Re-cast Peggy Dodd (Amy Adams) in 'The Master'

I still think you and so many others sell Amy Adams short, but if I had to recast her, Laura Dern would be the obvious choice. I still think that her character was one of "Dodd's ex-wives" and the mother of the Ambyr Childers character.

If we're talking previous PTA collaborators, April Grace would be anachronistic, but I think she has the perfect bearing for that sort of character. Gwyneth Paltrow might also have given it a fascinating twist, as like Adams, she would've seemed too sweet and unassuming to be seen as the true power behind the throne.

I pause whenever thinking of a non-American in an American role (thanks in large part to you!  ), but I need to see Samantha Morton's take on this character. 

Some great picks especially Ehle , Morton and Linney .

Also not mentioned yet :

sarah paulson
julianne moore
toni collette
marion cotillard
vera farmiga
bryce dallas howard
renee zellwegger
diane lane
alexandra maria lara
patricia arquette
jennifer jason leigh

I just love Adams so much in this role, but let's go with it. I think Witherspoon would do a good job, but it'd be quite different from what Adams did. Laura Linney and Rebecca Hall, as some have said, would also be good replacements.
I'd also say Rosemarie DeWitt, Claire Danes, Emily Blunt, Abbie Cornish and Kirsten Dunst (she got her role in Melancholia after PTA recommended her to Von Trier... if he praises Kirsten, why doesn't he cast her in his movies?).

AA was perfect and one of my favorite sup. actress performances of the decade, so I'll pass. As others have said, everyone's just suggesting huge lists of random actresses on this thread.

This is actually one of the few times that I wouldn't argue another actress would've done better in Adams's place.

Gonna have to disagree with you there, I love her in The Master.

I've... actually only seen 3 of those performances.

Haven't got around to Junebug yet. I did see a clip of what I'm assuming is her biggest scene (her crying in the hospital bed) and was totally blown away by it even if it was completely out of context. I imagine that'll wind up being my favorite performance of hers once I actually sit through the whole film.

I blind bought a used copy of Doubt a couple years ago and still haven't seen it. It's been sitting on my shelf gathering dust this whole time.

The Fighter is solid work, if not necessarily top 5 of the year material. Don't begrudge this nomination at all.

The Master is one of the few times I thought she broke out of her usual mold and delivered a truly memorable, beguiling and complex performance. She's not quite the force of nature that Phoenix and Hoffman are, but she holds her own against them quite admirably.

American Hustle is pretty good, but still kind of a mixed bag due to some baffling scenes like the tragedy that is the bathroom stall bit. Still, though, I blame all of it on O. Russell's misguided direction, because he gave her wildly inconsistent material to work with, and knowing how badly he mistreated her on set only makes the end result look more questionable.

So I guess it's

1. The Master
2. The Fighter
3. American Hustle

My grip with Adams is that even though she has a magnificent filmography, she rarely ever wows me the way that many of her contemporaries do. She's consistently good with only a misstep or two here and there (Big Eyes was the only time I remember finding her downright bad), but hardly ever truly great. She seems to keep things too safe to truly flex her muscles and experiment the way a lot of the actresses you mentioned do. You'd think a performer with 5 nominations would have a more varied career with more highlights.

Elisabeth Moss?

Reese Witherspoon turned down The Master to do This Means War because she’s a fucking idiot.

Said movie also bombed and lowered her asking price way, way low. Who lost?

I don't want to recast Amy Adams, but if I had to, Elisabeth Moss.

I'm one of those who believes Amy Adams was perfectly cast, many of the actresses I've seen mentioned are absolutely great talents but I think many of them come with a certain baggage that will give away the true nature of her character, maybe Witherspoon but I thought she was the weak link in Inherent Vice, or Jennifer Ehle but Adams was great.