How These 15 Film Characters Look In Real Life
To please the audience’s eyes, directors often put actors with gorgeous, eye-catching appearances before those with the same features as real-life characters. This naturally leads to a common issue among today’s movies: authenticity.The pressure of making the characters appear as sophisticated as possible tends to outweigh that of picking an actor based on the real character description.
Getting a completely identical cast is a daunting task, and people who act well with that character don't always come off as ostentatious. That’s why we always believe an accomplished based-on-real-event movie should be real in every corner while still delivering the desired performance.
Below is the list of 15 popular movie characters based on real people. We’ll make a comparison of each pair to see how successfully the directors have made up their casts.
#1 A.A. Milne and Christopher Robin Milne, Goodbye Christopher Robin
Source: © Goodbye Christopher Robin / Fox Searchlight Pictures, © East News
Alan Alexander Milne is an English author who created the iconic Winnie-the-Pooh story. The plot revolves around his kid, Christopher Robin, and his toys. The stories pretty much had a huge following from children all over the world, except for Christopher Robin, whose childhood was completely devastated. That was referred to in the film Goodbye Christopher Robin, released in 2017.#2 John Nash, A Beautiful Mind
Source: © A Beautiful Mind / Universal Pictures, © imago/HRSchulz/EAST NEWS
John Nash was a talented mathematician from the U.S., yet he suffered from schizophrenia. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics because his theories are still frequently employed in economic theory today. In 2001, the movie A Beautiful Mind depicts the story of how he rose to prominence as a scientist despite suffering from a major mental illness. Russell Crowe is the actor who portrayed a genius mathematician.#3 Jane Austen, Becoming Jane
Source: © Becoming Jane / Hanway Films, © James Andrews / Wikimedia Commons
#4 Mary, Mary Queen of Scots
Source: © Mary Queen of Scots / Focus Features, © François Clouet / Wikimedia Commons
Mary I is known for her royal background. She reigned as Queen of Scotland from 1542 to 1567. What’s notable is that she took the throne when she was just six days old. The film Mary Queen of Scots (2018) depicts her feud with her cousin and English Queen, Elizabeth I. Saoirse Ronan successfully plays this historic character.#5 Sigmund Freud, A Dangerous Method
Source: © A Dangerous Method / Sony Pictures Entertainment, © Ann Ronan Picture Library/Image State/East News
Sigmund Freud was the originator of psychoanalysis and an Austrian neurologist. In 2011, “A Dangerous Method” was released which depicts his beginning of psychoanalysis, plus his relationship with his colleague Carl Jung. Viggo Mortensen portrays Sigmund Freud.#6 Tonya Harding, I, Tonya
Source: © I, Tonya / LuckyChap Entertainment, © ASSOCIATED PRESS/East News
Tonya Harding is a former figure skater. “I, Tonya” (2017) centered around her scandalous life, including the scenes from her husband's attack on her skating competitor, which terminated her career. Margot Robbie portrays Tonya.#7 Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, The Duchess
Source: © The Duchess / Paramount Pictures, © Thomas Gainsborough / Wikimedia Commons
Georgiana Cavendish was a distinguished English lady. She became a social activist after her marriage, gaining fame for her personality, political power, and love affairs. She is also Princess Diana's great-great-great-great aunt. Georgiana Cavendish's figure inspired the film The Duchess (2008), in which she was portrayed by Keira Knightley.#8 Howard Hughes, The Aviator
Source: © The Aviator / Miramax, © Acme Newspictures / Wikimedia Commons
Howard Hughes (1905 - 1976) was an American pilot, engineer, commercial magnate, and film director. He established an aircraft firm and established multiple global air speed records. The Aviator (2004) is based on his real story, depicting two decades of his career. The film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, won five Academy Awards.#9 Ray Kroc, The Founder
Source: © The Founder / The Weinstein Company, © ASSOCIATED PRESS/East News
We all know and love McDonald, yet not many people know behind the success of this famous franchise is the huge devotion of Ray Kroc. “The Founder” (2016) centers around this man, and Michael Keaton portrayed him#10 Abigail Masham, The Favourite
Source: © The Favourite / Fox Searchlight Pictures, © Unknown author / Wikimedia Commons
Abigail Masham (1960 - 1734) was an English courtier. The then-queen of England - Queen Anne, really liked her. A recent film, The Favourite (2018), was inspired by the narrative of the baroness and her friendship with the queen (2018). Emma Stone portrayed Abigail Masham.#11 Leonhard Seppala, Togo
Source: © Togo / The Walt Disney Company, © George Rinhart/ Corbis Historical/ Getty Images
Leonhard Seppala (1877 - 1967) was a Norwegian sled dog breeder and racer. He took part in the 1925 Serum Run to Nome, a mission to bring a remedy to the Alaskan town of Nome in order to save it from an epidemic. In 5.5 days, he traveled 674 miles. Togo (2019), starring Willem Dafoe, tells the story of him and his dog.#12 Phineas Taylor Barnum, The Greatest Showman
Source: © The Greatest Showman / Fox films, © akg-images/EAST NEWS
P. T. Barnum (1810-1891) was an American showman and was famous for his hoaxes. The Greatest Showman (2017), starring Hugh Jackman, was inspired by his life story.#13 Joy Mangano, Joy
Source: © Joy / Twentieth Century Fox, © Darla Khazei, PacificCoastNews/EAST NEWS
The famous film Joy (2015), starring Jennifer Lawrence, is based on the true story of inventor Joy Mangano. After creating a self-wringing mop, she built a business empire.#14 Nathaniel Ayers, The Soloist
Source: © The Soloist / Paramount Pictures, © East News
Nathaniel Ayers is a schizophrenic street musician from the United States. Jamie Foxx plays him in The Soloist (2009), a film based on his life.#15 Alan Turing, The Imitation Game
Source: © The Imitation Game / FilmNation Entertainment, © AFP/EAST NEWS
A well-known show called The Imitation Game is based on the life of Alan Turing, who is played by Benedict Cumberbatch. He was an English mathematician and computer scientist. He developed algorithms for computers and also worked as a codebreaker.