One of the most important jobs in any movie or TV production is casting . The process of determining who is best to play any specific role can quite literally make or break a film.
More often than not, moviegoing audiences tend to be skeptical but the good news is that 99.9% of times — we end up being wrong. Have a look at these 15 actors people thought were miscast but ended up killing it.
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Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller-Morrow in *Sons Of Anarchy*.
Before her career resurgence took place on Sons of Anarchy , Katey was mostly known for playing Peg Bundy in the controversial cult classic — Married with Children .
It was difficult to imagine Katey going from suburban housewife to the matriarch of a biker gang, but she pulled it off.
Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in *Ray*.
Before Ray came around, people didn’t know quite what to think of Jamie Foxx. Was he a comedian, a musician, an actor, or something else entirely?
His performance was positively spellbinding , securing him his first and only Oscar win.
John Lithgow as Arthur Mitchell/The Trinity Killer in *Dexter*.
“I was massively disappointed when I heard he was playing a serial killer in the new season of Dexter , I thought it would be ruined. His first scene, no dialogue, just him stalking a family at the beach while sipping a tea somehow chilled me to the bone.” – Reddit u/dd28064212
Bryan Cranston as Walter White/Heisenberg in *Breaking Bad*.
During the ’90s and into the early ’00s Bryan Cranston was best known for playing Hal Wilkerson on Malcolm in the Middle .
He was also the last choice to play the role of Walter White, as the studio initially wanted Matthew Broderick or John Cusack.
Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne in *Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice*.
Fans of the Dark Knight were going positively batty after news broke that Ben Affleck would be donning the cape and cowl. Many were quick to point to Ben’s performance in Daredevil as proof the film was doomed to fail. Thankfully, he wound up being the best Batman ever.
Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in *Walk The Line*.
“I am a huge Cash fan and was very disappointed when he was cast,” explained Reddit user Jaqen-Atavuli . “He absolutely killed it, though. I was so wrong.”
I think we were all pleasantly surprised.
Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan in *I’m Not There*.
In I’m Not There , Bob Dylan is portrayed by various actors, including Heath Ledger and Christian Bale. Who would have thought that Cate Blanchett would wind up being the best and most convincing of the bunch?
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in *Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice*.
It’s hard to imagine anyone having a problem with Gal Gadot. However, before Batman Vs. Superman hit the big screen, people were concerned over the fact that she wasn’t American — and that her bust size was too small.
Leonardo DiCaprio in *Blood Diamond*.
According to Trevor Noah, Leo’s accent sounded more like a drunk Australian than a South African. Accent be damned, Leo’s performance wound up being one of the best of that year and very nearly won him an Oscar for ” Best Actor .”
Michael Keaton as Batman/Bruce Wayne in *Batman*.
Fans in the ’80s were so up in arms over the fact that Mr. Mom was going to be their new Batman that they petitioned the studio to have Keaton removed from the role!
John Travolta in *Pulp Fiction*.
By the time that casting for Pulp Fiction rolled around, Travolta’s career had all but fizzled out. Director Quentin Tarantino took a real chance on Travolta that ended up paying dividends, as well as reigniting the storied actor’s celebrity status.
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America in *Captain American: The First Avenger*.
I remember thinking at the time how desperate Marvel must be if they had to cast the lead from Not Another Teen Movie as their Captain America.
Oh, how very very wrong I was.
Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in *The Hunger Games*.
Fans of the books were more than disappointed, especially since many believe that Katniss is a woman of color in the novels. But after seeing Jennifer turn in the performance of her career, opinions quickly changed.
Robert Pattinson as Batman/Bruce Wayne in *The Batman*.
It’s clear that Batman fans are just impossible to please. Let me be the first to say that Robert Pattinson will eclipse all Batmen who have come before him. If you don’t believe me, just wait and see.
Heath Ledger as The Joker in *The Dark Knight*.
The sheer outcry that came along with Heath being cast as The Joker seems almost comical now. Without a doubt, his portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime was the defining performance of the ’00s.
