If there’s one thing actors are supposed to be very good at, it’s accurately impersonating the people they’re portraying that viewers would have a hard time distinguishing one from another. Even on set, film crew members often find themselves in awkward situations with actors who can’t be bothered to break character even when films stop rolling, like Daniel Day-Lewis during the filming of “Lincoln.”
And now, we present to you our picks for some of the most compelling portrayals of historic people by Hollywood actors.
Robert Downey Jr. as Charles Chaplin – Chaplin (1992)
Robert Downey Jr. is perhaps one of the most prolific actors of his generation. He has appeared in various genre and did very well in each character he portrayed. RDJ was hand-picked by no less than Sir Richard Attenborough to play the legendary figure. The choice, however, was met with resistance. But RDJ did not relent and really threw himself into the character. He learned how to dance like Chaplin, play the violin left-handed, and even learned to play tennis with his left hand. He also learned Chaplin’s demeanor and mannerisms and worked hard even when films weren’t rolling. In the end, RDJ gained widespread praise for his uncanny portrayal, leaving the audience and critics into thinking “Who could have played it better?”
