The Top 10: Actors who everyone thought would be terrible in a role but who turned out to be great

From Bond to Batman and the Doctor’s companions: the ominous casting decisions that worked

‘No, Mister Bond... I expect you to flop’: Sam Mendes thought casting Daniel Craig as 007 was a terrible idea (Getty)

This list was suggested by Elliot Kane, who was inspired by Tom Cruise in Interview With The Vampire (1994). “Even Anne Rice [the author] hated the casting, but Cruise was superb.” In some cases, nominations are more for actors who, if anyone had thought about it, might have been expected to be terrible and who turned out to be surprisingly good, but I was prepared to interpret the brief flexibly.

1. Hugh Laurie was a surprising choice for House, the US TV series (2004-12). Not only a comedy actor but not American. He turned out great though. Graham Kirby‏ and Chris Noel.

2. Harry Styles in Dunkirk (2017). “Wouldn’t say he was great but certainly good and better than expected,” said Nick Thornsby‏. “Thought he would be terrible in Dunkirk. Wasn’t,” said Basil Bruschetta.

3. Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008), the first of four Batman-related nominations. “Don’t know whether people thought he’d be terrible but he exceeded expectations,” said Graham Kirby. Andrew Dowd, Gavin Pearson, Chi the Cynic and Raashid Shah‏ agreed.

4. Michael Keaton as Batman (1989). “Tim Burton’s casting angered many fans – until the film came out,” said Adam Greves‏. See this preview, which begins, “Holy oblivious…”

5. Ben Affleck as Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Nominated by Simon Wilder and Isabel.

6. Gal Gadot, as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice before her role was accorded a film of its own (Wonder Woman, 2017). Isabel and Tim Almond.

7. The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) in Moana (2016). Tim Almond‏.

8. Keira Knightley in Le Misanthrope at the Comedy Theatre, London, in 2009. Niche, admitted Alan Beattie‏.

9. Billie Piper and Catherine Tate in Doctor Who (2005-13, 2006-10). Graeme Robertson‏ and Will Cooling. For that matter, Tony Blair on Catherine Tate’s Comic Relief sketch (2007), added Geoffrey Mamdani‏.

10. Daniel Craig as James Bond, since 2006. Director Sam Mendes thought casting Daniel Craig was a “terrible idea”, said Mr Memory‏.

Honourable mention for Hot In Cleveland, who nominated Elizabeth I, “just because she was a woman” and Queen of England was a difficult role.

Next week: Songs not in 4/4 Time, such as “Black Dog”, Led Zeppelin, and “I Say a Little Prayer”, Burt Bacharach/Dionne Warwick.

Coming soon: Enclaves – pockets of land belonging to one country completely surrounded by another.

Your suggestions, and ideas for future Top 10s, in the comments please, or to me on Twitter, or by email to top10@independent.co.uk