Everyone's replaceable! For this list, we’ll be looking at actors who were replaced in their film and TV roles either before or during production due to a public controversy.
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00:00 "Our war with the Muggles begins today!"
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 times actors
00:11 were recast because the actor was cancelled.
00:14 "I know myself too well, if I have a second I'm just gonna have a third and then a fourth
00:17 and then you're just gonna have to roll me out of here."
00:19 For this list we'll be looking at actors who were replaced in their film and TV roles
00:23 either before or during production due to a public controversy.
00:28 Which of these recastings did you think was the most scandalous?
00:32 Let us know in the comments below!
00:35 Number 10.
00:37 Frank Langella - The Fall of the House of Usher
00:40 This mini-series is a modern remix of some of the most iconic works of Edgar Allan Poe.
00:45 Continuing Mike Flanagan's stellar track record with Netflix, 2023 saw him adapting
00:51 this short story by Edgar Allan Poe.
00:53 Carla Gugino reunited with Flanagan following the success of The Haunting Anthology, and
00:59 four-time Tony Award winner Frank Langella was poised to star as Roderick Usher.
01:03 "Good evening, Count."
01:05 "Dr. Seward.
01:07 Miss Van Helsing.
01:10 My savior."
01:11 However, Langella was later accused of sexual harassment, and an investigation found that
01:16 he had behaved inappropriately toward a co-star.
01:19 Langella was subsequently fired from the production, which was already halfway through filming.
01:25 Bruce Greenwood was cast in his place, and all the scenes involving Roderick had to be
01:29 reshot.
01:30 Deadline reports the streamer recently completed an investigation into the star's behavior,
01:35 which quote "determined that Langella has been involved in unacceptable conduct on set."
01:41 Number 9.
01:42 T.J. Miller - How to Train Your Dragon - The Hidden World
01:46 Miller was one of those voices you instantly recognize.
01:49 "You are wise to seek help from the world's most deadly weapon."
01:53 "Uh, it's me."
01:54 That voice was on full display through the first two How to Train Your Dragon films,
01:59 in which Miller played Hiccup's buddy, Tough Nut Thorsten.
02:02 Three years after the release of the second film in 2014, Miller became the subject of
02:07 a sexual assault allegation dating back to his college days.
02:11 And shortly after that, Miller placed a fake bomb threat on an Amtrak train.
02:15 Reportedly, while intoxicated.
02:17 "T.J. Miller is under arrest, accused of calling in a fake bomb threat.
02:22 Federal prosecutors say that he called 911 and claimed that a woman on his Amtrak train
02:27 had a bomb in her luggage."
02:29 As a result of both of these controversies, Miller was fired by DreamWorks Animation.
02:34 He had already recorded his lines for the third Dragon film, The Hidden World.
02:38 So impersonator Justin Ruppel was brought in for the re-dubs.
02:41 "Hang up those saddles and get married."
02:44 "The M word."
02:47 "Gross.
02:48 Unless it's me."
02:49 "Huah!"
02:50 Number 8.
02:51 Chrissy Teigen - Never Have I Ever
02:54 This is Paxton Hall-Yoshida.
02:56 He's a 16-year-old boy from Sherman Oaks, California.
03:00 And I am model, designer, activist, and a former 16-year-old from California, Gigi Hadid.
03:07 Created by Lang Fisher and Mindy Kaling, and inspired by the latter's upbringing, Never
03:11 Have I Ever is about an Indian-American teenager navigating high school following the death
03:16 of her father.
03:17 One of the show's gimmicks is that big-name celebrities narrate certain episodes.
03:21 "You may be asking yourself, why is old Giger's taking time out of her busy schedule to narrate
03:26 the story of a 16-year-old boy?"
03:28 Tennis legend John McEnroe provides most of the narration, with Andy Samberg and Gigi
03:33 Hadid chipping in on occasion.
03:36 The Hadid role was originally cast with Chrissy Teigen, but the model pulled out of the show
03:40 when cyber harassment she had engaged in a decade earlier was made public.
03:45 With Teigen out, Netflix hired another prominent model to take her spots.
03:49 "When scientists declare your face to be perfectly symmetrical, that's all everyone thinks you
03:54 have to offer the world.
03:55 But we've got brains too, and feelings, and…
03:59 Paxton, dude, put a shirt on!"
04:01 Number 7.
04:02 Chris D'Elia - Army of the Dead "We are putting together a crew for a job."
04:07 "Yeah, what does it pay?"
04:09 The Zack Snyder film was already in post-production when actor and stand-up comedian Chris D'Elia
04:13 became the subject of a scandal.
04:16 In June 2020, multiple women accused the comedian of sexual harassment and grooming.
04:21 Fellow stand-up Tick Notaro was tapped to replace D'Elia in the film.
04:25 "Two million dollars.
04:27 That's my share.
04:28 That's just for me.
04:29 Two million dollars if it pans out."
04:31 Unfortunately, as shooting was already completed and the COVID lockdowns were in full swing,
04:37 Notaro was forced to shoot her scenes on a green screen.
04:40 This footage was then incorporated into the film through some clever editing and CGI.
04:44 "But I never want to do it again.
04:48 I want to be in an actual movie with people."
04:52 Number 6.
04:53 Justin Roiland - Rick and Morty "What's going on?
04:56 It's the middle of the night.
04:57 What are you talking about?"
04:58 "I've got a surprise for you.
04:59 Come on, hurry up.
05:00 I've got to get out of here."
05:01 "Ow, ow, you're tugging me too hard."
05:04 Not only did Roiland co-create the beloved animated comedy, he also voices both of the
05:08 lead characters.
05:09 Well, he did until January 2023.
05:13 That was when an alleged domestic battery incident dating back to 2020 surfaced in the
05:18 national news.
05:19 In its wake, multiple people came forward with accusations of predatory behavior, some
05:24 of which came from fellow Rick and Morty employees.
05:27 "There you are, Morty.
05:28 Listen to me.
05:29 I've got an errand to run in a whole different dimension.
05:31 I need an extra pair of hands."
05:33 "Oh, jeez, Rick.
05:34 What'd you do to Frank?"
05:35 "Pretty obvious, Morty."
05:36 While the battery charges were eventually dismissed, Roiland's reputation was tarnished
05:41 and he was fired from Adult Swim.
05:42 However, the company insisted that Rick and Morty would continue without Roiland and that
05:47 the title characters would be recast.
05:49 "What do you say, Rick?
05:50 The flight through space?
05:51 Come upon something?
05:52 Maybe I have a moral objection?"
05:53 "Rick and Morty, we're back, baby!"
05:57 Number 5.
05:58 Shia LaBeouf - Don't Worry, Darling "Do you think it's true that Frank actually
06:02 has a tennis court at his house?"
06:04 "We'll find out, won't we?"
06:06 The production and release of Olivia Wilde's anticipated follow-up to her acclaimed debut
06:10 Booksmart were mired in scandal.
06:13 The film stars Florence Pugh as Alice, a stereotypical 50s housewife who begins harboring suspicions
06:19 about her living situation and husband, Jack.
06:21 "Do you know what weird dreams make me?"
06:24 "What?"
06:25 "Hungry.
06:26 Would you like some carrot?"
06:27 "Yes.
06:28 Ow."
06:29 "I'm hungry."
06:30 "I'm hungry."
06:31 "I'm hungry."
06:32 "I'm hungry."
06:33 Harry Styles was brought in to replace Shia LaBeouf in the role after Wilde claimed that
06:37 LaBeouf had a "combative energy" and made Florence Pugh feel "uncomfortable."
06:42 The stories about LaBeouf's conflicts on set are muddled, with LaBeouf saying he willingly
06:46 left the production and Wilde saying that she fired him for his poor behavior.
06:51 At this point, we'll probably never know what really happened.
06:54 "You and I both know I quit your film because your actors and I couldn't find time to rehearse,"
06:59 adding, "Olivia's media narrative is attractive clickbait."
07:02 Number 4.
07:04 Louis C.K.
07:05 The Secret Life of Pets 2 "I've lived in this city all my life.
07:09 I'm Max and I'm the luckiest dog in New York."
07:13 As the #MeToo movement gained momentum in 2017, multiple women called out comedian Louis
07:19 C.K. for inappropriate behavior.
07:21 The allegations derailed C.K.'s career, including a job on The Secret Life of Pets 2, the first
07:27 film in which C.K. voiced lead character Max, was an enormous success, grossing nearly $900
07:33 million.
07:34 "Any plans today?"
07:36 "Yes, big, big stuff today, Gidget.
07:38 I got big plans.
07:39 I'm gonna sit here and I'm gonna wait for Katie to come back."
07:42 The sequel seemed like easy money for the comedian, but he was fired by Illumination
07:47 in the wake of the scandal.
07:48 The adorable Jack Russell Terrier remained, but he was now voiced by Patton Oswalt.
07:53 A third movie is currently in development, and it seems highly unlikely that C.K. will
07:57 be involved.
07:58 "And by the way, I'm still not a kid person.
08:02 I'm talking about this kid.
08:04 This is my kid.
08:06 He's perfect."
08:08 Number 3.
08:09 Armie Hammer - The Offer "Alio Oliver, Oliver Alio.
08:12 How you doing?"
08:13 "Nice to meet you, Alio."
08:14 For a while there, Armie Hammer seemed like the next big thing in Hollywood, especially
08:18 on the heels of Call Me By Your Name.
08:21 However, his career imploded when a number of horrible allegations came out in January
08:25 2021.
08:27 Aside from some bizarre physical desires, Hammer was also accused of emotional abuse.
08:32 So much so, that a previous girlfriend was allegedly hospitalized for PTSD.
08:36 "And when you least expect it, nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spot."
08:44 He subsequently dropped out of numerous projects, including the biographical miniseries The
08:49 Offer, which he had been cast in just a month before.
08:52 He was replaced by Miles Teller.
08:54 Meanwhile, Will Arnett replaced him in Taika Waititi's Next Goal Wins, which required reshoots.
09:00 "I'm sorry, Thomas, did nobody tell you?
09:05 You're fired."
09:06 Number 2.
09:07 Johnny Depp - Fantastic Beasts - The Secrets of Dumbledore
09:11 For the first two films in this Harry Potter spin-off franchise, antagonist Gellert Grindelwald
09:24 was portrayed by the legendary Johnny Depp.
09:27 But in April 2018, British tabloid The Sun ran an article against Depp, claiming that
09:32 he was abusive towards his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
09:35 Depp sued the newspaper for libel, but lost the case, with the court ruling that there
09:39 was enough evidence of Depp's alleged abuse.
09:42 "Your anger, your desire for revenge is natural."
09:46 The case was devastating to Depp's reputation, and Warner Bros. reportedly asked him to step
09:51 down as Grindelwald for the third film.
09:53 Despite having already shot three scenes, Depp heeded their recommendation, and was
09:57 replaced by Mads Mikkelsen.
09:59 "Words designed to deceive.
10:02 To make you doubt what you've seen with your own two eyes."
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10:20 1.
10:22 Kevin Spacey – All the Money in the World
10:33 Ridley Scott's crime thriller chronicles the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, the
10:38 grandson of the prominent and wealthy J. Paul Getty.
10:41 The elderly oil magnate is played by Christopher Plummer, who was cast to replace Spacey when
10:46 multiple accusations of misconduct came out after filming had already concluded.
10:51 "If I were to respond to every request for money I receive, I would soon be as destitute
11:02 as yourself."
11:03 In fact, the allegations surfaced just a few months before the movie's scheduled release,
11:07 leaving little room for filming and post-production.
11:10 Plummer re-shot all of Spacey's scenes in the span of just nine days at the cost of
11:15 $10 million.
11:17 The recasting was a huge success, earning Plummer an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting
11:22 Actor.
11:36 1.
11:45 (upbeat music)