20 Recent Casting Choices NOBODY Expected

When Nintendo announced that a live-action The Legend of Zelda movie was in the works, naturally the first question was about casting - namely, who would be playing franchise icons Link and Princess Zelda?

Rumours swirled for many months that Hunter Schafer had been cast as Zelda, though it was ultimately revealed that Bo Bragason had bagged the role, while Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will portray Link.

These casting announcements surprised many both because Bragason and Ainsworth are relatively unknown actors and also rather young, being 21 and 16 years of age respectively.

But there's absolutely something to be said for casting less-known performers who don't bring a ton of star baggage with them, and also by casting younger there's room for them to grow into the roles over the course of a potential franchise.

At least in Ainsworth's case, his work on Mike Flanagan's horror series The Haunting of Bly Manor proves beyond any doubt that he's got the acting chops to carry a blockbuster IP like this.