This list is going to require some explanation before we get started. One of the major changes in the media of the new-ish millennium is that over the last fifteen years, Hollywood has embraced colorblind and genderblind casting in a big way. Sometimes this has been great, opening up roles and opportunities for actors who never would have been considered in the past. Sometimes this has led to terrible misfires, which I won't dwell on here. Some have argued that the emphasis on diversity has gone too far, and some think we haven't gone far enough. In any case, this has definitely been a major characteristic of Western media in recent times, and I want to discuss it in the form of a list.
As with the other Top 25 Lists, this list has 25 entries, but only the top ten get write-ups. Entries are unranked.
Hamilton - Theater has always been better about diverse casting than movies or television, and I strongly suspect that the most influential driver of more diverse casting across the whole media landscape was the success of "Hamilton" in 2015. Suddenly we had black and brown actors playing the founding fathers, turning their cabinet meetings into rap battles, and it was a smash hit. The now legendary cast was perfect for a show about "America then, as told be America now," and I'm thrilled every time I see any of them in other projects.
Aquaman - It was a long-running joke that Aquaman had the worst powers in the Justice League, because he was an ocean-themed superhero who talked to fish. However, casting an actor known for playing badasses as Aquaman in the DCEU made Aquaman a badass character. Jason Momoa looks nothing like the classic version of Aquaman, who is a blond with terrible fashion sense, but ten years after his debut in "Batman v. Superman," it's hard to imagine Aquaman being played by anybody else. Are we getting that third "Aquaman" movie?
Starbuck - I didn't watch "Battlestar Galactica" during its initial release, but the controversy over one of the main characters, Starbuck, being gender-flipped from a man to a woman definitely reached my ears. The new Starbuck, Kara Thrace, is a completely different character whose only connection to the older version is that she's a hotshot pilot with a maverick personality. And she's one of the clear highlights of the new "Battlestar Galactica," which ended up totally eclipsing the old show and helping to mainstream genre television in the 2000s.
Death - Several characters in "The Sandman" had their genders and races changed in adaptation, but none were as prominent as Death, who was the most popular character from the original comic, and known for her appearance as a pale-skinned Goth girl. However, it's difficult to imagine anybody better in the role than Kirby Howell-Baptiste, who totally embodies the warmth and the empathy of this version of Death, greeting every soul under her care like a dear friend. Her too-brief introduction is the best part of the series by far.
Elphaba - This is an interesting case, because while the original actress for the Wicked Witch of the West was white, the character herself is green. Still casting a black actress in the movie version was novel, as the stage production of "Wicked" didn't have its first black Elphaba until 2025. And I so appreciate that Cynthia Erivo made wardrobe and styling choices that emphasized her heritage in the film version, making the character her own. I'm not a big fan of "Wicked," but I am a big fan of Elphaba, and Erivo's version of her in particular.
Louis and Claudia - Many changes were made to AMC's version of "Interview With the Vampire." Louis de Pointe du Lac now inhabits a different era, profession and social reality as a black man. Race and status are major parts of Louis' identity and inform his struggle to adjust to life as a vampire, as well as his relationship to Lestat. Similarly, the new version of Claudia is now a little older, a little smarter, and far more complex. Her search for other vampires is an extension of her search for answers about her own identity and place in the world.
The Doctor - We've now had female and black Doctors headlining "Doctor Who," and though the show has had its ups and downs, the Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa versions of The Doctor have never been anything less than excellent. I especially enjoy Gatwa's very stylish fashion choices and refusal to stick to one outfit. I also want to point out that we've gotten a superb female version of The Master, played by Michelle Gomez, and a pleasantly hammy one played by Sacha Dhawan. Oh, and getting Archie Panjabi for the Rani was very satisfying.
Christine Baskets - In case you thought there weren't going to be any straight white men on this list, I would like to remind you that Louie Anderson won an Emmy in 2016 for playing Zach Galifianakis's mom on "Baskets." Based on Anderson's mother, Christine is a warmly maternal, ever-optimistic woman whose life keeps being thrown into turmoil thanks to the antics of her ridiculous adult son. Their relationship is the most important part of "Baskets," and Anderson's committed performance is easily the best part of the show.
Hitler - Depictions of Adolf Hitler have to be handled with care, and Taika Waititi (a self described "Polynesian Jew") deciding to cast himself in the role for "Jojo Rabbit" was certainly a creative choice. However, it also turned out to be a canny one, setting the farcical tone for his WWII coming-of-age comedy, and getting the audience to completely drop their guard. Waititi doesn't make for a great Hitler, but you can see how a deeply confused Hitler Youth might have come up with a skewed version of the Fuhrer that acts like this one.
Melanie - I don't expect that many people have heard of the UK zombie film "The Girl With All the Gifts," or the novel of the same name that it was based on. However, a major difference between the two versions is that Melanie is fair skinned in the book and dark skinned in the film. This adds a racial dimension to the story that is both thematically appropriate to the story, and allows for the casting of the excellent newcomer Sennia Nanua as Melanie.
Tulip O'Hare ("Preacher")
Nick Fury ("The Avengers")
Hedda Gabbler ("Hedda")
Watson ("Elementary")
Ariel ("The Little Mermaid")
Anybodys ("West Side Story")
Fabulous Godmother ("Cinderella")
Michelle Fuller ("Bugonia")
Catwoman and Harlequin (various DC)
Matlock
Valkyrie (MCU)
David Copperfield and Gawain
The Duke of Hastings ("Bridgerton")
Macbeth ("The Tragedy of Macbeth")
The Wiz
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