For me I think it was Jack Black in King Kong. I just wasn’t prepared for Jack Black being in a more serious role.
Kind of a cliche answer now, but at the time, everyone was shocked by Heath Ledger’s casting as Joker.
Similarly, I was initially skeptical when Robert Pattinson was announced for The Batman. But I thought he did a fantastic job!
Seems to be a tradition. Back when Michael Keaton was announced as Batman nobody could see him in that role either. He was only doing comedies at that time.
I never would have expected John Malkovich to want to do the movie ‘Being John Malkovich’. It was such a crazy movie, and he is such a serious actor
Oh, I have a better one; Angela Lansbury in ‘The Manchurian Candidate’. As far as I know, the only time she has played a villain. And she was fantastic
Kevin James as a violent Neo Nazi in ‘Becky’.
And he was actually really good in it!
