Jennifer Love Hewitt as Audrey Hepburn.
To say Jennifer Love Hewitt is an Audrey Hepburn fan would be understating the truth. The actress did portray Hepburn in the TV movie The Audrey Hepburn Story, but she's also an honorary godparent of the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund. Oh, and she dressed up like Hepburn and went to Tiffany's on her 30th birthday.
Meryl Streep as Julia Child
Streep has proven she can do it all, so it's no surprise she nailed her performance as Julia Child in last year's Julie & Julia. She played the famous chef to perfection, according to critics, and she learned how to roast a perfect chicken in the process. She said, "When you talk about passion, Julia Child just didn’t have it for her husband or cooking; she had a passion for living."
Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel
The lovely Tautou portrayed the legendary fashion designer in 2009's Coco Avant Chanel. Director Anne Fontaine said of the beauty, "Audrey has both the physique and the personality to be Chanel. I couldn’t imagine another actress who could be her and not imitate her." Karl Lagerfeld was not so kind, saying he'd have preferred to see Penelope Cruz represent the fashion house.
Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, Reese Witherspoon as June Carter
Witherspoon won an Oscar for her role as June Carter in 2005's Walk the Line, opposite Phoenix as the legendary Johnny Cash. Critics and audiences alike loved the film, in which both actors actually sang all the songs themselves. The soundtrack did pretty well, too.
Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett
Kristen Stewart admitted she was feeling the pressure when she was tapped to play rocker Joan Jett in The Runaways, but the starlet didn't need to worry. Jett said she did an "amazing job," adding that she was "impressed" with Stewart's work. Critics were equally kind.
Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela
Reviewers were very complimentary of Morgan Freeman's Oscar-nominated turn as the South African leader in last year's Invictus, with a writer over at EW.com even saying he actually "became" Mandela in his performance. But even though the two men watched the movie together, Mandela wouldn't say what he thought about the role.
Multiple Stars as Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan really got the special treatment onscreen! The singer-songwriter was portrayed by several stars, including (but not limited to) Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger and Christian Bale, in 2007's I'm Not There. Dylan himself wasn't involved with the film, which was praised for its imagination and creativity.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes
Leonardo DiCaprio scored an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of aviator and director Howard Hughes in 2004's The Aviator, which was nominated for an impressive 11 Oscars overall. He said of playing the character, "No one seems to be able to categorize him. He was one of the most complicated men of the last century."
Sean Penn as Harvey Milk
Sean Penn won an Oscar in 2009 for his portrayal of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk. The New York Times' A.O. Scott insisted that Penn "outdid himself" in his role in Milk, and Penn used his Oscar acceptance speech as an opportunity to voice opposition to California's Proposition 8.
Hilary Swank as Amelia Earhart
The 2009 film Amelia didn't fare so well in reviews, but Swank was honored to portray the icon, who disappeared after becoming the first woman in history to fly solo across the Atlantic. She said of the role, "It’s a big responsibility to play someone as iconic as Amelia. We all have such a great idea of who she was and what she looked like so there wasn’t a lot of room for fictional license."
Jamal Woolard as Notorious B.I.G.
Jamal Woolard was a little-known Brooklyn rapper before he landed the role of Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) in 2009's Notorious. He had to put on an extra 50 pounds to play the music great, but he called it "the experience of a lifetime." Reviews were mixed, but Notorious performed well in the box office.
Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison
Several big names (Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp) were considered for the part of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's 1991 movie The Doors before Kilmer landed the role. He made a video of him performing Morrisons songs to convince movie bosses to hire him -- and they couldn't tell the difference between his voice and Morrison's.
Josh Brolin as George W. Bush
Oliver Stone loves a good biopic. The director was also the mastermind behind 2008's W, which saw Brolin playing former President George W. Bush (Christian Bale was originally cast but dropped out). Brolin said of playing the character, "People hold their emotions in their bodies. They can't fake it. Especially him."
Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles.
The role of Ray Charles in 2004's Ray was a perfect fit for Foxx, who won an Academy Award for his performance. The film was noted for its controversial depiction of drug use, but Foxx said, "Ray Charles was the type of guy who said that if we didn't showa ll that, then it wasn't going to be the real thing. And he was a guy who really took chances."
Katie Holmes as Jackie O.
This one is "coming soon," but the announcement itself has received tremendous buzz. Holmes signed onto play the stylish First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in late April, in a History Channel miniseries called The Kennedys. Can Mrs. Tom Cruise pull it off?
