the butterfly effect of movies

I really enjoy the list videos that are all over Youtube. A few examples -- titles copied off of Youtube -- will illustrate the kind of stuff I mean.

• Top Ten Best TV Show Characters
• Top Ten Smartest Movie Villains
• Top Ten Celebrity Falls From Grace

You get the idea.

But there's one topic that I take issue with. That is, videos where the topic is actors who passed up plumb roles. Don't get me wrong -- I still enjoy those videos. It's interesting to imagine how Grease would have turned out if Henry Winkler had played Danny Zuko. Or, what about Pretty Woman with Molly Ringwald.

But I find myself increasingly annoyed by an assumption that implicitly underlies these videos. That is, the notion that these movies and TV shows would have been the same with different actors in the lead roles, Actually, that assumption isn't purely implicit in all of these videos. I recall one of them referencing how much richer Sean Connery would have been if he had accepted the role of Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. The figure was based on the offer that was made to him and the actual box office receipts for the movie. Seems to me that that's incredibly insulting to good actors, as it dismisses the value of what they bring to the table. Would the Raiders of the Lost Ark have been the same success with someone else playing Indiana Jones? No. It might have been a huge success. Or it might not have been. Each actor brings something unique to a role, whether it's something intangible -- the subtle wit and charm that contribute to the perfect delivery -- or something very tangible -- an iconic moment that was improvised. And, by the way, it's not just what the particular actor does. It's also how the other actors react and interact. Call it the butterfly effect or movies.

If you have any doubt, just try imagining Casablanca with me in the iconic role of Rick. IMDB, here I come!