Cast anyone in a major TV show and you won't have to wait long to find out what the fans think of your decision without seeing a frame of footage.
Sometimes the scepticism proves valid and it just doesn't work out, but sometimes – just sometimes – an unexpected casting goes down in TV history as a masterstroke...
1. Jerome Flynn – Game of Thrones
Well, of course you'd get that guy from Soldier Soldier and chart-topping legends Robson & Jerome to play a sweary mercenary with a dark sense of humour in one of the biggest shows of all time. To paraphrase one of Bronn's life mottos, at least the showrunners didn't have to drink until it felt like they did the right thing.
2. Bryan Cranston – Breaking Bad
Arguably one of the most successful casting gambles of all time, we have one episode of The X-Files ('Drive') to thank for Bryan Cranston going from bumbling Hal in Malcolm in the Middle to ruthless drug kingpin Walter White in Breaking Bad. Well, at least they knew he could play a father.
3. Stephen Fry – Bones
Following his comedy BFF Hugh Laurie (more on him in a bit), Stephen Fry enjoyed Stateside success as Dr Gordon Wyatt – who was also training as a culinary chef – in the long-running Fox series Bones, and also later popped up in 24: Live Another Day as the British Prime Minister, naturally.
4. Hugh Laurie – House
Hugh Laurie's casting in Fox's medical drama House wasn't just unexpected given his comedy background, but also because executive producer Bryan Singer was after an American for the lead. He put on the accent for the audition, reportedly fooled Singer, and the rest is history.
5. Katey Sagal – Sons of Anarchy
Even Katey Sagal has admitted that FX Networks "took a shot on me" when they cast her as the leader of a tough gang of Hell's Angel-style thugs in Sons of Anarchy, given that she was mainly known for Married with Children. She ended up winning a Golden Globe for it, so everyone can pat themselves on the back for a job well done.
6. Vince Vaughn – True Detective
Sure, True Detective season two was divisive (if we're putting it politely), but everyone was intrigued by the casting of Vince Vaughn as criminal businessman Frank Semyon, given that he was known for R-rated comedies. Maybe a comedy version of True Detective would have worked better...
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
