10 of Our Favorite Characters Who Were Recast

From time to time, directors have to recast a beloved character and have them played by someone other than who we’ve gotten used to. Although fans might not always be happy with this choice, sometimes a new actor can bring a fresh perspective to the role, making the movie even more exciting.

1. Henry Cavill will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth in the fourth season of The Witcher.

After playing Geralt of Riva for 3 seasons in The Witcher, Henry Cavill will be leaving the show. He’s being replaced by Liam Hemsworth, who will take over the lead role in the fourth season of the series. As Hemsworth himself said, he has “some big boots to fill,” as Cavill continued to deliver a great performance for several years.

2. Rachel Weisz and Maria Bello both played Evelyn Carnahan in The Mummy franchise.

Rachel Weisz interpreted the female lead in the first 2 installments of the franchise, The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. For the third movie, though, the main female character was recast and the role went to Maria Bello. Weisz had to turn down the role of Evelyn Carnahan for the third time because of scheduling conflicts, as she had just finished a movie and was shooting another one.

3. Victoria was initially played by Rachelle Lefevre, but she was replaced by Dallas Howard for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

Rachelle Lefevre played the vampire, Victoria, in the first 2 Twilight movies, but she was later replaced by the very similar-looking Dallas Howard. Although Howard initially turned down the role, when it became available once again, she happily accepted to star as Victoria.

4. Katie Holmes’ character was recast in the Batman franchise, and Maggie Gyllenhaal took over.

The character of Rachel Dawes, the love interest of Bruce Wayne, was first played by Katie Holmes. Although her role was an important one in the Batman universe, Maggie Gyllenhaal took over for The Dark Knight.

5. The role of Hulk went from Edward Norton to Mark Ruffalo.

Hulk was first interpreted by Edward Norton, but he was eventually replaced by Mark Ruffalo. The character was recast because of creative differences between Norton and the directors of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

6. Grindelwald was played by both Johnny Depp and Mads Mikkelsen.

Johnny Depp was cast as Grindelwald for the first 2 films in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Grindelwald was then played by Mads Mikkelsen in Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbledore. Recently, however, Mikkelsen has hinted that Depp might take over the role once again for the next installment.

7. Tobey Maguire was replaced by Andrew Garfield and then by Tom Holland as Spider-Man.

The superhero was played by not 2, but 3 different actors. Tobey Maguire was cast for the first movie in the trilogy, and although the movie was a box office hit, critics weren’t that keen on the plot. He was then replaced by Andrew Garfield for the second movie, and then Tom Holland took over. But there is already news that there will be a fourth installment, and this time, the main character won’t be recast.

8. Clarice Starling was played by both Jodie Foster and Julianne Moore.

Jodie Foster earned an Oscar for her performance in The Silence of the Lambs, but she decided to skip the sequel. Foster opted not to reprise the role because she didn’t like the script and the way the character of Clarice Starling was supposed to evolve. So Julianne Moore replaced her.

9. Lily Tucker-Pritchett in Modern Family was recast in season 3.

The role of the adopted daughter of Mitchell Pritchett and Cameron Tucker was initially played by 2 young twin actresses, Jaden and Ella Hiller. However, for season 3 and all the seasons thereafter, the role was recast and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons took over.

10. Cher in Clueless was played by both Alicia Silverstone and Rachel Blanchard.

After the success of the movie, Clueless, came the TV version with the same name. Although several other actors ended up starring in both the film and the series, Alicia Silverstone was not one of them. Instead, the role went to Rachel Blanchard, who debuted on the show in 1996.

Are you happy with the way these characters were recast? Who is your favorite actor from the list?