20+ Actors Who Auditioned For One Part, But Were Cast For An Entirely Different One
Tom Felton as Harry Potter? Dare we even imagine?
Did you know that actors often audition for specific roles and end up getting cast in entirely different ones in the same show or movie? With all the flash and glam, movies are riddled with mysteries that beg to be solved.
Even gaining a peek behind the scenes at how casting decisions are made can whet your appetite and leave you wanting more. In reality, if things had gone just a little differently in our favorite movies, the landscape would have been drastically altered.
Consider a parallel universe in which Tom Felton, aka Draco Malfoy, played the iconic role of Harry Potter. Actors are not always cast in the roles for which they audition.
After all, show business requires rejection. Still, a select few—Liam Hemsworth, Rachel McAdams, and Shia LaBeouf, to name a few—have pleased the powers that be and landed new parts as a result of their efforts.
We've compiled a list of examples that indicate what roles well-known actors auditioned for and were ultimately cast in, as well as which roles they were offered and turned down. So, scroll down and spend a few minutes daydreaming about whether these performers would have done better in the parts they initially desired or were offered.
1. Tom Hiddleston tried out for Thor before landing the role of Loki in the MCU.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon / YouTube / Via youtube.com2. In The Hunger Games, Liam Hemsworth was considered for the role of Peeta.
Murray Close/Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection3. Before landing the role of Draco, Tom Felton tried out for Harry and Ron in Harry Potter.
Warner Brothers / courtesy Everett Collection
4. Chadwick Boseman tried out for Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy before becoming T'Challa/Black Panther in the Marvel Universe.
Disney /Courtesy Everett Collection, Matt Kennedy / Marvel / Disney/Courtesy Everett Collection
5. Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel both tried out for Rapunzel in Tangled before landing the roles of Anna and Elsa in Frozen a few months later.
Michael Germana/Everett Collection, Disney /Courtesy Everett Collection
6. Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams initially went for opposite roles in Mean Girls.
Paramount / courtesy Everett Collection
7. Originally, Jared Hess, the director of Napoleon Dynamite, intended for Jon Heder to play Randy the bully. Napoleon was ultimately played by Heder.
Fox Searchlight, Fox Searchlight / courtesy Everett Collection
8. Prior to playing Radio Raheem in Do the Right Thing, Bill Nunn auditioned for the role of Senor Love Daddy (later played by Samuel L. Jackson).
Universal Pictures
9. Gabrielle Union tried out for Monica before landing the role of Shawnee in Love & Basketball.
Despite wearing the same outfit she used to play basketball, she was apparently informed that she didn't really look like someone who had played basketball before.
New Line Cinema / courtesy Everett Collection, New Line Cinema
10. Before playing Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in the trilogy, Cillian Murphy auditioned for Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Begins.
Warner Brothers / courtesy Everett Collection
11. Before being cast as Cinderella herself, Lily James tried for Anastasia, one of the stepsisters, in the live-action Cinderella.
She had blonde hair when she arrived, which she believes is why she was requested to perform for Cinderella while she was there.
Jonathan Olley/ Disney / courtesy Everett Collection
12. In High School Musical, Corbin Bleu auditioned for Ryan, while Lucas Grabeel auditioned for Troy.
Disney / Courtesy Everett Collection
13. Monique Coleman and Ashley Tisdale both tried out for Gabriella before landing the roles of Taylor and Sharpay, respectively.
Walt Disney Co. / courtesy Everett Collection
14. Both Wyatt Oleff and Jack Dylan Grazer, who played Stanley and Eddie, auditioned for Bill in It.
Brooke Palmer/ Warner Bros. /Courtesy Everett Collection,
15. Diana Silvers was approached to audition for Ryan in Booksmart, but she didn't think she had the right look for the role, so she read for Hope instead and was cast.
Francois Duhamel / Annapurna Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection
16. Jackson Rathbone was on the verge of earning the part of Edward in Twilight. Instead, he was cast as Jasper.
Summit Entertainment
17. Thomas Brodie-Sangster tried out for Gally in The Maze Runner, as well as Newt.
20th Century Fox
18. To All the Boys I've Loved Before almost cast Noah Centineo as Josh. He eventually landed the role of Peter.
Netflix
19. Shannen Doherty auditioned for the role of Veronica in Heathers but was instead invited to read for Heather Chandler. She did, however, like Heather Duke and was cast in that role.
New World Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection, New World / courtesy Everett Collection
20. In 10 Things I Hate About You, Joseph Gordon-Levitt auditioned for both Cameron and Michael, and was cast as Cameron.
Touchstone Pictures/ Courtesy Everett Collection
21. Wesley Snipes tried out for Darryl Jenks in Coming to America in the 1980s but was not cast. He will, however, play General Izzi in the next sequel.
Paramount / courtesy Everett Collection, Amazon Studios
Well, are you surprised by the names on the list? During the casting process, casting directors seek a spectrum of qualities.
Of course, raw acting talent is crucial, but so is the ability to bring the character to life and fulfill the director's and writer's vision. Sometimes, that vision is completely different from what the actors have in mind.
