Roles I Wish Had Been Played By Different Actors

[will.15]

Peter Seller wanted to do The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao, and was George Pal's first choice, but the studio insisted on an American actor.



Fred Astaire wanted to play the title role in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but the producers were strongly opposed to the idea.

[CaptainWaggett]

name='Steve Crook']But then you wouldn't have had Conrad Veidt in The Thief of Bagdad. Neither would you have had Flora Robson as the Chinese Dowager Empress Tzu-Hsi and Robert Helpmann as the obviously Chinese Prince Tuan in 55 Days at Peking (1963)



Steve

Ahem - did you read the whole of my post? I can live without Flora yellowed up especially if it also means we lose her absolutely appalling blackface in Saratoga Trunk







As for Alec Guinness in Passage to India...well, at least he had the grace to be embarassed about it



And I love Dick Van Dyke - 'Gawd Bless You Mowri Poppins'. It means that no American can criticise a British actor for getting a Yank accent wrong ever again

[will.15]

When Travers saw Van Dyke in the film, she wanted the part re-cast and re-shot, but Disney said no. She had some creative approval in her contract prior to production, but none after shooting started.

[Corinne]

name='billy bentley']I think Ray Winstone should have played both of the Kray Brothers !

Nice one Billy.



Moving ahead a few years, although I love Rhys Iffans I thought he was miscast in The Boat that Rocked.

[Mark O]

name='batman']Peeping Tom would have been much better IMHO if Dirk Bogarde (or even Laurence Harvey) had played Mark. Bogarde proved on several occasions that he was more than capable of playing such a role and Harvey's 'cold' screen presence could also have worked a treat. At least his 'dead' eyes gave an indication that there was actually something going on behind them, unlike Carl Boehm's.

I'll have to disagree with you on that one Bats, to me PT works better having a relatively unknown actor in the lead role, i know we're not supposed to notice the German accent, Mark having been 'born in this house', but his soft vocal delivery was just right for the part, the accents of Dirk and Laurence are just a bit too 'clipped'.

[Ray]

When I first read The Carpetbaggers. I could only see one actor in the role of Nevada Smith, and that was Charles Bronson. As much as I liked Alan Ladd, I thought that he was totally wrong, and to me, he looked uncomfortable in the role. Steve McQueen in Nevada Smith was better but still not right in the part. Bronson wasn't a big name at that time, although I am sure if it had been made a few years later he would probably have been the first to be offered it.

[wadsy]

Ive always thought that Robert Taylor seemed out of place in films like



Knights Of The Round Table & Quentin Durwood with his



Nebraskan accent. Stewart Granger would have been much more suitable imo.

[Mr Sloane]

Bette Davis instead of Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf I don't think Liz is too bad but I think Bette would have been better.

[smudge]

Perhaps if Alfie Bass had been cast as Prof. Arbronsius in DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES (aka FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS) the film would have become an absolute classic, rather than just 'excellent'.



Mind you, Alfie was wonderful as the innkeeper turned Jewish vampire and is very much one of the plus points of the film.



Just a shame that Jack MacGowran was allowed to 'mug' so much and seem as if he was heartily disinterested through most of the picture...



Smudge

[CaptainWaggett]

name='Mr Sloane']Bette Davis instead of Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf I don't think Liz is too bad but I think Bette would have been better.

Anybody but Dame Liz (but preferably Glynis Johns, obviously) in A Little Night Music

[Mr Sloane]

name='CaptainWaggett']Anybody but Dame Liz (but preferably Glynis Johns, obviously) in A Little Night Music

Now I have the memory of her "singing "in my head

[Ray]

name='CaptainWaggett']Anybody but Dame Liz (but preferably Glynis Johns, obviously) in A Little Night Music

If not Glynis, then Jean Simmons who was pretty good when I saw her at The Adelphi in 1975.

[dremble wedge]

It was the part that brought him to prominence but I've never found Michael Caine remotely convincing in Zulu and would prefer to see the likes of James Fox in the part...

[Mr Sloane]

name='dremble wedge']It was the part that brought him to prominence but I've never found Michael Caine remotely convincing in Zulu and would prefer to see the likes of James Fox in the part...

I agree the accent is up there with Dick Van Dykes( maybe they should have swapped parts ).