10 Roles That Should Have Gone to Someone Else

The Independent ranks the worst casting choices for big roles
By Gina Carey,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 19, 2025 9:30 AM CST
The 10 Most Miscast Movie Roles
Edward Norton portrays Bruce Banner in a scene from "The Incredible Hulk." The casting of Norton ended up as No. 19 on the list of miscast characters.   (AP Photo/Universal Studios, Michael Gibson)

While there have been countless cringe moments in Hollywood, Mickey Rooney's racist portrayal of character Mr. Yunioshi in 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany's goes several steps beyond not aging well. "Looking back, I wish I had never done it," director Blake Edwards once said, "and I would give anything to be able to recast it." The Independent wholly agrees, placing Rooney at the top of its list of worst casting choices in film history. Here are the roles they deem grossly miscast:

  1. Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  2. Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen (2021)
  3. Zoe Saldaña, Nina (2016)
  4. George Clooney, Batman & Robin (1997)
  5. Cameron Diaz, Gangs of New York (2002)
  6. Tom Holland, Uncharted (2023)
  7. Elijah Wood, Green Street (2005)
  8. Kyle MacLachlan, Dune (1984)
  9. Kristy Swanson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
  10. Scarlett Johansson, Ghost in the Shell (2017)
See the full list (including Edward Norton as the Hulk) and the explanations for them at the Independent. (Break out the popcorn for 2025's top movie picks.)

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