Neon Genesis Evangelion Live-action Cast
by rodfowler27 | created - 20 Apr 2015 | updated - 22 Dec 2022 | PublicanIf I was directing/writing/producing an live-action adaptation of this classic anime series into film trilogy. Granted this would be a version that has Nerv and everything else being more multicultural rather than the Japan-centric. This list is for if I could do it this year or in the past 5 years. The actors/actresses that I listed are my possible ideal universal representations of the characters.
1. Jacob Tremblay
Actor | Room
Jacob Tremblay is a Canadian actor. He made his film debut as Blue in the live action animated film The Smurfs 2 (2013). His breakout performance was in the dark drama Room (2015), for which he received critical acclaim. In 2016, Tremblay played a supporting role in the comedy film Donald Trump's ...
-Shinji(Shawn) Ikari-
He was obviously so good in "Room". So upbeat and optimistic. Would really be interesting to see him be the opposite character type.
2. Noah Jupe
Actor | Honey Boy
Noah Jupe is a British actor. He is known for his roles in the television series The Night Manager (2016); the dark comedy film Suburbicon (2017); the drama film Wonder (2017); the horror film A Quiet Place (2018) and its sequel A Quiet Place Part II (2021); the sports drama film Ford v Ferrari (...
-Shinji(Shawn) Ikari-
3. Iain Armitage
Actor | Scoob!
Iain Armitage is an American child actor. He is best known for Young Sheldon (a prequel to the sitcom The Big Bang Theory) and the HBO miniseries Big Little Lies.
He also appeared in the films The Glass Castle (2017) and Our Souls at Night (2017).
His acting debut was in an episode of Law & Order: ...
-Shinji(Shawn) Ikari-
4. Sadie Sink
Actress | Stranger Things
Sadie Sink is an American actress. She started her career in the theater, and rose to prominence for her roles as Max in Netflix's science fiction drama series Stranger Things (2016) and Ziggy Berman in the horror films Fear Street: Part Two - 1978 (2021) and Fear Street: Part Three - 1666 (2021).
...
-Asuka Langley Soryu-
5. Violet McGraw
Actress | The Haunting of Hill House
Violet McGraw was born as Violet Elizabeth McGraw on April 22, 2011 in California, USA. Violet is a Actress who is known for her work in a variety of both television and film. Violet has a passion for acting at a young age, she received her debut credited role in the 2018 in the television series ...
-Asuka Langley Soryu-
6. Sophia Lillis
Actress | It
Sophia Lillis was born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She started her acting career at the age of seven, when her stepfather encouraged her to take acting classes at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Manhattan. While studying there, a teacher recommended her for a role in an NYU student film...
-Asuka Langley Soryu-
She handled a great amount of the emotional weight in "It". She would be great as the emotionally damaged, hiding behind cocky facade of Asuka.
7. Camren Bicondova
Actress | Gotham
Camren Renee Bicondova is an American actress and dancer from San Diego, California, who is best known for her role as Selina Kyle on the Fox television crime-drama, Gotham (2014).
Bicondova began dancing at the age of 6 and, after her family relocated to Hawaii, she studied at a local dance studio ...
-Asuka Langley Soryu-
The feistiness she brings to young Selina on Gotham would be great for Asuka
8. Millie Bobby Brown
Actress | Enola Holmes
Millie Bobby Brown (born 19 February 2004) is an English actress and model. She rose to prominence for her role as Eleven in the Netflix science fiction drama series Stranger Things (2016), for which she earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series ...
-Asuka Langley Soryu/Rei Ayanami-
Watch "Stranger Things". She would fit as either Asuka or Rei
9. Natalie Alyn Lind
Actress | Big Sky
Natalie Alyn Lind, the oldest of the three Lind sisters, all working actresses, grew up surrounded by the entertainment industry. Her mother is also an actress who starred in feature films and on several TV series including the hit drama "One Tree Hill". Natalie booked her first guest role at 4 ...
-Asuka Langley Soryu-
I just recently watched her in "Gotham" and she impressed me with her range from being devious then switching to vulnerable at the end of her arc. If I could start production tomorrow, she around the right age to portray a 14-17yr old
10. Hailee Steinfeld
Actress | True Grit
Hailee Steinfeld was born on December 11, 1996 in Tarzana, California, to Cheri (Domasin), an interior designer, and Peter Steinfeld, a personal fitness trainer. She has a brother, Griffin. Her uncle is Jake Steinfeld, a fitness trainer, and her great-uncle is actor Larry Domasin. Her father is of ...
- Rei Ayanami-
She burst onto the scene w/ a scene stealing performance in "True Grit(2010)" & amazing in "Edge of 17". Usually portrays spirited characters, it would be nice seeing as a emotionally gelded character.
11. Caleb McLaughlin
Actor | Stranger Things
Caleb McLaughlin is known for his role as Lucas Sinclair on the hit Netflix Original series, Stranger Things. However, Caleb has worked on several television shows which include: ABC Forever, CBS Unforgettable, NBC Law & Order SVU, HBO Miniseries Show Me a Hero, ABC 20/20 What Would You Do?, HBO's ...
-Kawrou(Korey)-
12. Joaquin Phoenix
Actor | Walk the Line
Joaquin Phoenix was born Joaquin Rafael Bottom in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Arlyn (Dunetz) and John Bottom, and is the middle child in a brood of five. His parents, from the continental United States, were then serving as Children of God missionaries. His mother is from a Jewish family from New ...
-Gendo(Gene) Ikari-
He puts his all into every role he takes. He can portray the effortless aloofness of Gendo.
13. David Tennant
Actor | Doctor Who
Widely considered as one of the greatest stage and screen actors of his generation both in his native Scotland and internationally, David Tennant was born David John McDonald in West Lothian, Scotland, to Essdale Helen (McLeod) and Sandy McDonald, who was a Presbyterian minister. He is of Scottish ...
-Gendo(Gene) Ikari-
Can you imagine, IMO, the best Dr. Who playing the cold, calculating, absentee father of Shinji.
14. Ethan Hawke
Actor | Training Day
Ethan Green Hawke was born on November 6, 1970 in Austin, Texas, to Leslie Carole (Green), a charity worker, and James Steven Hawke, an insurance actuary. His parents were students at the University of Texas at the time but divorced when Ethan was 5 years old. His mother raised him alone for the ...
-Gendo(Gene) Ikari-
15. Michael Fassbender
Actor | Shame
Michael Fassbender is an Irish actor who was born in Heidelberg, Germany, to a German father, Josef, and an Irish mother, Adele (originally from Larne, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland). Michael was raised in the town of Killarney, Co. Kerry, in south-west Ireland, where his family moved to when ...
-Gendo(Gene) Ikari-
16. Jon Hamm
Actor | Mad Men
Jon Hamm is an American actor and producer from St. Louis, Missouri who is known for playing Don Draper in Mad Men. He also played Mister Sinister in a deleted scene of The New Mutants and Legion, Brogan from Shrek Forever After, and other films and shows including Sucker Punch, Million Dollar Arm,...
-Gendo(Gene) Ikari-
17. Daniel Craig
Actor | Casino Royale
One of the British theatre's most famous faces, Daniel Craig, who waited tables as a struggling teenage actor with the National Youth Theatre, has gone on to star as James Bond in Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021).
He was born ...
-Gendo(Gene) Ikari-
18. Christian Bale
Actor | The Dark Knight
Christian Charles Philip Bale was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK on January 30, 1974, to English parents Jennifer "Jenny" (James) and David Bale. His mother was a circus performer and his father, who was born in South Africa, was a commercial pilot. The family lived in different countries ...
-Gendo Ikari-
It's Christian Bale--enough said.
19. Matthew McConaughey
Actor | Interstellar
American actor and producer Matthew David McConaughey was born in Uvalde, Texas. His mother, Mary Kathleen (McCabe), is a substitute school teacher originally from New Jersey. His father, James Donald McConaughey, was a Mississippi-born gas station owner who ran an oil pipe supply business. He is ...
-Gendo(Gene) Ikari-
20. Kiefer Sutherland
Actor | 24
Kiefer Sutherland was born in London, England, UK, to Canadian actors Shirley Douglas and Donald Sutherland, who moved to California shortly after his birth. His maternal grandfather, Tommy Douglas, was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who was a Premier of Saskatchewan for over 17 years and led ...
-Gendo(Gene) Ikari-
21. Ken Watanabe
Actor | The Last Samurai
Ken Watanabe was born on October 21, 1959 in Uonuma, Japan. Both of his parents were teachers: his mother taught general education and his dad taught calligraphy. He became interested in acting at the age of 24, when a director of England's National Theater Company, where he was studying, told him ...
-Kozo Fuyutsuki-
22. Laurence Fishburne
Actor | The Matrix
Critically hailed for his forceful, militant, authoritative figures and one of Hollywood's most talented and versatile performers, Laurence (John) Fishburne III has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a number of NAACP Image honors.
Born in Augusta, Georgia on July 30, 1961, to Hattie ...
-Kozo Fuyutsuki(Carl Ferralis)-
For some reason while watching the show I've always seen Fishburne.
23. Bryan Cranston
Actor | Breaking Bad
Bryan Lee Cranston was born on March 7, 1956 in Hollywood, California, to Audrey Peggy Sell, a radio actress, and Joe Cranston, an actor and former amateur boxer. His maternal grandparents were German, and his father was of Irish, German, and Austrian-Jewish ancestry. He was raised in the Canoga ...
-Kozo Fuyutsuki(Carl Ferralis)-
24. Hugh Laurie
Actor | House M.D.
Hugh was born in Oxford, England on June 11, 1959, to Patricia (Laidlaw) and William George Ranald Mundell "Ran" Laurie, a doctor, both of Scottish descent. He was educated at Eton and Cambridge. Son of an Olympic gold medalist in the sport, he rowed for the England youth team (1977) and for ...
-Kozo Fuyutsuki(Carl Ferralis)-
25. Pierce Brosnan
Actor | Mamma Mia!
Pierce Brendan Brosnan was born in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland, to May (Smith), a nurse, and Thomas Brosnan, a carpenter. He lived in Navan, County Meath, until he moved to England, UK, at an early age (thus explaining his ability to play men from both backgrounds convincingly). His father left...
-Kozo Fuyutsuki(Carl Ferralis)-
26. J.K. Simmons
Actor | Whiplash
J.K. Simmons is an American actor.
He was born Jonathan Kimble Simmons in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, to Patricia (Kimble), an administrator, and Donald William Simmons, a music teacher. He attended the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; University of Montana, Missoula, MT (BA in Music).
He had ...
-Kozo Fuyutsuki(Carl Ferralis)-
27. Kurt Russell
Actor | Escape from New York
Kurt Vogel Russell was born on March 17, 1951 in Springfield, Massachusetts and raised in Thousand Oaks, California to Louise Julia Russell (née Crone), a dancer & Bing Russell, an actor. He is of English, German, Scottish and Irish descent. His first roles were as a child on television series, ...
-Kozo Fuyutsuki(Carl Ferralis)-
28. Cliff Curtis
Actor | Risen
Cliff Curtis was born in Rotorua, New Zealand, on July 27, 1968.
He is of New Zealand Maori descent (with Ngati Hauiti and Te Arawa tribal affiliations). He enrolled at the New Zealand Drama School, and then the Teatro Dmitri Scuola in Switzerland.
After returning to New Zealand from Europe, he was ...
-Kozo Fuyutsuki(Carl Ferralis)-
29. Liam Neeson
Actor | Kinsey
Liam Neeson was born on June 7, 1952 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, to Katherine (Brown), a cook, and Bernard Neeson, a school caretaker. He was raised in a Catholic household. During his early years, Liam worked as a forklift operator for Guinness, a truck driver, an assistant architect and an ...
-Kozo Fuyutsuki(Carl Ferralis)-
How can a guy like Gendo not see an equal in this guy.
30. Tim Robbins
Actor | Mystic River
Born in West Covina, California, but raised in New York City, Tim Robbins is the son of former The Highwaymen singer Gil Robbins and actress Mary Robbins (née Bledsoe). Robbins studied drama at UCLA, where he graduated with honors in 1981. That same year, he formed the Actors' Gang theater group, ...
-Kozo Fuyutsuki(Carl Ferralis)-
31. Paul Giamatti
Actor | Sideways
Paul Giamatti is an American actor who has worked steadily and prominently for over thirty years, and is best known for leading roles in the films American Splendor (2003), Sideways (2004), and Barney's Version (2010) (for which he won a Golden Globe), and supporting roles in the films Cinderella ...
-Kozo Fuyutsuki(Carl Ferralis)-
32. Bill Paxton
Actor | Aliens
Bill Paxton was born on May 17, 1955 in Fort Worth, Texas. He was the son of Mary Lou (Gray) and John Lane Paxton, a businessman and actor (as John Paxton). Bill moved to Los Angeles, California at age eighteen, where he found work in the film industry as a set dresser for Roger Corman's New World ...
-Kozo Fuyutsuki(Carl Ferralis)-
33. Stephen Lang
Actor | Avatar
Stephen Lang is a distinguished and award-winning actor who commands considerable respect, and is equally at home on the Broadway stage, on television, and in film.
Though he is arguably most well-known for his acclaimed performance in James Cameron's Avatar (2009), Lang began his career in theater....
-Kozo Fuyutsuki(Carl Ferralis)-
34. Rinko Kikuchi
Actress | Babel
Rinko was born Kikuchi Yuriko in Hadano just south of Tokyo. The town is known mainly for its green tea and public baths. She is the youngest of three siblings. After being scouted on the street, she began modeling in her hometown and subsequently began acting under her birth name before switching ...
-Yui Ikari-
35. Ziyi Zhang
Actress | Yi dai zong shi
Ziyi Zhang is a Chinese actress and model. She is best known for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004), and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005).
She made her feature film debut in The Road Home (1999).
For her work in Memoirs of a Geisha she was...
-Yui Ikari-
36. Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Actress | Belle
Gugu Mbatha-Raw was born Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha in the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, England. Her father, Patrick Mbatha, is a Black South African doctor, and her mother, Anne Raw, is a Caucasian English nurse. Her parents separated when she was a year old, and she was brought up by her mother ...
-Misato Katsuragi(Melissa Kitanning)-
I saw her in the short-lived series "Undercovers" where she played covert operative and she was amazing there as well her other roles that made me feel she's right for Misato
37. Jamie Chung
Actress | Big Hero 6
Jamie Chung was born and raised in California, the daughter of Korean parents. She studied Economics at the University of California, Riverside. Chung's break came in 2004, when she was working in a sports bar. MTV held auditions for The Real World (1992) there, she tried out, and was successful, ...
-Misato-
If you've seen her in the series "Believe", you would too.
38. Alexa Davalos
Actress | The Chronicles of Riddick
Alexa most recently starred as "Special Agent Gaines" on FBI: MOST WANTED on CBS, alongside Dylan McDermott. She also starred in Amazon's Emmy-award winning drama series, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE. Her other television work includes Marvel's THE PUNISHER and Frank Darabont's MOB CITY.
Alexa's film ...
-Misato Katsuragi(Melissa Kitanning)-
Chronicles of Riddick wasn't great, but she was good for part as it was written. I thought she was really good in her small role in "The Mist" which was much different from CoR's Kyra. Meld those performances together I think could make an interesting Misato
39. Alice Braga
Actress | I Am Legend
Alice Braga Moraes born April 15, 1983 is a Brazilian actress. She has appeared in several Brazilian films, most notably as Angélica in 2002's highly acclaimed City of God and as Karina in 2005's Lower City. She came to international prominence after appearing opposite Will Smith in I Am Legend (...
-Misato-
The character she played in Predators combined with her character in I am Legend made me think of her for Misato
40. Freida Pinto
Actress | Slumdog Millionaire
Freida Selena Pinto was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India, to Sylvia, a school principal, and Frederick Pinto, a senior bank branch manager. She is from a Mangalorean family.
Pinto traversed the modeling circuit in Mumbai (represented by Elite Model Management India) for two years ...
-Misato Katsuragi(Melissa Kitanning)-
41. Genesis Rodriguez
Actress | The Umbrella Academy
Genesis Rodriguez was born in Miami, Florida. She is the daughter of José Luis Rodríguez 'El Puma', the famous Venezuelan singer and actor, and Carolina Perez, a Cuban model. She has two half-sisters. She was educated at the Carrolton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami. From childhood, Rodriguez ...
-Misato-
42. Tatiana Maslany
Actress | Orphan Black
Tatiana Gabrielle Maslany was born September 22, 1985 in Regina, Saskatchewan, to Renate, a translator, and Dan, a woodworker. She graduated from Dr. Martin LeBoldus High school in 2003. She was a well respected student, and participated as often as possible in school productions. She is well known...
-Misato/Ritsuko-
Watch "Orphan Black", She can play whatever and you'll believe her.
43. Alicia Vikander
Actress | Ex Machina
Alicia Vikander is a Swedish actress, dancer and producer. She was born and raised in Gothenburg, Västra Götalands län, Sweden, to Maria Fahl, an actress of stage and screen, and Svante Vikander, a psychiatrist. Through her mother, she is one quarter Finnish, and had a maternal great aunt who moved...
-Misato Katsuragi(Melissa Kitanning)/Ritsuko Akagi(Rita Ayers)-
44. Rooney Mara
Actress | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Actress and philanthropist Rooney Mara was born on April 17, 1985 in Bedford, New York. She made her screen debut in the slasher film Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005), went on to have a supporting role in the independent coming-of-age drama Tanner Hall (2009), and has since starred in the horror ...
-Misato Katsuragi(Melissa Kitanning)/Ritsuko Akagi(Rita Ayers)-
45. Lizzy Caplan
Actress | Hot Tub Time Machine
Actress Elizabeth Anne "Lizzy" Caplan was born in Los Angeles, California, to Barbara (Bragman), a political aide, and Richard Caplan, a lawyer. She has two older siblings, Julie and Benjamin, and was raised in a Jewish household. Her mother was a cousin of publicist Howard Bragman. Caplan was ...
-Misato Katsuragi(Melissa Kitanning)/Ritsuko Akagi(Rita Ayers)-
46. Elizabeth Olsen
Actress | Martha Marcy May Marlene
Elizabeth Chase "Lizzie" Olsen (born February 16, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films Silent House (2011), Liberal Arts (2012), Godzilla (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and Captain America: Civil War (2016). For her role in the critically-acclaimed Martha ...
Ritsuko Akagi(Rita Ayers)-
47. Abbie Cornish
Actress | Bright Star
Abbie Cornish, also known by her rap name Dusk, is an Australian actress and rapper. Following her lead performance in 2004's Somersault, Cornish is best-known for her film roles as the titular heroin addict in the drama Candy (2006), courtier Bess Throckmorton in the historical drama Elizabeth: ...
-Ritsuko Akagi(Rita Ayers)-
48. Allison Williams
Actress | Girls
Allison Howell Williams, born April 13, 1988, is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is best known for her role as "Marnie Michaels" on the HBO comedy-drama series, Girls (2012). Williams was born and raised in New Canaan, Connecticut and is the daughter of former NBC Nightly News anchor...
-Ritsuko Akagi(Rita Ayers)-
I don't like the show Girls but I watched the first 6-7 episodes. I can see her as Ritsuko
49. Shailene Woodley
Actress | Divergent
Actress and activist Shailene Woodley was born in Simi Valley, California, to Lori (Victor), a middle school counselor, and Lonnie Woodley, a school principal. She has one brother, Tanner. She was educated at Simi Valley High School in California. When Woodley was four years old she began ...
-Ritsuko Akagi(Rita Ayers)-
50. Kristen Stewart
Actress | Snow White and the Huntsman
Though most famous for her role as Isabella "Bella" Swan in The Twilight (2008) Saga, Kristen Stewart has been a working actor since her early years in Los Angeles, California. Her parents, John Stewart and Jules Stewart, both work in film and television. The family includes three boys, Kristen's ...
-Ritsuko Akagi(Rita Ayers)-
Aloof and cryptic is her wheelhouse. Feels right
51. Jesse Williams
Actor | The Cabin in the Woods
Jesse Wesley Williams born August 5, 1981 is a former high school teacher and activist turned actor/director. He's best known for his role as Dr. Jackson Avery on the ABC Television series Grey's Anatomy and his advocacy for the disenfranchised, highlighted by his internationally resonant ...
-Kaji Royji(Kenneth Ryan)-
Hell of an actor, very charismatic and charming. Perfect for Kaji
52. Steven Yeun
Actor | Minari
Steven Yeun was born in Seoul, South Korea, to June and Je Yeun. His family first immigrated to Canada and stayed there for one year, and then moved to the U.S. He has a brother named Brian. He began acting while at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, MI, where he studied Psychology as a major (BS in ...
-Kaji Royji-
How he looks and acts lately on "The Walking Dead" the past couple seasons make me think he could pull off Kaji.
53. Garrett Hedlund
Actor | Tron: Legacy
Born in Roseau, Minnesota, Garrett John Hedlund is the son of Kristi Anne (Yanish) and Robert Martin Hedlund. He has two older siblings, Nathaniel and Amanda. His father is of Swedish descent and his mother is of German and Norwegian ancestry.
Garrett spent his early years growing up on a farm in a ...
-Kaji Royji(Kenneth Ryan)-
54. Zac Efron
Actor | High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Zachary David Alexander Efron was born October 18, 1987 in San Luis Obispo, California, to Starla Baskett, a secretary, and David Efron, an electrical engineer. He has a younger brother, Dylan. The surname "Efron", which is Hebrew and a Biblical place name, comes from Zac's Polish Jewish paternal ...
-Kaji Royji(Kenneth Ryan)-
55. Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Actor | Kick-Ass
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is an English stage, television, and film actor.
He was born Aaron Perry Johnson in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, to Sarah and Robert Johnson, a civil engineer. He has a sister, Gemma Johnson, who had a small role in his movie Tom & Thomas (2002). Aaron is of ...
-Kaji Royji(Kenneth Ryan)-
He can keep his native accent if he wants.
56. Ansel Elgort
Actor | The Fault in Our Stars
Ansel Elgort is an American actor, known for playing Augustus Waters in the romance The Fault in Our Stars (2014) and the title character in the action thriller Baby Driver (2017). He was born in New York City to photographer Arthur Elgort and opera director Grethe Holby. His father is of ...
-Kaji Royji(Kenneth Ryan)-
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