10 Most Controversial Movie Castings of All Time

5. Idris Elba - Thor

Similarly to Mos Def's casting, the choice to cast Idris Elba as Heimdall in Kenneth Branagh's Thor brought the race issue to the forefront, but unlike Def, Elba at least manages to run away with the part and make it his own; it is simply a case of people not liking the departure from a basic detail of the comics. If anything, Elba was likely compelled by the fan criticism to go further with the role; online campaigns to have him re-cast were often mired in a certain spitefulness that undermined the fair point they were making; Elba didn't let it get to him and delivered a fine performance in the role. When talking about it, Elba made one point abundantly clear, "Thor has a hammer that flies to him when he clicks his fingers. That's OK, but the color of my skin is wrong?". So many white actors could have been cast in the role and given a much less committed turn, but Elba managed to weather the controversy and come out of it smelling of roses.