Counterfeit Casting Mixed Bag

It's Counterfeit Casting time again! Let's see who we have this time around.

Clark Gable

Who was he?
Suave and sophisticated leading man who was also a prankster.

CHOICE CANDIDATE: George Clooney

Come on, can't you picture it? This one picture also clears up any disapproval on appearance.

James Cagney

Who was he?
Known for his gangster movies, he managed to stray away from the tough guy image to show his range in other genres.

CHOICE CANDIDATE: Jeremy Renner

I saw a few similarities between Cagney in White Heat and Renner in The Town, the main one being their characters have itchy trigger fingers and tempers to match. Plus, Renner has shown his range as an actor prior to The Hurt Locker and The Town.

Robert Redford

Who is he?
Good-looking leading man who can be a goofball from time to time.

CHOICE CANDIDATE: Brad Pitt

Seriously, it seems so accurate. I have no further comment.

Counterfeit Casting: Stanley Kubrick

Let's try a director this time. I'm surprised no one has thought that this would be a good biopic. Who could play the perfectionist genius that was Stanley Kubrick?

CANDIDATE #1: Michael Shannon

YES
Shannon has always grabbed the viewer's attention when he's on screen. Kubrick had the same effect when his name showed up during the opening credits. Plus, Shannon's quite experienced at playing the freethinker, which is what Kubrick was.
NO
I can't think of anything.

CANDIDATE #2: Paul Giamatti

YES
Giamatti's been slowly rising among the ranks of the best of the best. Perhaps a role like this would give him a boost?
NO
I'm not sure if Giamatti can play someone as tyrannical as Kubrick.

CANDIDATE #3: Robert Downey, Jr.

YES
Downey has already portrayed a prominent director before in Chaplin. Could you imagine if he played the mad genius director? I'd love to see it happen.
NO
That being said, however, I can't entirely see him right for the role. Like Giamatti, I'm not sure if Downey can play such a figure as Kubrick.

Who would cast as Stanley Kubrick? (And, yes, I'm aware that Stanley Tucci played him before.)

Counterfeit Casting Mixed Bag

Now normally I mention the actor and then bring up three candidates to possibly portray them. A few times, however, I can only think of one candidate. So here are a few of those examples I thought of.

Dean Martin

Who was he?
A man who knew how to croon and make the women swoon. He also loved a good joke.


CHOICE CANDIDATE: Jon Hamm

A womanizing drinker who's easy on the eyes? Hmm, that description of Dino sounds a lot like Hamm's Don Draper, don't you think? And Hamm's appearances on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock show that he can be, well, a ham.

Ingrid Bergman

Who was she?
A very talented leading lady who, like a fine wine, got better with age.

CHOICE CANDIDATE: Kate Winslet

Have these two ever given a bad performance? They've been in a bad movie or two, yes, but their performances weren't tampered.

Anthony Perkins

Who was he?
An actor who usually played people with their own little quirks.

CHOICE CANDIDATE: Andrew Garfield

Both Perkins and Garfield have played people that are insecure with the goings on in their lives (Perkins in Psycho, Garfield in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus). Plus, the resemblance is uncanny, no?

Boy, that was easier than the usual format. Might become a regular thing when I'm stuck on "casting". Let me know if you come up with any for these actors.

Counterfeit Casting: Tony Curtis

Now this is one I've been thinking deeply about for a while. I've been wondering who could portray an actor I very much admire. Who could play the blue-eyed beauty that was Tony Curtis?

CANDIDATE #1: Leonardo DiCaprio

YES
Early on in their careers, they were both destined to be in nothing but heartthrob roles. However, they proved that they were more than just a pretty face. Plus, someone pointed out that there is a resemblance between the two, which I can see.
NO
I can't think of anything.

CANDIDATE #2: Jude Law

YES
Both Curtis and Law have played a cad more than once in their movies. And in a way, their personal lives are similar. By that I mean they couldn't really be satisfied being with only one woman at a time. (No offense to either of them.)
NO
I'm not sure if Law can do a Bronx accent.

CANDIDATE #3: Joaquin Phoenix

YES
Phoenix, like Curtis, doesn't get enough recognition for his acting. In Curtis' case, it was his selection of some of his roles, say, post-Spartacus; for Phoenix, it's his off-screen antics. To sum things up, although their names are recognizable, not many are aware of their skill as actors.
NO
Like what I said for Law, I'm not sure if Phoenix can do a Bronx accent.

Who would you cast to portray Tony Curtis?

Counterfeit Casting: Elizabeth Taylor

This one was the hardest one to do. Basically because the only person who could play her was herself. But let's see what I can accomplish. Who could play the silver screen siren that was Elizabeth Taylor?

CANDIDATE #1: Kristin Scott Thomas

YES
I've only seen The English Patient but I like what I saw from her. She reminded me of Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof since both played women stuck in dead end marriages.
NO
I can't think of anything.

CANDIDATE #2: Marion Cotillard

YES
Cotillard is someone I'm curious about with the way her career's going. She has this certain aura that, like Taylor, has people notice her.
NO
Her accent might be a bit of a problem.

CANDIDATE #3: Rachel Weisz

YES
Weisz is a good actress and knows how to handle a heavy role, judging by her work in The Constant Gardener.
NO
I don't see much resemblance between Weisz and Taylor.

So who would you cast to play the violet-eyed legend?

Counterfeit Casting: Errol Flynn

This entry shall be on the Tasmanian Devil himself, Errol Flynn. Dashing, daring, romantic. Who could display Flynn's iconic traits?

CANDIDATE #1: Orlando Bloom

YES
Oh, as if you haven't seen any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. That alone is proof that Bloom can play a swashbuckler, one of Flynn's repertoire. And the Lord of the Rings movies show that Bloom is handy with a bow and arrow like Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood (and can rock a pair of tights).
NO
I can't think of anything.

CANDIDATE #2: Jude Law

YES
All right, so I'm cheating since Law already played Flynn in The Aviator (where this picture is from). But he was only in one scene. I want to see what he would've done with a more expanded part.
NO
Again, I can't think of anything.

CANDIDATE #3: Cary Elwes

YES
Three words: The Princess Bride. Seriously, how can you not think of Westley when doing comparisons to Flynn? AND Elwes played Robin Hood! That's gotta count for something, right?
NO
Elwes is a tad past his prime. Maybe cast him as Flynn in his later years?

I know that #2 will get an eager response from a certain someone, as with #1. But who do think could play Errol Flynn?

Counterfeit Casting: Audrey Hepburn

This one had been stewing in my head for a while. I was seriously wondering who could portray such an icon of elegance. Who could play the screen beauty that was Audrey Hepburn?

CANDIDATE #1: Keira Knightley

YES
Appearance? Check. Comparisons to a T? Check.
NO
Knightley isn't exactly as graceful as Hepburn. She's more of a tomboy.

CANDIDATE #2: Natalie Portman

YES
Like Hepburn, Portman has a fragile nature as shown in Black Swan.
NO
Like Knightley, however, Portman is more of a tomboy.

CANDIDATE #3: Anne Hathaway

YES
She has the same bubbly nature Hepburn had in some of her movies.
NO
Judging by the trailer for One Day, Hathaway needs a little more practice when it comes to accents.

Who would you have as Hepburn?

Counterfeit Casting: Montgomery Clift

Andrew requested this one on Twitter after being (ahem) "unamused" by the choices for my last two posts. I had difficulty choosing three ideals actors but all in all, it wasn't bad. Who could portray the troubled talent that was Montgomery Clift?

CANDIDATE #1: Ryan Gosling

YES
I'm cheating a little bit since I've only seen Gosling in Half Nelson, but I'm convinced enough that he's right for this role since I know how Gosling can play a person with some serious demons. Plus, he has a sensitive nature to him much like Clift.
NO
I personally can't think of any.

CANDIDATE #2: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

YES
Gordon-Levitt, like Clift, has a sensitive nature to him as shown with his work in (500) Days of Summer. He also can handle heavy roles too like in Brick and Mysterious Skin.
NO
I don't think Gordon-Levitt is experienced enough to portray a famous actor with more than a few issues.

CANDIDATE #3: Leonardo DiCaprio

YES
This one I'm just winging here. We know by now that DiCaprio can play someone that has personal demons (The Aviator, Shutter Island), so it would make sense to have him as Clift.
NO
Though he might be an ideal choice to some, not so to me. I like DiCaprio, but I don't think he's suitable for the part. I actually think he's a little too old for the part.

Who would you have as Clift?

Counterfeit Casting: Cary Grant

Judging by the response I got on the Richard Burton one a while back, I decided to make this a running feature. This time, we got Archibald Leach, better known as Cary Grant. Suave, sophisticated, charming. Who has the same traits that made Grant who he was?

CANDIDATE #1: George Clooney

YES
Seriously, how has this not happened yet? Clooney is exactly what Grant was. Plus, if you do a photo comparison, you can see resemblance between the two.
NO
Not sure if Clooney can pull off a British accent.

CANDIDATE #2: Clive Owen

YES
Owen returns again to possibly portray another legendary actor from his native country. Owen, like Grant and Clooney, is suave, sophisticated and charming. I basically chose him because he and Grant share a similarity: both turned down to play James Bond. That's gotta be a sign for something, right?
NO
I hear from a source that he is, um, too manly to play Grant. This source, I'll add, is female to add a touch of irony.

CANDIDATE #3: Robert Downey, Jr.

YES
Downey has the same type of persona Grant had, the kind that has people noticing him. And we already know that Downey can pull off a British accent, as shown in Chaplin and Sherlock Holmes.
NO
I wouldn't exactly consider Downey as charming as Grant, judging by a few of Downey's previous roles. In a way, Downey is more cad than charmer, also shown in Chaplin and Sherlock Holmes.

I can already guess that everyone will agree on Clooney, but let me know what you think of Owen and Downey. Be sure to mention a few others too.

Who should play Richard Burton?

No, a biopic isn't in the works. This is actually something that's been floating around in my head for some time. I've come up with three candidates to play the Brit. Well, actually, Andrew came up with the last one.

CANDIDATE #1: Colin Firth

YES
There's resemblance in both facial structure and voice, so that's what made Firth my #1 choice.
NO
There's the matter of the eyes...

CANDIDATE #2: Clive Owen

YES
Voice (a little deeper than Burton's) and those eyes...*sigh*
NO
There's some resemblance, but not much.

CANDIDATE #3: Jude Law

YES
He was Andrew's #1 choice to play Burton when I brought this up on Twitter. Though I can picture him faintly as Burton through voice and eyes, I'd love to see Law as a drunk (yum).
NO
There isn't much resemblance between the two. Plus, I think Law is a little young to play Burton.

Might be covering the fictional casting of who would play Elizabeth Taylor in a later post. Who would you have to play Richard Burton?