Ewan McGregor & 9 Other Actors Who Played Young Versions Of Iconic Characters To Perfection, According To Ranker

Ewan McGregor is once again stepping into the role of Obi-Wan for his new Disney+ series, and it may be hard to remember back when McGregor’s casting had fans nervous. No matter how good or beloved an actor already is, when they take on the younger version of an already iconic character, there is an added layer of pressure surrounding their performance.

Whether they’re criticized for being a carbon copy or catch bad reviews because they strayed too far from the beloved original, it can be difficult to truly embody an already beloved character and make it their own. While it may sound impossible, dozens of actors have managed to make already iconic characters their own, improving on perfection for new audiences to enjoy.

Freddie Highmore As Norman Bates

Filling the shoes of one of the most iconic villains in movie history, Freddie Highmore not only managed to expand Norman Bates’ character in the prequel series Bates Motel but also made him more sympathetic than audiences ever could’ve expected.

Centered around the relationship between Norman and his beloved mother Norma, played by an equally wonderful Vera Farmiga, the show filled in the backstory for the characters, leading up to the fifth season, which acted as a remake of sorts of the Hitchcock classic. Throughout its’ entire run, the show was critically acclaimed and highly praised by fans alike, further cementing Highmore’s successful portrayal.

Martin Freeman As Bilbo Baggins

Bilbo Baggins is an iconic character, but it’s hard to say that Ian Holm’s version had much to do during Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. This gave Martin Freeman more leeway with the character with Jackson’s trilogy based on The Hobbit, but the pressure was still there to embody one of the most well-known characters in literature.

While Jackson’s prequel trilogy wasn’t as positively received as Lord of the Rings, that is through no fault of Freeman’s. Endearing, inquisitive, and just plain likable, Freeman’s characterization genuinely adds more depth to Bilbo when rewatching the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Michael Fassbender As Magneto

Sir Ian McKellen’s portrayal of Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto is one of the most well-known in all comic-book movies, and as the first big-screen portrayal of the character, it’s also cemented as one of McKellen’s signature roles. When the prequel X-Men: First Class was announced, fans were nervous that casting the wrong actor could be catastrophic to the movie’s chances of success.

Enter Michael Fassbender as young Erik Lensherr, whose performance as a young Magneto takes all of the hints at the hardships of McKellen’s version and puts them all on full display. Perhaps most crucially, he absolutely sells the conflicting ideology between him and Charles Xavier while maintaining the friendship between the two men.

Zachary Quinto As Spock

Filling the large Vulcan shoes of Leonard Nimoy, Zachary Quinto’s take on Spock helped make 2009’s Star Trek a massive hit with die-hard Trekkies, critics, and casual fans all at once. Capturing the emotionless features of Nimoy’s interpretation, Quinto channels the stillness of Spock without ever feeling like he’s purely copying from Nimoy.

Audiences were even more impressed when Quinto’s version came face-to-face with Nimoy’s Spock during the movie and more than held his own against the iconic version of the fan-favorite character. Quinto has reprised his role in sequels Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond, continuing to build his own legacy as Spock.

Donald Glover As Lando Calrissian

In the years following Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back’s release, the legend of Lando Calrissian only continued to grow with the character, and actor Billy Dee Williams became the epitome of cool. When Solo was announced with plans for Han to cross paths with a younger Lando, fans knew the casting had to be perfect to live up to the legacy of how timelessly cool Billy Dee had been over the years.

Enter Atlanta creator and talented multi-hyphenate Donald Glover’s pastel-wearing take on the iconic character who not only quickly became the best part of the Solo movie but got the seal of approval from fans and Billy Dee himself. Glover’s Lando mirrors all of the features that make the character so cool, he’s charming, scheming, bold, and more all rolled into one.

Robert De Niro As Vito Corleone

While Robert De Niro now is a provenly talented actor, he was far from even a household name when he was cast as the younger version of Vito Corleone, a role previously inhabited by Marlon Brando. The Godfather Part II was under considerable pressure to live up to the standard set by the original, and casting De Niro, fresh off of Mean Streets but well before his iconic performances in Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, and Raging Bull, was far from a sure thing.

Not only did De Niro’s performance garner widespread acclaim, but he also captured his first Academy Award nomination and win, while the movie is also considered one of the greatest ever made, in many fans’ eyes even surpassing the original. None of that is possible without De Niro being able to so perfectly channel the features that made Brando’s performance iconic while also giving himself the room for his own interpretation.

River Phoenix As Indiana Jones

Audiences knew that Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was going to be good from the second the movie started. In an extended prologue featuring River Phoenix as a teenage version of Harrison Ford’s adventuring archeologist, director Steven Spielberg creates an unforgettable sequence set on a circus train.

With nods to Jones’ trademark whip, fear of snakes, and even showing how he got his famed fedora, the opening scene puts all of River Phoenix’s considerable charisma on full display. In less than 15 minutes he presents everything the audience needs to know about what Indiana Jones was like as a teenager, showing the same determination and stubbornness that still endears audiences to Dr. Jones today.

James McAvoy As Charles Xavier

Patrick Steward has brought polished dignity and wisdom to Prof. Charles Xavier since he first appeared on screen in 2000’s X-Men. Subverting the expectations that audiences had for a younger Xavier in X-Men: First Class, James McAvoy’s Charles Xavier is a womanizing cad that’s far more concerned with who he’s going home with than with being the founder of the X-Men.

Knowing he’ll grow to be the same Professor X played by Patrick Stewart makes it all the more fun to watch McAvoy continually cut loose throughout the movie. Paired with Michael Fassbender’s top-tier take on Xavier’s long-time friend and enemy Magneto, it was clear that audiences were watching something special.

Josh Brolin As Agent K

After Men In Black 2 left audiences underwhelmed, it was clear that Men In Black 3 would have to do something bold to help capture the original’s magic. Enter Josh Brolin. With most of his filmography up until this point focused on serious, dramatic performances, Men In Black 3 tapped the No Country for Old Men star to take on the role of a younger Agent K, formerly played by Tommy Lee Jones.

In this instance, mimicking the original performance is exactly what makes the role work so well, with Brolin mining constant laughs from his mannerisms and Jones-ian gruff line readings throughout the movie. While he has since mostly continued to feature in serious films, knowing the type of comedic abilities he has in his arsenal it’s just a matter of time before he unleashes another memorable comedy performance.

Ewan McGregor As Obi-Wan Kenobi

George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy can lead to some serious debates among fans on everything from the screenplays, the filmmakers’ choices, the use of CGI, and even just if they were good movies. One thing that fans never debate though is the decision to cast Ewan McGregor as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi. Over the prequel trilogy, McGregor’s performance delves deeper into the character than Sir Alec Guinness ever got the chance to.

From young Padawan to Jedi Master, the audience watches Obi-Wan grow and learn and make unfortunate mistakes all along the way. In many ways, McGregor’s performance has retroactively added more to Guinness’ original Obi-Wan Kenobi upon rewatching the original Star Wars and its’ sequels. With Obi-Wan Kenobi set to release on Disney Plus on May 27th, audiences are eager to see the return of McGregor as Obi-Wan and to learn more about the Jedi Master and what exactly happened to him between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.