Adaptational Attractiveness: Difference between revisions
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[[File:madbookmovie1.jpg|link=Mad Magazine|thumb|350px|Gee whillikers! They're not only nicer-looking in the movie but [[Sleeping Single]], too!]]
{{quote|''"To be honest, [[Daniel Radcliffe|you]] and [[Rupert Grint|Rupert]] and [[Emma Watson|Emma]] are all too good-looking!"''|'''[[
You've just learned that your favorite book, ''The Life And Times Of [[Alice and Bob]]'', is being made into a [[The Movie|movie]]. In the book, Alice is average-looking and slightly overweight, and Bob is a balding middle-aged guy. So why does it star [[Angelina Jolie]] and [[Brad Pitt]]?
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** It happened in the manga as well, but it was justified that the men at Slayersverse only like enormous boobs and extremely masculine girls.
* Therru from Ursula LeGuin's [[Earthsea]] fantasy series is so disfigured by third-degree burns as to make people unwilling to look at her. In the Studio Ghibli adaptation ''Tales from Earthsea'', she's a cute young girl with some bad sunburn.
* Tenma from ''[[Monster (
** Well Tenma's change seems to be meant as symbolic
* While Jonah Matsuka in the ''[[Toward the Terra]]'' manga was far from ugly, he was not quite the [[Bishonen]] that he became [[media:Matsuka.jpg|in the anime]].
* The anime adaptation of ''[[Fatal Fury]] 2'' turned Wolfgang Krauser from a mustachioed middle-age man to a clean-shaven young man who is only a few years older than Terry.
* Inverted with the ''[[Pokémon (
** Also played straight in the transition from games to anime. Ash isn't nearly as scrawny or unruly looking as Red originally was, though they appear to be the same height.
* The live-action adaptation of ''[[Nana to Kaoru]]''. The short and ugly Kaoru was transformed into an average-height, moderately attractive young man; moreover, the actress playing Nana is ''shorter''.
* Scar is younger in the ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (
* Quite a lot of ''[[Metal Fight Beyblade]]'' characters had their appearances changed from the manga to make them more attractive in the anime. One of the most notable is Ryutaro Fukami. He went from [[media:Ryuutarou_1_9953.jpg|looking like a bratty kid with buckteeth]] to [[media:150px-Ryutaro_4826.jpg|actually being quite pretty]].
* Compare Motoko Kusanagi's [http://www.anime-planet.com/images/anime/screenshots/ghostintheshell1.jpg original appearance] in ''[[Ghost in The Shell (
** Less frizzy hair?
* In ''[[Oniisama
== [[Fan Fiction]] ==
* One [[
** Which actually makes a crazy amount of sense since Perdita is the "thin girl" accompanying Agnes' "a lot of chocolate" and she's gotta get the mass from someplace.
== Film - Animated ==
* While arguably still not ''attractive'', Quasimodo from Disney's version of ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' is upgraded from hideous to [[Ugly Cute]]. Presumably, if they added the little details of how ugly he is, it would be a pain on the animators, and would have scared the children in a movie that's already pretty dark to begin with.
* John Smith from Disney's ''[[
* [[Shrek]], while rude, crude, and ogreish, isn't really hideous. [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a7/Shrekcover.jpg In the book it was based on...]
* In ''[[
* ''[[Dragon Hunters]]'' [[Inverted Trope|inverts]] this. In the 2004 animated series Gwidzo is presented as charismatic and moderately attractive whereas the 2008 film adaption portrays him as grimy and unpleasant, even having him describe himself as "mean and ugly" during a break down.
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** And yet averted when Hoffman played the lead role in ''[[The Graduate]]'', as his character is described in the source novel as being blonde, tanned and athletic looking.
* Every single film adaptation of one of Roald Dahl's works can come across as this almost automatically, because of the books' art style for the illustrations, which makes everyone seem a notch or two less attractive than they presumably are supposed to be. If you're beautiful or cute, you look average. If you're average, you look ugly, and if you're ugly, you look like a troll.
* In Tim Burton's ''[[Alice in Wonderland (
** The White Queen goes from [http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/alicepic/through-the-looking-glass/2book25.jpg this] to [http://static.reelmovienews.com/images/gallery/the-white-queen-photo.jpg this].
** Inverted as well. The Red Queen [http://students.ou.edu/E/Valerie.N.Edwards-1/RedQueen2.jpg may not have been attractive] in the original illustrations, but the film version is a literal freak with a grotesquely over-sized head (though played by perfectly lovely actress [[Helena Bonham Carter]]).
* Gerard Butler as the Phantom in the musical ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'' is an extreme example of this. The nature of the Phantom's deformity is already different from the source novel's in the stage version (in the novel his face resembles a skull, and the stage version it's only half of his face affected), but still, he's alarming to look at unmasked. Butler's deformity in the film is commonly described as resembling third-degree sunburn at worst. On top of this, while the Phantom is usually played by middle-aged actors on stage - in part because a key plot thread is Christine seeing him as a father figure - Butler was 34 when the film was shot. [[Hotter and Sexier]], sure, but this is supposed to be one character whose entire point is that he is ''not at all'' hot or sexy!
* Julian Sands played the Phantom in ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'' with ''his regular face''.
* In the ''[[X-Men (
** Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, who is supposed to be extremely stocky and short. Jackman is so tall that castmate James Marsden had to [[Scully Box|stand on boxes to not be dwarfed by him]]. Also, [[Wolverine]] in the comic books is [[Kavorka Man|not an attractive man]], but here, he's [[Hugh Jackman]].
** Similarly, [http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/5586/511756-t3_super.jpg Toad] is a short, ugly little hunchback in the comics. In the movie, he's played by [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/Toad.jpg Ray Park] with some very half-hearted attempts at uglying him up. Possibly justified by the fact that prosthetics capable of making him look the part of his comic character yet still able to emote and speak intelligibly would have been pretty expensive given his limited role in the film.
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** In the comics Sebastian Shaw, the [[Big Bad]] of ''First Class'', is a thuggish-looking, middle-aged businessman with a heavy build best described as "gorilla-like". In the film, he's played by [[Kevin Bacon]].
** The comic book version of [http://images.wikia.com/marveldatabase/images/a/a6/Janos_Quested_(Earth-616)_001.jpg Riptide] is nowhere near as good looking as the [http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/23500000/Riptide-x-men-first-class-23542290-700-464.jpg movie version].
* Frank Lucas and Ritchie Roberts weren't much to look at, but they were played by [[Mr. Fanservice|Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe]] in ''[[
* In the Annie Proulx short story ''[[Brokeback Mountain]]'', the two protagonists are described to be ordinary-looking, even unattractive. In the movie adaptation they're played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger.
* In Annie Proulx's ''The Shipping News,'' the protagonist is described as overweight, sloppy, red-headed (as are his daughters) and with a face wrinkled like a crenshaw melon. In the film adaptation, he is portrayed by Kevin Spacey.
* In the ''[[The Thin Man (
* In Louis Sachar's ''[[Holes]]'', Stanley is explicitly described as fat on repeated occasions. [[Shia
* [[Ralph Fiennes]] playing Dolarhyde in ''[[Red Dragon]]''. According to the book, Dolarhyde, though plain, is nowhere near as hideous as he thinks he is (certainly not ugly enough for every woman to automatically reject him based on looks), but he still doesn't look like Ralph Fiennes. Dolarhyde's insecurity about his looks is (at least according to the movie) rooted in him having a cleft palate, which he corrected later with surgery. ''[[Manhunter (
* In the book ''[[
* Even the original illustrations of [[Sherlock Holmes]] made him too good-looking for Conan Doyle's liking. In film he ends up being played by such handsome leading men as Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, Rupert Everett and Robert Downey Jr.
* In ''[[Jane Eyre]]'', Rochester is downright unattractive and well into middle age. Jane Eyre herself is young, but extremely plain. These are actually important character traits, as they love each other for their inner character and each pass up on a more attractive prospective mate. In adaptations, however, Rochester is usually a rather handsome, if gruff, older gentleman, while Jane Eyre is at worst [[Hollywood Homely]].
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* In the Philip K. Dick short story ''[[Minority Report]]'', the first three things we learn about the protagonist are that he's fat, bald and old. The fact that he's reaching retirement age is a plot point in the ending. The movie cast Tom Cruise, though amazingly they allow him to be bald at the end. Also, the mutants in the story were explicitly stated to be hideous. You know, kind of like how you'd expect mutants to look. On screen they're buzzed and pale, but otherwise normal.
* In the novel of ''Little Children'', the character Ronnie bears very little physical resemblance to Jackie Earle Haley, being an overweight, balding chain-smoker who wears glasses. While Haley is no George Clooney, he brought a far more sympathetic interpretation to the character than what was probably intended. Sarah Peirce was also described as being not very pretty in the book. In the movie they worked over time to make [[Kate Winslet]] seem frumpy but their best efforts made her look [[Hollywood Homely]].
* In ''[[The Princess Bride (
* A number of isses in ''[[Watchmen (
** Some people thought that the overall cast was too young and attractive to portray some of the middle-aged and beaten-down characters. (Although the age issue was out of necessity, to allow the actors to portray their younger selves in flashbacks.) Rorschach in particular is supposed to be "fascinatingly ugly". Compare [http://images.wikia.com/watchmen/images/b/b2/Walter_Kovacs.jpg comics] and [http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3440/3254751049_8527a1974a_o.jpg movie] versions.
** In the comic, a deconstruction of the superhero genre, the characters' costumes were intended to look somewhat silly to highlight the inherent absurdity of classic superhero costumes. In the movie, however, the costumes are played straight, and look much more stylish.
** And possibly inverted with Ozymandias. He's supposed to be the model of western perfection: blonde, square-jawed and athletic. In the film, he's lanky and has a thin face - not that this affects his physical prowess, mind you.
* In ''[[From Hell]]'', in which Inspector Frederick Abberline is a overweight, middle-aged man typical of the Victorian middle-class. The [[Film of the Book]] casts [[Johnny Depp]] as the Inspector. Similarly, the Ripper's victims generally appear more attractive in the film than they did in the comic or in real-life, as late Victorian streetwalkers in their early-to-mid forties, though most of the actresses were close in age to the women they portrayed.
* In ''[[The Neverending Story (
* ''[[The Wind and The Lion]]'' changed the Moroccan bandit, Raisuli, into Sean Connery, and his Greco-American captive, Ion Perdicaris, into Candice Bergen.
* In an inversion of this trope ''[[Being There]]'': Chance, the gardener, is described as looking like a cross between Ted Kennedy (in the early 1970s) and Cary Grant. [[Peter Sellers]] played the character in the film, and is not generally considered to have a dashing appearance. In addition, Sellers intentionally gained weight for the role because he decided that Chance's "sedentary and solitary" life would have left him overweight.
* The titular character from ''Kaiji'' is not in the least attractive (considering the art style), in the movies however...
* In ''[[Harry Potter (
** Even without going into the inevitabilities of with puberty striking the three, at age 11, Harry is supposed to have a skinny face and knobby knees, with his green eyes being his only good feature. It's a similar story for Ron and Hermione. Hermione in particular is rather average until she gets an opportunity to [[She Cleans Up Nicely|clean up nicely]]. In the film series, all the lead child characters were played by cute kids. As the characters mature, however, their appearances shape up a bit and the actors correspond a bit better.
*** The later books imply that she is at least moderately attractive as she does attract some male attention from Cormac Mclaggen and Viktor Krum. After Escaping From the wedding She gets unwanted catcalls
** In [[Harry Potter (
** Dolores Umbridge looked somewhat like a toad. In the movie, she looked as close to cute as a woman can be while also looking like an evil grandmother. This might actually have worked out, since if anything it made her ''more'' hateful.
** The Bellatrix Lestrange of the books is supposed to have lost her beauty along with whatever sanity she had in the first place during her stay in Azkaban. In the film...''hello'' [[Helena Bonham Carter]], though she keeps the rather off-putting teeth in the film.
** Pansy Parkinson, is perhaps not beautiful in ''The Half-Blood Prince'' film, but far from ugly. According to the book, she has a "pug-like face".
** Luna Lovegood is a lesser example, in that she isn't ugly in the books, but usually seen as fairly plain and "dotty", wheras Evanna Lynch is highly attractive (though her physical traits do actually match Luna's quite well, and there couldn't have been a better casting character wise).
** [[
** Viktor Krum is described in the books as gangly and hook-nosed, with a habit of slouching. He was played by [http://images.wikia.com/harrypotter/images/4/40/Krum_003.jpg Stanislav Ianevski.]
* [[The Film of the Book]] ''[[Twilight (
** James is described in the book as very average and unremarkable in appearance, the producers still cast [http://www.truetwilight.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/james.jpg Cam Gigandet] in the role.
** Bella Swan thinks of herself as rather plain and unfashionable, while [http://www.9sn.net/resim/Kristen-Stewart.jpg Kristen Stewart] plays her in the movies. However, some readers infer that Bella is overly hard on her appearance.
* ''21'', a movie based on the book about several MIT students gaming casinos in Blackjack. The (actual, still living) MIT students are replaced with vastly more attractive ([[Race Lift|and all white]]) actors for the movie.
* In ''[[
* In [[Isaac Asimov]]'s [[I, Robot
* A minor, strange case in the film version of ''[[V for Vendetta]]'': in the comic, V's mask has a round face and an upturned nose, making him look sort of like a doll with a mustache and a goatee, making some of his panels look [[Narm Charm|more inappropriately cute]] than usual in especially serious scenes. In the film, he has a longer face and a long, straight nose, making him look more masculine.
* To quote Miles Kreuger on the film adaptations of ''[[Show Boat]]'': "Cap'n Andy's three tarts in the 1936 version are gaudily dressed and made up for their profession: in this (1951) film they are three wholesome extra girls who might be expected at Lady Astor's in their chic finery." Kreuger made similar observations about Helen Morgan (who appeared in the 1936 film) vs. Ava Gardner (of the 1951 film) as Julie in the scene where she sings "Bill".
* In [[The Last Airbender
* In the novel of ''[[Children of Men]]'', the descriptions of Theo do not exactly call to mind a Clive Owen. Then again, about the only thing the two of them have in common is their name and a few backstory elements, the film being a ''very'' loose adaptation.
* In the film adaptation of ''[[Let the Right One In]]'', Oskar is played by a reasonably cute and thin child. In the book, however, he is overweight and has major problems with food. Despite being a generally lauded film, the film rather confusingly still has the bullies call Oskar "piggy". The American remake includes his obsession with candy, but also keeps him as a skinny, scrawny kid.
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* Leslie Burke in the book ''[[Bridge to Terabithia]]'' was described as looking more like a boy than a girl and wearing plain clothing. In the film she was played by [[Anna Sophia Robb]], who wore bright, colourful clothes at every opportunity.
* The play ''Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune'' originally starred Kathy Bates and Kenneth Welsh, and was revived with Stanley Tucci and Edie Falco. The 1991 film version, ''Frankie and Johnny'', starred Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer. Yes, that's right, a young Michelle Pfeiffer in a role originated by Kathy Bates.
* L in the anime/manga ''[[
* In the book ''[[Jurassic Park]]'', protagonist Alan Grant is described as short, pot bellied, and bearded. A tall, thin, and clean shaven Sam Neill dashingly plays him in the movie. Similarly, Ian Malcolm is described as a "thin, balding man". Who plays him in the movie? A studly, and [[Buffy-Speak|very not-bald]] Jeff Goldblum.
* In the book ''[[The Little White Horse]]'', Sir Benjamin Merriweather is described as fat, bowlegged, and past his prime. In its film adaptation, ''The Secret of Moonacre'', he's played by the lean, sinewy Ioan Gruffudd, who's also considerably younger than the character.
* The novel ''The Hotel New Hampshire'' makes it clear that Susie the Bear really is ugly, she has major acne scars. In the movie she is played by Nastassja Kinski (with no fake scars or anything) who only ''thinks'' she is ugly. This ruins a major plot point, totally changes the character (instead of being ugly and knowing it, she is beautiful and thinks she is ugly), and ruins [[An Aesop]] about beauty.
* In the ''[[Master and Commander (
* ''[[Sleepy Hollow]]''. The original description of Ichabod Crane is nothing like [[Johnny Depp]]. However, virtually nothing about Crane is the same as his original character in the short story. Originally, they did a few test runs with Depp wearing facial prosthetics, but [[Tim Burton]] ended up changing his mind, saying that in this case, it was Crane's personality quirks that made him unattractive.
* In the [[Ripliad|Tom Ripley]] novels, Tom's housekeeper/MoralityPet Madame Antoinette is a middle aged-elderly Frenchwoman of friendly but average appearance. In the film ''Ripley Under Ground'', which is a somewhat [[Lighter and Softer]] [[Pragmatic Adaptation]], Antoinette is a pretty young woman who is the maid (not a [[French Maid]] though except in a literal sense) of Tom's future wife, but is also friendly with her/likes Tom as in the novels.
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* In the manga ''[[Ooku]]'', the shogun's best friend and right-hand woman is plain and pudgy with a sort of rectangular face. The live-action movie cast Wakui Emi, who bears [http://charry.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/hhhhhfuyyyy45.jpg little resemblance].
* While the original ''[[Clash of the Titans]]'' ups [[Medusa]]'s hideousness by making her a [[Snake People|Snake Woman]], the remake has a snakelike [[Cute Monster Girl]] - she even illustrates the [[Gorgeous Gorgon]] page!
* All kinds of played with in the movie ''[[One Flew Over the
* An odd example happened in the film version of ''[[Sin City]]'' where the fat, balding, middle-aged serial killer named Kevin was played by [[Elijah Wood]]. The fanbase was still very pleased with the result.
* In ''[[Sense and Sensibility (
* Velma in the first live action ''[[Scooby Doo (
* It's difficult to claim this trope for adaptations of theatre productions, because the characters are played by so many different actors it's hard to claim which actor is the "right" amount of attractive. However, comparing the original castings of [[media:Lansbury_Hearn_Sweeney_Todd_4505.jpg|Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett]] in ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (
* In the novel ''Taffin'', the title character is overweight and unattractive. In the movie, he's played by PIERCE BROSNAN.
* Partially lampshaded in ''[[
{{quote| '''Joyce:''' You know, I don't really know what to expect. Sometimes you look like a younger Brando... but then the way Crumb draws you, you look... like a hairy ape, with all these wavy, stinky lines undulating off your body. I don't really know what to expect.}}
* In the novel ''Running with Scissors'', Natalie is described as being plain and significantly overweight. In the [[Running With Scissors|movie]], she's played by [[Evan Rachel Wood]].
* [[Dracula]]. In the book Dracula was old and ugly, with hairy palms, whilst most of the films make him younger, suave, and [[Tall, Dark and Handsome]]. The most extreme example must be the 1979 version, which makes Dracula look like [http://image.toutlecine.com/photos/d/r/a/dracula-1979-11-g.jpg this] and have a voice that could melt butter.
** A lot of the movies make his ''personality'' more attractive as well. In the book he was an old man, tired with [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|immortality]], who wanted to take over the world, whose bite seems to be a metaphor for rape and sexually transmitted disease. In the movies, he seduces Mina and/or Lucy, with plently of angst over the loneliness of living forever and being a vampire.
** Also applicable to Renfield in one known [[Dracula (
* Inverted in the ''[[Fletch]]'' movies. In the books, Fletch was a handsome, young, blond, extremely muscular man who could bed any woman he wanted. In the movies, he was played by a forty-something Chevy Chase.
* In [[Stephen King]]'s ''[[Carrie]]'', the title character is overweight, has thinning dark hair, acne in her face and chest and back, and possibly hirsutism (she seems to have all the signs of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome- hence explaining her late puberty). In the movie, she is played by Sissy Spacek, who is slender, has thick shiny blonde hair, and clear skin- and thus her late puberty is likely due to something else! Though the filmmakers did at least acknowledge this by having the gym teacher tell Carrie that she is a pretty girl but just needs to work on her appearance.
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* The movie adaptation of ''[[Diary of a Wimpy Kid]]'' is a great example. In the books, Greg's brother Rodrick was portrayed as a [[Noodle People|noodle person]] with a [[Perpetual Frowner|perpetual frown.]] So... why is he played by ''[[Survival of the Dead]]'''''s'' [http://images.wikia.com/doawk/images/4/43/DevonBostick.jpg Devon Bostick] in the movie?
* The novel of ''[[True Grit]]'' describes Mattie as ugly on multiple occasions, as well as describing Rooster as old and fat. Neither film adaptation really held to this. The 2010 adaptation made it even more jarring by keeping all the dialogue about ugliness and fatness. Hailee Steinfeld wasn't made up like a beauty pageant entry or anything, but has flawless skin and shiny hair; she's at worst [[Hollywood Homely]]. Jeff Bridges had something like a visible gut, but was hardly fat. (Both actors performed admirably, but the insistence that they were ugly and fat, respectively, remained jarring.)
* Inverted in ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]''. Eddie Valiant in [[Who Censored Roger Rabbit? (Literature)|the book]] has his attractiveness remarked on by several characters, but in the movie, he's played by schlubby Bob Hoskins.
* Justin Hammer in ''[[Iron Man (
* In the Gyakuten Saiban film, Gumshoe is played by Shunsuke Daito. That's right, Dick Gumshoe is played by Ohtori Kyoya from the live action Ouran High School Host Club.
* In ''[[Quiz Show (
* ''[[The Hunger Games (
** Given how the other characters react to Katniss, she could easily be an [[Unreliable Narrator]] who [[She Cleans Up Nicely|cleans up nicely]]. She's a successful hunter, so she isn't necessarily starving.
* In the second ''[[Silent Hill (
* [[Amanda Seyfried]] as [http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/CviR_Uqsv4.558oYnXmLMw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/movietalk/630-lovelace-jpg_165832.jpg Linda Lovelace].
* [[Bonnie and Clyde]] were played by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, both much prettier than the [[Real Life]] originals.
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== Literature ==
* [[Sherlock Holmes]] is described as being tall and thin, with thin lips and and hawk-like nose. Contemporary illustrations made the character [[Progressively Prettier]], causing author Doyle to object. In films, Holmes is often played by handsome leading men such as [[Christopher Lee]], Rupert Everett, and [[Robert Downey, Jr.]]. Interestingly, the reverse is usually true of Watson, who in the books is contrasted against Holmes for his skill with the ladies, but is often portrayed in adaptations as a rotund little man (except [[Sherlock Holmes (
** The new BBC series ''[[
* In Dozerfleet Comics' [[Ciem Webcomic Series|Gerosha universe]], [[The Scarlet Letter|Hester Prynne]] is [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|remarkably]] more like a [[Disney Princess]] than Nathaniel Hawthorne ever described her being. Makes Dimmesdale ''that much more'' sympathetic. Hero Machine render [http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111003201556/dozerfleet/images/0/06/Hester-HeroMachine.png here].
* For Chinese literature, this tends to happen to the main characters in modern Asian adaptations of [[Jin Yong|Jin Yong's]] work. One rather noticeable example can be found in a 2008 adaptation of ''Legend of the Condor Heroes'', where the protagonist Guo Jing is played by teen idol and heart throb Hu Ge. Guo Jing is normally described as being a rather stout, muscular man who is not exactly known for being incredibly handsome or refined. Hu Ge, on the other hand, is pretty much a [[Real Life]] equivalent of a [[Bishonen]]. Needless to say, it can be rather unnerving for certain fans to see other characters mention how "manly" and "plain" Guo Jing is, when [[media:[[U 1735 P 28 T 3 D 1319149 F 326 DT 20061108153936]].JPG|he]] [[media:200837173742479.jpg|looks]] [[media:220H553P07_small.jpg|prettier]] than some of the ''female cast''.
* In the novelisation of ''[[Star Trek: First Contact
* Averted with [[Erin Brockovich]] as Julia Roberts and the real life Erin Brockovich look enough alike that they could be mistaken as sisters.
* ''[[Bridge of Birds]]'' has an in-universe example: {{spoiler|Lotus Cloud is described as not being conventionally beautiful, having "thick legs" and a "flat face" and her only exceptional feature being her [[When She Smiles|bewitching grin]], but the ancient myth about her true goddess identity describes her as "the most beautiful girl in the world".}} When this discrepancy is pointed out to Master Li, he dismisses it as a "mere literary convention" and says that physical beauty has always been a highly overvalued trait.
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** {{spoiler|His looks ''do'' disintegrate somewhat towards the end, what with the scarring and everything}} but admittedly, he still doesn't look nearly as ugly as he should.
* In the TNT series [[Rizzoli and Isles|Rizzoli & Isles]], Jane Rizzoli is played by the gorgeous Angie Harmon, despite the fact that in nearly every book that the TV series is based on, Rizzoli is consistently described as plain or average looking and so hung up on this that she frequently displays an irrational hatred of women who ARE beautiful. Similarly, while Isles is described in the books as being attractive, as played by Sasha Alexander, she's now a knockout.
* In the ''[[
* [[Doctor Who]]'s Eighth Doctor is 5'8" and 160 lbs fully [[Gorgeous Period Dress|over]]dressed and with shoes on ("I just lost twenty pounds!"), with a solid, athletic build. For some reason, a lot of the authors of the books felt it necessary to describe him as if he's a tall, skinny [[Bishounen]]. Most other male characters seem to be shorter than him, yet it never comes up that a man who's noticeably shorter than him is quite short indeed. But he's unconventionally gorgeous [[Mr. Fanservice]] without being tall, thin, and long-legged. It's even worse in the comics, where you'd think they could just draw him the way he actually looks, but as a matter of fact gave him enormous cheekbones, absurdly long legs, and made his 19th-century three-piece suit inexplicably [[Form-Fitting Wardrobe|clingy]] (although the effect is often to make him look more severe rather than more attractive). Seriously, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
* In the Mrs Bradley novels by Gladys Mitchell, she's described as "a hag-like pterodactyl". In [[The BBC]]'s ''[[The Mrs Bradley Mysteries]]'', she's played by [[The Avengers (TV series)|Diana Rigg]].
* [[The BBC]]'s Adaptation of Sarah Waters’ ''[[Tipping the Velvet]]'' cast Rachel Stirling (daughter of Dame Diana Rigg) as Nan, who was so plain in the book that she passed successfully as a boy for years on the street.
* The ''Girls in Love'' series by [[Jacqueline Wilson]] describes heroine Ellie as a chubby, awkward girl worried about her weight, glasses and frizzy hair, who feels self-conscious next to her pretty friends Magda and Nadine. This is an important part of her characterization, with a whole book focusing on her almost developing an eating disorder. So what happened in the TV adaptation? Ellie was played by Olivia Hallinan, a thin, pretty girl (more conventionally "pretty" than the actresses playing Magda and Nadine), with the character having hang-ups about her red hair rather than her weight.
** Wilson's best known heroine, Tracy Beaker, is a tomboyish, untidy pre-teen girl who doesn't care about her looks and is described by adults as plain and awkward-looking. In the long-running TV adaptation, she's played by the cute and well-groomed Dani Harmer. Possibly a [[Justified Trope]] because due to [[Adaptation Expansion]], Harmer plays Tracy right up to her late teens/early 20s; but even in the earlier series her look is at odds with the character's description in the books.
* Surprisingly, this trope is inverted in the [[Live Action Adaptation]] of ''[[The Walking Dead (TV series)|The Walking Dead]]''. Carol, who was a fairly attractive woman in her 30s in [[The Walking Dead (
* One of the many problems with the [[Foreign Remake|American]] [[
* If artwork is anything to go by, samurai Uesugi Kenshin was [[wikipedia:Uesugi Kenshin|rugged, large and hairy]]. In the TV drama ''Fuurin Kazan'' Uesugi Kenshin was played by [[Bishonen]] rock star [[Gackt]], who looked even ''[http://s45.radikal.ru/i107/0903/cd/20c1c5ec8e78.jpg prettier than most of the female cast]''.
** This is especially noticeable since the other actors actually resemble the large, grizzled warlords they are playing.
* In the [[
* In ''[[Brideshead Revisited]]'', Charles' narration describes the adult Cordelia as very unattractive, even ugly. In the mini-series, the actress has bad skin and an unflattering haircut, but is still quite attractive. Possibly justified, in that Charles is obsessed with aesthetics and thus an [[Unreliable Narrator]].
* Major and minor examples from ''[[
** It's worth noting that it's somewhat implied that Arya is not actually as plain as she is made out to be in the books, and this is really just a combination the aforementioned lack of "dressing up" (her scruffy appearance obscuring how she really looks), and her own insecurity in her appearance due to her constantly praised sister. Also Arya is described as unique among the Stark children (along with Jon Snow) for having inherited the Stark looks, having a plain face and dark hair as opposed to her auburn-haired siblings who look more like Tullys.
** More major examples include Eddard Stark and Ser Jorah Mormont, described as plain and "not handsome" respectively, are both played by handsome actors in the series. Here are the TV versions of [http://www.boomtron.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/eddard-stark-hbo-sean-bean-game-of-thrones1.png Eddard] and [http://unaffiliatedcritic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Ser-Jorah-Mormont-Iain-Glen.jpg Jorah]. Sandor Clegane's half burned face is also [http://www.theironthrone.it/it/images/stories/attori/sandor_clegane.jpg less severe in the series], now only covering the side of his head and upper left face, but this was for practical reasons, as the actor was unable to see out of more extensive prosthetics, which was impractical for swordfights featuring the character. Jorah in the books is described as being large and powerfully-built, despite being in his forties and balding, as well as being quite hairy - eloquently demonstrated [[media:Jorah_8603.jpg|here]].
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** One that was expected from the very beginning is Brienne of Tarth, played by Gwendolyne Christie in the series. For brevity, in the novels everything about her ([[What Beautiful Eyes!|except her eyes]]) is homely, at the very best. Her television actress is not. Rather than break Ms Gwendolyne's nose half a dozen times and then rearrange her teeth, the producers instead opt to play up her "butch" looks and attitude.
* In the CBC miniseries of ''[[Anne of Green Gables]]'', in which Anne is supposedly unattractive, she's played by ''Megan Follows''.
* Sugar, the subversion of the [[Hooker
== Theatre ==
* In Lynn Rigg's play ''Green Grow the Lilacs'', Ado Annie is described as "an unattractive, stupid-looking farm girl" wearing a "very unbecoming" dress. This description was not carried over into the script of ''[[Oklahoma]]'', the musical adaptation of ''Green Grow the Lilacs''; it certainly didn't apply to Celeste Holm of the original cast, who practically qualified as [[Ms. Fanservice]] by the production's modest standards.
* In ''[[Wicked (
* In ''Phantom of the Opera'', the original book has the Phantom (Erik) wearing a full mask, and his face behind the mask extremely grotesque. He is described as deformed. In the stage musical, the deformities are limited to half his face, and the portion of his face not covered by the half-mask is handsome. This was done because full face prosthetics inhibited the actor's singing. It also often makes the deformed side actually look worse in comparison- from a skull in the book to a handsome man who appears to be ''rotting'' on one side. The fact that his hair turns out to be a wig, and that he's bald except for a few ratty, diseased-looking wisps of gray hair even on the good side, also makes the deformity makeup pretty effective in the final scene.
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== Video Games ==
* Following on the ''[[Minority Report]]'' film example: If you really want to see [[Clone Degeneration]] in action, look at the [[Video Game]] adaptation of [[The Movie]] of the short story. Here, the female mutant has breasts which were not in the original. Why? [[Fan Service|You can probably guess]].
* In ''[[
** This could be a case of [[Values Dissonance]] as in that time period, the ideal beauty had light skin and black hair, like [http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101030205252/dynastywarriors/images/thumb/1/16/ZhenJiDW7.jpg/520px-ZhenJiDW7.jpg her] for example as opposed to Yue Ying's darker skin tone and reddish-brown hair. So while she would be considered beautiful by today's standards, she wouldn't be during that time period.
** Hell, almost ''everyone'' in that series applies. Just google Zhuge Liang's traditional depictions and his character design in the game.
* A male example: in the 8-bit Family Computer version of ''[[Fire Emblem Akaneia|Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryu to Hikari no Ken]]'', Abel (the green-clad half of the Cain and Abel duo) was originally drawn with a buck tooth and shifty eyes compared to the typically handsome Cain. When the game was remade for the Super Famicom as part of ''Fire Emblem: Monshō no Nazo'', he became as handsome as his red counterpart Cain.
** Also, several game portraits in [[Fire Emblem Jugdral|Seisen no Keifu and Thracia 776]] make the charas look either only average (Andorey, Scorpio, Ishtore), [[Younger Than They Look]] (Burian) or plain creepy (Pamela, De'etvar). The TCG cards's drawing style make them look much better.
* While [[Super Mario Bros.|Princess Peach]] is now depicted as looking like [http://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/3/38/NSMBWiiPeach.png/240px-NSMBWiiPeach.png this], her sprite from the original ''[[Super Mario Bros. (
** Inverted with the Dic cartoons. Peach is still pretty, but not to the length of the games.
** Pauline originally was a blond headed girl with [[Eighties Hair]], and while she was pretty she looked quite (and understandably) distressed. By the [[Game Boy]] remake of ''[[Game/Donkey Kong|Donkey Kong]]'', she had been completely revamped.
* Many ''[[
** Vincent's Limit Breaks underwent this treatment. Originally, they were supposed to be parodies of classic horror movie monsters: [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/File:Vincent-FFVIIArt.png Vincent] himself resembles a vampire, [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/File:FFVII-GalianBeast.png Galian Beast] resembles a hideous, purple beast, [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/File:FFVII-DeathGigas.png Death Gigas] resembles Frankenstein's monster, [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/File:FFVII-HellMasker.png Hellmasker] resembles various slasher-movie killers, and [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/File:FFVII-Chaos.png Chaos] resembles a winged demon. However, in ''[[Dirge of Cerberus]]'', Galian Beast was changed to look much more like an oversized, humanoid dog. And Chaos was changed to look like a winged Vincent in [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/File:FFDoc_Chaos.jpg bondage gear]. Presumably, the other two limits were too absurd or ugly to be included in the game.
* ''[[Video Game Remake|Remake]]'' Adaptational Attractiveness happens in many ''[[
* A relatively minor example, but compare [[Portal (
== Western Animation ==
* [http://www.titanstower.com/assets/animated/behind%20scenes/animatedcompare/terra.jpg Terra] from ''[[Teen Titans (
** Starfire is quite attractive in the comics, but suffered from a case of [[Uncanny Valley]] due to lacking pupils and had a major case of [[Eighties Hair]]. In the cartoon she was updated, and she's since been updated in the comics themselves. Cyborg arguably became more appealing to look at, when it comes to his design.
* In the early ''[[Bionicle]]'' movies, the animators took a number of liberties with the characters' appearances, [[Show Accuracy Toy Accuracy|making them look quite different to the toys]]. In ''Mask of Light'', Gali's figure is less bulky and she now looks more like a [[FemBot]]. Pohatu is also considerably more handsome there than in his toy form.
** In ''Legends of Metru Nui'', they even went as far as giving Nokama what can only be described as a robo-cleavage. Seems unnecessary, after they had already turned her ugly toy-mug into a quite nice-looking, feminine face.
* In ''[[Voltron]]'', Hunk is fat and unremarkable and Pidge is a bit of a [[Gonk]]. In [[Voltron Force]], they're both, well, much, MUCH more attractive.
* Sally Acorn from the ''[[Sonic
* In ''[[Thundercats
* ''[[
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