25 Movie Portrayals of Real People That Were Way Off the Mark

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25 Movie Portrayals of Real People That Were Way Off the Mark
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When someone gives an unfavorable critique of a portrayal, it’s easy to think that it was all the actor’s fault. In some cases that’s true, but sometimes the actor does a great job with the highly inaccurate material they were given. Like, it’s not really an actor’s place to stroll onto the set and say, “Hey guys, you need to change this entire script to be more historically accurate!” Seems like a fireable offense right there.

However these truth-to-movie disconnects happened, and real people weren’t properly portrayed — and some were furious about it.

Patch Adams

DR. HUNTER PATCH ADAMS PATCH ADAMS CRACKED.COM The actual Patch Adams was not amused by Robin Williams' take on his life and work, stating that his portrayal as simply a funny doctor inadequately captured the wide scope of his humanitarian and medical efforts, and telling Roger Ebert, I hate that movie.

Feud: Bette & Joan

OLIVIA de HAVILLAND FEUD: BETTE & JOAN CRACKED.COM Olivia hated Catherine Zeta-Jones' portrayal so much that she sued FX for unauthorized use of her name and identity on the eve of her 101st birthday. She took offense to the show's depiction of her as a gossip, and the character's use of profanity to refer to her sister.

A Beautiful Mind

JOHN NASH A BEAUTIFUL MIND CRACKED.G COM The real-life Nash was a lot less pure than his depiction. In the 2001 film, he's a faithful husband to his first love, Alicia. In reality, Nash had an illegitimate son, covert affairs with men, and was abusive toward Alicia, whom he regarded as his slave.

Stuck

CRACKED.COM In Stuck, a movie based on the real-life story of Chante Mallard, an African-American, she is portrayed by Mena Suvari who wears cornrows for the part.

Cinderella Man

MAX BAER CINDERELLA MAN CRACKED.COM Movies need bad guys. The 2005 film paints legendary boxer Max Baer as an evil womanizer who bragged about killing 2 opponents. In reality, Baer was a good man who, after accidentally killing an opponent, gave money to the victim's family and suffered PTSD after the incident.

Jimi: All Is by My Side

JIMI HENDRIX JIMI: ALL IS BY MY SIDE CRACKED.COM The 2013 film with Andre Benjamin portrays Jimi as a domestic abuser who beat his girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham. According to Etchingham, he was a sweet and funny guy who never once laid a hand on her. The story came from an unauthorized bio that never consulted her.

Gladiator

COMMODUS GLADIATOR CRACKED.COM Although Joaquin Phoenix's Commodus is widely regarded as a great performance, filmmakers got his story so very wrong. The real Commodus never killed his dad. In fact, he served as joint emperor with his father for 3 years before he died of natural causes.

Marie Antoinette

MARIE ANTOINETTE MARIE ANTOINETTE CRACKED.COM Historian Alex von Kunzelmann believes that Sofia Coppola's 2006 film starring Kirsten Dunst did get a lot right historically, but it paints Marie Antoinette as a spoiled and oblivious child. In reality, she was politically active, not just a shopaholic with a sweet tooth.

The Greatest Showman

P.T BARNUM THE GREATEST SHOWMAN CRACKED.COM In 2017's Greatest Showman, Hugh Jackman portrayed Barnum as a charismatic champion of the downtrodden. In reality, Barnum exploited marginalized groups, marketing his elderly slave Joice Heth as George Washington's 161 year-old nursemaid, and hosting her live autopsy for 1500 people when she passed.

Notorious

LIL KIM NOTORIOUS CRACKED.COM Never consulted by filmmakers or actress, Naturi Naughton, Lil Kim saw her audition tape after the fact, and dubbed her the worst possible candidate. Kim stated, I would have never picked Naturi, she doesn't have a Lil Kim aura at all!

David Letterman

DAVID LETTERMAN THE LATE SHIFT CRACKED.COM The 1996 made-for-TV movie portrays Letterman and Leno's battle for next host of The Tonight Show. Letterman felt HBO pieced together the surface-level story from news clips, and compared John Michael Higgins' portrayal of him to a psychotic chimp.

Pocahontas

POCAHONTAS POCAHONTAS CRACKED.COM The real story of Pocahontas would not be Disney material. Although the movie portrays her as an adult, John Smith was almost 30 when he met Pocahontas, who was only 10.

Winnie Mandela

WINNIE MANDELA WINNIE MANDELA GRACKED.COM The 2011 film 'Winnie Mandela' never once consulted Winnie Mandela. They filmed in South Africa (where she resides), and Jennifer Hudson was excited to meet with her, but producers refused to allow the meeting. Mandela told CNN that she felt it was insulting.

The Blindside

MICHAEL OHER THE BLINDSIDE BED CRACKED.COM Oher hated the film's simple version of himself, writing, They portrayed me as dumb instead of as a kid who never had consistent academic instruction. The film's adoptive family teaches him football, but he claims he taught himself years before meeting them.

Lady Gaga

PATRIZIA REGGIANI LADY GAGA GRACKED.COM Gaga's dialect coach called her accent more Russian than anything, and when Patrizia Reggiani stated, I am rather annoyed that Lady Gaga is playing me without having the consideration and sensibility to meet me. Gaga responsed, Nobody was going to tell me who Patrizia Gucci was. Not even Patrizia Gucci.

The Theory of Everything

The Theory Of Everything GRACKED.COM In The Theory Of Everything, Stephen and Jane Hawking drift apart but remain friends. In truth, Hawking's divorce was bitter, and his second wife was abusive. His relationship with Jane and the children was distant and strained, and things with new wife Elaine were worse. Hawking suffered a number of serious bed injuries, heat stroke from being left outside, and Elaine was heard screaming obscenities at him.

Titanic

Titanic CRACKED.COM Rose survives Titanic despite the crew's bungling efforts. In the film, William Murdoch sends off half-filled lifeboats, panics, and even murders passengers. In reality, he filled boats to capacity and sacrificed himself so others could survive. The portrayal was so insulting, studio executives flew to his hometown to apologize.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs CRACKED.COM In Steve Jobs, the titular character is portrayed as the savior of Apple. But Jobs almost sank the company. As part of his return to Apple, Jobs was awarded $1.5 million in shares of stock. As soon as it was legally possible to do so, he sold those shares, an action that nearly destroyed them. The return also wasn't some long-desired triumph for Jobs either. Не initially turned down the offer because he was now CEO of Pixar.

The Sound of Music

The Sound Of Music CRACKED.COM In The Sound Of Music, the grumpy, hard-nosed captain learns to enjoy music. But the real Georg von Trapp was a sweet man who loved music. His children were never happy about the way their kind father was portrayed on film. On the other hand, the real Maria wasn't quite as endearing as her onscreen persona. In a 2003 interview, one of the real von Trapp children confessed that Maria had a terrible temper.

Argo

Argo CRACKED.COM In Argo the Americans save the day. In reality, it was Canada that pulled off the rescue. The plot involved getting Americans out of Iran by disguising them as a film crew scouting a location. The movie makes it seem like it was all the CIA's idea, but Canada was responsible for at least 90 percent of the operation, according to President Jimmy Carter. The entire operation was even widely dubbed The Canadian Caper.

Amadeus

Amadeus GRACKED.COM In Amadeus, Mozart is a goof who is fiercely envied (and probably killed) by Salieri. But most historians agree that their relationship was one of friendly rivalry, marked by mutual respect and admiration. Mozart likely drank himself to death -and yet he was far from the potty-mouthed, giggling simpleton depicted in the movie.

Hotel Rwanda

Hotel Rwanda CRACKED.COM Hotel Rwanda tells of hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina's frantic efforts to harbor and save refugees during the Rwandan genocide. However, survivors say he exaggerated his heroism, and was in fact charging his guests for safe haven in the hotel. One of the employees of the hotel, Pasa Mwenenganucye, claimed that people who couldn't pay were kicked out, and he called the film a basket of lies.

Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club CRACKED.COM In the movie, cowboy Ron Woodroof smuggles safe but non-FDA-approved AIDS medications, like Peptide T, DDC, and Compound Q. In real life, the drugs Woodroof got his hands on simply didn't work. We know now Peptide T is useless at fighting HIV, while DDC can have even worse side effects than AZT, like irreversible nerve damage in the hands and feet. As for Compound Q? It straight up killed two people.
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