Entertainment

He Doesn't Look Like John Belushi, But That's Okay

by Christine DiStasio

Surprising news Monday from the biopic front: Emile Hirsch is set to play John Belushi in a currently untitled, upcoming film about the late comedian, actor, musician and original Saturday Night Live cast member. The film, which will be written and directed by Steve Conrad (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), will focus on the high points of Belushi's career leading up to his untimely death, and, all things considered, the biopic sounds like it's going to be awesome. And with projects like Into the Wild and Milk under his belt, Emile Hirsch seems perfect in every way for the heavy biopic... except for the fact that he doesn't look too much like Belushi. Like, at all.

But that shouldn't perturb us. Hirsch, a veteran of the biopic, definitely knows a thing or two about playing a real, actual human being, so I think we'd be safe to invest some of our faith in him. Maybe when he packs on the inevitable few pounds for the role, his face will transform a bit and he'll look a little more like Belushi, but plenty of actors have paid excellent homage to celebrities and historical figures that they've only resembled the slightest bit. For example:

Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network

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As much as we love you and regardless of how great you were in the film about Facebook's creation, Andrew, this just doesn't add up. But we're sure Saverin sure "Liked" the comparison.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes in The Aviator

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DiCaprio won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the wealthy and wacky aerospace engineer and filmmaker, but there's little to no resemblance between the two men. Well, besides an admiration for planes. (Who else remembers Catch Me If You Can?)

Josh Brolin as George W. Bush in W

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Brolin certainly acted like the 43rd President of the United States, but did he look like him? Hardly. That said, acting merit alone he's a great choice, so it seems Oliver Stone's strategery was a good one.

Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf in The Hours

Some exceptional acting won Kidman the golden statuette for Best Actress at the 2003 Academy Awards, but not even that impressive prosthetic nose could make us mistake her for Woolf. Nice try, but we nose that's Kidman.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Elvis Presley in Elvis

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We get this but we also really don't. Meyers' turn as the King proved to be an excellent study of Presley that was believable at times, according to reviews. But, Jonathan, you ain't look nothing like this hound dog.

Image: E!Online (1), Flickr (1), NPR (1), Fanpop (1)