40 Times Actors Auditioned For A Different Role In Their Movie But Made The One They Got Iconic
With all of the glitz and glamor, movies hold a lot of mysteries that are just begging to be solved. And catching even a glimpse behind the scenes at how casting choices are made is enough to whet your tongue and make you beg for more. In reality, the landscape of our favorite films could have been radically different if things were just a tiny bit different. Imagine, if you will, a parallel universe where the iconic role of Harry Potter was played by none other than Tom Felton, aka Draco Malfoy.
Bored Panda has collected this list of examples that show what roles well-known actors auditioned for and which ones they ended up getting, as well as which ones they were offered and refused. As you’re scrolling down, upvote your fave pics, and take a couple of minutes to daydream about whether these actors would have done better in the roles that they originally wanted or were offered.
Hollywood's Ultimate Insider and celebrity expert Mike Sington told Bored Panda that casting directors are looking for a "multitude of qualities" during a casting session. "Raw acting talent is of course important, but also the ability to bring the character to life, fulfilling the vision of the director and writer." Read on for our full interview to learn more.
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Tom Felton Could Have Played The Role Of Harry Potter
Heath Ledger Was Offered The Role Of Batman In The Movie "Batman Begins"
Wow. I just had a mind blown moment. Here's a thought. He was so epicly stupendous as the Joker. It would have been such a loss to us viewers had he not played that part. BUT -- it is also known (or strongly speculated) that his intensity in playing this role led to his accidental overdose. Does that mean we may not have lost this great actor had he been Batman instead of Joker?? 🤯🤯🤯 We'll never know. RIP, Heath. Still miss you.
Tom Hiddleston Auditioned For The Role Of Thor In The Films Of The MCU
The two finalists for Thor were Chris and Liam Hemsworth. Chris won the role because Tom didn’t think Liam was funny.
"It’s also important for an actor to have that indescribable ‘it factor’ that makes them jump off the screen. Also taken into consideration are experience, and chemistry with other actors auditioning for the project. An actor needs to have an overall pleasant personality too, and seem like they would be easy to work with on the set. No matter how good they are, no one wants to hire a ‘difficult’ actor!" celeb expert Mike showed us the pressure that both actors and casting directors are under day-in, day-out.
Life isn't easy for any actor, but newbies have it the toughest. They have to pay their dues and take what's given to them without causing much of a fuss. "Inexperienced actors have very little say or flexibility in negotiating a different role than the one they are being considered for. There are so many actors being considered for any one particular role, if an actor wants to work, it’s best if they are new and don’t have the clout, to just go with what they’re offered gratefully."
Jensen Ackles Auditioned For The Role Of Sam Winchester In Supernatural
Orlando Bloom Auditioned For The Role Of Faramir (The Lord Of The Rings)
Courteney Cox Originally Auditioned For The Role Of Rachel Greene On Friends
Mike continued: "If an inexperienced actor feels strongly they’d be more suitable for another role, that’s a conversation to have with your agent, who can then possibly approach the casting director depending upon their relationship." So having an agent who can help you reach your personal acting goals by representing you well is also an important part of an actor's life.
Rejection is an inevitable part of being an actor. It's not going to go away, no matter how popular and capable you might be on-stage. "An actor has to constantly face rejection, but to be successful, you just have to realize that’s part of the process," Mike told Bored Panda. "Shrug it off and move on to the next audition."
Stephanie Beatriz Auditioned For The Role Of Amy Santiago In "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
I hoped they would have this one! When Stephanie heard Melissa Fumero got the role, she was happy/proud for her but sad because she assumed she was out. At the time, it was very unlikely a major network show would cast two Latina actresses. I'm so glad Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast them both! They're both great in their roles.
Carice Van Houton Auditioned For The Role Of Cersei Lannister In "Game Of Thrones"
Iwan Rheon Could Have Played Jon Snow In Game Of Thrones
Hollywood's Ultimate Insider said: "I always tell actors, much of the audition process is out of your control, and you may never even know why you didn’t get the part. Maybe the casting director passed because you remind them of their cousin they can’t stand. Or the director stepped in and said ‘no’ because they want to work with someone they’re familiar with. It may have absolutely nothing to do with the actor’s talent at all."
Liam Hemsworth Auditioned For The Role Of Peeta Mellark In "The Hunger Games"
Amanda Seyfried Auditioned For The Role Of Regina George In "Mean Girls"
I also read that they actually wanted Lindsay Lohan for the role of Regina...but Lindsay said that Regina was actually too "mean" for her image, and instead chose to play Cady. https://www.capitalfm.com/features/stars-who-turned-down-movie-roles/lindsay-lohan-mean-girls-regina-george/
Rainn Wilson Auditioned For The Role Of Michael Scott In "The Office"
Felton auditioned to play Potter [here pronounced in the most Malfoy’ish way you can], but Daniel Radcliffe wowed director Christopher Columbus who thought the lad was ‘perfect’ to play the Boy Who Lived.
Can you imagine living in a world where Felton is the Quidditch prodigy and Boy Wonder Harry Potter? It’s intriguing, scary, and confusing all at once. I think I’d allow that. On one condition, though: if Radcliffe would’ve played Malfoy. Now that’s the kind of ‘Twilight Zone’/’Black Mirror’ switcheroo I’d love to see. (And, let’s face it, so would you.)
Cillian Murphy Auditioned For The Role Of Batman In "Batman Begins"
So Murphy auditioned for a character that breaks the law, and beats the stuffing out of people... Huh, bet he never did THAT again. (sarcasm)
James Franco Auditioned For The Role Of Spider-Man
Sebastian Stan Auditioned For The Role Of Captain America In The MCU Films
Meanwhile, all of you hardcore ‘Friends’ fans might know that Courtney Cox was offered to play the role of spoiled fashionista Rachel Greene. However, Cox turned the role down and ended up embodying Greene’s roommate and high school bestie, food-expert and neat-freak, Monica Geller.
“For some reason, I thought I related more to Monica, which maybe it’s because I do. I’m very similar to her. I’m not as clean as Monica, but I am neat. And I’m not as competitive, even though some people would say I am,” Cox explained during an episode of the ‘Off Camera with Sam Jones’ podcast.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Could Have Played The Role Of Kyle Reese In The Movie "Terminator"
Betty White Auditioned For The Role Of Blanche Devereaux In "Golden Girls"
Rue McClanahan was the perfect Blanche. She was once quoted, "Am I Blanche? She was an oversexed, man-crazy, vain Southern Belle from Atlanta -- I'm not from Atlanta!" It's hard to imagine Betty White in that role.
Lee Pace Auditioned For The Role Of Star-Lord In "Guardians Of The Galaxy"
Also the underlying goofiness of the Star Lord character didn't seem like it fit Lee's face well.
Had Cox agreed to play Rachel, ‘Friends’ would have had a different dynamic. I think the atmosphere would still be very similar, but the characters themselves would have different dimensions to them. Who knows, our alternate reality selves might be fully enjoying watching a rerun of Matthew Perry as Joey Tribbiani, Matt LeBlanc as Ross Geller, and David Schwimmer as Chandler Muriel Bing, too. In that interesting scenario, I like to imagine that the only constant would be Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe Buffay (and maybe James Michael Tyler’s Gunther from ‘Central Perk’).
John Krasinski Could Have Played The Role Of Dwight Schrute In The TV Series "The Office"
Jon Favreau (Pete Becker, The "Ultimate Fighting Champion Guy") Auditioned For The Role Of Chandler Bing In "Friends"
Matt Damon And Heath Ledger Were Supposed To Play Opposite Roles In The Brothers Grimm
We also spoke about auditions, casting, and finding the ‘perfect’ actor to play the part in a movie with Mike for a previous article. Celebrity expert Mike explained to Bored Panda during an earlier interview that the pool of actors is incredibly large to cast from, even for child or teen actors, so finding the person that the director envisioned for a certain role isn’t too difficult.
“The talent pool is worldwide now. Hollywood is more than willing to look beyond its own borders to find the perfect candidate," he said.
Ashley Greene Auditioned For The Role Of Bella Swan In "Twilight"
Hank Azaria (David, The "Science Guy") Auditioned For The Role Of Joey Tribbiani In "Friends"
Could have worked. They try quite hard to make him look nerdy with the big glasses and the awkward baggy clothing but he's actually decent looking and quite buff. Similar thing with Raj from Big Bang Theory. Body-type-wise he's not exactly your average nerd who never exercises...
Sandra Oh Auditioned For The Role Of Miranda Bailey In "Grey’s Anatomy"
That means that even in instances where a casting director has to find someone to play a believable young counterpart to an older character, it’s not as hard to find the right candidate as we might think. “I know of no instances where a production had any big problem finding a young actor to play an older counterpart.”
When looking for young versions of older characters, casting directors start off with the ‘look’ they want first. “The look has to be right for the audience to believe that this is the younger version of the character. Once you have that 'buy-in,' you’re mostly there. The young actor’s talent then becomes important for complete believability," Mike explained.
Miley Cyrus Auditioned For The Role Of Lilly Truscott In "Hannah Montana"
Marina Sirtis Was Originally Cast As Tasha Yar, And Denise Crosby Was Their First Choise For Deanna Troi In Star Trek: The Next Generation
It's why Denise Crosby quit, actually. She said she didn't want to play "some butch little tank."
Charisma Carpenter Auditioned For The Role Of Buffy In "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"
Hollywood almost exclusively focuses on finding people who already have acting experience. Whether it’s grownups or child actors, they almost always opt for someone who’s had experience in the field. It all comes down to time, energy, and (most importantly) money.
"It’s a rare situation to cast an inexperienced actor and work with them during production. That would slow down the production, and of course 'time is money' which is especially true in Hollywood,” the celebrity expert explained to Bored Panda.
Lindsay Lohan And Rachel Mcadams Auditioned To Play Opposite Roles In "Mean Girls"
Chris Colfer Auditioned For The Role Of Artie Abrams In "Glee"
Alexander Ludwig Auditioned For The Role Of Peeta Mellark In "The Hunger Games"
But, if Alexander had won the role, he would never have been able to play Bjorn Ironside.
"Most productions are working under tight budget and time constraints, and there is an unwillingness to work with new talent. An exception would be an actor that is so 'special,' the production would be willing to put in the extra time and effort to make it work. That would be a rare exception, however,” Mike said.
After going through this list, do you think the casting directors made the right choices, dear Readers? Would you have enjoyed these actors in the roles that they wanted or were offered? Drop us a line in the comment section and let us know.
Sonequa Martin-Green Auditioned For The Role Of Michonne On "The Walking Dead"
Natasha Lyonne Auditioned For The Role Of Lorna In "Orange Is The New Black"
That would've worked. She's a talented actor. I liked her as Nichols though.
Darren Criss Auditioned For The Role Of Finn Hudson In "Glee"
Liza Weil Auditioned For The Role Of Rory Gilmore On "Gilmore Girls"
Madelaine Petsch Auditioned For The Role Of Betty Cooper In "Riverdale"
Who did for what now? I feel old and disconnected to society here. Riverdale rings a very distant bell... Must be reaching 40+. Like Lee Pace. Old. Almost forgotten. The horror!
I feel you. Oh-so much.... *gives virtual shoulder-pat*
Load More Replies...Christopher Mintz-Plasse Auditioned For The Role Of Dave Lizewski In "Kick-Ass"
Norman Reedus Auditioned For The Role Of Merle Dixon In "The Walking Dead"
Jason Dohring Auditioned For The Role Of Duncan Kane On "Veronica Mars"
Jessica Capshaw Auditioned For The Role Of Dr. Sadie Harris In "Grey’s Anatomy "
Isaiah Washingt Auditioned For The Role Of Derek Shepherd In "Grey's Anatomy"
Just goes to show how well some producers are at spotting talents and putting them to the characters that best fit their roles
HUGE one missed: Matt Smith was actually auditioning for the role of Dr. John Watson on Sherlock when he landed the role of the 11th Doctor on Doctor Who. The producers felt he was too young and too eccentric for Dr. Watson but felt he was perfect for Doctor Who. The role of Dr. Watson eventually went to Martin Freeman.
I do so wish they would do another Sherlock series. They were brilliant.
Load More Replies...It's hard to imagine an actor in someone else's role, because our brain is tricky, it tells us "But no, Forrest Gump IS Tom Hanks! Michael Richards IS Kramer! Jerry Seinfeld IS Jerry Seinfeld (no, this is a joke!), Terminator IS Arnold, Rambo / Rocky ARE Stallone etc.!". We'll never know...
There are a few times I think another actor would have been better for a part. But by and large, I think you are right.
Load More Replies...Really fun one that got missed: Marina Sirtis was originally cast as Tasha Yar and Denise Crosby was their first choice to play Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation. They switched the two roles shortly before filming began.
Thanks for sharing, JP Doyle! I take it that you're a big Star Trek fan? :)
Load More Replies...It must be dishartening to be an actor going from audition to audition and then another gets the part.
It's the same as going for a job interview and someone else gets the job. Part of life.
Load More Replies...I am shocked and amazed to discover that more than one person auditioned for a role, and some if them didnt get the role. Life would have been identical either way.
Just goes to show how well some producers are at spotting talents and putting them to the characters that best fit their roles
HUGE one missed: Matt Smith was actually auditioning for the role of Dr. John Watson on Sherlock when he landed the role of the 11th Doctor on Doctor Who. The producers felt he was too young and too eccentric for Dr. Watson but felt he was perfect for Doctor Who. The role of Dr. Watson eventually went to Martin Freeman.
I do so wish they would do another Sherlock series. They were brilliant.
Load More Replies...It's hard to imagine an actor in someone else's role, because our brain is tricky, it tells us "But no, Forrest Gump IS Tom Hanks! Michael Richards IS Kramer! Jerry Seinfeld IS Jerry Seinfeld (no, this is a joke!), Terminator IS Arnold, Rambo / Rocky ARE Stallone etc.!". We'll never know...
There are a few times I think another actor would have been better for a part. But by and large, I think you are right.
Load More Replies...Really fun one that got missed: Marina Sirtis was originally cast as Tasha Yar and Denise Crosby was their first choice to play Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation. They switched the two roles shortly before filming began.
Thanks for sharing, JP Doyle! I take it that you're a big Star Trek fan? :)
Load More Replies...It must be dishartening to be an actor going from audition to audition and then another gets the part.
It's the same as going for a job interview and someone else gets the job. Part of life.
Load More Replies...I am shocked and amazed to discover that more than one person auditioned for a role, and some if them didnt get the role. Life would have been identical either way.