What Iconic Movies Would Look Like If They Were Reshot With the Same Actors Today
Time flies extremely fast. The young actors who starred in popular movies of the 2000s are now bigshot celebrities who have earned numerous awards. We decided to imagine what the covers of our favorite movies would look like if the celebrities played their roles now.
1. Titanic
At the time of filming, Kate and Leo were 21 and 22, respectively. They are still close friends today, and Kate often tells journalists, “He’s my friend, my really close friend. We’re bonded for life.”
2. Mean Girls
The characters of Mean Girls were supposed to be around 16 years old. But the actresses that were cast were actually older. Rachel McAdams played Regina George when she was 26, and 21-year-old Lacey Chabert portrayed Gretchen Wieners.
3. The Notebook
Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling were 24 and 22, respectively, at the time of filming. Rachel had lots of competition for the part: Jessica Biel, Britney Spears, Ashley Judd, and Reese Witherspoon. Rachel also had a difficult relationship with Gosling, who even asked to get the actress replaced.
4. The Devil Wears Prada
It’s been almost 17 years since the movie premiered. At the time of its release, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt were both 23 years old, while the legendary Meryl Streep was 57. A curious fact: the filmmakers tried to persuade Rachel McAdams to play the role of Andy Sachs three times, but she refused stubbornly. Hathaway was only the 9th actress in line. Meryl Streep helped to cast her for the lead role, as she was impressed by Anne’s performance in Brokeback Mountain.
5. Twilight
Aside from Bella and Edward, another popular couple in the 2008 Twilight was Rosalie and Emmet. Nikki Reed and Kellan Lutz were 20 and 23, respectively. Lutz said that he fell in love with Nikki when they were shooting the final movie, “I really fell in love with her as a human being in ’Breaking Dawn’ because we just had so much time to talk, and she’s really, really special, has such a kind heart.”
6. Million Dollar Baby
The film came out in 2004. The actor and director of the film, Clint Eastwood, was already 74 at the time. Hilary Swank, who played the lead character, was 30. Now, at 92 years old, Clint is not even thinking about ending his career: “What the hell am I still working for in my 90s? Are people going to start throwing tomatoes at you? I’ve gotten to the point where I wondered if that was enough, but not to the point where I decided it was. If you roll out a few turkeys, they’ll tell you soon enough.”
7. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
The first movie about pirates was released in 2003. Elizabeth and Will were 19 years old, but in fact, Keira Knightley was just 18 and Orlando Bloom was 26. Keira didn’t believe the franchise would be successful and said, “I don’t think it’s going to work. It’s a pirate film and they always fail.”
8. 500 Days of Summer
The movie was released in January 2009. The story of the unrequited love of greeting card creator Tom Hansen is based on real events. As it turned out, the screenwriter Scott Neustadter was dumped by the girl he was in love with. The events that happened in his life are remarkably similar to those he described in the movie, “When I met this girl in London, my depression lifted, my heart filled with love again and I felt that this could only be the result of divine intervention. We began chatting and found that we shared the same taste in books and music. That had to mean something, right?”
9. Bridget Jones’s Diary
The film about the love triangle many people adore was released in 2001. Renée Zellweger was 31, and the character she played, Bridget, was 32. Hugh Grant was 40 years old. Curiously, the main role could have been played by Helena Bonham Carter, Kate Winslet, and Rachel Weisz. But Renée beat them all. Being from Texas, she was incredible at speaking with a British accent and playing the character so convincingly that it’s impossible to imagine anyone but her in this role.
10. Moulin Rouge!
This musical drama premiered in 2001. Kidman was 33, and Ewan McGregor was 3 years younger. According to Nicole, she damaged her ribs during the dance with a tight corset, “I kept dancing. I didn’t realize I’d even broken it for five days. I thought I’d pulled a muscle.”
11. Lost in Translation
The genius film by Sofia Coppola premiered in 2003. Scarlett Johansson was just 17, so she was 5 years younger than her character. Her movie partner, Bill Murray, was 52. The director insisted that he played the main role. It was so important for her that if he refused, the movie might not have been released at all. It’s not surprising that according to Murray, it’s his favorite film.
12. Zoolander
The comedy was released in 2001. The director and one of the main actors, Ben Stiller, was 36. His partner, Owen Wilson, was 33. The film is still considered one of the best comedies and the most quoted of all time.
13. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
This 2002 movie got very positive reviews and even an Oscar nomination. Actress Nia Vardalos was 39 when she played 30-year-old Toula, and John Corbett was only 1 year older than his on-screen partner.