7 Times Actors Demanded Major Changes For Their Characters Without Being A Total Jerk

Sometimes an actor’s job is more than just learning the movie lines by heart and reciting them in front of a camera. As great actors, they will study their characters and then find the best way to bring them to life, which includes making key decisions about how they’ll look, speak and act.
However, it is true that an actor has little control over the plot or storyline of a film and a director is the person who has the most influence. In many cases, when an actor starts to make demands, the director isn’t pleased about it. But in certain ones, some directors view their actors as collaborators instead of pawns and value their insight. Numerous movies were changed for the better because an actor voiced their opinion and the director was wise enough to go along with it.
We've rounded up 7 times actors demanded changes for their characters and it actually worked out fantastically. You can see more, here, here, and here.

#1 Angelina Jolie, Maleficent

Actors Demanded Major Changes For Their Characters Source: Disney/Photoshot/East News

To better her portrayal of Maleficent, Angelina Jolie came up with the idea, of getting her nose covered in prosthetics. The makeup team covered Jolie with stuff on her cheekbones. Furthermore, the actress asked to have contact lenses that look like goat eyes.

#2 Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek

Actors Demanded Major Changes For Their Characters Source: JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP/East News, © Schitt's Creek / Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and co-producers

Catherine O’Hara initially didn’t make sure about how she wanted her character Moira Rose’s accent to sound because the character traveled across the world in the past. But, the actress did consider her as “someone who is learning a different word every day and tried to slip them into conversations as much as possible.” Changing the accent turned out to be a wise decision and she described it as “oral mementos of her world travels.”

#3 Scarlett Johansson, Black Widow

Actors Demanded Major Changes For Their Characters Source: VALERIE MACON/AFP/East News, © Avengers / Paramount Pictures and co-producers

Because Black Widow is not only powerful but also mysterious, Scarlett Johansson didn’t want her solo movie to reveal her origin story. “I didn’t want it to feel superficial at all. I only wanted to do it if it actually fit where I was with that character. I had spent such a long time peeling those layers away — I felt that unless we got to something deep, then there was no reason to make it.” For her, the character should be seen as a human not a “super-human” with no feelings.

#4 Emma Corrin, The Crown

Actors Demanded Major Changes For Their Characters Source: Marechal Aurore/ABACA/Abaca/East News, © The Crown / Sony Pictures Television Production UK and co-producers

Emma Corrin’s idea was to depict Princess Diana’s eating disorder, bulimia, in “The Crown”. The crew had been working on her body language honestly to show this disorder, otherwise, it would be offensive to people who have undergone it.

#5 Dwayne Johnson, Rampage

Actors Demanded Major Changes For Their Characters Source: © therock / Instagram, © Rampage / New Line Cinema and co-producers

The gorilla, George, in the movie “Rampage” was originally supposed to die boldly but The Rock had a different idea. He said, “I don’t like a sad ending. Life brings that — I don’t want it in my movies. When the credits roll, I want to feel great.”

#6 Cate Blanchett, Ocean’s 8

Cate Blanchett’s character in “Ocean’s 8” was initially named after the actress herself because the writers considered that the actress are both wise-cracking types. But she didn’t agree with this idea and said, “Guys, this isn’t really appropriate anymore. I don’t think we should name the character after me.”

#7 Dacre Montgomery, Stranger Things

Actors Demanded Major Changes For Their Characters Source: © dacremontgomery / Instagram, © Stranger Things / 21 Laps Entertainment and co-producers

Dacre Montgomery demanded a change for the character Billy, humanizing him a bit with his toxic father in season 2. Season 3 revealed the pain that his biological mother gave him. Montgomery said, “Billy’s mother hadn’t really been explored last season, unlike his father, but I really wanted to get a glimpse of her. It’s a credit to the Duffers’ collaborative nature that they included it, and that they even let me pitch ideas”.