You can't put a square peg in a round hole. These writers and directors didn't think so, and they assembled and cast their characters with only one actor in mind. It could be a cameo, a supporting role, or the heart of the whole film, but it's like there's a very specific itch that only one person can scratch.
What's amazing is how well this level of foresight pays off. The films in this list either took in massive box office returns, won a multitude of awards, and in some rare cases, even changed the course of cinema. Or they were really, really funny. Whichever it may be, if a screenwriter has enough vision to understand who would best embody their character, then it's likely they have a good idea what kind of spirit should embody their film altogether. These are the movie roles that were written with a specific actor in mind.
16 Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
As legend goes, the impetus for the creation of the Indiana Jones character was that Steven Spielberg wanted to direct a James Bond picture, but George Lucas pitched him an idea for an American archeologist named Indiana Smith, who traveled the world searching for artifacts. Their brainstorm, supposedly while building sand castles in Hawaii, would go on to become Raiders of the Lost Ark.
"Goose-stepping morons like yourself ought to try reading books instead of burning them!"
It only made sense, then, that when introducing Indy's father for the third installment, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, they would turn to the proverbial paterfamilias of the original Bond, Sean Connery. Once the father character was introduced to the story, Spielberg had Connery in mind from the beginning. The father-son dynamic of the film turned out to be its narrative crux, stealing the spotlight from the Holy Grail and reminding us of the power of a strong paternal relationship, which is the strength of the series as a whole. All the swashbuckling is for naught if you don't care about the characters, and with Connery matching Ford in humor, intellect, and tenderness at every turn, it's obvious Spielberg made the right choice.
15 Octavia Spencer in The Shape of Water
The character of Zelda in Guillermo Del Toro's 2017 fantasy love story The Shape of Water carries a heavy burden. In the strictest sense, Octavia Spencer has to carry much of the dialogue in the film, as her scene partner for most of the movie, fellow custodial worker Elisa, is mute. However, much of this dialogue is her railing about little respect she gets from her husband, or occasionally, the scientists at her place of work. Were this her only purpose, she could easily fall under the exhaused Sassy Black Woman character trope, which is largely agreed to be lazy writing.
But Del Toro sensed in Spencer an ability to make the character much more than that. Aside from being a plot ally to the protagonists, her motivations have a purity to them because of her personal experience with love. She married hunky heartthrob Brewster while a young woman, thinking she'd found an equitable partner for life. Through the years, he's become domineering, lazy, unappreciative, and self-centered. She's worked hard, both as a professional and a wife, but has long since given up on love returning to her marriage.
When Elisa and the Amphibian Man share a bond, devoid of language but full of meaning, she understands the gentility of that which she no longer has, and firmly decides to protect it. No longer the passive-aggressive snarker who gets away with what she can; Zelda seizes her power and stands up to her boss, her husband, and anyone else who tries to stand in the way of love. It's a fully realized character, and one that nabbed Spencer her third Oscar nomination.
14 Jack Black in School of Rock
Screenwriter Mike White used to live next door to Jack Black when Jack's career started taking off in the early 2000s. They both lamented the John Belushi, Chris Farley-esque physical comedies that were trying to pigeonhole Jack because of his size, so his friend Mike decided to write something for him: School of Rock.
Jack was already known for his comedy rock stylings as the frontman for Tenacious D, so it was natural to place him in a musical environment. Despite the character, Dewey, using subterfuge to gain his position and not really being trained to work with children, it's inevitable that once Jack Black gets in a room with a bunch of musically talented kids, there's going to be some magic. It must have been, because it spawned a Tony award-winning Broadway show and continues to be relevant twenty years on.
13 Samuel L. Jackson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
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Disney
In terms of reach, the character of Nick Fury is listed a staggering eighteen times on Samuel L. Jackson's IMDb page, across movies, television shows, and video games. The character became more than just a shadowy cameo with his role in The Avengers, although one could argue his finest performance was in the 70s spy thriller-stylized Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier. It's the first time we hear about Fury's past, including a great throwaway line about his patch.
"Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye."
Although the character began in 1963 as a white man (check out 1998's Nick Fury: Agent of Shield, a TV Movie starring David Hasselhoff), it was comic book whiz kid Brian Michael Bendis' take on the character, as drawn by artist Bryan Hitch, for the Ultimate line of Marvel Comics that based his appearance on Samuel L. They even lampshade the resemblance within the dialogue of the story, whereby the heroes all discuss who would play them in a move. Guess who Fury picked.
Once word reached Jackson that his likeness was being used in a comic book, he reached out to Marvel. It turns out they already had him in mind to play the cycloptic spy captain in a small movie being cooked up called Iron Man. The rest is history.
12 David Bowie in Zoolander
In the endless interviews on David Bowie's cameo in the 2001 sendup of the fashion industry, most of the Zoolander cast apes the same sentiment — no one quite believes that he agreed to do it.
In the film, Stiller's male model Derek Zoolander is facing off against nemesis Hansel, played by Owen Wilson, in a fashion walk-off. From out of the crowd, David Bowie offers his assistance as the judge, followed by a quick riff from Let's Dance.
Ben Stiller, co-writer of the script, says that he wrote the cameo before consulting with the late music legend, but that his hit song Fashion, off of 1980's Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) was the inspiration behind the casting.
In a movie filled with cameos, Bowie's easily carries the highest wattage, and it's fun to think that a stream-of-consciousness dream casting like that could actually make its way all the way through to production.
11 Lewis Black in Inside Out
Black's role as Anger in Pixar's Inside Out anteceded even the script. Political comic Lewis Black's angry persona has been yelling on stage for so long, it seemed the best way for writer-director Pete Doctor to illustrate to his co-workers how intuitive the casting could be. He was proven right when viewers first got wind of the casting, and the entire world gave a self-evident shrug and, in unison, said, "Yeah, that's about right."
"We should lock the door and scream that curse word we know. It's a good one!"
Amy Poehler's Joy and Phyllis Smith's Sadness are the stars of the show, but Black spends the film plotting with Mindy Kaling's Disgust and Bill Hader's Fear, without an ounce of common sense between them. Watching Anger try to steer the Riley ship (the 11-year-old girl whose consciousness they inhabit) is funny, especially when you realize that the carmine-colored half pint is even wearing Lou's trademark loosened tie.
10 Laura Linney in Love Actually
For Love Actually, writer-director Richard Curtis' collection of Christmastime couplets, the most tragic is easily Sarah, whose longtime crush on coworker Carl would be requited, but for her sisterly duty as legal guardian to her institutionalized, at times violent brother, Michael.
Technically, Curtis originally wrote the part for a British actress. But after auditioning multiple British actresses for one with a 'Laura Linney-type' and falling short, he turned to the original. According to Linney, she received a letter from the director telling her why she was perfect for the role, and Sarah became an American. The pair even had an expatriate experience in common, as Karl was played by Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro.
However, Curtis' instincts are proven right. The heartbreak is difficult to bear, but made tolerable by Linney, whose rare dramatic pathos belies a humanism, as opposed to the sickly tearjerker role it could have been in less skilled hands.
9 John C. Reilly in Boogie Nights
After director Paul Thomas Anderson's debut picture Hard Eight, featuring John C. Reilly and Philip Baker Hall, Anderson decided to use them both in his legendary sophomore outing, Boogie Nights. Both excellent character actors in their own right, Anderson would go on to use them both again in Magnolia.
Anderson's early career was built on his admiration for Philip Baker Hall, who was the inspiration for what eventually became Hard Eight, a short film called Cigarettes & Coffee. But it's easy to see the qualities exhibited by John C. Reilly in an Anderson character, and what kept sending them both back to the well.
Reilly is a tall, broad guy, though his characters tend to have a flawed masculinity, often sensitive and bruised, like a rottweiler who's been abused: dangerous, but misunderstood. The role of Reed Rothchild, the best friend and co-star to Mark Wahlberg's Dirk Diggler, has little bearing on the plot, outside introducing Dirk to cocaine. Nevertheless, his presence is never more than needed, and he fills out the cast of eccentric pornstars nicely, eventually living out his dream of working as a stage magician. He's almost pitiable, but for his authentic enthusiasm.
8 Emily Blunt in The Five-Year Engagement
Writer-star Jason Segel had been friends with his on-screen fiancée Emily Blunt for several years before writing her into The Five-Year Engagement. His admiration extended beyond her dramatic acting, as the role required someone with comedy chops to play off of his natural humor.
Blunt's Violet Barnes' meatiest laugh come from her professional environment, as a post-doc psychology researcher while negotiating the personalities of her fellow students,
Mindy Kaling, Randall Park, and Kevin Hart. Although it's her relationship with her academic mentor, a sleazy, manipulative Rhys Ifans that is both the downfall of her engagement to Segel and the negative data that convinces her of the inevitability of unromantic romance. It's her character's realization that incites the entire third act, making her the real star of the movie. It's a fun watch, and further proof that in between horror, action, and drama, Emily Blunt still has a knack for comedy.
7 Matthew Broderick in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
There's a bit of discrepancy here, as writer-director John Hughes claims that he wrote Ferris Bueller's Day Off with Matthew Broderick in mind, though Broderick himself disagrees, citing other actors who were offered or considered for the role. Perhaps Hughes was trying to retroactively flatter his star, though that seems unlikely, as Broderick has recently reported that they didn't exactly get along on set.
Whatever the case, the role certainly seems tailor-made for Broderick's charming, cat-that-ate-the-canary sensibility. In the strictest sense, Ferris Bueller is an anti-hero: he's selfish, self-destructive, and manipulative. Many of these qualities are redeemed in the third act, like offering to take the blame for destroying Cameron's dad's Ferrari. But it's his charm that makes the whole town, and us, rally around him. In addition, Bueller's journey is a pursuit of a higher justice, one beyond the understanding of truancy regulations. He gets the better of snooty waiters. He understands Cameron's need to lay down his emotional burdens for a day. He even brings joy to thousands with legendary lip syncs of Wayne Newton and The Beatles while on parade.
Ferris' confidence is the driving force behind that sense of justice, and Hughes was right. Not just anybody could have pulled that off.
6 Ralph Fiennes in The Grand Budapest Hotel
This is a character movie. The plot of The Grand Budapest Hotel is winding and intriguing, but is a distant second to the culmination of character, dialogue, set direction, and acting in the film; as is to be expected from a Wes Anderson film. Although like most of Anderson's work, it's an ensemble piece, the tip of that spear is Ralph Fiennes' Monsieur Gustave, the concierge of the titular hotel.
"There are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity. Indeed, that's what we provide in our own modest, humble, insignificant... oh, f*** it."
If there exists another actor who could pull off a kinky gerontophilic romantic, sincere poet artiste, foul-mouthed fugitive, authoritative, accommodating, and charming, then Wes Anderson certainly didn't think so. Ralph Fiennes inhabits the eccentricities of M. Gustave with an adroit amusement, almost in on the joke of being such a silly person, without ever flinching from his respect for the reality of his world. Ask Fiennes to play tea party with your niece, and he'll instantly produce bobby pins for her fascinator.
There are a lot of actors who line up to be in a Wes Anderson movie, but only one who have nabbed him a Best Picture nomination.
5 Frances McDormand in Fargo
It makes sense that, if you're an actress married to writer-director Joel Coen, that he might write a script with you in mind. However, that wasn't the case in their first collaboration, Blood Simple, in which Frances McDormand and Coen met when she auditioned. From there, the role of pregnant Minnesota police chief Marge Gunderson in Fargo began to take shape.
"I'm not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work there, Lou."
Chief Gunderson combines the polite Upper Midwest demeanor with an innate nose for detection and the patience and gratitude of a loving, loyal partner. In examining her adversaries, Peter Stormare and Steve Buscemi, she seems like the unlikeliest of heroes. Yet her intuition and whatever the most American version of joie de vivre is called, she manages to supersede the motivations of the most evil and greedy murderer-kidnappers to ever pass through Brainerd, Minnesota.
Anyone who wasn't aware of the talent of Frances McDormand before Fargo certainly was afterward, as it propelled both her (and her husband and brother-in-law) to A-list status practically overnight; nabbing her first of three Oscars for acting (plus another for producing 2021's Nomadland), making her the second most-awarded actress in Academy Award history, after Katharine Hepburn.
4 Robert Pattinson in Good Time
Despite a rise to prominence in commercial fare like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and The Twilight Saga, Robert Pattinson expressed a desire to play complex characters with artistic auteurs early on. He worked with David Cronenberg on Cosmopolis, David Michôd on The Rover, and after seeing the Safdie brothers' early work in short films, reached out with a specific request to work with them on what became the angsty, adrenaline-rush thriller Good Time.
To say that Josh and Benny Safdie wrote the part of desperate criminal Connie Nikas for Pattinson doesn't quite capture the nature of the collaboration. According to all three parties, they developed the character together from the ground up, delving into a backstory that never even appeared on screen, and trading handwritten letters in character. It was the first feature film for the brothers who have somehow become cinematic immortals in less than a decade, and their trust in Pattinson to set that anchor was well-placed.
From the jackal-like physicality, his unceasing ability to weave lie after lie, and the will to push his luck further beyond any rational person, the character is responsible for raised the heart rate of every viewer from beginning to end. One hopes the creative geniuses behind this film find their way to try it again in the future.
3 Robin Williams in Aladdin (1992)
It's a strange process by which Robin Williams found his way to the role of the Genie in the original animated Aladdin. From The LA Times, the day after Robin Williams' death:
"In 1991, directors John Clements and Ron Musker gave Disney animator Eric Goldberg an unusual assignment: listen to Robin Williams' stand-up albums and draw the comic, as a genie."
That was the first step in what eventually became the literal magic in a bottle of the funniest character in Disney history. The animated test footage not only sold the idea of a transforming, stream-of-consciousness genie to the Disney executives, but informed the writing of the script, and even Williams' acceptance of the role.
Between endless impressions of celebrities (most of whom were famous well before the kids watching were even born), to the frenetic animation style that was onto the next gag before you were done laughing at the previous one, the Genie is magic personified. The role concentrates his comedic styling so perfectly, it's as if you've only eaten sugar-free chocolate your whole life and someone hands you a homemade fudge brownie. The bits are as funny now as they were thirty years ago, and it's a reminder that Robin Williams was a once in a generation talent.
2 Uma Thurman in Kill Bill
Even the end credits refer to the collaboration between Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman for the two-part revenge flick Kill Bill: "Based on the character of 'The Bride' created by Q & U"
The story is that, while working on Pulp Fiction, the two cooked up the idea of a wedding chapel massacre and subsequent revenge in the style of 70s kung fu flicks. While Quentin wrote the script himself, the idea itself was a mutual concoction. How could anyone else have even been considered?
The Bride, Beatrix Kiddo, spends the first movie slashing her way through near half of her hit list, with any number of collateral corpses along the way. The second film, while less bloody, traced the origins of her and Bill's love, giving resonance all the frivolous violence, entertaining though it may have been. It's rare to see a part fit an actress as tightly as a yellow motorcycle bodysuit, but that's what happens when Q & U work together. The film is seminal, both within the action genre and in cinema at large.
1 Bill Murray in Lost In Translation
Writer-director Sophia Coppola stated on multiple occasions that, had Bill Murray not accepted the role of Bob Harris, she would not have made Lost in Translation. She wrote him letters and left messages on Murray's now-infamous 1-800 number that he set up in place of a talent agency. Relying on her instincts, Coppola just knew that he was the only one for the part.
The film centers around Murray's over-the-hill actor, known and loved worldwide, but disengaged from his marriage and afloat in his career, as he makes the rounds shooting promotional material for a Japanese whiskey in Tokyo. He's always off a half a beat from those who would call themselves benefactors, with either party wondering what it is he's searching for. Enter Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johannson; a young newlywed and philosophy graduate tagging along with her photographer husband on a business trip. She, too, has trouble sleeping, and they share an existential dread, two castaways in a sea of people who don't understand.
It's a meaningful film, made all the more so by an oddly authentic connection between the stars. Coppola's direction takes us from the set to the lobby to the hotel bar, meandering the way a tourist might in a foreign land. That is, until the odd couple find strength in their companionship and cut loose for a wild night in Tokyo, lost to everyone except the strangers they find along the way.
It's fun. It's a fun movie, and you're sad when it's over. You want more, but like the relationship itself, we know it's not meant to.
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