13 movie characters who were originally supposed to be of a different gender (14 photos)

Here we have collected several cases where heroes of famous films and TV series were made to be the wrong gender as originally intended, and what came of it.





A huge amount of time passes from the moment a film or series is conceived until it appears on screens, and during the creation process everything manages to change several times. And it’s not just about the color of the costume or hairstyle of the characters - the creators can even change the gender of the character so that he or she better suits the concept of the project. It doesn’t even matter what the hero was like in the original books (if there are any) or in the original script.

Evelyn Salt in the movie Salt



The film's original script included a male protagonist, Edwin Salt, to be played by Tom Cruise. But the actor was busy with other projects, so the script was rewritten, and Edwin Salt turned into Evelyn Salt. And Angelina Jolie was cast in her role.

Murph Cooper in the movie "Interstellar"





In the film, Murph, the daughter of the main character, was played at different ages by Mackenzie Foy, Jessica Chastain and Ellen Burstyn. Although the director initially conceived the script so that one of the main moments of the film would be the relationship between father and son.

Ellen Ripley from the Alien film series



Initially, the heroine, played by Sigourney Weaver, was supposed to be a man - like all members of the Nostromo crew.

The Thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who



The series has been on screens since 1963, and during this time the role of the Doctor has been played by 12 actors - all of them were men. But for the role of the Thirteenth Doctor, the creators of the series changed traditions and took the actress Jodie Whittaker in this place.

This twist does not greatly contradict the plot, because according to it, the Doctor is a representative of an extraterrestrial civilization. When wounded or mutilated, he can regenerate, receiving a new body, but retaining his memory.

Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars film series



In one version of George Lucas's script, the main character of Star Wars was supposed to be a 16-year-old girl, but this idea was later rejected. This is how Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill, appeared on the screens.

Minister Mason in the movie Snowpiercer



The film's director, Bong Joon Ho, originally wrote the role of Mason for a man, but Tilda Swinton was eventually cast in the role. The most interesting thing is that they didn’t adjust the plot for the female character, it remained the same.

Zula in the movie "Conan the Destroyer"



In the comics based on the works of writer Robert Irwin Howard, Zula was a man, but in the film he was changed to the popular 80s actress and singer Grace Jones.

Dr Lyett-Kynes in the film Dune



In Frank Herbert's book, as well as in all previous film adaptations, the doctor was a man. However, in the 2021 film, this role was given to actress Sharon Duncan-Brewster.

Dory in the cartoon "Finding Nemo"



The talkative girlfriend of the main character of the cartoon could well be a friend. But the director heard the voice of TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres, and was so amazed by how quickly she changed the topic of conversation that he changed the script. Well, Ellen became the voice of Dory in the English version of the cartoon.

The Ancient One in the movie "Doctor Strange"



In the Marvel comics, the character was portrayed as a white-bearded old man, but in the film, he was portrayed by actress Tilda Swinton. According to the film's producer Kevin Feige, the creators initially wanted to cast a man in this role, but then decided to rethink the image of the Ancient One. In the end, it turned out that the Ancient One is a title, and not a specific person. Both men and women can bear this title.

Spock in the television series "Star Trek"



The legendary character could well have been played by a girl. At least, such a possibility existed in one of the first versions of the script, which never saw the light of day. Actress Nichelle Nichols, who played Nyota Uhura in Star Trek, said that before this role she was offered to try herself as Spock.

I was given a three-page script, and there were three characters: Bones, Kirk, and someone named Spock. I was asked to read the text for Spock. When I looked at this great script, I said to myself: “I will take on any of these roles.” But the character of Spock seemed to me the most interesting, so I asked to tell more about him.

Captain Phasma in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi



Captain Phasma, played by Gwendoline Christie, was originally intended to be a male character. There were rumors that they wanted to take Benedict Cumberbatch for this role. However, the script was slightly adjusted, and the actress was hiding under the helmet, not the actor.

Joan Jeanie Watson in the TV series Elementary



The series "Elementary" is a new take on Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novels. The events here take place in another country and at another time, and a girl named Joan, played by Lucy Liu, becomes Sherlock's companion.