Many iconic movie roles become synonymous with the actor who plays them, but have you ever wondered what would happen if different actors got cast for some major roles? What would it look like ifTom Holland hadn’t laughed through his auditionand got the role of Finn in theStar WarsSequel Trilogy? What difference would it have made ifEddie Redmayne didn’t try to copy Ian Holmand secured the role of Bilbo inThe Hobbitfor himself?
Updated: November 2022: To keep this article fresh and relevant by adding more information and entries, this article has been updated by Olivia Martello.
Even the best of actors sometimes make mistakes during the audition process that eventually cost them a big loss in their careers. Indeed, here are some actors who lost iconic movie roles because of bad auditions.
Related:These Actors Were Almost Cast as Batman
10Tom Hiddleston for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Tom Hiddlestonalmost played Will Turner inPirates of the Caribbean— if only he hadn’t gone to the audition with a hangover. Yes,while giving an interviewfor his feature-length documentaryMuse of Fire,the actor was asked whether he recalls any bad audition experiences. Hiddleston then went on to explain how, back when he just got out of drama school and didn’t really understand how the industry worked, he received a script forPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearlthe night before the audition. Not knowing the weight of the situation, he briefly looked at the script and went out drinking with his friends. As you may have guessed, the casting director wasn’t very pleased, and Hiddleston was unsuccessful. Of course, things worked out for Hiddleston in the end as the actor landed the role of Loki in the MCU franchise.
9Nicholas Hoult for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Nicholas Houlthas hadmany memorable rolesover the years. He has lots of experience in science fiction and fantasy movies, and even auditioned for the role of Caspian in the second Narnia film,Prince Caspian.Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Hoult described it as one of his “all-time worst” auditions, where he was asked to do a Hispanic accent he hadn’t prepared for. He was told to base the accent on Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots, which didn’t work out for Hoult. He didn’t get the part, but would go on to have roles inMad Max: Fury Roadand the TV seriesThe Great.
8Michael B. Jordan for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Auditioning for a big franchise has to be nerve-racking in its own way, and yet,Michael B. Jordanmanaged to get his role for MCU’sBlack Panther. Why was hisStar Warsaudition for Finn any different? While promoting the filmWithout Remorse, the actor admitted in apodcast interview with Varietythat the audition was his “worst one to date.” He explained that he couldn’t really connect to the script because of the secrecy these big franchises promote. We can only imagine how challenging it must be to identify with a character without knowing the backstory.
7Meryl Streep for King Kong
The brutal reality of Hollywood’s sexism hits you every time you hear a story from essentially any actress in the industry. Even the caliber of anactress with 21 Academy Awards nominations, that isMeryl Streep, isn’t the exception. The actress didn’t have the smoothest of starts during her acting career, but it wasn’t because of a lack of talent.Streep said in her interview with Graham Nortonthat as soon as she stepped into the audition room forKing Kong,the producer Dino De Laurentis called her “too ugly” in Italian. It’s heartbreaking to think that a woman’s role in the movie is to look pretty while the man saves the world.King Kongwasn’t a huge loss for Streep, who has dozens of hits on her resume fromThe Devil Wears Pradato, most recently,Don’t Look Up.
6Timothée Chalamet for Spider-Man: Homecoming
The ongoing discussions aboutTimothée Chalamet’s potential joining of the MCU’sSpider-Manfamily as Harry Osborne has already been picked up by the cast as well. But what some of you may not know is that the Oscar-nominated actor had once auditioned for the role of Spider-Man himself. “I read twice, and I left sweating in a total panic,” Chalamet recalled in aHollywood Reporter interview.He wanted to go back and try it again, but his agent talked him out of it. Let’s say that everything worked out: as far as successful franchises go, Chalamethas had a hit withDune.
5Lucy Hale for 50 Shades of Grey
Everyone is well aware of the sexual nature of theFifty Shades of Greytrilogy. Auditioning for the role of Anastasia Steele was mostly for actresses who were ready to step out of their comfort zone and experiment with their acting. Sadly,Lucy Halewas too young when she decided to take on the challenge. In herinterview with AP Entertainment, Hale admitted that she was mortified to do the audition because “the monologue was sexually forward” and she didn’t even understand some implications behind the lines back then. ThePretty Little Liarsactress still thinks it was a good experience for her, since it helped her to overcome fear.
Related:10 Actors Who Were Almost Cast in Major MCU Roles
4Jake Gyllenhaal for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Do you ever think about how different it would have been ifJake Gyllenhaalplayed Frodo inLord of the Rings? It might have happened if only he knew he was supposed to use the British accent during his audition. In hisinterview with Jimmy Fallon, Gyllenhaal recalledhow he completely bombed the audition in front of Peter Jackson himself. The audition was apparently such a disaster that Jackson told him he’s “the worst actor he has ever seen.” Well, everything happens for a reason, right? Gyllenhaal has since appeared in many critically acclaimed movies and givenseveral strong performances.
3Eddie Redmayne for Star Wars
Michael B. Jordan wasn’t the only renowned actor to fail his audition forTheForce Awakens.Fantastic BeastsactorEddie Redmaynealso tried his luck for the role of the villainous Kylo Ren. In aninterview with Uproxx, Redmayne recalled just how catastrophic the audition was. In the same manner as Jordan, he said: “With filmsthattop secret, they don’t give you the actual lines. So they give you a scene from ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ but then they tell you you’re auditioning for the baddie.” Ten attempts later, he still didn’t manage to impress the casting director, Nina Gold.
2Henry Cavill for Casino Royale
Henry Cavillis well known for playing Superman, but he also had the opportunity to be James Bond. The actor shared that he was very close to getting the role for 2006’sCasino Royale. It ultimately came down to him and Daniel Craig. Cavill was 23 at the time, while Craig was 38. In 2019, Cavill shared with People that hedidn’t prepare for the roleas well as he could have, and hadn’t trained to get the Bond physique. In 2022, he added to GQ that he wasprobably too young, and not ready for such a role at the time. His career soared nevertheless, albeit in a different direction from the famous spy.
1John Krasinski for Captain America: The First Avenger
Yes,John Krasinski, a.k.a Jim fromThe Office,was one of the top candidates for the role of Captain America before they contacted Chris Evans. During hisvisit to The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he shared a hilarious story from his audition. He recalled: “I was putting the suit on, and I was halfway up — not wearing any clothes other than this — and [the suit] was halfway up. And right at that moment, Chris Hemsworth walked by, and he was like, ‘Ya look good, mate.” Krasinki joked that after seeing Hemsworth’s jacked body, he gave up and went home. Turns out he tried his best during the audition, but unfortunately didn’t get the part. Which worked out: if Krasinski had been locked in a multi-film MCU contract, he might not have had time to write and directA Quiet Placeand subsequently launch a new horror film franchise.
