12 Real People Were Accurately Portrayed By Actors That It’s Hard to Tell Them Apart

Jessica Wilson

Stepping into the shoes of a character can be a tremendously complex process. Sometimes it requires lots of time to study and prepare for the role. But when playing a real-life character who is known to almost everyone, things can get even more challenging. Therefore, in order to provide flawless depictions of these famous ps, actors put in a lot of effort. From getting the particular character's lifestyle, costumes, and body language to learning the character's skills, everything is studied carefully because even the smallest detail may cost a lot at the box office. Real People Were Accurately Portrayed might be found here.
But how many actors can portray well-known people in movies? From Emma Stone as Billie Jean King in "Battle of the Sexes" to Tom Hanks as Captain Richard Phillips in "Captain Phillips", we’ve compiled a list of the most accurate real-life portrayals ever shown on screen. Let's compare some of them with their real-life counterparts and see if these actors played them perfectly or not. Let's see Real people accurately portrayed by the actors. 

#1 Emma Stone as Billie Jean King

Real People Were Accurately PortrayedSource: © Batlle of the Sexes / Fox Searchlight Pictures and co-producers© ASSOCIATED PRESS /East News

The 2017 "Battle of the Sexes" film tells a story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs. The film received positive review and Emma Stone got a complete makeover to become Billie Jean King, for which she received Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and Critics Choice Awards nominations in the categories Best Actress in a Comedy.

#2 Tom Hanks as Captain Richard Phillips

Real People Were Accurately PortrayedSource: © Captain Phillips / Scott Rudin Productions and co-producers© Dennis Van Tine / LFI / Photoshot / REPORTER

In 2009, Captain Phillips was taken hostage by Somali pirates. Fortunately, the pirates failed. The captain then wrote about the whole tale in a book called "A Captain’s Duty", which he co-wrote with journalist and author Stephan Talty. After that, it was decided to make a movie called "Captain Phillips" with Tom Hanks as the lead character to tell the story.

#3 Julia Roberts as Elizabeth Gilbert

Real People Were Accurately PortrayedSource: © Eat Pray Love / Columbia Pictures and co-producers© Wojciech Olszanka / East News

Since its release in 2006, the book "Eat, Pray, Love" has been a huge success. It quickly propelled its author, Elizabeth Gilbert, to the top of the charts. The book was so popular that Hollywood producers decided to make a movie with the same name based on it. The movie starred Julia Roberts as Gilbert.

#4 Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Philippe Petit

Real People Were Accurately PortrayedSource: © The Walk / Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and co-producers, © Sophie Laslett / Eyevine / East News

In 2015, Joseph Gordon-Levitt successfully portrayed French stringer Philippe Petit on the silver screen in the dramatic feature film "The Walk". The movie portrays the difficult beginnings of the artist who started his career on the streets but managed to make it to the top thanks to his skills and a bit of luck.

#5 Amy Adams as Margaret Keane

Source: © Big Eyes / The Weinstein Company and co-producers© Evan Agostini / Invision / AP / East News

"Big Eyes" is a 2014 American biographical drama film directed by Tim Burton, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, and starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. It based on the life of American painter Margaret Keane and her husband, Walter Keane. It was met with generally favorable reviews, with particular praise given to the performances of Adams and Waltz, making it one of the finest biopics of the decade.

#6 Willem Dafoe as Leonhard Seppala

Source: © Togo / Walt Disney Pictures and co-producers, © Carrie McLain Museum / EAST NEWS

In 2019, the historical adventure film "Togo" was released starring the famous actor Willem Dafoe as Leonhard Seppala. The movie cuts back and forth between the past and the present to tell the tale of the childhood of a tiny husky named Togo. He is then one of the sled dogs led by Seppala, who is tasked with delivering some much-needed medicine for the treatment of diphtheria to children in a remote village.

#7 Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy

Source: © The Blind Side / Alcon Entertainment and co-producers© MICHAEL GERMANA / STAR MAX / East News

In one of the best movies of 2009, "The Blind Side", famous actress Sandra Bullock played the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy. The film is based on the book of the same name, recounting the real-life experiences of Leigh Tuohy, a wealthy woman who decides to adopt and help a talented young man with a complicated history and life.

#8 Don Cheadle as Paul Rusesabagina

Source: © Hotel Rwanda / United Artists and co-producers© CHRIS PIZZELLO / ASSOCIATED PRESS / East News

"Hotel Rwanda" is the 2004 drama film directed by Terry George. In the film, Don Cheadle played hotelier Paul Rusesabagina. Based on the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the film chronicles Rusesabagina's efforts to save the lives of his family and more than 1,000 other refugees by providing them shelter in the besieged Hôtel des Mille Collines.

#9 Selma Blair as Kris Jenner

Source: © American Crime Story / FX Productions and co-producers© Evan Agostini / Invision / AP / East News

In the first season of FX’s "American Crime Story", also referred to as "The People v. O. J. Simpson", Selma Blair was cast as Kris Jenner, the famous mother of the Kardashians. The episodes tell the real story behind the notorious case.

#10 James Franco as James Dean

Source: © James Dean / Gerber Pictures and co-producers© Giant / George Stevens Productions and co-producers

In 2001, the American made-for-television biographical drama film "James Dean" film premiered. The movie chronicles Dean's way to the height of his fame. The person responsible for bringing this versatile and talented celebrity to the small screen is James Franco. His perfect performance earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film.

#11 Brie Larson as Jeannette Walls

Source: © The Glass Castle / Lionsgate and co-producers© Evan Agostini / Invision / AP / East News

In her book "The Glass Castle", author and journalist Jeannette Walls captured her complicated childhood and youth. This novel was so popular that Destin Daniel Cretton then adapted it into a movie of the same name in 2017. And Brie Larson played Jeannette in the movie.

#12 Hannah Taylor-Gordon as Anne Frank

Source: © Anne Frank: The Whole Story / Touchstone Television and co-producers© Leemage / East News

"Anne Frank: The Whole Story" tells the story of the little girl who became known worldwide thanks to her diary. In the episodes based on the book "Anne Frank: The Biography", actress Hannah Taylor-Gordon played Anne on the small screen.