled to picture her as a new widow after being married for 10 years in the book. I accept they made changes to make it fit the storyline and to adapt around Jennifer Lawrence's age, however it would have been nice to see this part go to an actress of a similar age to the character."

—misssianelliott

9. Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades trilogy

Universal Pictures

"He's a great actor but sucked in this part. He is too sweet-looking. The role demanded someone who looked little a vicious and extremely charming. He was so dull. There was chat about Ian Somerhalder being cast for this role. Although he isn't a great actor either, he does have that charming kind of look that the role demands."

—s4bb472acb

10. Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon in the Robert Langdon series

Columbia Pictures

"I love Tom so much but I really felt that he was miscast so badly for this role. He is too nice in my eyes, so being the hunky genius middle-aged ladies man that Robert Langdon is supposed to be in the book is not a great fit for him."

—adindasyafri

11. Antonio Banderas as Armand in Interview with the Vampire

Warner Brothers

"In the books, Armand is a slender, relatively short, angelic-looking teenager. Banderas, while a good actor, was 34-years-old at the time of filming, and most decidedly not 'slender' or 'angelic looking'. Ruined that section of the movie for me."

—mrsandman29

12. Anne Hathaway as Emma Morley in One Day

Focus Features

"Anne Hathaway as Emma Morley in One Day. I love her but she was not right for this part. And her British accent was the worst. I hate it when it’s obvious that an actor is cast only because they’re famous and not because they’re the best."

—julinagnes

13. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series

Warner Brothers

"He is a fantastic actor but he was all wrong for this part. He lacked the swagger and arrogance of book Sirius and always seemed a bit too clean-cut for the character."

—amyf4fc7eb00a

"Gary Oldman is a powerhouse actor, but he didn’t have the swagger and reckless edge I always imagined. It’s almost like he played too 'good' of a character. In the books, Sirius has some questionable moments that leave you wondering if he’s really such a good role model for Harry."

—lizzl

14. Toby Maguire as Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby

Warner Brothers

"Great movie but just the most annoying narrator."

—ryana42c6ed51d

15. Hilary Swank as Holly Reilly-Kennedy in P.S. I Love You

Warner Brothers

"The character in the book looks completely different than she does and was supposed to be quirky and fun. Hilary completely gave the character a whole different vibe and it just didn't feel like the same love story that it did in the book."

—lisethportillo88

16. Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth Chase in the Percy Jackson films

20th Century Fox

"Literally everything about her physical appearance was wrong! Not to mention that *all* the characters were about six years older than they should have been."

—kelseysusannab

17. David Thewlis as Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter series

Warner Brothers

"Everyone talks about how Dumbledore was horribly cast with Michael Gambon (and rightfully so) and I think the same thing can be said about Lupin. He’s supposed to be a very gentle and kind person. Thewlis plays him short, abrupt and plain rude most of the time which is so out of character."

—justy811

18. Brenton Thwaites as Jonas in The Giver

The Weinstein Company

"Every other issue aside, the casting of Brenton Thwaites – a 24 year old man – as Jonas in The Giver. I was so excited to see Jeff Bridges as The Giver himself (perfect casting!) but book Jonas is 12. This is an age where kids start to take notice of the world around them, and when they start really trying to find their place within it. It's when they start having new emotions they're unsure of, and having this sensitive kid being thrust into the role of memory-keeper is pushing him to his limits.

"The character is supposed to be innocent and vulnerable, and it's one of the subtle ways that Lowry highlights the dystopia of the city. They're doing this to CHILDREN. He's not supposed to be there for man-candy."

—skysmith16

19. Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace Wayland in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Screen Gems

"Basically the whole cast of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. None of the actors quite looked the part and I felt that Jamie Campbell Bower in particular didn't properly embody Jace as a character."

—k47f255e17

20. Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series

Warner Brothers

"Michael Gambon was a terrible Dumbledore. Especially in comparison with how Richard Harris defined the role. He turned the character from a grandfatherly figure who was trying his best in the face of a notoriously devious villain to a Machiavellian old man who was only slightly better as he manipulated a boy into becoming a martyr. No doubt some of that is due to JKR’s writing (in this house we ignore canon after book five), but I truly believe he’s equally responsible for the rise and popularity of the manipulative Dumbledore theories and fanfics."

—thedroidsurlooking4

Note: submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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