Re-casting is just a part of the Hollywood cycle. With difficult schedules to maintain, personal problems, or simply a disinterest in the project, actors step away from big roles all the time. While they may later come to regret those choices, these casting changes have a big impact on the history of the show or film moving forward.
However, audiences don't always notice when a casting change has been made. Perhaps heavy prosthetics makes the actor difficult to recognize, or so much time has passed since seeing the character last that it's not even a noticeable difference. There's always a big reason as to why the change might not be that memorable, despite the talent of the actors involved.
10 Joshua Dallas & Zachary Levi As Fandral
The Thor franchise was one of the first series of movies in the MCU to really start opening up the universe. One way of doing this was by bringing in the Asgardian's of Thor's homeworld, complete with iconic heroes from the comics such as the Warriors Three.
Fandral was initially played by Joshua Dallas, however he made the decision to step away from the role. Zachery Levi, who went on to be a much larger part of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), filled his position for Thor: The Dark World. The beard/hair combination and lack of screen time meant this wasn't a noticeable change. Levi disliked his time as Fandral so much so that he was grateful with Fandral being unceremoniously killed off in Thor: Ragnarok's opening act.
9 Katie Holmes & Maggie Gyllenhaal As Rachel Dawes
Both Katie Holmes and Maggie Gyllenhaal are fantastic actresses in their own right. Each gave a unique voice to Rachel Dawes (Holmes in Batman Begins and Gyllenhaal in The Dark Knight), who was one of the primary love interests to the Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. However, Holmes had to step down from the role due to scheduling conflicts.
While the actresses do look relatively similar, which was a deliberate casting choice, the reason audiences didn't notice is that each performance was so captivating that it didn't really matter if the performer herself had actually changed.
8 Alessandra Torresani & Mae Whitman As Ann
One of the most subtle jokes in Arrested Development was having Ann re-cast early into the show. This was a deliberate move by the creators who wanted to keep fans on their feet, playing into what was said about the character throughout the series.
Ann was supposed to be a completely forgettable character. The setup of the joke was done in a way that audiences weren't supposed to notice that Ann had been recast because she's so bland and replaceable anyway. Mae Whitman felt a little insulted by the joke but also saw its genius potential.
7 Anita Barone & Jane Sibbett Carol Geller
The pilot episode of Friends saw Ross's wife come to the realization that she is a lesbian, meaning that their marriage was over despite the son they would be having together. This is a story that would come to define her throughout the show.
However, with such a brief appearance right at the start of the series and so many other characters to be introduced as well, audiences didn't realize that Carol had actually been recast by the time that she appeared again!
6 Richard Brake & Vladimir Furdik As The Night King
The Night King was such a pivotal villain for Game Of Thrones and yet it didn't really matter who was underneath the blue makeup. Fans only got to see the true face of the Night King once, in human form. Two actors actually ended up playing Westeros' personification of inevitability on screen.
Though Richard Brake was the King's human version, the decision was eventually made for Vladimir Furdik to wear the costume. Furdik was already a stunt performer on the show, making it easier to film his combat sequences. The actor had actually been a White Walker before that though.
5 Ed Skrein & Michiel Huisman As Daario Naharis
The re-casting of Daario Naharis is actually quite well known among Game of Thrones fans, but at the time it was barely a noticeable change for audiences. The sellsword was introduced with Ed Skrein in the role. His schedule became far busier than planned, though, and he stood down to let Michiel Huisman take over.
The reason no one noticed this is that Daario barely had any screen time to begin with. So much time passed in-between his appearances that the change seemed inconsequential. The fact that Daario was left behind and basically left out of the final season drove his relative irrelevance further.
4 Jacqueline MacInnes Wood & Caity Lotz As Sara Lance
Sara Lance has become a huge part of the Arrowverse but in the initial pilot for Arrow, the Lance sister that found herself drowning on a sinking ship was actually portrayed by Jacqueline MacInnes Wood.
Fans didn't realize that Sara would become such a pivotal character later on considering she had been killed off so early. But upon the return of the new Black Canary, Caity Lotz took over for Wood. The reason for this was that Wood is mostly known for guest appearances rather than recurring roles, hence her unavailability for a long-time part in the Arrowverse. Lotz has since become a fan favorite, eventually becoming the White Canary.
3 Hugo Weaving & Ross Marquand As Red Skull
The Red Skull is an important villain to Captain America and perhaps his most hated adversary. Also a product of the Super Soldier Serum, Red Skull helped to form Hydra in the MCU and went on to be a very memorable villain. At the end of Capt. America: The First Avenger, though, he seemingly dies after being sucked up somewhere by the Space Stone/Tesseract.
However, upon returning as a herald to the Soul Stone in Avengers: Infinity War, Hugo Weaving was no longer the man under the makeup. Weaving was actually ready to reprise the role, but dealing with Marvel's contract and executives turned out to be a hassle, so he backed out. The part instead went to Ross Marquand. The use of prosthetics, aging, a cloak and a convincing accent meant no one realized there had been a change.
2 Lacey Chabert & Mila Kunis As Meg
Meg is one of the show defining characters in Family Guy. As a key member of the family itself, Meg has been the focus of a number of major plot points, with Mila Kunis famously providing the voice of this iconic character. That hasn't always been the case though.
Meg first found life with Lacey Chabert in the role. Chabert left Family Guy simply to focus on her studies, hence the need for a new voice for Meg. No one noticed the change considering it's all animated and Mila Kunis has made the role her own for so long!
1 Richard Bremme & Ralph Fiennes As Voldemort
Ralph Fiennes is absolutely iconic as Lord Voldemort, the nemesis to Harry Potter and one of the most terrifying villains in all cinema. But Fiennes wasn't the first actor to portray the Dark Lord, even if he's since become synonymous to the character. When the Dark Lord first appeared in The Sorcerer's Stone, he was stuck on the back of Professor Quirrell's head. The actor that portrayed Voldemort's strange version was Richard Bremme with Ian Hart as Quirrell.
Fiennes would take over the role in The Goblet of Fire after he was approached by director Mike Newell. Ironically, Fiennes actually didn't want to be He Who Must Not Be Named since he didn't care much for the Harry Potter series. His extended family convinced him otherwise, and he appeared as Voldemort for the duration of the franchise.
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