History Main / MetaCasting

** Creator/MichaelKeaton is Adrian Toomes, AKA the Vulture. Again, ''Film/{{Birdman|OrTheUnexpectedVirtueOfIgnorance}} [[ActorAllusion is the Vulture]]''. (Also, this film could be considered ''Film/{{Batman|1989}} vs. Franchise/SpiderMan'', except [[Film/MeAndEarlAndTheDyingGirl not made by high schoolers.]] And most likely [[WebAnimation/DeathBattle not to the death]].)

* Creator/ParisHilton in ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'' appears to be this - she plays a bitchy, slutty, egotistical heiress, which matches at least her public image perfectly - but she was initially not even allowed to audition and had to fight to win the part. Still a case of WTHCastingAgency.

* In ''{{Theatre/Dreamgirls}}'', Music/{{Beyonce}} plays Deena, one of the members of a [[TheSixties '60s]] GirlGroup who ends up getting promoted more than the other band members (partially because of her relationship with the manager) and even leads to original lead singer Effie being fired from the band. In real life, Beyonce was the FaceOfTheBand for Music/DestinysChild and is the one who had the most successful solo career afterward. Some people feel that the only reason that's true is that Beyonce's father was the manager. What takes this to another level of meta is that Beyonce actually got top billing over Music/JenniferHudson, who plays Effie, the main character of the story.

*** [[FaceOfAThug There may be reasons other than his past]] for why Trejo is typecast this way.

** Downey did it again in ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009'', playing the titular ace detective with drug and adjustment problems. In fact, this seems to happen to Downey a lot. In ''Film/CharlieBartlett'' he plays a high school principal with an alcohol problem. ''Film/{{Zodiac|2007}}'' as well and ''Film/AScannerDarkly'' (mentioned below) natch.

* EVERYONE in ''Film/AScannerDarkly''. Creator/KeanuReeves as a drug-addicted cop is just DullSurprise'd enough to seem plausible as a guy whose mind is slowly deteriorating from substance D. Then there's Creator/RobertDowneyJr, Creator/WoodyHarrelson, Creator/WinonaRyder, Rory Cochrane. What a cast to play a bunch of stoners!

* Creator/MichaelJFox on ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' was cast to play Dr. Kevin Casey, a double certified (medical/surgical) visiting doctor with ''extreme'' [[SuperOCD OCD]]. While he proceeded to show-up everyone in the cast with his skills, and despite his genius and generally positive outlook, his OCD is a very powerful demon that he can never truly ignore. Fox's bodily tics from Parkinson's added weight to the performance and the message.

* ''Theatre/{{Gypsy}}'': Creator/NatalieWood as a budding entertainment artist whose life is made a hell by her StageMom. Just like her early years in the business in real life.

--->''Until that movie, I took my drugs after work and on the weekends. That changed on ''Less Than Zero'', the role was like the ghost of Christmas future. The character was an exaggeration of myself. Then things changed and, in some ways, I became an exaggeration of the character.''

* Creator/AudieMurphy enlisted in the US Army at 16 by falsifying his birth records, and proceeded to win more medals than he had places to put them in WWII. This included every single medal awarded by the US at the time, several more than once, along with medals from the French and Belgian governments. He then came home and starred in several war movies as a young recruit who performed heroic deeds on the battlefield, including ''Literature/TheRedBadgeOfCourage'' and a movie based on his own war experiences.

* Music/MileyCyrus in ''Film/{{LOL}}'', an American 2012 remake of a French BlackComedy. She plays the role of a BrattyTeenageDaughter who is seen by her mother as perfect and goody-two-shoes but in private leads an active sex life, smokes, drinks, does drugs and has a raunchy mouth. The tables are turned as her mother reads her Website/{{Facebook}} page and learns of her sordid sexual posts. Though the role was not written expressly for her, it has interesting subtext as Miley in RealLife has moved on from her ''Series/HannahMontana'' days (to a degree that would make even her character in the film go pale with shock), to the ire of MoralGuardians.

* In ''{{Theatre/Dreamgirls}}'', Music/{{Beyonce}} plays Deena, one of the members of a [[TheSixties '60s]] GirlGroup who ends up getting promoted more than the other band members (partially because of her relationship with the manager) and even leads to original lead singer Effie being fired from the band. In real life, Beyonce was the FaceOfTheBand for Music/DestinysChild and is the one who has had the most successful solo career afterward. Some people feel that the only reason that's true is that Beyonce's father was the manager. What takes this to another level of meta is that Beyonce actually got top billing over Music/JenniferHudson, who plays Effie, the main character of the story.

* During an interview on the ''Travis Smiley'' show, Creator/DenzelWashington admitted that his first villain role in the film ''Film/TrainingDay'' (which got him a best male actor UsefulNotes/AcademyAward) was the easiest role he ever played. This was because the character he played: a corrupt cop named Alonzo, was based around his real off-screen personality. However, he made it clear that the evil deeds were solely movie based.

** Creator/NaomiWatts plays an aspiring actress who, at one point, shows romantic interest in a dark haired woman. [[Film/MulhollandDrive 'Cause that doesn't sound familiar, does it?]]

* ''Film/ThorRagnarok'': Early on, we see a stage play put on by Loki (as Odin) [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2h8eM-GhGY depicting his supposed "death"]] in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld''. Loki took great care with casting, seeing as he made sure he was played by A-lister Creator/MattDamon, while casting Creator/SamNeill as Odin, and Creator/ChrisHemsworth (Thor)'s older brother [[Creator/LukeHemsworth Luke]] as Thor.

** The film was conceived as a rare dramatic vehicle for Creator/MarilynMonroe, who wanted to transition out of her DumbBlonde persona in comedies. Indeed, as filming went on, the character Roslyn kept being rewritten to more closely resemble her; in the short story it's adapted from, Roslyn was college educated, but became a high school dropout and also had a difficult relationship with her mother. She's at one point told by the male lead that she's "the saddest girl I ever met", and responds that men usually tell her how happy she is; this was based on an actual conversation between her and then-husband Arthur Miller. There's also a scene where another character finds old photos of Roslyn, and they use some of Marilyn's famous pin-up pictures.
** This LeaningOnTheFourthWall extends to the character of Perce, played by Creator/MontgomeryClift. He's presented as a disaster, with a nasty drinking problem and doing whatever he can to make a living; referencing how a nasty car accident had led to him self-medicating and his career suffered. His introductory scene has him assuring his mother that his face is "all healed up", again referencing the accident that destroyed his PrettyBoy good looks.

** The Eleventh Doctor's actor Creator/MattSmith bought his own... astonishing physicality to the role. Behind the Scenes stuff shows that he's even more of a clumsy loon than his character. He broke sonic screwdrivers on a regular basis and impulsively kissed his co-star Arthur Darvill in a ThrowItIn moment, and as a boy he was on the books of UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball teams Northampton Town, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, captaining the latter's youth team before injury forced him out of football - though he [[TheCastShowOff did demonstrate his skills during one episode]].

* Everyone's favorite goth girl, ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' lab tech Abby Sciuto, has a lot in common with her actress, Pauley Perrette. Not just the tattoos, but the story Abby tells Kate in the first episode, about poking around in an old junkyard being the start of her forensics path, is actually straight out of Perette's life.

* In ''Series/TheITCrowd'', the socially-awkward and nerdy character, Moss, who has no people skills, is played by Creator/RichardAyoade. In RealLife, Ayoade is also something of a socially-awkward, shy geek, who is open about his social anxiety issues. He has often stated that he hates the limelight and hates being interviewed, and when appearing on British panel shows he often plays up this persona. According to Ayoade, Graham Linehan wrote the character specifically for him, having met him at university and knowing his personality quirks.

** Creator/{{Deborah Ann Woll}} plays [[SexySecretary Karen Page]], the [[OfficialCouple official love interest]] of [[BlindJustice blind lawyer]] Matt Murdock. Her husband EJ Scott is going blind as the result of choroideremia, and she raises public awareness of the disease as a pet cause. This was lampshaded by Woll, [[https://twitter.com/Daredevil/status/583815587018579969 as EJ actually dressed up as Matt for the season 1 premiere]]. And the show takes this full-circle partway through season 2, once [[RelationshipUpgrade Matt and Karen start dating]].

* ''Series/IronFist2017'': Given the duality motif of [[Characters/DaredevilCentralRoguesGallery Typhoid Mary]], it only seems appropriate that for her live action portrayal, she's played by Creator/AliceEve, who sports heterochromia (her left eye is blue and right eye is green).

** Donnie Andrews, a criminal whose real-life exploits inspired much of Omar Little's character, and who worked as a consultant for ''The Wire'', got to appear in seasons 4 and 5 as one of Blind Butchie's muscle men.

* ''Anime/PompoTheCinephile'': first-time director Gene Fini and aspiring actress Nathalie Woodward are voiced by newcomer voice actors with no other major roles on their resumes, while retired actor Martin Braddock (implied to be "the world's best actor" and named after Creator/MarlonBrando) is voiced by respected veteran voice actor Creator/AkioOhtsuka.

** Creator/SeanMurry is also almost as much of a geek as [=McGee=].

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' managed a two-fer. Creator/GinniferGoodwin and Crestor/JenniferMorrison were long noted to have a distinct resemblance - to the point where they began signing autographs and giving interviews as each other. So it was a bit of a CastingGag for them to play mother and daughter respectively. Additionally, many other cast members have said that Goodwin is ThePollyanna in real life - so it's incredibly appropriate that she be picked to play Snow White.

* Creator/ChristopherReeve in the ''Film/RearWindow'' remake.
* Audie Murphy. Enlisted in the US Army at 16 by falsifying his birth records, and proceeded to win more medals than he had places to put them in WWII. This included every single medal awarded by the US at the time, several more than once, along with medals from the French and Belgian governments. He then came home and starred in several war movies as a young recruit who performed heroic deeds on the battlefield, including ''Literature/TheRedBadgeOfCourage'' and a movie based on his own war experiences.

* ''Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star'' had the main character go for a role in a Rob Reiner film and he was considered perfect for the role in every regard except that he never had a normal childhood. So he goes off to quickly get a normal childhood. Essentially he is working to invoke this trope InUniverse to get a role.

* In ''{{Theatre/Dreamgirls}}'', Music/{{Beyonce}} plays Deena, one of the members of a [[TheSixties '60s]] GirlGroup who ends up getting promoted more than the other band members (partially because of her relationship with the manager) and even leads to original lead singer Effie being fired from the band. In real life, Beyonce was the FaceOfTheBand for Music/DestinysChild and is the one who has had the most successful solo career afterward. Some people feel that the only reason that's true is that Beyonce's father was the manager. What takes this to another level of meta is that Beyonce actually got top billing over Jennifer Hudson, who plays Effie, the main character of the story.

* Dennis Farina usually played cops and mobsters, which maybe wasn't surprising considering he was a Chicago police officer for almost 20 years before taking up acting. His ''Series/LawAndOrder'' character was even mentioned as previously being a Chicago cop.

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' managed a two-fer. Ginnifer Goodwin and Jennifer Morrison were long noted to have a distinct resemblance - to the point where they began signing autographs and giving interviews as each other. So it was a bit of a CastingGag for them to play mother and daughter respectively. Additionally, many other cast members have said that Goodwin is ThePollyanna in real life - so it's incredibly appropriate that she be picked to play Snow White.

* The French film ''Grosse Fatigue'' (English subtitle: "Dead Tired") takes this all the way UpToEleven and then some more. All the leading actors, ''extremely'' well known in France, play themselves—still just as famous but in a fictitious scenario. The only character who ''isn't'' portrayed as the actor playing him is played by [[spoiler: the film's maker, Michel Blanc]], but that's only because said actor is playing two roles, himself and someone who isn't famous but looks exactly like him, a fact that provides the motor for a very clever plot.

** Downey did it again in ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009'', playing the titular ace detective with drug and adjustment problems. In fact, this seems to happen to Downey a lot. In ''Film/CharlieBartlett'' he plays a high school principal with an alcohol problem. ''Film/{{Zodiac}}'' as well and ''Film/AScannerDarkly'' (mentioned below) natch.

* The film ''Film/FiftyFifty'' is partially autobiographical on the screenwriter's own experiences when he was diagnosed with cancer - and Seth Rogen is his best friend. So Rogen is essentially playing himself doing what he did in real life.

** He was cast as ''Film/IronMan'' not only because he is a good actor, but has had problems in the past with drug abuse. That added extra weight to a man who is struggling to redeem himself for past mistakes; a man who is also known for having problems with alcohol.

* After her infamous Saks Fifth Avenue shoplifting debacle, Winona Ryder played in a movie called ''Film/TheTen'', which was an AnthologyFilm that riffed on ''Film/TheTenCommandments''. The subject of Ryder's segment? [[ShouldntYouStopStealing "Thou Shalt Not Steal."]]

** Just like Matt Murdock, Creator/CharlieCox is a RaisedCatholic.

* ''{{Film/Birdman}}''

** Creator/MichaelKeaton is Adrian Toomes, AKA the Vulture. Again, ''Film/{{Birdman}} [[ActorAllusion is the Vulture]]''. (Also, this film could be considered ''Film/{{Batman|1989}} vs. Franchise/SpiderMan'', except [[Film/MeAndEarlAndTheDyingGirl not made by high schoolers.]] And most likely [[WebAnimation/DeathBattle not to the death]].)

* In a similar vein, ''{{Film/Thirteen}}'' is based partially on actress Nikki Reed's own experiences at that age. Though the character that is based on Reed - Tracie - is played by Evan Rachel Wood, Reed playing the best friend Evie instead.

* Creator/GeorgeClooney's character in ''Film/UpInTheAir'' is a charming bachelor with no plans of marriage. You'd think the part was specifically written for him.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': Creator/AdamWest ([[AdamWesting but of course]]) plays a washed-up actor who is frustrated that nobody can think of him as anything but his most famous role. Other actors might have been able to portray it better, but no one else could have given it that added level of irony. And then producer Bruce Timm playing the crazy fan in the episode (complete as an InkSuitActor) really hits it home. The episode was written specifically for West - if West hadn't been available then the episode wouldn't have been made at all.

** A lawyer like Marci Stahl makes sense being played by Creator/AmyRutberg, whose dad is a judge.

* ''Series/Gunpowder'' stars Creator/KitHarrington as his matrilineal ancestor Richard Catesby.