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People always lean on Bale and Ledger as if they're the Rule and not the Exception, when it comes to casting against type. In their case, it definitely helps that they have exceptional range AND were willing to do the work and undergo whatever physical transformation is necessary to better fit the role.
That's not what we're seeing, here. We're seeing a bunch of people being told "Just come as you are" because they're making an experiment, not a "movie". They're trying to see just how much they can get away with before people cry foul and ask for more consistency. This group of actors aren't being tasked with transforming themselves to fit the characters, as Bale and Ledger did. Instead, they're changing the characters to better fit the actors, and that... well, it's lazy. Also, purely for reasons of shock and manufactured outrage.
Here's the thing... let's say, hypothetically, that someone was making a movie about Hulk Hogan, and they REALLY didn't care if the actor they cast looked anything like him at all. Well then, in theory, I'd be the best possible choice. I mean, I'm a foot too short and just over 100lbs too small, I'm pale as a ghost and have a full, thick head of hair, as well as a very weak chin... I look nothing like him at all, BUT, according to many, many people who know him VERY well, my impersonation is on point. I can do the voice, the inflections, the body language, everything... By the criteria set forth by some people in this thread, the fact that I can "act" the part of Hulk Hogan extremely well means that I'm the perfect guy for the job of playing "Hulk Hogan" in a movie, even though every single other thing about me is... well, totally wrong for it.
I'd love to play that part, but frankly, I wouldn't feel right about it. I'm not the guy. "Acting" is part of it, but it isn't the only part. I think you DO have to kind of look the part as well, otherwise it's just plain silly. I think you should find an actor who fits the part, NOT change the part to fit the actor.
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