Hannah Riley
Every now and then a movie trailer is released that immediately gets roasted by the internet. You know, like, Robert Pattinson in Batman or that super weird Cats trailer that ended up being a warning we all should have listened to. Not every casting choice is perfect and some might spark complaints, but you never know who just needed a chance to break out of their typical roles to nail something different.
People on Reddit are sharing actors who totally surprised them by nailing a part no one thought they could. Here are some of their answers.
1. Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger in Parks and Recreation
“Based on some of his other work, it didn’t seem like the role of an enthusiastic health nut would fit him, but he killed it.”
–u/-notjosh-
2.Robert Pattinson as Ephraim Winslow/Thomas Howard in The Lighthouse
“I thought, ‘No way the Twilight dude is going to be able to keep pace with Willem Dafoe in a drama role.’ That was the role that changed my opinion of him.”
–u/Justice-Gorsuch
3. Bryan Cranston as Walter White in Breaking Bad
“Who would have guessed that Hal from Malcolm in the Middle would absolutely kill it in this role?”
–u/-eDgAR-
4. Keanu Reeves as Neo in the Matrix franchise
“In my head, he was typecast as Theodore Logan, but he did really well in The Matrix, too. The Matrix was so far removed from Bill & Ted and the other stuff he had done until that point that it was surprising how well his Neo turned out.”
–u/eksyte
5. Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind
“At the time of the casting, nobody wanted a British actress playing a belle from the South.”
–u/Tatumette
6. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Mathayus in The Scorpion King
“I heard a pro wrestler was going to make an acting debut, and I was hoping his role was small. I watched the movie and loved it! In the end, my friends asked, ‘Did the wrestler ruin your movie?’ I told them, ‘No, I couldn’t even tell by the bad acting who the wrestler was.’ When they told me he was the Scorpion King, I was blown away! He did an amazing job. Now if I hear The Rock is in a movie, I get excited!”
–u/fromhelley
7. Bruce Willis as John McClane in the Die Hard series
“Before that, he was a rom-com guy cast in an action film during a time when most action leads were absolutely shredded. So much so that the trailers had audiences laughing, and they ACTUALLY REMOVED HIM FROM THE POSTER. Needless to say, the rest is history.”
–u/r1333609
8. Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in the DC universe
“She was a way better Harley Quinn than I think anyone expected. She fit the role like a glove.”
–u/everythinglatte
9. Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk The Line
“I am a huge Cash fan and was very disappointed when he was cast. He absolutely killed it though. I was so wrong.”
–u/Jaqen-Atavuli
10. Anne Hathaway as Fantine in Les Misérables
“I had only seen her in The Princess Diaries, and she seemed like a lightweight for a pretty heavy role. But she ended up being the best actor in the movie and winning the Academy Award. Her version of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ was amazing.”
11. Matt Damon as Jason Bourne in the Bourne series
“In 2002, nobody could imagine Matt Damon playing a badass CIA assassin with amnesia. I saw the preview on TV and was like, ‘The dude from Good Will Hunting?’ The Jason Bourne movies are among my all-time faves now, and I can’t picture anyone else in that role.”
–u/yossarian1943
12. John Travolta as Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction
“Everyone thought Travolta had been miscast because — at that time — his career was on its knees, and he hadn’t been cast in anything noteworthy in a very long time. Tarantino breathed new life into his career by giving him the role.”
–u/bulbhed
13. Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman
“At the time, people were outraged, which is hilarious in retrospect because he ended up being amazing.”
14. Edward Norton as Derek Vinyard in American History X
“I could never feel intimidated by Norton…or so I thought. I was terrified of his character.”
15. Alan Rickman as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise
“Snape was supposed to be a younger, scrawny, greasy-looking guy. Rickman didn’t really look at all how he was described in the books, but he still made a fantastic Snape.”
–u/filetemyoung
16. John Krasinski as Jack Ryan in Jack Ryan
“Jim from The Office? No way he’s Jack Ryan. Turns out he’s totally Jack Ryan.”
–u/Mama_cheese
17. Hugh Laurie as Gregory House in House
“Laurie was THE loveable British goofball. The upper-class twit. A comedian. House was a brooding, depressed American Sherlock Holmes. Absolutely killed it. Can’t imagine anyone else for the role now…but good lord. Could you imagine someone like Patton Oswalt being cast to play an ultra-serious British version of Sherlock Holmes? That’s basically what they did there.”
–u/tehm
18. Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight
“I’ll always refer to the pushback that Dark Knight got when it was first revealed they cast ‘that blonde dude’ from A Knight’s Tale and 10 Things I Hate About You. The Internet collectively went, ‘WTF???’ Wow. That was a huge error on our part.”
–u/Happy8Day
19. Cher as Dolly Pelliker in Silkwood
“I remember going to the theatre to see Silkwood in 1983 with Meryl Streep and Kurt Russell. When they showed Cher’s name at the beginning, people audibly laughed. She was fantastic in the movie and went on to have a very respectable film career.”
–u/femsci-nerd
20. Zendaya as Marie Jones in Malcolm and Marie
“When I saw her and John David Washington together in the trailer, I thought it was a father/daughter relationship. And I wasn’t the only one, a lot of people thought Zendaya looked too young (despite being like 24). Well, I saw the movie, and it actually worked. She could hold her own against JDW. She is just a phenomenal actor.”
–u/optionalhero
21. Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club
“From a rom-com hero to playing an AIDS-infected cowboy. He was perfect for the role. Blew me away completely.”
–u/Much_Place8431
22. Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in Ray
“I always thought of him as a comedic actor, but he nailed that role.”
–u/PandaMuffin1
23. Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
“‘That guy from Not Another Teen Movie is gonna be Captain America?! He already sucked as the Human Torch!’ Heh heh, whoops. My bad, Chris Evans.”
–u/SylancerPrime
24. Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan in I’m Not There
“She was the most believable Dylan in that movie by far.”
–u/WhiskyTangoNovember
25. Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller Morrow in Sons of Anarchy
“I was expecting a similar vapid ditz to her character in Married with Children. Boy, was I wrong.”
–u/swvagirl
26. John Lithgow as Arthur Mitchell in Dexter
“I grew up watching him play a goofball alien in 3rd Rock from the Sun. 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 tea somehow chilled me to the bone. Man’s an amazing actor.”
–u/dd28064212
27. Regina King as Angela Abar/Sister Night in Watchmen
“I was like, ‘Huh, how is this gonna work?’ But she won me over once again, as she has done many times over the years.”
–u/AnonnBlonde
28. David Tennant as Purple Man in Jessica Jones
“To me, he was a brilliant but goofy Doctor Who, not a baddie. Holy cow though, if his safe and cozy Dr. rep didn’t quickly dissolve away.”
–u/LaVidaYokel
29. Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones
“I was skeptical at first. In the books, the character has a darker, more commanding type of charisma, but Pedro’s version was terrific.”
–u/Propagandave
30. Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket in A Series of Unfortunate Events
“Really came out of nowhere for me.”
–u/angrytomato98
