I doubt most actresses could have gone as dark and intense as Pfeiffer and especially that, if they had, they would have still remained as likeable as she did.
So she would have been not as good but I don't know that it would make that much difference in reaction, I don't know that she was that controversial but most would have been eh she's just a big celebrity entertainer so they would have thought her casting and starring OK followup to huge star/celebrity Nicholson as Joker.
Edit: Madonna with her image as Catwoman might have avoided a little controversy as it may have made it a little clearer before release that this wasn't an all-ages, appropriate-for-little-kids take but I think most of the actual marketing we did get already conveyed that so there would probably be still be some surprise and backlash.
So she would have been not as good but I don't know that it would make that much difference in reaction, I don't know that she was that controversial but most would have been eh she's just a big celebrity entertainer so they would have thought her casting and starring OK followup to huge star/celebrity Nicholson as Joker.
Edit: Madonna with her image as Catwoman might have avoided a little controversy as it may have made it a little clearer before release that this wasn't an all-ages, appropriate-for-little-kids take but I think most of the actual marketing we did get already conveyed that so there would probably be still be some surprise and backlash.