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Adam Brody -

Adam Brody went from the star of 'The O.C.' back in the early 2000s to the star of the 2023 superhero comedy 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods.' However, this wasn't his first choice of role to break into the profitable world of superheroes. Brody actually auditioned to play the leading role of Star-Lord/Peter Quill in the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' franchise a decade ago. “I wanted that one,” he recalled, explaining that he felt a real connection to the character. In the end, of course, the part went to Chris Pratt. "He is bigger, stronger," said Brody, admitting that Pratt was ultimately the right fit, "but tonally, I really dug it.” Brody told Vanity Fair that he also auditioned for roles in the movies 'Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd' and 'Gigli' back in 2003. Perhaps those rejections were for the best, as both movies bombed! 

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Jennifer Lawrence -

Jennifer Lawrence auditioned for the role of Bella in 'Twilight' but revealed she was rejected "immediately," explaining on 'The Rewatchers' podcast with Bill Simmons that she didn’t even get a callback for the role that ultimately went to Kristen Stewart. But it's a good thing Lawrence was rejected because a year later she landed 'The Hunger Games,' though there were still some parallels to what her life could have been with 'Twilight.' 

“My life would’ve been totally different,” the actress explained. “I mean, the work is still the same because I felt similar when I was doing 'Hunger Games.' I have to churn out movies in between so that I’m not only known for this franchise. I was still in a franchise, so I was still trying to counteract the franchise-ness, and I would still be doing that if I was in 'Twilight.'”

Lawrence added that she "wanted to do Indies" and "good films" and "didn’t want to be the most famous person on the planet.” Though she has arguably gotten close, she still thinks not landing the role of Bella was for the best as she would have been "miserable." She continued, “That’s a very different life than what I had pictured for myself.”

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Anna Nicole Smith -

The Netflix documentary 'Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me' proves just how much we really didn't know about the late star, born Vickie Lynn Hogan, including an opportunity that may have changed her entire career trajectory. In the doc, Ashley Wells Lewis, a film producer who had taken Smith and her son in, recalls Smith's agent telling her to turn down US$50,000 to star in 1994's 'The Mask' opposite Jim Carrey, who Smith reportedly only knew as "that funny guy." The reason is unclear, but Lewis recalled, "She never got over it. I think it could've set her off the right path. It certainly didn't hurt Cameron Diaz."

In 2019 'The Mask' director Chuck Russell told Variety, "Anna was charming and bubbly, but did not have other qualities needed for the role. I never took the next step to run scenes with her." However, his account is disputed by Smith's friends, and in the doc she is seen quoting how much she was offered for the role. Instead, Smith got into reality TV and, as Lewis lamented, "She was rewarded her for being high and drunk, doing crazy things that made her more interesting for them to film."

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Patricia Arquette -

Patricia Arquette is an esteemed actress in Hollywood, but she'll be the first to admit she's not great at auditions. At the 2023 SAG Awards she recounted her failed audition for 1996's 'Jerry Maguire' alongside star Tom Cruise to be his on-screen love interest. "I'm a notoriously bad auditioner," Arquette told Variety. "Everyone was saying, 'Oh, this is just a formality. You're gonna read with Tom Cruise," as they emphasized that the part was basically hers already. "And I blew it."

The film follows a fired sports agent who sets out on his own while representing a football player (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.), and the role Arquette wanted ultimately went to Renée Zellweger. "I actually think she was better for it, and she was great," Arquette said.

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Chase Stokes -

Before landing his breakout role on the hit teen drama 'Outer Banks,' Chase Stokes auditioned for another hit teen drama. The young actor put himself forward for the role of Steve in 'Stranger Things.' According to Stokes, it did not go well. “I forgot all the lines and absolutely [messed] up the audition. I drove eight hours from Atlanta back to Orlando regretting every moment of my life on that.” In the end, the role went to actor Joe Neery, and Steve became a fan favorite. 

However, Stokes is still extremely grateful to the producers of 'Stranger Things,' as they went on to develop 'Outer Banks' in which he landed a leading role. " I’m just thankful for the Duffer Brothers for giving me an opportunity to, like, do my job and start my career," Stokes told Access Hollywood in an interview ahead of the season 3 launch. “It’s a very full circle moment for me.” 

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Penn Badgley -

Penn Badgley made a huge career comeback after 'Gossip Girl' with the hit stalker series 'You,' but even though his career is at an all-time high, there's one role he still wishes he landed. In an interview with Buzzfeed, the actor reflected on "a bunch" of roles he auditioned for but never got, including the character of Jesse Pinkman in AMC's 'Breaking Bad.' 

"One I got close on was Breaking Bad," Badgley recounted. "It was between me and Aaron Paul, we tested. And actually, that was the best television script I'd read at that point. That was the one that got away." It was indeed the role of a lifetime for Paul, who scored three Emmys for his performance.

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Brendan Fraser -

Brendan Fraser made a triumphant return to Hollywood in 2022 with his award-winning performance in 'The Whale.' The '90s heartthrob had all but disappeared from the film industry for more than a decade, but now that he's back, he's opening up about his early days as a star and everything that happened in between. In an interview with Howard Stern, he revealed that he was auditioned for the role of Superman in 2002. J.J. Abrahams had been hired by Warner Bros. to write a new film about the superhero called 'Superman: Flyby,' and all the famous young actors of the time were being courted for the role. As Fraser put it, "the usual suspects" were called in to audition, including himself and Paul Walker. Fraser recalled feeling torn about the amazing opportunity because, if he got it, he would likely be remembered for this one role for the rest of his life. 

Fraser didn't get the role in the end, which he said "had to do a lot with some shenanigans and studio politics. And probably, inherently, in my screen test. I think that’s why you test… they could kind of see I was only there like 98%.” Ultimately, the whole project was shelved by Warner Bros.

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James Corden -

James Corden appeared on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast January 3 and revealed that he once auditioned for 'Lord of the Rings,' alongside what he said was probably "every single person in London." The 'Late Late Show' host explained, "I auditioned for Samwise [Gamgee]," the hobbit character that eventually went to Sean Astin. "I was doing the accent and everything," Corden said, and even gave a taste with his own, "Mr Frodo!" 

Though he said his audition was "not good," he and his friends at least got two call backs, though it ended there. Luckily he said today he still "very much enjoy[s]" the film franchise without any hard feelings. 

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Courtney Love -

Courtney Love, the wild rock legend and wife of the late Kurt Cobain, told Marc Maron on his podcast that she had actually landed the part of the female love interest in the movie 'Fight Club' opposite Edward Norton and Brad Pitt back in 1999. However, Love says that it all went south when Pitt approached her about making a Kurt Cobain movie. According to the musician, she "went nuclear" on Pitt, and told him the following: “I don’t know if I trust you and I don’t know that your movies are for profit. They’re really good social justice movies, but…if you don’t get me, you kind of don’t get Kurt, and I don’t feel like you do, Brad.” 

Love claims that she was fired from the cast after her standoff with Pitt, news which was delivered to her by Edward Norton, who she says she was dating at the time. “He starts sobbing, and he was like, ‘I don’t have the power!’” she recounted to Maron. The part of Maria Singer went to Helena Bonham Carter and the movie became a cult classic. 

Variety spoke to a source close to the movie who says that Love's story is exaggerated and that she only ever auditioned for the role. "You cannot be fired for a job you didn’t get."

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Amanda Seyfried -

Ariana Grande famously landed the leading role of Glinda in the upcoming film adaptation of the Broadway musical, 'Wicked.' What many didn't realize, is that Amanda Seyfried also auditioned for the role, and didn't quite make the cut. Seyfried opened up about how much she wanted to play Glinda. The auditions took place at the same time that she was filming 'The Dropout,' a TV series about the disgraced "tech genius" Elizabeth Holmes. Seyfried has said unequivocally that this was the most challenging role of her career, yet she still spent all of her time off preparing to audition for 'Wicked.' "I wanted it that much that I was like, ‘You know what? Yeah, I have to play the last scene of The Dropout on Tuesday. I'll give my Sunday to you.' I literally bent over backwards while playing the hardest role of my life." Although the role ultimately went to Grande, Seyfried said that the preparation helped her to improve her vocal skills and she now feels ready to take on her next musical challenge, whatever it may be. 

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Liam Hemsworth -

Liam Hemsworth came extremely close to getting one of the biggest roles in the MCU. He was a finalist for the leading role in 'Thor' (2011), the first film in one of the most successful Marvel franchises of all time. However, they felt he was a little too young for the part. This was lucky for his brother Chris! Chris's manager told them, "Well, he does have an older brother," and Chris Hemsworth was called in to audition. (He had also auditioned for the role previously but didn't make it past the early stages.) Chris Hemsworth has his younger brother to thank for his defining cinematic role. The brotherly competitive spirit may even have given him the edge he needed to seize his second chance. "Maybe I had a little more sort of motivation that my little brother got a look in and I hadn’t," he told MensXP.

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Chace Crawford -

Former 'Gossip Girl' star Chace Crawford opened up to People about an audition he failed in 2006. The part he was up for was Jason Street in 'Friday Night Lights.'

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Chace Crawford -

To add insult to injury, one of his friends was cast in the series, and Crawford has admitted to feeling "extremely devastated." Apparently he had already grown attached to the idea.

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Matthew McConaughey -

It is difficult now to imagine anyone but Leonardo DiCaprio starring across Kate Winslet in the 1997 smash hit 'Titanic.' But apparently Matthew McConaughey was seriously in the running.

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Matthew McConaughey -

He once told Playboy, "I really enjoyed it. Kate Winslet really enjoyed it. That was a huge opportunity. But [James] Cameron liked Leonardo DiCaprio better."

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Jessica Biel -

Sources suggest that Jessica Biel was desperate to star opposite Ryan Gosling in 'The Notebook' (2004). In the end, the part went to Rachel McAdams.

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Jessica Biel -

She once told Elle magazine that she wanted the part "so badly" and described how people in the acting industry are just "gluttons for punishment."

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Dwayne Johnson -

One of The Rock's fans once tweeted him asking, "Why isn't @TheRock Jack Reacher?" Turns out he could've touched a nerve: the actor did audition for the part, but didn't get it.

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Dwayne Johnson -

He replied to the fan, "Yup, luv the character. Bout 10yrs ago I went after the role, but [Tom Cruise] got it. Was great motivation for me to always stay hungry."

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Miles Teller -

'La La Land' (2016) was almost quite a different movie: until very late on, it was thought that Miles Teller would take Ryan Gosling's part. He was, however, unceremoniously dropped.

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Miles Teller -

Apparently Teller's agent just called him one day to say the directors were moving forward without him. Teller told Variety, "I'm a pretty strong believer that everything happens for a reason."

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Olivia Wilde -

When Olivia Wilde lost out to Margot Robbie for the starring role in 'The Wolf of Wall Street' (2013), she was told it was because she was too "sophisticated."

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Olivia Wilde -

In fact, she found out later that it was because she was too old. Wilde is not bitter though: she has said of Robbie's performance, "I thought she kicked so much a** in that movie."

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Gwen Stefani -

Sources suggest that Gwen Stefani was in the running to take Angelina Jolie's part as in 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' (2005).

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Gwen Stefani -

She has spoken publicly about thinking she had secured the role of Jane Smith: "I feel like I almost got it. I went to a bunch of auditions."

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Idris Elba -

Can you imagine how different the live action remake of Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' (2017) would've been with Idris Elba as Gaston?

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Idris Elba -

Elba apparently loves musicals and was well up for the part. Sources suggest there were no hard feelings when the part went to Luke Evans, however.

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Eddie Redmayne -

Another British actor joins the ranks, and this time it's Eddie Redmayne. He apparently auditioned for a part in the 2015 'Star Wars' reboot.

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Eddie Redmayne -

According to the actor, the film was so top secret that he didn't even know which role he was auditioning for, only that it was the baddie. Needless to say, he didn't get it.

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Joe Manganiello -

Joe Manganiello once revealed in an interview with IMDb that he auditioned to play the part of Peter Parker in 'Spider-Man' (2002). The audition was on his third day in LA!

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Joe Manganiello -

Manganiello lost out to Tobey Maguire for the part, but he went on to play Kirsten Dunst's boyfriend in the same film. Not a bad result, after all.

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Alec Baldwin -

The man behind 'Sex and the City,' Darren Star, was originally thinking of Alec Baldwin for the character of Mr. Big. In the end, he went with Chris Noth.

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Alec Baldwin -

To quote Star in Entertainment Weekly, "I was thinking of Alec Baldwin for Big initially. But I met with Chris Noth and thought he was perfect."

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Mindy Kaling -

Looking back, it is easy to imagine Mindy Kaling in the 2011 hit 'Bridesmaids.' The creator of 'The Mindy Project' did in fact audition for Maya Rudolph's part.

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Mindy Kaling -

Speaking of being turned down for the part, she has said, "I practiced it so much and was so into it and I loved that whole cast ... That was one that was a heartbreaker."

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Millie Bobby Brown -

Given Millie Bobby Brown's meteoric rise to fame you might think she had never failed an audition. That's not true, of course. In fact she auditioned for a role in 'Logan' (2017).

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Millie Bobby Brown -

The young actress was filming 'Stranger Things' at the time, but was very taken with the idea of starring in the film. She once told Variety, "I went for it. It meant so much to me."

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Amy Schumer -

Comedian Amy Schumer actually auditioned for the part of Shoshanna on Lena Dunham's 'Girls.'

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Amy Schumer -

Dunham did have some nice words to say after Schumer's tryout "Everyone in the room was stunned by the detail and skill of her improv, the wild talent radiating off her."

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Tiffani Thiessen -

Tiffani Thiessen, who is known for her work on 'Saved by the Bell' and 'Beverly Hills, 90210,' was apparently quite close to landing the role of Rachel on 'Friends.'

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Tiffani Thiessen -

Thiessen is said to have lost out because she was a little too young: she was only 20 at the time of auditions. Jennifer Aniston, at 25, was still the youngest cast member.

Sources: (People)

See also: Actors who found success on multiple TV shows

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