Characters That Stunned Fans When They Were Replaced by New Actors

They say that television is the land of make believe, but a lot of fans had a tough time swallowing the bologna when studio execs switched the actors playing their favorite characters with someone who looked entirely different.

A similar hair color and fashion sense just aren’t enough to capture the feeling of a character that an actor creates when they do their job on a TV series. So, here are some of the most shocking cast replacements that left fans stunned and, in some cases, unhappy.

Albus Dumbledore in “Harry Potter”

In the first two films of the “Harry Potter” franchise, Headmaster of Hogwarts Albus Dumbledore was played by Richard Harris, who was expected to play the character throughout the entire run of the film series.

Harris took the role to please his 11-year-old granddaughter, but unfortunately, Harris passed away before the release of the third film. Ian McKellen was offered the role, but it ultimately went to actor Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in all of the remaining films.

Victoria in “Twilight”

In the first two installments of the “Twilight” film franchise, the vampire Victoria was portrayed by actress Rachelle Lefèvre. She was later stunned that she was recast because she was “fully committed”

to doing more films in the franchise and even turned down other roles to continue with the series. She was replaced by actress Bryce Dallas Howard in the third film of the franchise, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.”

The Hulk

In the 2003 film “Hulk,” the huge green superhero was played by actor Eric Bana, and when the character was given another film titled “The Incredible Hulk” in 2008, he was played by Edward Norton. Actor Mark Ruffalo has since taken over the character, portraying the Hulk in “

The Avengers” series since 2012.

Rachel Dawes in the “Batman” Series

In the film “Batman Begins” actress Katie Holmes played Bruce Wayne’s childhood friend and love interest Rachel Dawes. Her character was described as a “moral conscience for Bruce” and director Christopher Nolan loved Holmes’s warmth and maturity in the role. But in “

The Dark Knight,” the character was played by Maggie Gyllenhaal because Holmes declined to return for the sequel because of filming obligations for the film “Mad Money.”