Recasting It’s A Wonderful Life In 2021

Out of all the Christmas movies ever made, It’s A Wonderful Life might just be the most beloved. The 1946 film has stood the test of time, even as it celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2021. With a stellar cast led by the iconic James Stewart and Donna Reed, the movie is able to connect to viewers of all generations through its profoundly moving story.

No matter how the times have changed, viewers continue to love this story and its central characters. But what would It’s A Wonderful Life look like if it were made in 2021? The film would undoubtedly be much more diverse, and the discussions of mental health would likely be much more nuanced. But how would a new cast compare to the original?

10 Bert And Ernie: Keegan-Michael Key And Jordan Peele

Bert the police officer and Ernie the cab driver are two minor characters in the film, and two of George’s supportive friends. Ernie in particular gets some especially amusing moments, but the pair are often thought of in terms of being a duo – likely through the subsequent pop-culture influence of Sesame Street‘s Bert and Ernie (whose names are unrelated).

Since Bert and Ernie have come to be known retroactively as a comedic duo, it would make sense for a new version of It’s A Wonderful Life to cast a pair of actors known to have a comedic rapport already. As such, previous comedy partners Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele would be great for such casting.

9 Young George Bailey: Iain Armitage

Young George Bailey only appears in a few scenes at the beginning of It’s A Wonderful Life, but he nevertheless has an incredibly meaningful story. In one scene, he saves the life of his younger brother, Harry, when he falls through the ice, losing hearing in one ear in the progress. Another particularly emotionally fraught scene finds the very astute George saving the pharmacist, Mr. Gower, from making a terrible mistake.

Any young actor who portrays the younger George needs to be capable of conveying real selflessness and emotional maturity. Iain Armitage has proven himself to be one of the best young actors on television these days, through his wiser-than-his-years work on Young Sheldon and Big Little Lies.

8 Zuzu Bailey: Mykal-Michelle Harris

Zuzu Bailey only has a few short scenes in the film, but she still leaves a lasting impression.  Zuzu’s unwavering love and innocence conveyed through flower petals that George keeps in his pocket, ground George in reality. Zuzu also gets the film’s most iconic line at its end: “Teacher says, ‘every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.'”

Even in her brief appearance in the film, it is clear that Zuzu is an incredibly precocious and aware little girl. She would therefore need to be portrayed by a similarly precocious and adorable young actress. Mykal-Michelle Harris, best known for her scene-stealing work on the short-lived Mixed-ish, is an excellent match for that.

7 Harry Bailey: Enver Gjokaj

As George’s younger brother, Harry Bailey is the golden child and All-American boy who gets to have the adventures and opportunities George never got to have. Harry goes on to become a war hero and returns triumphantly to laud his own brother as “the richest man in town” in the film’s final act.

An actor with experience playing similar golden boy military roles, both in the 1940s and contemporary settings, is Enver Gjokaj (Agent Carter, NCIS: Hawaii). Adding further weight to the suggestion, Gjokaj even bears a striking resemblance to original actor Todd Karns in the role.

6 Mr. Gower: Mandy Patinkin

Mr. Gower is a relatively small part of the movie, but the character does contribute to two of the film’s most painful scenes. In one scene, Mr. Gower tearfully thanks a young George Bailey for preventing him from adding poison to a prescription. In the reality where George never existed, however, Mr. Gower is a broken and addicted man, who has never recovered from inadvertently killing that patient.

Mr. Gower is a role with a lot of weight to it, as he is someone who needs to be at once stern and in the next moment vulnerable and broken. Mandy Patinkin has had a storied career of portraying intense and emotional men, most notably through Homeland, Criminal Minds, and Chicago Hope, which was one of the best medical dramas on television.

5 Uncle Billy: Wallace Shawn

Uncle Billy is a fundamentally likable character, even if his actions cause the movie’s dramatic turn. Billy is an absent-minded and adorable uncle, but ultimately a bad businessman – something that becomes horribly clear when he loses $8,000 and threatens the future of the Building and Loan. In the world without George, Billy winds up in an institution after his mistake. But in the real world, Billy bands together with Mary to save the day.

Any actor portraying Uncle Billy needs to be able to show equal parts adorable nerdiness and frenzied sadness. Wallace Shawn has built a career portraying quirky and lovable characters, and his recent turn on as one of the best supporting characters on Young Sheldon has allowed him to explore the archetype of the absent-minded professor, which suits Billy perfectly.

4 Henry Potter: Kelsey Grammer

Henry Potter is, in many ways, It’s A Wonderful Life’s version of Ebenezer Scrooge without the redemption of his soul. Calculating and cruel, it is Potter’s life’s mission to do everything he can to shut down the Building and Loan. There are no redeeming qualities to Potter’s character, as he is motivated by greed and nothing else.

It’s a daunting task for an actor to take on a character who is so completely villainous. But Kelsey Grammer, who has even portrayed the famous Scrooge on television before, would be well-suited for the commanding and dominating presence that the terrifying businessman provides.

3 Clarence Odbody: Leslie Jordan

Angel 2nd Class Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) only appears prominently in the final act of It’s A Wonderful Life, but his character changes the entire scope of the film. With equal parts childlike innocence and boundless wisdom, Clarence is the perfect guardian angel foil to the deeply struggling George. Clarence is an angel in search of his wings, but he helps George not because of his own goals, but his own innate goodness.

Clarence is a character who gets many comedic moments, so it’s clear that the actor who would take on the role needs to have impeccable comic timing. Add to this fact the combination of wit and innocence that Clarence displays and it becomes clear that Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace, The Cool Kids, Call Me Kat) is an excellent match from the current world of comedy actors.

2 Mary Hatch Bailey: Susan Kelechi Watson

It’s A Wonderful Life might be George Bailey’s story, but many of the film’s most crucial events would never happen without the actions of George’s wife, Mary Hatch Bailey (Donna Reed). But Mary is much more than just George’s wife. She is a selfless woman who, time and again, does all that she can to help George, their family, and their business, holding the Bailey family together from beginning to end.

An actress who would be able to naturally convey Mary’s unending strength and fierce compassion is Susan Kelechi Watson. In her work as Beth Pearson on This Is Us, Watson has portrayed a wife, a mother, a businesswoman, and more with incredible grace and aplomb. She has guided the Pearsons through times of crisis, while also conveying a deeply loving and real relationship in Beth’s marriage to Randall.

1 George Bailey: Jason Sudeikis

George Bailey (James Stewart) is one of the most lovable characters in film history. A good man through and through, George prioritizes the needs of everyone else over his own needs. As much as he embodies the everyman archetype, George is also a profoundly vulnerable character, who grapples with deep sadness and pain during his journey across the film, before realizing just how his kindness has changed the world he lives in.

If there is anyone acting today who can embody this delicate balance of relatable everyman with profound sadness, it is undeniably Jason Sudeikis. Sudeikis’s award-winning work in Ted Lasso has shown his innate understanding of what it means to portray a selfless man who puts his own struggles aside in the name of helping others.

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