These Controversial Movie Castings Had Everyone Talking

Whether a movie will be successful often on who’s in it. Even a box office bomb can still redeem itself slightly if the actors perform their hearts out. Of course, it’s not always easy to know if someone will be good for a role until after they’ve been given the part. If they have a bad reputation or don’t appear to embody the character, people are usually hesitant to accept their casting. Sometimes they’re proven right, other times completely wrong.

Daniel Craig in Casino Royale

It’s hard to imagine Daniel Craig as anything other than James Bond. He’s played the iconic spy since 2006, and he’s never left viewers disappointed. However, while he might be one of the greatest actors ever to portray Bond, he wasn’t initially welcomed to the role with open arms.

It seems passionate fans of the Bond franchise felt he didn’t have the right look for the character, to the point they even tried to boycott Casino Royale. Fortunately, the actor’s first film stunned moviegoers and proved he’d earned the right to call himself 007. Now, people are sad to see him go.

Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

In hindsight, Johnny Depp’s casting in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory should have been obvious. The movie was directed by Tim Burton, a frequent collaborator of the actor’s. The pair have made eight movies together over the years, and the Roald Dahl adaptation is definitely one of their best known.

However, not everyone was on board with Depp’s inclusion, especially when they saw teasers of him in the role of Willy Wonka. They feared that he was a little too quirky and creepy for the character, tarnishing the work that Gene Wilder had done years earlier in the original adaptation.

Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight

Although we tragically lost Heath Ledger back in 2008, we’ll always have his role as the Joker to remember him by. The actor brought that character to life in a way that few people anticipated, proving many doubters wrong in the process.

It seems he was once considered too pretty to play the iconic villain, partly because of his initial teen heartthrob status. However, nearly everyone who questioned him was left eating their words after The Dark Knight. He was the real star of the movie and earned an Academy Award for his contributions, although sadly he never got to collect it.

Emma Stone in Aloha

One role we doubt that Emma Stone will ever forget is her portrayal of Captain Allison Ng in the 2015 rom-com Aloha. Unfortunately, the reason it’s unforgettable is less to do with her acting and more to do with her controversial casting. People weren’t happy that Stone was chosen to play Captain Ng given the character was supposed to be part Hawaiin, part Chinese.

Emma, being neither of these, was viewed as participating in whitewashing, something that’s unfortunately common in Hollywood. Thankfully, the actress has acknowledged she was wrong to take on the role, and she’s been apologizing for it ever since.