Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson and More Unlikely Real-People Casting Choices—Some That Worked, Some That Didn't

From Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan (yes!) to Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor (why?!), where does the Shakespeare in Love star's upcoming turn as the King of Pop rank?

By Natalie Finn Jan 27, 2016 8:55 PMTags
Michael Jackson, Joseph FiennesPETER MACDIARMID/REX Shutterstock/Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Surely when the news broke that Joseph Fiennes was going to play Michael Jackson, we weren't the only ones to wonder at first which Michael Jackson they were referring to.

Because Ralph Fiennes' little brother, the brooding star of Shakespeare in LoveEnemy at the Gates and American Horror Story: Asylum, wouldn't exactly rank near the top of our list of choices when it comes to who'd be most likely to be cast as the late "King of Pop" in any medium.

Yet such is the case, alongside Brian Cox as Marlon Brando and Stockard Channing as Elizabeth Taylor in a half-hour one-off comedy for Britain's Sky TV, based on a tale told in a Vanity Fair article about a supposed road trip the three took in 2001.

Fiennes, 45, actually claimed to be as surprised as anybody, telling Entertainment Tonight, "I'm a white, middle-class guy from London. I'm as shocked as you may be."

But who knows, maybe this will prove to be one of those genius casting moves (there has to be a particular reason, right?). Or, the finished product will be nothing but comedy (as promised, technically) and it will be relegated to the annals of oddball casting experiments.

Here are some more unlikely casting decisions—some that worked and some that most certainly did not:

Getty Images; Weinstein Company

Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan, I'm Not There

It seemed like a gimmick, but Todd Haynes' 2007 film in which six characters portrayed the iconic yet enigmatic singer-songwriter sought to emphasize how one man can be many people—and the Australian star's turn as Dylan was perhaps the most inspired of the bunch. Not only did Blanchett's performance not distract, she scored an Oscar nomination for her efforts.

Lifetime; Getty Images

Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor, Liz & Dick

To this day we're still wondering why this happened. Lohan certainly looked beautiful in the promo materials, and she certainly shared the love-hate relationship with the media and stardom that Taylor had during her lifetime, but this 2012 Lifetime biopic did no justice to Taylor and Richard Burton's legendary love story whatsoever.

Dreamworks

Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln

Well this obviously turned out great, with Day-Lewis—famous for his method-acting ways—pretty much turning into the 16th president of the United States. The result: His third Oscar for Best Actor.

ECA; Getty Images

Gary Busey as Buddy Holly, The Buddy Holly Story

If you only know the quirky actor and reality star from his more recent pursuits, such as Celebrity Apprentice, Entourage or Amazon Fire commercials, then it's hard to imagine him among the Best Actor Oscar nominees in 1979 for his role as the ill-fated '50s-era rock 'n' roll star. But he was (he actually refers to playing Buddy Holly quite a bit), and what seems strange now was spot-on then.

Ron Galella/WireImage; FX

Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J. Simpson, The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Ryan Murphy definitely seems to be going for a heightened truth-is-stranger-than-fiction vibe with his 10-episode FX series about the O.J. Simpson trial and we're hearing phenomenal things. But the jury is still out (we had to) on Gooding as the football hero turned murder defendant and whether his performance jives with what the series is going for. Vulture says yea, Rolling Stone says nay, etc. Either way, we cannot wait to watch the whole thing unfold (again).

Courtesy of DDA Public Relations

Tom Hardy as Elton John, Rocketman

The Oscar-nominated British actor has proven that he can do just about anything onscreen, including convincingly play twins, but playing his fellow Englishman in this long-awaited film about the singer's storied life is going to require a whole new skill set. "I'm not a singer," Hardy reportedly told The Sun last year. "I have no idea really. I'm really trying because of Rocketman but it's hard to open my mouth in that way." Meanwhile, he joined the project in 2013 and the biopic is still listed as "in development" on IMDb, so unfortunately it's possible that we may never see this happen.

Getty Images; HBO Films

Michael Douglas as Liberace, Behind the Candelabra

Though not the obvious-to-the-naked-eye choice to play the flamboyant entertainer, Douglas said yes to the idea all the way back in 2000, when he and director Steven Soderbergh were making Traffic. Fast-forward 13 years later, including a year when the production was on hold while the leading man battled cancer, and Douglas cleaned up at the Emmys, Golden Globes and SAG Awards for his fearless performance.

ABC; Getty Images

Kurt Russell as Elvis Presley, Elvis

Thirty-six years before playing a grizzled bounty hunter whose mustache has a mind of its own in The Hateful Eight, the veteran actor earned an Emmy nomination for playing the King in a 1979 TV movie. Actually, his lips do snarl just so, when you think about it...

Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco

Not an entirely off-the-wall choice, both actresses known for their class and icy beauty, but apparently (disclaimer: why watch?) the film was so not worthy of either star that it was booed at Cannes and shipped off to Lifetime instead of theaters.

Watch: Producer Talks Casting LiLo as Elizabeth Taylor

The method to the madness...