26 Book-To-Movie Castings That Knocked It Out Of The Park

    Honestly, there's no one else who could play these roles!

    Kayla Harrington
    by Kayla Harrington

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We asked the Buzzfeed Community which book-to-movie casting was done perfectly and, honestly, I can't argue with their answers.

    Below are some the best responses:

    1. Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

    Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart in the movie "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets".
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "He is literally who I pictured while reading the books, from his voice, to his mannerisms, to his outlandish robes!"

    —jlfreeman82

    2. Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind.

    Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in the movie "Gone With the Wind."
    Loew's Inc.

    "I can't think of anyone, dead or alive, who could've played this role better. She can go from sweet as pie to a spiteful brat in a millisecond."

    —fayeolivia90

    3. Logan Lerman as Charlie Kelmeckis in The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

    Logan Lerman as Charlie Kelmeckis in the movie "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."
    Summit Entertainment

    "This is my favorite book, and I was knee-deep in anxiety, depression, and unrequited love during my senior year of high school the first time I read it. Lerman captured every emotion Charlie felt perfectly; there is nobody who could have done better."

    —colleenh49665d105

    4. Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch in The Witches.

    Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch in the movie "The Witches."
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "Roald Dahl himself said that he didn't like the movie but absolutely adored her as that character!"

    —books_baking_broadway

    5. Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

    Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge in the movie "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "She plays the character so well that she's identical to the malicious witch in the book. You love to hate her. She's such a talented actress in general, but this was truly perfect casting."

    —books_baking_broadway

    6. Sean Aston as Samwise Gangee in the Lord of the Rings series.

    Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins and Sean Aston as Samwise Gangee in the "Lord of the Rings" series.
    New Line Cinema

    "Sean really nailed down the lovable, brave, Sam perfectly. He arguably put book Sam to shame by being so much better than he is!"

    —ierolover

    7. Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter as the Narrator, Tyler Durden, and Marla Singer in Fight Club.

    Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter as the Narrator, Tyler Durden, and Marla Singer respectively in the movie "Fight Club."
    20th Century Fox

    "I feel like all of these actors didn't try to be over the top to prove something, but rather became the embodiment of the book characters. Sure, Tyler Durden and Marla Singer are larger than life characters to begin with, but I think everything they did was on par to the books."

    —mimires190

    8. Florence Pugh as Amy March in Little Women.

    Florence Pugh as Amy March in the movie "Little Women."
    Sony Pictures

    "Obviously she doesn’t pass very well as a 13-year-old child when placed in the room of young school girls, but her balance between a bratty, eager, giddy child and a mature, determined adult was phenomenal."

    —wondergirl11

    9. Jennifer Coolidge as Elizabeth Charming in Austenland.

    Jennifer Coolidge as Elizabeth Charming in the movie "Austenland."
    Sony Pictures

    "Her performance was so spot on, although I did hear the character was written with her in mind. Still, so perfect!"

    —rougeandrojo

    10. Elle Fanning as Violet Market in All the Bright Places.

    Elle Fanning as Violet Market in the movie "All the Bright Places."
    Netflix

    "She was absolutely the perfect choice for the role, no question about it!"

    —klee12

    11. Amandla Stenberg as Starr Carter in The Hate U Give.

    Amandla Stenberg as Starr Carter in the movie "The Hate U Give."
    20th Century Fox

    "Her performance really captured the importance and message of the book, and showed me a movie can be just as good as a book, if not better."

    —breeofficial

    12. Mara Wilson as Matilda Wormwood in Matilda.

    Mara Wilson as Matilda Wormwood in the movie "Matilda."
    Sony Pictures

    "She is exactly what I pictured when reading the book. The perfect child casting!"

    —antwalt

    13. Ashley Greene and Nikki Reed as Alice and Rosalie Cullen in Twilight.

    Ashley Greene and Nikki Reed as Alice and Rosalie Cullen in the movie "Twilight."
    Summit Entertainment

    "They were the perfect amount of mysterious and angelic which perfectly represented their respective characters."

    —ashlynkate

    14. Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy in the Hunger Games series.

    Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy in the movie "The Hunger Games."
    Lionsgate Films

    "He played the role perfectly and made me view the character in a whole new way!"

    —shamu109

    15. Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby.

    Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan in the movie "The Great Gatsby."
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "It seems like an impossible role to fill, but Mulligan did it with such authenticity and perfection."

    —siobhankb1

    16. Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes in Misery.

    Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes in the movie "Misery."
    Columbia Pictures

    "She’s perfectly cast for the role. She was the best mixture of adoring fan and crazed stalker."

    —takerbobpooh

    17. Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey in The Green Mile.

    Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey in the movie "The Green Mile."
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "I've never seen such a perfect casting before. I don't know anyone else who could've played this role."

    —angelah454ed302a

    18. Matthew McFadyen as Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice.

    Matthew McFadyen as Mr. Darcy in the movie "Pride & Prejudice."
    Focus Features

    "He was such a miraculous piece of casting. Pure perfection."

    —laraterryr

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

    Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in the movie "The Silence of the Lambs."
    Orion Pictures

    "Clarice is supposed to be small, fine-featured, smart, and determined. Jodie was the perfect casting."

    —murrays3

    20. Tom Holland as Arvin Eugene Russell in The Devil All The Time.

    Tom Holland as Arvin Eugene Russell in the movie "The Devil All The Time."
    Netflix

    "Honestly, Spider-Man was surprisingly good in this role. A total shocker!"

    —studiosuspence

    21. Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.

    Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in the movie "American Psycho."
    Lionsgate Films

    "His performance was absolutely spot on. He played the role perfectly!"

    —punchandpie

    22. Bradley Cooper as Patrizio "Pat" Solitano Jr. in Silver Linings Playbook.

    Bradley Cooper as Patrizio "Pat" Solitano Jr. in the movie "Silver Linings Playbook."
    The Weinstein Company

    "He really portrayed Pat like no one else could, and is a big reason for the movie's greatness."

    —nymeria_waters

    23. Brenton Thwaites as Jonas in The Giver.

    Brenton Thwaites as Jonas in the movie "The Giver."
    The Weinstein Company

    "Even though the casting got a lot of hate, I loved him in this movie. I thought he really embodied Jonas perfectly."

    —princessjazmyn

    24. Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan in Twilight.

    Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan in the movie "Twilight."
    Summit Entertainment

    "People say she played her really awkwardly, was not charismatic enough, not interesting enough, etc. but if you read the book, that is literally the exact character traits Bella has. She is socially awkward, unexceptional, normal looking, introverted, and has no desire to be popular. Whether or not you actually like the character, Kristen plays her exactly as she is written and I can't imagine anyone else doing a better job."

    —emmak26

    25. Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt in Interview with the Vampire.

    Tom Cruise Lestat de Lioncourt in the movie "Interview with the Vampire."
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "He looks the part and he plays the character as unhinged as he was written in the book!"

    —gemmadean

    26. And finally, Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey in the Lord of the Rings series.

    Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey in the "Lord of the Rings" series.
    New Line Cinema

    "He was the most perfect Gandalf that could have ever been imagined! Absolutely everything he did in the movies was sheer brilliance, and he nailed Gandalf’s wisdom, humor, and courage."

    —emmar4368873d2

    Please note all submissions were edited for length/clarity.