10 Famous Actors Who Had Roles Written With Them In Mind And 9 Who Had To Fight For That Perfect Part

Casting directors are the silent heroes of the movie industry. Casting is the pre-production process of selecting actors for roles in a television show, film, commercial, or play.

A casting director will be hired by the directors and producers to oversee the casting process, which includes auditions, screen tests, and callbacks. It's a process, yes...

But not for some people. While some actors have to fight really hard for roles they want (and we are talking about A-listers), others have roles written specifically for them. Isn't that nice?

Casting is such an important aspect of a film's success. Even with a terrific story and director, bringing a character to life requires the proper actor. And even though casting directors are professionals who do their jobs fantastically, they can still make mistakes.

Luckily, actors are there to correct those mistakes. They know when a part is just right for them and are willing to fight for it.

We have compiled a list of the actors who had it easy and received ready-to-go parts, versus those poor souls who went through hell and back to get the roles they wanted. Take a look at our list and tell us what you think:

Acting may be a hit-or-miss career. While some actors are fortunate enough to have roles handed to them, others must work hard to secure the roles they desire

 

@snl / NBC / Via giphy.com

1. Lisa Kudrow

Though it's difficult to believe now, there was a time when the Friends producers weren't eager to cast Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay. She revealed in the HBO Max reunion special that, unlike many of her castmates, she had to go to several auditions.

@friends / Warner Bros. / Via giphy.com

2. David Schwimmer

Friends executive producer Kevin S. Bright had previously worked with David Schwimmer. He claimed that the character of Ross Geller was created solely for Schwimmer and that he was the first person cast in the TV series.

@friends / Warner Bros. / Via giphy.com

3. Courteney Cox

Following her success as Monica Geller, Courteney Cox struggled to be taken seriously in her role as the not-so-nice TV journalist Gale Weathers in Scream.

Cox disclosed that she wrote director Wes Craven a letter in which she assured him that she "can really be a bitch."

Dimension Films

4. Bill Murray

Sofia Coppola not only wrote Bill Murray's role as Bob Harris in Lost in Translation, but she also stated that she would not have made the film without him.

"I spent about a year trying to track him down and was asking random people who knew him through golf," she stated. "I was on a mission."

5. Matthew Gray Gubler

Even though he was designed to be "stoic, like Data from Star Trek," Matthew Gray Gubler had to audition for Criminal Minds wunderkind Spencer Reid around five times, each time portraying the character as strange and "gregarious."

He was even told he was "so inappropriate" for the character, but he eventually won them over, and his Spencer is the one we got (luckily).

@cbs / CBS / Via giphy.com

6. Terry Crews

Terry Crews was not only cast in the part of Terry Jeffords on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but he was also used as inspiration for the character.

@brooklynninenine / NBC / Via giphy.com

7. Chelsea Peretti

Chelsea Peretti is another Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast member who was cast for a variety of roles. She wasn't supposed to play the then-unnamed Rosa; however, the producers liked her so much that they gave her the name Gina Linetti.

@brooklynninenine / NBC / Via giphy.com

8. Norman Reedus

Norman Reedus, like Peretti, originally desired a different role: Merle Dixon on The Walking Dead.

The part had already been cast, but after requesting to read for the casting directors in hopes of landing a guest spot, he was given the role of Daryl Dixon.

@thewalkingdead / AMC / Via giphy.com

9. Henry Cavill

Henry Cavill, an avid gamer, was a big fan of The Witcher's video game version, and when Netflix announced plans for a limited series adaptation of the books the game was based on, he immediately began campaigning to play Geralt of Rivia. "He was really annoying," Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, who had been hired to produce and write the show, revealed.

"I finally said, 'I will meet with you. The show is not green-lit. There is nothing.' I said, 'Thank you. Now I have to go write the show.'"

Despite Cavill's significant interest, Hissrich and the other producers cast more than 200 performers for the role of Geralt, but he knew he was the right choice.

@netflix / Netflix / Via giphy.com

10. Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence was deemed too sexy for the role of Ree Dolly in Winter's Bone, so she turned up to the casting call with no sleep, no makeup, and no shower. She eventually won their hearts and was nominated for an Oscar for her efforts.

Roadside Attractions

11. David Hyde Pierce

Many viewers were certainly astonished when they saw Frasier and learned about Niles Crane because Frasier had never talked about having relatives on Cheers.

So when Frasier's brother was introduced, it was a big surprise. His character wasn't planned in the beginning.

The casting director stumbled upon a picture of David Hyde Pierce and presented it to the creators because of the likeness between him and Kelsey Grammer. After seeing some video of Pierce, they "fell in love with him" and wrote the role of Niles.

@paramountplus / CBS / Via giphy.com

12. Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg

According to Patrick Swayze's wife, Lisa Niemi, Harrison Ford was the very first choice to star in Ghost, but he read the story and was determined to play Sam.

Meanwhile, Whoopi Goldberg was struggling to establish herself as more than a comedian, but Swayze advocated for her to play Oda, and the two were cast after reading for director Jerry Zucker together.

"I was really fortunate that Patrick and Whoopi were able to read together so that I could see it in front of me and go, 'Yeah, that works,'" Zucker said.

Goldberg was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance.

Paramount Pictures

13. Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer

Guillermo del Toro, the writer and director of The Shape of Water, wrote the script with both performers in mind and told them separately, "I'm writing a movie for you where you fall in love with a fish-man!" he told Sally Hawkins at a Golden Globes afterparty after a few drinks.

Octavia Spencer revealed that the idea didn't come up until the last few minutes of a multiple discussion that was meant to be a half-hour meeting when he told her he'd written a part for her. She signed on the spot.

Fox Searchlight Pictures

14. Gillian Anderson

Gillian Anderson nearly didn't get the part of Dana Scully on The X-Files. Chris Carter was on board, but the network wasn't.

@the-x-files / Fox / Via giphy.com

15. Courtney Love

The producers thought Courtney Love, who had only featured in a short film a few years before, didn't have enough experience to portray Nancy Spungen by the time Sid and Nancy came along, but director Alex Cox developed the role of Gretchen for her after being pleased by her video audition.

The Samuel Goldwyn Company

16. Constance Wu

Constance Wu was so desperate to play Rachel in Crazy Rich Asians that she contacted director John Chu, emphasizing how important the job was to her and requesting that the shooting dates be moved to accommodate her Fresh Off the Boat schedule. Everything went well, and the rest followed.

Warner Bros.

17. Aubrey Plaza

After casting director Allison Jones informed Parks and Recreation executive producer Michael Schur that she'd "just met the oddest person" she'd ever met, Schur set up a meeting with Aubrey Plaza, who "made him feel pretty uncomfortable for like an hour."

It sounds like vintage Aubrey Plaza, and it clearly left an impression on him because he wrote April's character for her.

@parksandrec / NBC / Via giphy.com

18. Kate Winslet

Winslet emailed director James Cameron regular messages fighting for the role of Rose after many other performers turned down the part. He ultimately invited her to audition in Hollywood, but although he was thrilled by her screen test, he was hesitant to cast her.

At one point, she even phoned him and said, "You don't understand! I am Rose! I have no idea why you're seeing anyone else!"

Paramount Pictures

What do you think of our list? One thing is for sure—this list just goes to prove that even celebs don’t get everything handed to them on a silver platter.

They still have to fight for things that are important to them. That’s nice to know.

It makes them more human.