Yahoo Lifestyle Heath Ledger As The Joker In "The Dark Knight" And 14 Other Times Actors Seemed Suuuper Miscast For Roles But Actually Gave Incredible Performances
Recently, I asked the BuzzFeed Community which seemingly unusual or strange casting decisions ended up being the perfect choice.
Here are 15 of their top answers:
1."I thought Selena Gomez would have no chance against comedy powerhouses like Steve Martin and Martin Short in Only Murders in the Building. Five minutes into the first episode, I was eating my words!"
"SHE'S PERFECT and the only person who could play Mabel beside those two!!! Sorry I doubted you, Selena!"
2."Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked! I just thought she got picked because of her fame, but no! She is the perfect actor for Glinda."
"Her performance made me laugh over and over every time she was on screen Not to mention the vocals!"
"When it was announced she was cast as Glinda, I scoffed and said that the film would take a nice long dive into the toilet. Having only known her as a pop star and not really being a fan of her music or singing, I was so flabbergasted by the casting choice, thinking she neither had the acting or singing chops to pull off such an iconic character from the musical world.I've never been so happy to be wrong because this woman EMBODIED Glinda and then some. I was never aware of the long and personal connection she had with the musical, nor of the fact that she's a devoted fan of it. You can so clearly tell how much she loves the musical, characters, and songs, and how much joy and happiness being able to play Glinda brought her. She IS Glinda."
"I’ve always seen her as the pop star with thick eyeliner and a high pony. So when I saw she had been cast as Glinda, I was automatically skeptical. But after witnessing her performance in theaters, she without a doubt deserves an Oscar!
Her portrayal of Glinda was refreshingly raw but also had the comedic timing and improv of a seasoned actor twice her age. The casting directors knew what they were doing! (Also her performance of 'Popular' I mean, come on!!)"
3."Now, listen, I love Bridgerton SO MUCH. But I'm also a lifelong theater kid. So when I heard Jonathan Bailey was going to be playing Fiyero in Wicked, I was...nervous, to say the least. But he did SUCH a good job!"
"His singing and dancing were awesome, and he found the character of Fiyero so well with his charm, wittiness, sexiness, and overall depth of character.
Yes, I'm nervous to hear him sing 'As Long As You're Mine,' but I have almost a year to pray that he, Jon M. Chu, and the producers will make it perfect. Either way, we have the perfect Fiyero in Part 1, and I'm so happy we do!"
4."Angela Bassett in What's Love Got to Do with It. She looked nothing like Tina Turner, but I was all in within 20 minutes."
"She and Laurence Fishburne were robbed of Academy Awards that year."
5."Robin Williams in One Hour Photo. In comedy, he was a genius; in drama, he was amazingly heartfelt…But a horror/thriller film? Never would have thought of him in that light until I watched that movie! He was so brilliant in it!"
"He made my husband so uncomfortable he had to keep leaving the room while we watched it."
6."I remember years ago when Robert Pattinson was just rumored to be the lead option for Bruce Wayne in The Batman, and my dad (a big superhero geek who passed on the same trait to me 😭) was so pessimistic about the potential casting."
"I didn't really know much about Pattinson's work. All I knew him from was Twilight (which I never watched), but I didn't really care. But when The Batman came out a few years later, my dad admitted that he was wrong and said that Pattinson did an amazing job."
7."Michael Keaton in Tim Burton's Batman. He was coming off of doing Mr. Mom, and people were worried about him making Batman campy again. He kicked that role's ass, and now we get to enjoy the range of Michael Keaton and his eyebrows."
8."When I found out Mary J. Blige was cast as Monet Tejada in Power Book II: Ghost, I was skeptical and curious. At first, I thought she couldn't pull the role of queenpin off, but I was pleasantly surprised. "
"She did better than I thought."
9."Definitely Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in Spencer. I was shocked when I saw her performance because she seems like a very punk girl."
"I think she did well."
10."I remember when they first cast Tom Cruise as Lestat in Interview with the Vampire, everyone, it seemed, hated the idea, even Anne Rice, the book's author."
"After the movie came out, he did an amazing job and received praise for his performance, including from Rice."
11."Ryan Gosling as Ken in Barbie. I wondered about it, but an actor of his talents was what the role needed — the ability to be hilarious one minute, menacing the next, and vulnerable the next."
12."Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Wheeler in Revolutionary Road. I read the book years ago and groaned when I heard he was cast. I just couldn't envision him in that role — a professional man with a family. Great actor that he is, he more than surprised me — I think it's his finest performance, which is saying a lot."
"He really should have been at least nominated for an Oscar. I would have voted for him."
13."John Lithgow as Roger Ailes in Bombshell. Who would have thought the guy from 3rd Rock from the Sun could so accurately portray one of Fox News' most disgusting men?"
14."Daniel Craig as James Bond. I don't know why I couldn't see it, but I had very low expectations. He was so good!!"
15.And finally: "Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight. That turned the internet upside down!"
"We were all so used to Jack Nicholson, and Heath was so sweet and baby-faced. Then the studio released a sneak peek with him in makeup and stirred up nightmares before Dark Knight was released. Turned out to be one of his best performances and arguably the best Joker."
"How could Patrick Verona (10 Things I Hate About You) conceivably be Batman's arch-nemesis? He is handsome and not the least bit a 'deranged psychopath' — I was never so happy to be wrong!"
"Honestly, I was very skeptical of Heath Ledger as the Joker at first. I kept thinking, 'There is no way this Aussie hearththrob can become what the Joker needs,' and boy, was I and the rest of the world proved wrong.
He is cemented as my favorite acting performance of all time. He was exactly what the movie needed to prove it could be heroes and villains without being campy, and I feel his performance set the tone for every villain performance in Marvel/DC after."
Now, let's do the reverse: which casting decision seemed like a great idea, but actually ended up low-key ruining the movie or show? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length/clarity.
