"I Literally Went From An 'Okay Then…' To 'This Is One Of The Best Castings Of All Time'": 21 Casting Decisions That Fans Initially Hated, But Ended Up Winning Over Their Hearts

"I couldn't get over the fact that the leading guy was the weirdo with the boards from Love Actually."

Recently, Reddit user u/ezio8133 asked r/popculturechat, "what's your favorite casting that you initially thought was wrong?" Here are some of our favourite answers...

1. Robert Pattinson as Batman in The Batman

Steve Granitz / WireImage/Warner Bros. Pictures / Via Getty Images

—u/227743

"I totally felt that way when Rob was cast! Boy did I eat my words!"

—u/InGeekiTrust

2. Ryan Gosling as Ken in Barbie

George Pimentel/Warner Bros. Pictures / Via Getty images

"My apologies for doubting him."

—u/SarahJFroxy 

"The moment I saw him dancing as a child, I knew he was born to be Ken." 

—u/FlappyDolphin72 

"I literally went from an 'okay then…' to 'this is one of the best castings of all time'."

—u/KingSlugma

3. Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise in It

George Pimentel/Warner Bros. Pictures / Via Getty Images

"He was so young and handsome, I genuinely couldn't see it until the first trailer was released."

—u/Murky_Translator2295

"My favorite category of attractive men is 'if evil, why hot?'"

—u/honeyimsorry

4. Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight

Bob Riha Jr / WireImage/FilmFlex/Warner Bros. Pictures / Via Getty Images

"The casting is absolutely iconic now, but I remember when it was first announced and the posters started making the rounds. The general reaction was mostly confusion — 'The guy from 10 Things I Hate About You? Brokeback Mountain? A Knights Tale?!'."

—u/BluePeriod_

"I'm really surprised this isn't number one in this thread. The public response to his casting was not good, to say the least."

—u/americanslang59

5. Tom Cruise as Lestat in Interview With The Vampire

Mike Coppola / WireImage / Warner Bros. / Via Getty Images

"This was primed to be a dumpster fire of an adaptation. Even Anne [Rice, the author of the books the film is based on] herself disliked the casting, but she fell in love with his portrayal of Lestat."

—u/tarc0917  

"I feel it's one of the only times he really disappeared into a role. A lot of Tom's movies feel like he's playing a version of himself, but when I look at this, I see Lestat, not Tom."

—u/LizzieSaysHi

"Anne Rice was absolutely brutal about his casting, and he has spoken about how much it upset him. He did a ton of research, read all the books, and dedicated himself completely. I am not even remotely surprised she took it all back. She gushes over him in a piece I read about her opinion of the movie."

—u/Nox-Avis

6. Ben Affleck as Nicholas Dunne in Gone Girl

Vera Anderson / WireImage/20th Century Studios / Via Getty Images

—u/dancing_light

"I've never liked Ben Affleck, I don't know why but there's just... Something there I don't care for. But when I read the book after watching the movie, I thought they did a perfect job casting him. He's perfect as Nick (another fictional man I don't like and am incredibly unimpressed with)."

—u/thecavalieryouth

"I absolutely love that David Fincher thought Ben Affleck was so convincing as a liar in Gone Girl that he said he would be 'suspicious' of the actor if he were Affleck's wife."

—u/ForgetfulLucy28

7. Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon

Amanda Edwards / WireImage/HBO / Via Getty Images

"I was so wrong about Matt Smith as Daemon." 

—u/gollumey

"He absolutely NAILED this role." 

—u/manoloblair

"I never understood why so many people thought he would be bad in that part. I saw him in The Crown first, and he basically had it down with Prince Philip's swagger and haughty attitude/machismo."

—u/savingrain

8. Andrew Scott as Moriarty in Sherlock

Steve Granitz / WireImage / BBC One / Via Getty Images

"I was really dubious about Andrew Scott as Moriarty in Sherlock, given the way the books portray the character. But I actually think his take is GENIUS."

—u/TheFandomJunkie

"His face crumpling like that has always given me the absolute creeps. It's incredible acting. Terrifying, to the point that I expect Andrew Scott to always scare the shit out of me in a movie (although I love him and think he's very talented; I just can't get that face out of my head. I don't want my heart burned out!!!)."

—u/colorful_assortment

9. Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos in Monster

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images /  Newmarket Films

"She blew that role away!"

—u/Honest-Register-5151  

"What. The. FUCK. I had absolutely NO IDEA until right now that that was her. Amazing."

—u/space-sage

10. Woody Harrelson as Haymitch in The Hunger Games

Gary Gershoff / WireImage/Lionsgate / Via Getty Images

"I wasn't sure about Woody as Haymitch at first, but he was 10/10."

—u/beebyspice

11. Angelina Jolie as Maleficent in Maleficent

Mondadori Portfolio/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Via Getty Images

—u/SitchChick  

"I thought it was brilliantly done, but damn did it catch me off guard." 

—u/drivwticks

12. Bryan Cranston as Walter White in Breaking Bad

Jean Baptiste Lacroix / WireImage / AMC / Via Getty Images

"I'm still floored by Cranston's Walter White. When I first saw the ads, I was like, 'Hal [from Malcolm in the Middle] cooking meth? Pfffffft.' I was so, so wrong."

—u/Harlequins-Joker

13. Matthew McConaughey as Rustin Cohie in True Detective

Mike Mcgregor/HBO / Via Getty Images for Cantor Fitzgerald

"I was beyond sceptical when my friends started trying to convince me to watch. Matthew McConaughey in a tense southern gothic police drama? But my God, was I wrong!"

—u/TheKingoftheBlind

"The McConaissance was something else. He was so ridiculously good in this, it's a performance I will never forget."

—u/keypoard

"I remember watching A Time to Kill, having only seen him in rom-coms before, and bawling my eyes out. The subject matter is gut-wrenching, but he also did a very good job."

—u/Kelsosunshine  

14. Andrew Lincoln as Rick Rimes in The Walking Dead

Universal Pictures/United International Pictures/Bac Films / AMC

"I wanted to watch The Walking Dead for years, but I couldn't get over the fact that the leading guy was the weirdo with the boards from Love Actually. Now, I think he's the best main character from any show I've watched. Andrew Lincoln is amazing in this role."

—u/Bee09361

"I couldn't picture him as a gritty, desperate zombie fighter. I have trouble watching his part in Love Actually now. I keep thinking, 'why is Rick Grimes talking like that and being a fucking weirdo?'"

—u/dndrinker

15. Matthew McFayden as Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride & Prejudice

David Livingston/Focus Features / Via Getty Images

"I could only picture Colin Firth as Darcy, but Matthew changed my mind pretty quickly."

—u/Inside_Wave8823

16. Samuel L. Jackon as Nick Fury in The Avengers

Bruce Glikas / WireImage/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Via Getty Images

—u/Content_Pool_1391  

"An upgrade from the David Hasselhoff version."

—u/ezio8133

17. Lady Gaga as Elizabeth Johnson in American Horror Story

Fred Duval / FilmMagic / FX / Via Getty Images

—u/lepetitgrenade 

"I had no idea what to expect with her going into AHS: Hotel, but she was the best part of a weird season."

—u/tarc0917

18. Josh Dela Cruz as the host of Blue's Clues & You

Noam Galai / Via Getty Images

—u/ezio8133    

"I remember being apprehensive about him, but when I heard that Steve and Joe (the actor's name is Dom I think?) personally picked him, I felt a little better. I grew up with Steve; my first kid grew up with Joe; and my second is growing up with Josh. It's kinda sweet." 

—u/LizzieSaysHi

"I refused to watch anyone but Steve, and couldn't imagine Joe or Josh being any good. Then I watched Blues Big City Adventure, cried my eyes out, and became a convert."

—u/Maroon_Haze

19. Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes

Lia Toby/Warner Bros. Pictures / Via Getty Images for Universal Pictures

"When he was cast, I thought it was going to be a bust, but he absolutely killed it."

—u/ezio8133  

20. Bella Ramsey as Ellie in The Last of Us

Theo Wargo/HBO / Via Getty Images for Karl Lagerfeld

"Love them, but I didn't buy into them being Ellie. But then they came and blew everyone away."

—u/Noshonoyoo

21. Melissa McCarthy as Ursula in The Little Mermaid

Lisa Maree Williams/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Via Getty Images

"I thought she wouldn't be properly evil, but her acting was great!"

—u/InGeekiTrust  

H/T to u/ezio8133 and r/popculturechat for having this discussion.

Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.  

Do you agree with the picks on this list? Do you think people missed off some gems? Let us know in the comments below!