Top 10 Unpopular Casting Choices That Turned out GREAT

“Interview with the Vampire” (1994)
If you didn’t think the star of “Risky Business” would be a good fit for the Brat Prince, we don’t blame you. Neither did Anne Rice, the author of the original novel “Interview with the Vampire”. But even she went from calling Tom Cruise’s casting “bizarre” to praising his performance as “courageous”. He prepared for the role by dropping weight, learning to play piano, and reading every installment in Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles” series. Once skeptical of the movie, die-hard fans of the book were pleased to see the complex villain come to life with Cruise’s chilling portrayal. With how much work the actor put into his role, he won everyone over!

“The Bourne Identity” (2002)
An Oscar winner, but not an action star. That was how most people saw Matt Damon after “Good Will Hunting”, which won him Best Original Screenplay. He barely knew how to fight when he was tapped by Doug Liman to play the amnesiac superspy Jason Bourne. But by the time the cameras started rolling, he was a changed man. Now, there’s no separating him from his, well, Bourne Identity. Damon naturally gave the tragic action hero an emotional weight, on top of thrilling combat skills. Whether he will return to the franchise is for him to know and us to find out. But with all the hints he has been dropping, we’re definitely looking forward to it.

“A Star Is Born” (2018)
Coming after Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand, the “Born This Way” singer had big shoes to fill. This was her first starring role, and viewers were having trouble separating her larger-than-life stage persona from her identity as an actress. Nevertheless, Gaga did what she does best - shock the audience. This time, it was with her magical portrayal of musical underdog Ally and her heart-wrenching chemistry with Bradley Cooper. In addition to winning an Oscar for hit song “Shallow”, she was nominated for her acting. While Streisand maintained that the casting was “the wrong idea”, she couldn’t deny its massive success either. Through Gaga’s performance, a movie star was born.

“X-Men” (2000)
Standing tall at six foot two, Hugh Jackman’s towering physique did not agree with fans of this stocky yet menacing superhero. Some even thought it was a disservice to Wolverine! And both the actor and producer Tom DeSanto were fully aware of this too. But the real reason Logan got his codename was not because of the animal’s height, but for its gluttony. “A glutton for death” is how Dr. Abraham Cornelius describes his test subject. In nailing Wolverine’s ferocity, underscored by the burden of a long and hard life, Jackman has proven himself irreplaceable. Now Wolverine’s height is more of an inside joke than a hot topic.

“Bridget Jones’s Diary” (2001)
This casting went from being called “the dumbest idea” by a Working Title executive to one of the greatest roles of Renée Zellweger’s career. The deeply endearing yet flawed everywoman in Helen Fielding’s “Bridget Jones” books is Britain’s pride and joy. Despite the audience’s reservations, the American Zellweger was not only convincing in her accent, but unforgettable in the role. It even earned her an Academy Award nomination! And British audiences approved her performance with a BAFTA nomination. She has since reprised Bridget twice, and is coming back for a fourth time in “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”. The times may have changed, but clearly, we still can’t get enough of her.

“Batman” (1989)
Michael Keaton’s casting as Batman was not only unpopular, but protested against. It got so bad that the co-creator of “Batman”, Bob Kane, had to join the production team as a creative consultant. Still, fans were far from appeased. After all, no one saw Beetlejuice as the superhero type. It wasn’t until they saw his charming, immersed portrayal of the Caped Crusader on screen that the winds changed. The praise Keaton got after the movie was double the backlash he took before. The same thing happened with Robert Pattinson. Edward Cullen can’t possibly be Batman! Or so it was thought, until he proved the critics wrong.

“The Hunger Games” (2012)
While fans of Suzanne Collins’ novels were concerned about 20-year old J. Law being too old to play 16-year old Katniss Everdeen, the author was worried production would pick someone too young. However, director Gary Ross said that he had never been more confident about a casting decision than he was about the “Winter’s Bone” actress. He knew what he wanted, and he found it. Despite the age difference, Lawrence brought out the maturity and fortitude required of Katniss, who had to grow up too quickly in a dystopian death match. Soon after “The Hunger Games” hit the big screen, Jennifer Lawrence became a household name.

“Iron Man” (2008)
RDJ didn’t choose the Tony Stark life; the Tony Stark life chose him. We couldn’t imagine anyone other than Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man even if we tried. The superhero’s armor is like his second skin at this point, and nobody’s complaining! But they sure did when he was first cast. This is because of the troubled past that gave the actor a bad boy image, even by Stark’s standards. The American Downey faced similar controversy at the time for his casting in the very British role of Sherlock Holmes. But being the genius actor he is, Downey owned both roles like no other.

“Casino Royale” (2006)
With Daniel Craig’s blond hair, blue eyes and smouldering smile, you would think he’d get a green light from fans the moment his casting as the suave 007 was announced. Yet, that’s exactly what made them mad. James Bond is written as more dark-haired and rugged. The creators of 2006’s “Casino Royale” wanted an offbeat, 21st century Bond, and Craig seemed to fit their bill. But hardcore fans, according to a complaint letter template for Sony, were in “terrible distress”. Nevertheless, “Casino Royale” was a smash hit at the box office and with audiences, as were the four direct sequels. Craig overcame fans’ initial apprehension to become one of the most beloved Bonds yet.

“The Dark Knight” (2008)
If there’s one character that has gone down in the history of cinema as golden, it is Heath Ledger’s Joker. Offering a masterclass of acting, the young genius set a standard that remains insurmountable. Yet, when he was cast, he was subject to all sorts of hate imaginable. Director Christopher Nolan knew what he was getting into, though. Once the first teaser of “The Dark Knight” came out, fans watched in awe as the handsome “Brokeback Mountain” star transformed into the terrifying Clown Prince of Crime. With his sadly posthumous Academy Award win, for a superhero movie no less, Ledger proved himself to be one of the best casting decisions of all time.