14 Missed Casting Opportunities Where A Completely Different Actor Should've Gotten A Role

    "I'm sure Ariana Grande will be fine in Wicked, but I feel like Amanda Seyfried has more 'Glinda energy.'"

    Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community which missed casting opportunity do you think would've made a TV show or movie so much better.

    Here are 14 of their top answers:

    1. "Queen Latifah should've played Ursula in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. I love Melissa McCarthy, but after seeing Latifah in the ABC Little Mermaid Live!, it's just obvious the role was built for her."

    "If she had been cast, I would've absolutely seen it in theaters."

    k41736e8c8

    "THIS. With the fresh update that the casting brought to the live-action movie, McCarthy stuck out as a poor copy of the animated Ursula. I enjoyed the movie a lot, but I hated the Ursula scenes."

    atticcrazy

    2. "I'm sorry, but Melissa McCarthy should not have been Ursula. Her performance was very underwhelming, and 'Poor Unfortunate Souls' was nothing compared to the original. Hands down, Ginger Minj should have played Ursula."

    "She's got the comedic chops, and she's sang the song live before and crushed. Plus, having a drag queen play the role would be a nod to Ursula being based off Divine."

    monikap6

    3. "I know it's not out yet, but Amanda Seyfried as Glinda in Wicked. I'm sure Ariana Grande will be fine, but I feel like Amanda has more 'Glinda energy' (for lack of better words)."

    ghetti

    4. "Aaron Tveit would have been a good casting choice for Fiyero in the new Wicked movie since he had the role on Broadway. And since all the actors are wildly too old for their roles in the new movie anyway, he wouldn't feel out of place, LMAO."

    "But it isn't out yet, so I’m sure the actor they chose [Jonathan Bailey] will still be fantastic."

    ierolover

    5. "Chris Hemsworth should have been cast as Ken in Barbie! He's the closest thing to a living Ken doll, and his sense of humor and respectfulness of women would have made him the perfect choice!"

    "I have yet to watch the Barbie movie because I can't get past Ryan Gosling as Ken!"

    alleabnrnoan

    6. "I like Brie Larson, but I think Katee Sackhoff would have been perfect as Captain Marvel."

    honestiago

    7. "Not casting Alexander Skarsgård as Christian Grey [who was played by Jamie Dornan] in 50 Shades of Grey was a HUGE mistake!"

    kate3

    8. "I think Jordan Fisher would have killed it as Evan Hansen [a role he played on Broadway from 2021–2022] in the Dear Evan Hansen movie. I get why they went with Ben Platt, but he was simply too old to be believable as a high schooler."

    "It made the romance feel weird because it looked like a full-grown man was kissing and flirting with a teenager."

    becky3791miller

    9. "Daniela Ruah (from NCIS: Los Angeles) would've been so good as Darlene Alderson [played by Carly Chaikin] from Mr. Robot."

    tanyam44ab2253d

    10. "Jason Biggs as Ted Mosby in How I Met Your Mother. He turned down the part, which he said he regrets."

    "Josh Radnor's Ted came off as pretentious and whiny. But given that the showrunners said they let the actors infuse their own vibe into the part, I think Jason would've made Ted much more likable, since 'lovable but unlucky in love' is more up his alley."

    alicebraz

    11. "I remember really hoping that Gaspard Ulliel (RIP) was going to be cast as Edward Cullen [who's played by Robert Pattinson] in Twilight."

     "It was a lot of people's fan cast, if I remember correctly."

    renashinoa

    12. "Billy Crudup would've made the best Sirius Black [who's played by Gary Oldman in the Harry Potter franchise]."

    b12344

    13. "Brian Stokes Mitchell should have been Javert [a role he played at the Hollywood Bowl in 2008] in the Les Misérables movie. I like Russell Crowe as an actor, but he just wasn't the strong singer they needed for impact."

    "Brian has the deep, unmatched, iconic singing voice you know from Man of La Mancha, Ragtime, and Prince of Egypt. He's even an inch taller than Russell Crowe to match Hugh Jackman!"

    buttercupbailey

    14. And finally: "I am still waiting for Jensen Ackles to be cast as the live-action Batman. He has the voice and the acting chops, and he looks amazing in the bat suit."

    "It's honestly a crime at this point."

    saraho4a20298d2

    Which of these missed casting opportunities do you agree with the most — or the least? Are there any other actors you think were born to play a role they didn't get? Share your answers in the comments!

    Some entries have been edited for length/clarity.