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    More to love: when the same figure has more than one iconic portrayal
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    More to love: when the same figure has more than one iconic portrayal

    With the season finale of The Vampire Lestat tomorrow, it just occurred to me that this is one of those roles lucky to have more than one iconic portrayal. Here are a few other roles on tv and movies that were lucky to have these multiple portrayals. Which ones do you prefer?

    1. Lestat de Lioncourt – Before Sam Reid's quirky, over-the-top Lestat endeared him to audiences, Tom Cruise also chewed the scenery in maybe his best performance.

    2. Hannibal Lecter – so lucky to have both Anthony Hopkins and Mads Mikkelsen

    3. Claudia in IWTV – Kirsten Dunst, Bailey Bass, and Delainey Hayes (when Bailey had to be recast).

    4. Little Women – Winona Ryder and Saorse Ronan were both great as Jo March

    5. Pride and Prejudice – Kiera Knightley and Matthew MacFayden vs Jennifer Ehle andColin Firth? Discuss.

    6. Lex Luthor – Nicholas Hoult, Gene Hackman, Michael Rosenbaum. All fantastic

    7. Superman – Christopher Reeve or Henry Cavill?

    8. Queen Elizabeth – Cate Blanchett and Bette Davis both gave legendary portrayals

    9. Batman – Michael Keaton and Christian Bale. Again, both amazing.

    10. Joker – Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger! I simply cannot choose.

    11. Spiderman – Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland

    12. Norman Bates – I'm sorry, I know Freddie Highmore is great, but to me Anthony Perkins is THE Norman Bates. Period. End of story.

    13. A Star is Born – Judy Garland and James Mason broke hearts in 1954. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper broke hearts over 60 years later.

    14. King George III – three radically different portrayals: the romantic portrayl in Queen Charlotte (Corey Mylchreest), the buffoon portrayal in Hamilton (Jonathan Groff), and the sad/funny portrayal in Madness of King George III (Nigel Hawthorne)

    Posted by growsonwalls

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    33 Comments

    2. Upstream_Paddler on

      No cat woman? For me it’s a toss up between Julie Newmar and Pfeiffer, but with the exception of Halle I think every version of Catwoman brought something interesting to it, or it spoke for its time beautifully

      Otherwise, Mads accomplish the impossible with Hannibal. I couldn’t fathom that there was something to say that character that Anthony Hopkins didnt, but lord did Mads prove me/any skeptics totally wrong

    4. sonimusprime on

      I don’t know how they do it but each on screen Claudia makes her story even more sad and heart breaking

    9. ozamatazbuckshank11 on

      Frankly, I don’t even think of the new kid when I think of Norman Bates. 🤷🏾‍♀️

    11. SadisticGoose on

      I completely forgot Christian Bale was Bruce Wayne for a minute and was stuck thinking, when did Michael Keaton play Patrick Bateman???

    12. Acceptable_Rule_7590 on

      Sherlock Holmes has had multiple iconic portrayals. He’s the most portrayed human literary character in film and tv history apparently!

    14. jayeddy99 on

      I love the interview with a vampire show so much and it’s not talked about enough 😭 why isn’t it getting that heated rivalry love !???

    15. nyx926 on

      Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson erasure for A Star is Born. (1976)

      See also: Janet Gaynor & Fredric March for the 1937 version.

      Lestat – Stuart Townsend over Tom Cruise for me
      Sam Reid above all.

      Adam West for Batman😉

    19. RobotsVsLions on

      A big fat ew to the superman slide.

      Imagine putting that lex Luther line up then following it up with the worst superman we’ve ever had on screen. Like not even a shout out to Tom welling to go with Rosenbaums Lex? Nick Hoult has had time to become iconic in the role, but Corenswet hasn’t? Insane choices.

      Also no Adam west for Batman?

      Also gotta laugh that the spider man slide is basically just all of the live action ones (minus the 70’s version most people forget even existed).

    20. Aycee225 on

      ![gif](giphy|BxaJQQVSBCOYg)
      My personal preference for Lestat but I know I’m in the minority. I’m just especially biased because the soundtrack of this movie is ANAZING.

    22. Relative-Restaurant6 on

      James Bond, for the past 60+ years he’s had several iconic performances by 6 different actors.

      ![gif](giphy|1gRtl9mdLQvvvOfR9u)

    23. emotions1026 on

      I’m sorry, the Barbra Streisand erasure from A Star is Born is NOT making me happy

    27. emmylouanne on

      The Jo March discussion is one but what about Amy? Elizabeth Taylor is my number one. Then Kirsten Dunst. Then Florence Pugh. Then Joan Bennett.

      And all the Emmas- Gwyneth Paltrow, Anya Taylor Joy, Kate Beckinsale, Alicia Silverstone (yeah she’s called Cher but she’s Emma).

    28. Weary-Can-157 on

      Can I just say how nice it is to see a post with more than two examples? You really put some effort into this, I love it!

    29. LawrenceBrolivier on

      Interview and Hannibal have a TON in common in that the adaptations to TV are significantly different from the texts they’re adapting, and the way these shows fold in stories from other books, repurposed and changed to fit the show and its aesthetic while remaining TONALLY faithful is miraculous. But they also, to me, feel like the best possible versions of the characters. This is not to talk down on the creators of these characters at all, or to demean their creations, because clearly they are meaningful and resonant on their own, to a degree neither show has reached (or likely will reach) – but to say I feel these stories and characters have been distilled, amplified, and crystalized in their show forms, in a way that is simply amazing.

      The best versions of Hannibal, of Lestat, of Will, of Louis, of Jack, Alan(a), Armand, Daniel, Claudia… they’re on these shows. I thought there was no way it would have happened with Hannibal, and then it happened – and now it’s happening again.

    30. RedHeadedSicilian52 on

      Off the top of my head, the only two instances where multiple actors have won Oscars for for portraying the same fictional character are Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro) and the Joker (Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix).

    31. jennyrob669 on

      Sir Ian McKellen also portrayed an aging Magneto perfectly.

      ![gif](giphy|casztFslN1iAo)