8 Bizarre Reasons Behind How These Actors Got Their Legendary Roles

Casting is the key to the success of a movie, so it’s extremely important for the directors to find the right person to play the right role. Most of the time, they chose actors according to their appearances or acting abilities. However, there are some pretty bizarre reasons behind how famous actors got their most well-known roles too. Who the hell would think Ryan Gosling got his role in The Notebook because he “wasn’t handsome”?
So let’s find out more about these bizarre reasons and know a little bit more about your favorite actors. They might sound ridiculous, but they’re true!

1. Ryan Gosling Got Cast In The Notebook Because He “Wasn’t Handsome”

Source: New Line Cinema/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

Ryan Gosling looks like a total dreamboat, so it makes a lot of sense that he gets the role of the protagonist in The Notebook thanks to his good look right? Well, turned out he got the role for the opposite reason.
The movie director Nick Cassavetes thought he wasn’t handsome and cool like other young Hollywood stars back then. He also thought Gosling looked like “a regular guy who looks a bit nuts,” which made the actor unique and fitting for the character.

2. George Lucas Offered Harrison Ford A Role In Star Wars While Ford Was Working As A Carpenter

Source: 20th Century Fox/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

George Lucas had a short collaboration with Harrison Ford on the movie American Graffiti before Ford went on and continued to work as a carpenter full-time. The lucky lady was on Ford’s side after that. One day, he was hired to build a door at the offices where the casting of “Star Wars” was happening. Lucas met Ford there and decided to give the actor one of his most famous roles: Han Solo.

3. Samuel L. Jackson Was Cast In Pulp Fiction By Eating A Burger In Front Of The Director

Source: Miramax Films/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

During the audition for the Jules Winnfield role, Quentin Tarantino was late. Samuel L. Jackson had to wait for him and the actor was not pleased about it. By the time the director came to the set, Jackson already got his lunch and was munching on a burger and a milkshake. He was so hungry and pissed off at Tarantino that he brought his lunch with him when he was called in.
The actor was just biting his burger and sipping his shake menacingly while looking at Tarantino. His anger looked perfect for the part as it scared the producer to death, and that was how Jackson got his role.

4. Emma Watson Was Cast In Harry Potter Because She Called J. K. Rowling Before The Audition

Source: Warner Bros. Pictures/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

Emma Watson wasn’t supposed to be Hermione Granger because J. K. Rowling thought she was too pretty to play the character. However, the little girl was determined to get her dream role, so she made a call to the author. Her speech was so convincing that she immediately landed the role right after.
“She spoke for like 60 seconds at least without drawing breath and I said, ’Emma, you’re perfect,’” Rowling recalled.

5. Ben Affleck Got His Role In Gone Girl Thanks To His Smile

Source: 20th Century Fox/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

According to director David Fincher, Affleck got the role of Nick Dunne thanks to his smile. Nick’s smile before the local press was a very important detail. “I flipped through Google Images and found about 50 shots of Affleck giving that kind of smile in public situations,” the director said.

6. Jason Momoa Performed A Dance To Get His Role In Game of Thrones

Source: HBO/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

Khal Drogo doesn’t have many lines onscreen, so Jason Momoa has to find a way to express his character's personality with actions, not words. The actor decided to perform a traditional Māori dance named Haka. His performance was so great that the casting directors immediately gave him the role.

7. Kit Harington Got Punched In The Face And Had A Role In Game of Thrones

Source: HBO/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

Before he got his part in the famous series, Kit Harington and his date had a pretty nasty fight in a McDonald’s. The fight left him with a black eye, but he just ignored it and went to the audition. The actor believed that it was his black eye that helped him to get the role.

8. Harvey Stephens Got Cast In The Omen Because He Kicked The Director In The Balls

Source: 20th Century Fox/ Courtesy of Everett Collection

Harvey Stephens played a very important character in “The Omen” and there was no doubt that he gave us a pretty terrifying performance. However, he only got the role thanks to some pretty bizarre reasons. He was instructed to attack the director. Stephens gave all he had, scratched the director’s face, and kicked him in the balls. That was how he got his role.
Those are some bizarre reasons behind how these famous actors got their iconic roles. Speaking of legendary roles, some of these guys weren’t actually the first choice for their most popular characters. Curious about who was supposed to play these guys? Well, only one way to find out.