5 Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds

To bring surprises in Landa’s character, Waltz never rehearsed with the rest of the cast. This is not to mention he won an Oscar for the same non-rehearsed acting. Waltz won the prize despite the director, Quentin Tarantino’s claim that he wrote such an unplayable villain.

It was not Waltz who chose not to practice; Tarantino didn’t allow him to. The director didn’t hope for the best, he just wanted someone to act the role decently. He just knew he wasn’t going to find such abilities in other famed names.

Tarantino couldn’t find the perfect fit for Landa and he was about to postpone the movie’s cast by a year. Just a day before he packed up, he luckily came across Waltz.

The cold Nazi Landa steals everyone’s eye when he’s on-screen. Landa is a villain in the movie and is named “the Jew Hunter.” Waltz is just brilliant in playing that self-absorbed, non-guilty, SS soldier’s role.

Besides an Oscar, Waltz also won an Academy Award for best-supporting actor. He won it again in Tarantino’s Django Unchained for playing King Schultz. (1, 2)

4 Sir Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek

Stewart was initially given the side role of “Data” in the series, and Stephen Macht was going to play Picard. However, Gene Roddenberry, the creator, couldn’t keep himself from assigning Picard to Stewart after being impressed by his “gentlemanly demeanor.” Stewart once told the press that he was melded with the character and it never left him.

Roddenberry wanted a Frenchman who was masculine and virile to play the role of Picard. After seeing his flawless delivery, the creator finally gave the role of the captain of the starship Enterprise to Stewart. Picard became one of the most popular characters in the franchise’s history.

Stewart saw his union with the character and the kind of relationship he was happy to have. He was so dedicated and involved in the character, he said he was absolutely thrilled to continue even after playing it for a long time.

The role also impacted his personal life. Stewart once mentioned that he couldn’t distinguish between him and the character.

He played it diligently in four movies. The sequential series, released after 20 years, included his name in the title that reads, Star Trek: Picard. (1, 2)

3 James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano in The Sopranos

It is the cherry-on-the-top when an actor is a lot like the movie character in real life. Gandolfini, in his mid-twenties, was extremely short-tempered. Once he wreaked havoc in his acting class, his teacher told him this is what actors are paid for and that he should use his epiphany.

Gandolfini shared a variety of aspects with his character of Soprano in real life. Both were from New Jersey and were very proud of their Italian heritage. Both had their fathers as masons.

Gandolfini made his film debut in 1987 and appeared in films like A Stranger Among Us and True Romance. The creator of The Sopranos, David Chase, was able to recognize Gandolfini’s talent. He invited him to take the role of Tony Soprano.

The actor’s first reaction, when given the script, was skeptical. He laughed out loud and said he wouldn’t get the part. However, Gandolfini played the violent and beefy Soprano’s role smoothly for six long seasons.

Gandolfini died early at 51 due to a heart attack. (Source)

2 Alan Rickman as Severus Snape in Harry Potter

Rickman was the one to perfectly pick the mannerisms from the all-time greatest J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. The stony face, seething rage, secret sadness, and disgust, all qualities that were up to the mark.

He is not the protagonist, not even the antagonist; still, the character of Snape stands out to be special. Snape was a serious and strict teacher all along, yet he opportunistically offers great dry humor.

Besides being a scary teacher at Hogwarts, he played a variety of roles in the series. He nailed down each one excellently. He keeps everyone guessing which side he is on until the end. The moment when Snape reveals his true colors and sacrifices his life to destroy Voldemort is eye-melting.

However, it is quite surprising to know that Rickman was not the first choice for Snape’s character. The creators had initially selected Tim Roth, but he had to withdraw because of another commitment.

After witnessing his magnificent performance, imagining someone else as the head of Slytherin is weird. (1, 2, 3)

1 Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House in House, MD

Laurie’s wit and genius are forged ideally with the narcissistic and weirdo character of Dr. House. The producers first wanted a quintessentially American actor for the role. Laurie was British, and in his audition tape, he tried to hide his British accent. That’s when the director knew he was the one for that wicked role.

Before working for House, MD, Laurie wasn’t at all popular among the Americans, although he worked in Stuart Little. He forwarded his audition video for Dr. House from Namibia when he was filming for Flight of the Phoenix.

Even if he didn’t meet the producer’s demand for an American individual, other characteristics compensated for it. After going through his resume, producers were convinced that his dynamics matched with the snarky doctor.

The fact that he faked his accent was a decisive reason why he was selected. Not many actors can do that. Laurie didn’t share a medical background, but that wasn’t an issue since he was talented enough to fake that too. Nonetheless, his father was a doctor, so that came in handy a little bit.

Laurie made millions of fans by flaunting his abilities at best in Dr. House’s role. (1, 2)