Unlike popular beliefs, adapting a book isn’t easier than making an original piece. The directors, indeed, have a ready-made story that is already approved by a large audience. But turning a novel into a movie invites a lot of pressure from fans and authors. The film has to live up to the benchmark and stay faithful to the source. Fans don’t mind the directors taking the liberty to add their versions to the story. But it is disappointing when a character, that we picture a certain way, carries no resemblance to its book counterpart. Here are the 10 movie characters that did not look the way books described them.
Jack Nicholson as Randle Patrick McMurphy
It is hard to complain about the critically-acclaimed “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” that won the iconic Jack Nicolson an Academy Award. However, there was one person who didn’t like Nicolson’s, Randle McMurphy. According to sources, the author, Ken Kesey, was so peeved at the way his story was translated on the screen that he never watched the film. The movie was narrated from McMurphy’s perspective as opposed to Chief’s perspective in the novel. Furthermore, Kesey’s McMurphy was quite different from the way Nicolson portrayed him. Additionally, both characters had different hair colours.
Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet
Keira Knightley is a marvellous actress who undoubtedly brought life into Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice”. Saying that she portrayed the lively, courageous, and quick-witted character brilliantly is an understatement. But even the director had doubts about casting Keira at the beginning, given how beautiful she was. Elizabeth was supposed to be “not handsome enough to tempt” Mr. Darcy. According to Caroline Bingley, “Her face is too thin; her complexion has no brilliancy, and her features are not at all handsome.”
Michael Fassbender as Rochester
Anyone who has read the classic “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte knows that Edward Rochester was an unattractive man. The author had intentionally sketched him that way to serve the purpose of her story. Michael Fassbender had neither a stern face nor heavy eyebrows like his book counterpart. Moreover, he is anything but unattractive.
Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson As Harry, Hermione, and Ron
J.K. Rowling didn’t mind if the kids didn’t resemble her characters as long as they painted them well. She was okay with Daniel Radcliff’s blue eyes even though Harry Potter was known for his green eyes. But the most striking difference was between Hermione and Emma Watson. As similar as they were in nature, the two girls shared no resemblance in their appearances. Emma was poles part from Hermione’s signature protruding teeth, bushy eyebrows, and frizzy hair. Adding on, Ron Weasley was a tall and lanky boy unlike Rupert Grint, but that didn’t matter because of the latter’s incredible performance.
Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher
You can imagine a lot of people for Jack Reacher, but Tom Cruise would be the last person to make it to that list. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher was a former US Army Sniper who was 6ft 5 inches tall, had a bulky body, piercing blue eyes, and blonde hair.
Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon
Professor Robert Langdon was never a physical hero in the Da Vinci Code series. He saved the day with his analytical thinking and extensive knowledge. Therefore, Tom Hanks seemed to be an ideal choice for an intellectual character. According to his students, Langdon was always written as a tall man with a swimmer’s body whose voice was “chocolate for ears”.
Shailene Woodley as Beatrice ‘Tris’ Prior
Shailene’s Beatrice starred in “Divergent” which was based on Veronica Roth’s novel series. She looked nothing like her character Tris who was described as someone with blonde hair and big blue eyes on a thin and long face. Moreover, Shailene got a pixie cut when her character had chin-length hair in “Insurgent”.
Daniel Craig as James Bond
Daniel Craig had nailed his performance as James Bond with his killer attitude and action stunts. His formidable personality with a smart appearance sketched out a perfect spy. However, when it comes to Agent 007, the two looked nothing alike. The author had always described Bond as a 6 ft tall man with long hair falling over his forehead.
Emma Stone as Skeeter
Emma is an exceptional star who can bring justice to any character. She played Skeeter in the Oscar-nominated “The Help” that was based on Kathryn Stockett’s novel. Even though Emma’s performance was admired by everyone, her appearance was far from her book counterpart. The book had described Skeeter as a tall and scrawny woman with a crooked nose.
Dakota Fanning as Jane
Dakota Fanning’s Jane was a high ranking member of the Volturi Guard in the Twilight Saga. Apart from Dakota’s beautiful features, there was nothing that she and Stephenie Meyer’s Jane shared. The sinister Jane was very tiny, slim, and sported brown hair that was trimmed short. According to the pages, it was nearly impossible to tell the difference between her and her twin Alec.
