Even if the upcoming Marilyn Monroe biopic My Week with Marilyn doesn't live up to its intriguing promo stills, the casting and styling choices that make Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh such convincing impersonators of Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier are already stunners. Branagh's Shakespearean gravitas! Williams' sighing loveliness! This inspires us to revisit other famous actors who played Hollywood legends and see how their appearances measured up. Come on, Judy Davis, get happy!
Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh in My Week with Marilyn
Branagh has long been Laurence Olivier's Hamlet scion, but I'm still shocked to see that he bears such a resemblance to the Rebecca legend. Can we take a protractor to that eyebrow arch? Look at those identical parabolas! Like two slips of exotic calligraphy. Surely Olivier could not have asked for a worthier tribute artist, and I guess he couldn't ask for a better doppelganger either. Score: 9 (out of 10)
Marilyn Monroe and Michelle Williams in a promo still for My Week with Marilyn
Williams was an unexpected choice for Norma Jean, but there's a lot going on here that I like: The hair, skin, and lips are all matches, and even if Williams's eyes are smaller (squintier?) than Marilyn's, the Blue Valentine alum nails the exhausted airiness. I hope the movie shoehorns in a rendition of "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" for the sake of our good time. Score: 8
Charlie Chaplin and Robert Downey, Jr. in Chaplin
Chaplin is all about accoutrement, so even if Mr. Downey, Jr.'s facial structure isn't an exact match for the Modern Times marvel, you'd hardly notice it under the preened mustache, top hat, and blackened brows. It's the same principle that allowed standup comedian Gallagher's evil twin brother to masquerade as him without anyone catching on. Score: 7
Katharine Hepburn and Cate Blanchett in The Aviator
The fact that Cate Blanchett looks remarkably like Cate Blanchett here is fitting when you consider how she played the character -- not as a replica of Katharine Hepburn, but as a confident, grand reinvention. It's hard enough to imitate those cheekbones. Damn, Kate! Like Lauren Bacall with samurai sword angularity. Even if it requires more than a half-hour of The Aviator's runtime to get used to Blanchett's vivid, Oscar-winning rendering, it's an admirable guise. Score: 7
Orson Welles and Christan McKay in Me and Orson Welles
Surely Christan McKay's portrayal was less menacing and commanding than the real Orson Welles, but aside from obvious differences in the chiseling department, they're an OK match. All the training in the world can't prepare McKay for reenacting Welles' cameo in The Muppet Movie, I'm afraid, but for a 1937 revamp, he does the job. Score: 5
Judy Garland and Judy Davis in Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows
Here we reenter the Blanchett school of mimicry: Davis is an unforgettable knockout in the Garland biopic miniseries, but it didn't matter if she utterly resembled Liza's mom; her jaunty electricity conjured Garland's spirit on its own. That said, it's a damn good imitation. Her glances, mouth gymnastics, and joy all translate perfectly. Even if no one can recreate the entrancing eyes of the real Garland, Davis pinpointed everything else. Score: 9
Bela Lugosi and Martin Landau in Ed Wood
Bela Lugosi can look left, right, up, down, front, back, or over the camera, and he is always chilling. Martin Landau recreated that wizened severity with impressive ease in his Oscar-winning turn as the aged Dracula. He adds a little Sam The Eagle bone structure to Lugosi's visage, but that's a sternness befitting of Lugosi's legacy. Score: 6
ยท First Look at Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier [Cinema Blend]