05-02-2025
22 Actors Who Played ~Controversial~ People In Movies Or TV Shows
With so many wild stories today, many end up as the inspiration for plotlines in TV shows and movies. Often inspired by true crime or real-life scandals, actors are challenged to bring these infamous people to life onscreen — appearances included.
Dave Franco recently addressed comparisons between him and Luigi Mangione, the man accused in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. "I have never received more texts in my life about anything," he said. "Anyone who has my phone number has reached out about it."
While many fans have already cast Franco to play Mangione if a movie or series gets developed, there have been no official offers yet. Until then, here's a look at some of the most ~controversial~ characters actors have played over the years, also inspired by real-life people:
1. To start, Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch as Lyle and Erik Menendez in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story:
And here are the real Menendez brothers:
2. Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos in Monster:
And here's the real Aileen Wuornos:
3. Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer in Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story:
And here's the real Jeffrey Dahmer:
4. Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout:
And here's the real Elizabeth Holmes:
5. Zac Efron as Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile:
And here's the real Ted Bundy:
6. Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J. Simpson in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story:
And here's the real O.J. Simpson:
7. Joey King as Gypsy Rose Blanchard in The Act:
And here's the real Gypsy Rose Blanchard:
8. Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump in The Apprentice:
And here's the real Donald Trump:
9. Julia Garner as Anna Delvey in Inventing Anna:
And here's the real Anna Sorokin aka Anna Delvey:
10. Cameron Britton as Edmund Kemper Mindhunter:
And here's the real Edmund Kemper:
11. Kathy Bates as Delphine LaLaurie in American Horror Story: Coven:
And here's the real Delphine LaLaurie:
12. Taylor Kitsch as David Koresh in Waco:
And here's the real David Koresh:
And here's the real Griselda Blanco:
IanDagnall Computing / Alamy Stock Photo
14. Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street:
Paramount / ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
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And here's the real Jordan Belfort:
Michael Loccisano / Getty Images
15. Christina Ricci as Lizzie Borden in Lizzie Borden Took an Ax and The Lizzie Borden Chronicles:
Chris Reardon / © Lifetime Television / Courtesy Everett Collection, Chris Reardon / © Lifetime / Courtesy Everett Collection
And here's the real Lizzie Borden:
IanDagnall Computing / Alamy Stock Photo
16. Clive Owen as Bill Clinton in Impeachment: American Crime Story:
Tina Thorpe / © FX / Courtesy Everett Collection
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And here's the real Bill Clinton:
David Hume Kennerly / Getty Images
17. Josh Andrés Rivera as Aaron Hernandez in American Sports Story:
Michael Parmelee / © FX / Courtesy Everett Collection
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And here's the real Aaron Hernandez:
John Blanding / The Boston Globe via Getty Images
18. Elle Fanning as Michelle Carter in The Girl from Plainville:
Steve Dietl / © Hulu / Courtesy Everett Collection
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And here's the real Michelle Carter:
FAITH NINIVAGGI / MediaNews Group / Boston Herald via Getty Images
19. Wagner Moura as Pablo Escobar in Narcos:
Daniel Daza / © Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
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And here's the real Pablo Escobar:
Eric Vandeville / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
20. Margot Robbie as Tonya Harding in I, Tonya:
© A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection
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And here's the real Tonya Harding:
Focus On Sport / Getty Images
21. Ross Lynch as Jeffrey Dahmer in My Friend Dahmer:
© FilmRise / Courtesy Everett Collection
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And here's the real Jeffrey Dahmer:
Eugene Garcia / AFP via Getty Images
22. And finally, Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can
© DreamWorks / Courtesy Everett Collection
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And here's the real Frank Abagnale Jr.:
Najlah Feanny / Corbis via Getty Images
Which of these actors had the best performance? Share your thoughts in the comments!
