shakespeare

There are actors that should simply not do Shakespeare. It's not easy. Besides the high falutin Elizabethan English, the characters are complicated and nuanced. I myself have put on tights- not a pretty site - and tried to do the Bard justice. There are great actors, of course, that are fantastic at doing Shakespeare. I saw a "Hamlet" with Kevin Kline that was amazing. Kenneth Branagh made a lot of money in the early 90's making movie versions of Willy Shakes' plays. But some actors should...just stay away. Here are the top five weirdest Shakespeare casting decisions.

Keanu Reeves in "Much Ado About Nothing"

Keanu Reeves is a bad actor. He has one facial expression: "Whoa, dude". This is fine if you are one half of Wyld Stallyns or fighting agents in "The Matrix", but not for Shakespeare. In Kenneth Branagh's "Much Ado About Nothing", Keanu plays Don John. He's the prince's brother and the villain of the piece. Let's put aside for a second that his brother is played by Denzel Washington. Keanu just doesn't have it in him to play a villain. Especially if that villain has to be a conniving snake. The bad guy is usually smarter and craftier than the good guy. The only thing Keanu is craftier than is bar of soap. Maybe.

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