The Most Controversial Casting Decisions Of All Time

Casting can be a tricky process. When it's done right, and an actor and a role mesh together perfectly, everything can look so seamless. When it's done wrong, the whole world notices.

All of the casting choices on this list were controversial, some justifiably so, and some not so much. From some of the most racist casting decisions in Hollywood history to how M. Night Shyamalan keeps getting things so, so wrong — these are the most controversial casting decisions ever.

John Wayne As Genghis Khan

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Hollywood has seen a lot of racist casting, but perhaps none of those instances were as wrong as John Wayne as Genghis Khan in The Conqueror. Wayne somehow managed to turn Genghis Khan into a good ol' cowboy type.

Wayne even agreed that the part wasn't meant for him, saying it's best not to “make an ass of yourself trying to play parts you’re not suited for."

Zoe Saldana As Nina Simone

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People weren't too happy about Zoe Saldana's casting as Nina Simone in Nina. A lot of Nina Simone fans thought that Zoe wasn't dark enough to play the iconic role.

They took to Twitter to express their outrage and even started #BlackBiopics to talk about more unsuitable casting choices in cinema.

Johnny Depp As Willy Wonka

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Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka was... interesting to say the least. This was definitely a controversial casting decision. Tim Burton has cast Johnny Depp in almost every single one of his movies, so really we shouldn't have been surprised.

Depp's Michael Jackson inspired Wonka divided fans. As far as I'm concerned, Johnny Depp, Imma let you finish, but Gene Wilder was the greatest Wonka of all time. Keep reading for another Johnny Depp faux pas.

Idris Alba As Heimdall

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Kenneth Branagh’s decision to cast Idris Elba as Heimdall in Thor brought Marvel's race issue to the forefront of people's minds. Apparently, there are a lot of racist comic book nerds out there who are disguising their prejudice as a need for authenticity.

Elba gave us one of the best Marvel performances ever, so hopefully, fans will remember that next time they get their panties in a bunch over an actor who isn't the same color as their comic book counterpart.

Heath Ledger As The Joker

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Batman fans underestimated the late, great Heath Ledger. Before Christopher Nolan cast him in The Dark Knight, most people knew Ledger as that handsome guy from 10 Things I Hate About You.

They didn't think that he had the acting chops or the psychological depth to take on the role of The Joker. Boy did he prove everybody wrong.

Johnny Depp As Tonto

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Johnny Depp is back at it again with the controversial casting. In Disney's The Lone Ranger, Depp tried to reimagine Tonto's relationship with the Lone Ranger himself.

Everything about his performance fell flat, including his reliance on offensive cultural stereotypes. Disney has a long history of messing with native American culture (have you seen Peter Pan?). You'd think they'd at least try to hire a Native American actor...

Everybody In The Last Airbender

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M. Night Shyamalan really did a number on this one. It's almost like he was trying to make an entire fandom angry. For some reason, he felt the need to change the race of an entire group of people.

Although every character in the original cartoon is of Asian descent, almost all of the live action cast was white. It didn't help that the movie sort of sucked also. I don't know why they had to mess with a good thing.

Mickey Rooney As Mr. Yunioshi

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Speaking of Asian characters, things don't get much more racist than Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

He plays a full-fledged Asian stereotype complete with buck teeth, gigantic glasses, squinted eyes, and a horrible accent. I don't know who thought this was a good idea, but they should have been fired immediately.

Michael Keaton As Batman

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Batman fans are very opinionated people. When they heard that Michael Keaton was going to play The Caped Crusader, they were more than a little disturbed.

Before Batman, Keaton was known as a comedic actor. Of course, Keaton played the part beautifully, and now all those nerds feel really bad about ever doubting him. There are a lot more controversial Batmans on this list. Keep reading to find out who they are.

Mos Def As Ford Prefect

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The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy had fans up in arms about a bunch of its casting choices, but none more so than Mos Def as Ford Prefect.

I thought Mos Def made a great alien, but some other people weren't so convinced. Probably because Ford isn't black in the source material... but he isn't a human either, so those people don't really have much of an argument.

Ben Affleck As Batman

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It seems like Batman fans are never happy. Why can't they just learn to go with the flow? If one Batman doesn't work out, you know there will be another one just a few years later.

It's no surprise that people were skeptical about Affleck's casting, but can he really be worse than George Clooney?

Gal Gadot As Wonder Woman

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Twitter had a hissy fit when Gal Gadot was announced as the new Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. People attacked everything from her looks, to her fitness, to her body of work.

I think the Wonder Woman film proved the haters wrong, but I guess haters are going to hate no matter what.

Dakota Johnson As Anastasia Steele

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Fifty Shades of Grey fans weren't having it when Dakota Johnson was announced as the shy yet daring Anastasia Steele. A lot of people thought that Alexis Bledel would have been a better choice.

As much as I love Alexis Bledel, I don't want to see Rory Gilmore in any kind of BDSM situation. Her role in The Handmaid's Tale was scarring enough.

Jennifer Lawrence As Katniss Everdeen

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To a point, Jennifer Lawrence understood why fans were upset that she was cast as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. She was a fan of the series too, and she knew that people just wanted the movie to live up to the book series.

We draw the line at body shaming, though. Some people thought that J. Law didn't look "hungry" enough. That's just too annoying to even respond to.

Scarlett Johansson In... A Bunch Of Stuff

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People are really mad about Scarlett Johansson's acting roles these days. First, she was cast to play an Asian character in Ghost in the Shell. Really? Could producers not find a ready and willing Asian actress anywhere?

Recently she faced more criticism because she announced that she would be playing a trans man in an upcoming film. It looks like Scarlett learned her lesson because she decided to listen to her critics and drop out of the movie.

Sofia Coppola As Mary Corleone

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After Winona Ryder dropped out of The Godfather series, Francis Ford Coppola decided to cast his own daughter as Mary Corleone in The Godfather: Part III.

Nobody was happy with this decision. Sofia's performance basically secured her fate as someone who works behind the camera rather than in front of it.

Daniel Craig As James Bond

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Daniel Craig had to endure a bunch of media scrutiny when he was cast as the titular character in the reboot of the James Bond franchise. Fans didn't think that he had the looks or the attitude to play James Bond.

Lucky for us, Craig turned out to be the best James Bond since Sean Connery.

Anne Hathaway As Catwoman

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I really don't understand all of the hate for Anne Hathaway. This woman is beautiful and talented. What's not to like?

When she was announced as Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises, some fans threatened to boycott the film. Of course, Hathaway took it all in stride and delivered a stellar performance.

Jennifer Lopez As Selena Quintanilla

Photo Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Critics weren't so thrilled when Jennifer Lopez got the role of beloved singer Selena Quintanilla in a biopic about Selena's tragic life. Some people even protested this casting decision.

In the end, all the haters were proven wrong, and Selena became one of J. Lo's standout performances.

Topher Grace As Venom

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Ok, I don't know what the casting directors for Spider-Man were thinking on this one. This is one of those rare cases where the fanboys were actually right. Venom is one of the most popular Spider-man villains.

Nobody wanted to see him played by Eric from That '70s Show.