"THE WORST CASTING EVER" Topic

Picking up on Dave Manley's thread on Hollywood, this thread, this one goes a set further. Unlike Dave's which asks you to name the worst movie characterization you have ever seen, my question here is.

What is the worst characterization your fertile imagination could come up with for any historical character even if it has not been done in ANY movie.

For my three choices I offer

Jimmy Cagney as Napoleon. (sung to the tune of "Harrigan" in Yankee doodle Dandy..

N-A-P-O-L-E-O-N-E Spells Napoleon-- Never had a drop of Royalty within me.
Wanna be your emperor so elect me…

Edward G. Robinson as Joseph Stalin.

"Naah Voroshilov-- Hitler will never attack me see… I got him where I want him see…

Jerry Lewis as Ivan the Terrible.

John Wayne as Genghis Khan for me.

"Say hello to my hordes, pardner."

Oh, wait. It really did happen! I thought it was some awful nightmare I had imagined.

Dan

I agree John Wayne as Genghis Khan was pretty had to take.

I thought you were going to say worst casting of miniatures, if it was that I would say Scruby. But I still love them.

Sadly, even Scrubys were beaten out for worst casting ever by early Partha 15mm.

Movies. Susan Hayward as a Tartar princess?

But I'm thinking of Victor Fleming looking at the newest cast member and muttering "first they gave me a middle-aged Ashley Wilkes. Then they gave me a British Scarlett O'Hara. And now they've given me a brown-eyed Bonnie Blue Butler!"

Three vote for John Wayne as Genghis Khan

Audie Murphy as Audie Murphy. Half a joke, he was too old to play his younger self by the time the movie was made.

Can't argue with any of the choices in the first post.

Kevin Costner as Robin Hood.

Truman Capote as General Patton in "Patton". Weird enough…?

Late Imperial Legionary Attacking

goo.gl/images/AEDDPo

Willem Dafoe as Jesus made me laugh a lot. Especially when Harvey Keitel showed up as Judas. All they were missing was Joe Pesci as Pontius Pilate.

But racking my brain, I would say the all time worst casting would be James Franco portraying an actor.

Deacon Jones in The Norseman

Kevin Costner as Robin Hood. 2nd that. Boy was he bad.

Many prefect examples above. But still a , whitejamest!

Not portraying a real charater, but:

Leonardo DeCaprio in Gangs of New York. A low-key character was not well-served by being portrayed by a walking mannequin. To say that Daniel Day Louis stole the show is the ultimate understatement.

Wayne as Ghengis is really the nadir of casting decissions.

John Wayne.

Genghis Khan.

No question.

If we're talking about wargaming figures, I would suggest Redoubt's American Revolution range.

Tony Curtis in the "Yonda lies duh castle of my Fodda" movies. At least two movies can claim that distinction.

John Wayne as Genghis Khan would have the whole politically correct world in an uproar these days. I definitely back that one.

The Costner Robin Hood was awful too. At least when a Brit plays an American, they do our accent. He didn't even try.

And who can forget 'truly, thes men es the son of Ged'.

I think you're supppsed to make up your own terrible casting thing here, not use a real one.

Historical
Goldie Hawn as Napoleon I
Gary Coleman as Patton
Louie Anderson as Joan of Arc

Bonus: Fictional
Bea Arthur as Power Girl
Tom Cruise as Conan

Oh, OK. Now I understand the rules.

Justin Bieber as Conan the Barbarian.

Michael Jackson as Shaka Zulu.

Tom Cruise as St Francis of Assisi.

Joe Pesci as Benjamin Franklin.

@HenryMartini- what movie is that line from?

+1 on Kevin Costner in RH

My vote for worst casting I ever painted was Jacobite Miniatures Prussian line infantry. Truly awful figures.

Rondo Hatton as… anybody except Rondo Hatton. He'd be a magnificent Julius Caesar.

John Wayne as Genghiz Khan? Take that a step further, Wayne as Patton (yes, there were discussions…) pearl handled six shooters and all.

Eddie Murphy in a biopic of the original Harlem Globe Trotters – Meadowlark or Curly perhaps…

Just recently, Luke Hemsworth as Bill Hickok !!!!! Does not even remotely resemble the man !!!
Worst Western ever filmed !!!!

Regards
Russ Dunaway

Danny DeVito as George Washington

Mel Gibson as William Wallace Scotstralian accent.

Jackie Chan as Abraham Lincoln

This was ACTUALLY done.

In the movie the Rheineman Exchange there is a scene at the start of the film where Kesselring is in Luftwaffe headquarters bunker at the head of a table where a big staff meeting is going on while overhed a huge allied bombing raid is plastering Berlin.

Kesselring is played by Werner Klemperer (Klink as head of the Luftwaffe)

In the SAME move and in the EXACT NEXT SCENE George Peppard is playing the head of an Allied Commando team, and he is introduced to Eisenhower as "Captain Spaulding"

My name is captain Spaulding
The African explorer
Did someone call me schnorer
Hooray Hooray, Hooray.

NOW for hypothetical

Joan of Arc played by Roseanne

Take Bogey out of Casablanca and have Edward Everett Horton play Ric.

"lassie" played by a chihuahua.

Strangely, some Mongolian acquaintances assure me that the folks back home loved John Wayne as Genghis Khan, as that was how they saw the character of the Great Khan.

Not surprisingly, we have at least 3 different interpretations of the OP's original intent.
This harkens back to the Golden Age of TMP Hijacking.

Jennifer Lawrence playing anyone intelligent.

Martini's quote was made by John Wayne as the centurion in the movie The Greatest Story ever told.

I was wondering why the subject of bad casting was doing on the historical media board too.

The Duke as The Khan.

Tony Curtis as a Cossack in Taras Bulba.

Robin Williams as MacArthur.
Bill Murray as Patton.
Eddie Murphy as Caesar.