" Mathew Lillard as Shaggy . Like , zoinks , man , he really nailed it . "
The thing is, we are blessed to have so many actors who are amazing at their jobs, and we are lucky to witness them light up any screen we see them on.
Some actors are so good, in fact, that they define their role with so much precision, it’s nearly IMPOSSIBLE to imagine that anyone else on earth could have portrayed that character.
With that thought in mind, Reddit user u/PreparationFar4709recently asked theAsk Redditcommunity:Who’s an actor who nailed a role so hard that nobody else would ever be able to live up to it?The answers ranged from “Duh!” to “Ohhhhh, I hadn’t thought about that, but you’re right!” Here’s what people had to say:
1.“Julie AndrewsasMary Poppins. I work with kids and sometimes show them the movie. Their faces light up exactly the same way mine did when I first watched it as a little girl in the ’90s. That perfect blend of stern and magical just can’t be replicated.Emily Bluntdid her best, but Julie Andrews just IS Mary Poppins.”
2.“Titus Burgess inUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Truly a comedic genius. Nobody else would have been able to play that role. Probably why the character is named Titus.”
3.“Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean. He nailed the role so hard that most people don’t know his name they just call him Mr. Bean.”
4.“Ian McKellan as Gandalf. A hundred years could pass and nobody would possibly do it better.”
5.“Reese Witherspoonas Elle Woods.”
6.“Michelle Yeoh inEverything Everywhere All at Once. It’s such a bananas movie and she manages to find the emotional depth of a character who spends a lot of the film being unlikable and totally wins you over. All while being so badass. I don’t think anyone else could have pulled it off.”
7.“Mathew Lillard as Shaggy. Like, zoinks, man, he really nailed it.”
8.“Annie Murphy as Alexis Rose and Catherine O’Hara as Moira Rose. Pure genius.”
9.“Joe Pesci and Melissa Tomei inMy Cousin Vinny. They just have such perfect chemistry and are both walking caricatures while simultaneously having a lot of depth and specificity. Tomei absolutely deserved the Oscar, no one else could play that part.”
10.“Janelle James inAbbott Elementary. Every single time she’s onscreen I’m laughing, and I think it’s a character someone else could easily get wrong.”
11.“Rachel McAdams as Regina George.”
13.“Emma Stone as Bella Baxter inPoor Things. I was floored! Cannot imagine anyone else in that role as a result.”
14.“Chris Tucker’s rendition of Ruby Rhod inThe Fifth Elementwill never be outdone.”
15.“Sarah Michelle Gellar inBuffy the Vampire Slayer. The show lives and dies with SMG. No one else could’ve played Buffy like that.”
16.“Robin Williams as Genie. WatchedAladdinagain last night with my kids and honestly got teary-eyed. Other voice actors have tried, but his improvisation and that manic energy mixed with genuine heart was lightning in a bottle. Will Smith’s version just made me miss Robin even more.”
17.“Tatiana Maslany inOrphan Black. I do not think anyone else could have acted so convincingly.”
18.“Definitely Denzel Washington inTraining Day.It’s one of the most captivating yet menacing performances I’ve ever seen.”
19.“Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly.”
20.“Morgan Freeman as Red inThe Shawshank Redemption. He really deserved the Oscar for that role, but that was the year ofForrest Gump.”
21.“Tom Hiddleston as Loki. He stole every Avenger’s thunder, even in his minuscule appearances.”
22.“Absolutely no one else could have been Dana Scully inX-Filesbut Gillian Anderson.”
23.“Just try to imagine anybody but Viola Davis playing Annelise Keating inHow to Get Away with Murder. Sure, the show is kind of silly, but she made the role iconic.”
24.“Jack Black inSchool of Rock. He manages to be a complete loser and pathetic while also being likable enough to root for. His energy with the kids is infectious and he never seems creepy in those interactions. On top of that, he’s a gifted musician with a completely unique energy.”
25.“Kathy Bates inMisery. I was sure the actor herself was insane. I just can’t imagine acting that convincingly.”
26.“Jennifer Lopez when she played Selena. Nobody else could master that part.”
27.“Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. I will always see him as Harry Potter, no matter what. He’s a great actor, don’t get me wrong, and I’ve seen some fine acting from him since in various films. Ditto for Emma Watson as Hermione. Rupert, too, but he’s not really been in anything else of note for me.”
28.“Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley inAlien.”
29.“Uma Thurman inKill Bill.Just chef’s kiss. The attitude, the sword, the yellow suit — legend behavior.”
30.“Colin Firth inPride and Prejudice. That version, in general, is the definitive adaptation of the book IMO. Firth absolutely nailed Darcy in a way nobody else has.”
31.“James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader.”
32.“Judi Dench as M in theBondmovies. We change Bonds at the drop of a hat, but half the point ofSkyfallwas purely to justify Dench not being M in the future.”
33.“Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter inThe Rocky Horror Picture Show. Tim Curry as anyone really, but yeah.”
34.“Linda Hamilton as Sara Conner. There’s been so many Sara Connors and they all fall flat.”
35.“Steve Carell as Micheal Scott inThe Office. No character has ever made me feel the range of emotions that character has. I still can’t watch the Scott’s Tots episode without absolute secondhand embarrassment. It was sad to see him go — the show wasn’t the same.”
36.“I really can’t see anyone playing Professor Umbridge as well as Imelda Staunton. She gave life to what has become the textbook example of a hateable character.”
observe : some resolution were edit for length and/or clearness .
