As certain movie franchises become more and more popular, there is typically an actor or actress tied to the main characters. Sometimes, those actors become well-known for the role, and other times, they quickly become what some refer to as the poster child of the franchise.
From Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, who is now getting his own show on Disney+ next month, to Emma Watson as the legendary Hermione Granger in Harry Potter, these are some of the actors and actresses that are immediately associated with a big franchise.
Sigourney Weaver
The beloved Sigourney Weaver is known far and wide for the many roles that she has done over her forty years of acting. It is her role as one of the greatest sci-fi heroes, according to the AFI, Ellen Ripley in Alien, that fans often connect her to. Weaver played her role so well in the movie that fans quickly got attached and were thrilled to see her character survive for multiple movies.
She has since picked up other big roles, like Dr. Grace Augustine in Avatar and her role in the famous Ghostbusters movies, but die-hard Sigourney Weaver fans will always tie her to the role that brought her big fame.
Sylvester Stallone
The incredibly popular Rocky series is one of the greatest film franchises of all time, according to Insider. Rocky Balboa, who is played by the ever-popular Sylvester Stallone, quickly became recognizable everywhere. From his fight scenes to his training scenes, people everywhere fell in love with Rocky. Stallone took on this role and played the character in many films, endearing audiences every time.
To this day, Stallone is recognized immediately as a connection to the Rocky franchise, and that is something that won't be going away any time soon, as proven with the Creed films that have been released. There may be new fighters, but no one can replace Rocky, and truly no one can replace Stallone as the character.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Terminator changed the game of cinema as Arnold Schwarzenegger commanded the screen with his riveting performance. He had already become popular due to his body-building, but his role as The Terminator changed both his life and film forever. There may be other actors who could play The Terminator, but Schwarzenegger left some big shoes for them to fill.
This quickly became his most popular role and eventually ended up being what most people knew him for. To this day, Schwarzenegger is commonly connected to this film, and many of his lines are still quoted, giving him a bond to The Terminator that no one could have predicted all those years ago.
Ewan McGregor
There are countless characters in the Star Wars franchise, but there are only a few actors who are immediately associated with their specific characters within the franchise. Ewan McGregor playing Obi-Wan Kenobi is a great example of an actor who is heavily connected to a franchise. Even before the announcement of the new Obi-Wan Kenobi show, McGregor was still tightly connected to his role in the beloved universe.
There are lots of Reddit theories on what will happen in the show, but one thing fans know is that they're excited to see McGregor take on his old role. Between his captivating presence as one of the strongest Jedi Masters and the classic lines everyone knows, it's inevitable to not think of McGregor when talking about Star Wars.
Samuel L. Jackson
Having been in countless movies, there are many roles that Samuel L. Jackson might be known for; however, it is his role as Mace Windu in Star Wars and his role as Nick Fury in the MCU that he is popularly recognized for today. He is connected to Star Wars primarily for his lightsaber color - purple. Being the only one to have a purple lightsaber really helped to make his character memorable.
In the MCU though, he is immediately linked to Fury, who is a leader of the Avengers and always seems to be tied to the team in one way or another. He's not the main character in either franchise, but he is easily connected to both due to the unforgettable characteristics each character has.
Daniel Radcliffe
Taking on the role of the "The boy who lived," Daniel Radcliffe secured himself as part of a franchise that he would always be associated with. For years, fans followed Radcliffe as Harry Potter as he grew up into a powerful wizard.
As the literal poster child of the entire franchise, it was inevitable to happen, with the movies coming out over an entire decade and gaining more and more fans with each new installment. While the final movie came out over ten years ago, Radcliffe is still heavily associated with the Harry Potter franchise.
Emma Watson
It seems almost impossible to think of the Harry Potter series without also thinking of Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger. Similar to Radcliffe, she was involved in the movies from day one and quickly became a beloved and unforgettable part of the franchise.
Her sassy yet smart character quickly captivated fans around the world, and for a decade, fans grew up with her as she became a stronger, and sassier, witch while staying best friends with Harry Potter. She became a bit of a female icon in the franchise, making it possible for all children watching the films to believe that they could one day become a strong witch or wizard.
Harrison Ford
The legendary Harrison Ford has taken on many roles over his decades of acting, but the two that he is most well known for are his role as Han Solo in the Star Wars movies and the titular figure in the Indiana Jones movies.
Han Solo is an unforgettable character in the Star Wars franchise, but Ford is usually more connected to his role as the adventurer, Indiana Jones. With expedition after expedition, Jones continued to go on wild adventures where fans cheered, cried, and screamed in shock for him. Ford was the perfect actor to take on this character, and it would be hard not to associate him with the very famous adventurer.
Daniel Craig & Sean Connery
Perhaps one of the most well-known characters in the movie industry is James Bond. This character has been played by many different actors over the last sixty years, but there are two actors who really took on the character and made it their own - Sean Connery and Daniel Craig. The very first James Bond and the most current one have become the poster children for the character.
The actor who is the most heavily associated with the Bond franchise depends on who one asks. Either way, these two men have become some of the most iconic actors tied to a major movie franchise. While there may be some cliches that show up in every Bond movie, the franchise is clearly doing something right to still be making new films.
Robert Downey Jr.
Roberty Downey Jr. just might be the most popular actor that is immediately associated with a franchise. Before he got the role of Iron Man, he was already a well-established actor, but as he took on the role of Tony Stark and as the MCU grew exponentially, he became more and more connected to the franchise.
While there are many characters throughout all of Marvel, the MCU has been selectively picking and choosing certain ones and slowly bringing them together throughout the last four phases that fans have seen. Since RDJ has been there since the MCU basically began, many believe him to be the ultimate poster child for the entire franchise, and it's a big reason why so many were gutted when his character died in Avengers: Endgame.