9 Strangest Film Casting Choices (That Actually Worked)

It may seem strange to audiences now, seeing as Heath Ledger's haunting performance as the anarchic terrorist Joker in The Dark Knight has gone on to define his tragically short career, but the initial announcement that he'd been cast in the role was first met with ridicule. The first movie in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Batman Begins, was a shot in the arm for the franchise that took the character to a darker, more realistic realm.

Ledger, on the other hand, was best known as a pretty-boy leading man. His credits to that date included the romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, the fantasy action movie The Brothers Grimm, and the romantic drama Brokeback Mountain. Even when he was taken seriously as an actor, he'd stayed in safe performances that took advantage of his good looks and confident persona.

The derision he received when he was announced as the Joker only increased when the first images of the movie was released and he was shown in pancake makeup with no context. But then the film premiered and his critics, even those who were able to overlook his passing, were silenced by his raw, horrifying portrayal.

By embracing the chaos of the Joker in his performance, Ledger tapped into a deep, cultural fear that garnered him a posthumous Academy Award.