Casting the right actors for the right roles is like solving half of the riddle of film production. Just look at Helen Mirren as The Queen or Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin. Could anyone else play those character this well, at Oscar level? I doubt it.

And the interesting thing is, success of casting has nothing to do whatsoever with the abilities of the individual actors involved.

One can be a great actor but still miscast; or be a mediocre actor but cast perfectly. It's just the fit that matters, especially if the part does not require much acting. If it does, a very gifted actor might actually stand out with his prodigious delivery and steal away form the film as a unified experience. Sometimes you need actors just to blend in with the general landscape. And some actors just can't do that and throttle back their afterburners when necessary.

Two immediate examples that come to mind is Chris Rock in "Bad Company" and Jack Nicholson in "The Betrayed."

In that film, Chris Rock could not make the transition from a standup to an actor like Robin Williams managed to do quite a few times, but especially in "Good Will Hunting" and "One Hour Photo." It was as though Rock's part in "Bad Company" was just a vehicle for him to continue deliver sharp jokes and insults at hundred miles an hour, whether the part required it or not.

Jack Nicholson, one of the most gifted actors of his generation and an artist to whom I owe endless hours of cinematic bliss, was as miscast in "The Department" as he was perfectly cast in the "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Chinatown," "All About Schmidt," "Shining," "Something's Gotta Give" etc.

It is a fine balance for an actor to embody his/her character and infuse it with a make-believe life, on the one hand, and to abuse it as a costume, a mask, and a pretext to display his/her own repertoire of fireworks.

Correctly cast actors have the wind of a perfect match fully in their sails and the result is an artwork that sails fast on an even keel.

Miscast actors, on the other hand, constantly draw attention to themselves to the detriment of the story, directing, and the other actors. It is like a car riding on a donut tire. It runs but it's a sorry sight.
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