Every few years, an actor lands a role that sparks noisy complaints before a single frame is filmed. Then the movie drops, and suddenly everyone pretends they never doubted them. These ten performers lived through that cycle, took the heat, kept working and proved crowds can be very loud… and very wrong. Here are 10 actors who rose above the hate and proved everyone wrong.
Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale
Daniel Craig was 38 when he slipped into the tux in 2006, and you’d swear half the internet wanted his licence revoked before he even ordered a martini. “He’s not Bond,” fans cried. Then Casino Royale dropped, and suddenly everyone forgot the outrage. You look back now and laugh because the man turned out to be one of the most talked-about 007s ever.
Ben Affleck As Batman
Why did anyone doubt Ben Affleck in the first place? The guy’s been shaping movies since the ’90s and picked up an Oscar before some of us learned to parallel park. When he signed on as Batman for the 2016 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the internet grumbled… loudly. Then the film dropped, and fans suddenly went, “Okay, fine, he nailed it. He’s the best Batman ever!” Funny how fast the internet changes its mind.
Michael Keaton as Batman
Michael Keaton caught heat long before Ben Affleck ever had to dodge fan doubt. Back in 1988, folks couldn’t picture the guy from Beetlejuice suiting up as Gotham’s brooding menace. Warner Bros. got letters. Lots of them. Keaton, then 37, kept his head down and shot the thing anyway. And once audiences saw Batman in 1989, all that noise vanished.
Robert Pattinson as The Batman
Maybe fans should chill a little when studios pick their next Batman. People dragged Robert Pattinson back in 2019, calling him a risky choice for a character who first hit screens in 1943, yet the guy walked into Matt Reeves’ 2022 film at 35 and shut everyone up. There were no more Twilight jokes after that. If you’re judging actors before they suit up, you’re setting yourself up to miss the fun.
Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman
Gal Gadot landing Wonder Woman back in 2013 sparked plenty of noise, mostly from fans who doubted she could pull it off. Some even questioned if she had the “right look,” which feels wild now. She proved everyone wrong with a performance that had even the grumpiest keyboard warriors typing out praise.
Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool again
Die-hard fans didn’t rush to cheer when Ryan Reynolds pushed for a proper Deadpool solo flick. Hard to blame them after the studio clipped Wade Wilson’s mouth shut in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Then that “mysteriously” leaked test footage hit the internet in 2014 and everything shifted. Reynolds went all in, you felt it, and the film landed. At this point, it’s the role people mention first when his name comes up.
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X-Men
Hugh Jackman wasn’t exactly fan-approved when Fox tapped him for Wolverine back in 1999. People joked he looked like he’d wandered in from a Broadway rehearsal. Too tall. Not scruffy enough. You probably would’ve asked the same thing: is this the guy who’s supposed to tear through Sentinels? Jackman didn’t blink. “I knew I had to earn it,” he once said. And he did. No one’s touched the role since, because he built it from the ground up.
Heath Ledger as Joker in The Dark Knight
Heath Ledger caught flak in 2007 from fans who swore he couldn’t pull off the Joker. “He’ll ruin it,” some said. He didn’t get to see how wrong they were. Ledger, who died at 28 on 22 January 2008 in New York, reshaped the clown into something sharp and unnerving, leaving you wondering why anyone ever doubted him. Many still call him the best Joker ever.
Zendaya as MJ in Spider-Man: Homecoming
Zendaya caught heat when she signed on as M.J. back in 2016. Fans complained she didn’t “look right,” which aged badly once Michelle Jones-Watson hit the screen and stole scenes from Tom Holland without breaking a sweat. You watched the complaints fade by the time Spider-Man: No Way Home hit, because she wasn’t trying to mimic Mary Jane. She carved out her own space, and that confidence shut everyone up fast.
Ryan Gosling as Ken in Barbie
Ryan Gosling caught plenty of heat when fans heard he’d play Ken in Barbie. Greta Gerwig didn’t flinch. She pushed ahead, and by July 2023 you watched Gosling flip the script with “I’m Just Ken.” People who doubted him? Quiet. The guy even scored an Oscar nomination for the role.
