12 Crazy Reasons That Actors Got Rejected For A Role
There's a chance that at some stage of your life, you won't have a job. According to recent statistics, 1.5 % of people in work experience unemployment during three months for a variety of reasons, including being fired, laid off, not having a steady job, etc. Even though they are in a slightly different situation than the rest of us; when you get fired, it doesn't end up on "Access Hollywood", that number includes members of the Entertainment industry.
Actors lose their jobs for many of the same reasons that ordinary people do, including failed projects, problems with managers, and unforeseen scheduling conflicts. However, your boss is unlikely to give you a pink slip based on "creative differences," and there are other situations that are unique to performers, such as disputes over profit participation, castmate intimidation, and disagreements over the direction of the performance. Body image, age, nationality, and other aspects of an actor's dismissal that would seem ridiculous in a conventional workplace occasionally even qualify as capricious reasons.
Following is a list of actors who, for utterly trivial reasons, were denied roles in big Movies.
However, Seyfried had another concern about joining the Guardians. "I didn't want to be part of the first Marvel movie that bombed," she admitted. Seyfried's second fear was that being associated with a massive failure would harm her career. "Because if you are the star of a giant movie like that, and it bombs, Hollywood does not forgive you," she explained.
Garfield was supposed to attend a Sony event where then-studio chairman Kaz Hirai planned to reveal him as the star of "The Amazing Spider-Man 3." While Garfield arrived in Rio, he did not attend the event, citing jet lag fatigue. As a result, Hirai was forced to scramble at the last minute, canceling the announcement.
Though the specific reason for his dismissal was never revealed, Garfield and Sony parted ways soon after the Rio event dust-up.
Unfortunately, her dream of appearing in "Chicago" was dashed. "I think because I had [the role] I was like, 'Oh, I'm going to make this movie,' and then I was kicked off it."
During filming, the director who cast Theron as Roxie was fired and replaced by another director, who recast the role with Renee Zellweger, who won the second of four Golden Globes for her performance. "She did an amazing job," Theron, a fan of the film, said.
While Pratt's huskier build was fine for Andy Dwyer, it cost him the role of real-life professional baseball player Scott Hatteberg in "Moneyball." "That was the first time I heard someone say, 'We're not gonna cast you — you're too fat.'" Pratt told Vanity Fair. Pratt said he took matters into his own hands to lose weight because he couldn't afford a trainer. "It was all running and crash-dieting and cutting alcohol," he explained. Eventually, Pratt landed not only the audition for "Moneyball," but also the role.
Campbell was asked to confirm whether Cavill's weight was a factor in his and the Bond producers' decision to cast Daniel Craig as 007. "[Cavill] did a good test, [but] he was too young, and he just wasn't as experienced as Daniel," Campbell explained in 2022.
Hugo Weaving, who took over for Purefoy as "V," hinted in an interview that the mask was the root of the issue. "I was very surprised to get the call saying, 'Well, look, we've actually sort of parted ways with James Purefoy,'" he said. "It was to do with animating the mask and they didn't think it was working."
In an interview, Purefoy appeared to refute that account.
"The father said to his son in Italian — because I understand Italian — 'Why do you bring me this ugly thing?' Very sobering!" Streep joked to Norton and other guests Mark Ruffalo and James McEvoy. "So I said to him, 'I understand what you're saying. I'm sorry I'm not beautiful enough to be in 'King Kong.'"
Karen McCullah Lutz, co-scripter, noted that she and co-author Kirsten Smith had an actor in mind from the beginning. "We always called [Emmett] 'the Luke Wilson character' while we were writing it," she remembered. "They saw some other actors, and finally Joseph was like 'Maybe we should get Luke to play the Luke Wilson character.' I was like, 'You think?'"
"I just remember thinking there's no way this lady's going to read the robot's lines opposite me because that would be ridiculous," Holland explained. "I don't remember what my line was, but it was [something like], 'Let's get back to the Falcon!' and this lady, bless her, would sit there with full commitment and was like, 'Be-boop-be-boop.'"
"I remember saying, 'You're not actually going to do that, right?' And she was like, 'Well yeah, the robot's part of the scene, he's the character,"' said Holland. "I just got the giggles, because you know when you realize you've got something so wrong? I just couldn't stop laughing."
The movie in question was "The Wolf of Wall Street," and Wilde was 29 at the time of the casting call.
The intention behind Django's actions, however, was where Smith and Tarantino disagreed. "I wanted to make that movie so badly, but with that story, I felt the only way I could make that movie is it had to be a love story, not a vengeance story," Smith explained. "Violence begets violence. For me, I just couldn't connect to violence being the answer. Love had to be the answer."
Jamie Foxx eventually took Smith's place in "Django."
Crowe later realized that "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott removed a lot of the wolf references from the finished film.
Actors lose their jobs for many of the same reasons that ordinary people do, including failed projects, problems with managers, and unforeseen scheduling conflicts. However, your boss is unlikely to give you a pink slip based on "creative differences," and there are other situations that are unique to performers, such as disputes over profit participation, castmate intimidation, and disagreements over the direction of the performance. Body image, age, nationality, and other aspects of an actor's dismissal that would seem ridiculous in a conventional workplace occasionally even qualify as capricious reasons.
Following is a list of actors who, for utterly trivial reasons, were denied roles in big Movies.
#1 Amanda Seyfried turned down Guardians of the Galaxy because she thought it would flop
Source: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
However, Seyfried had another concern about joining the Guardians. "I didn't want to be part of the first Marvel movie that bombed," she admitted. Seyfried's second fear was that being associated with a massive failure would harm her career. "Because if you are the star of a giant movie like that, and it bombs, Hollywood does not forgive you," she explained.
#2 Andrew Garfield's no-show at a studio event may have cost him Spider-Man
Source: BAKOUNINE/Shutterstock
Garfield was supposed to attend a Sony event where then-studio chairman Kaz Hirai planned to reveal him as the star of "The Amazing Spider-Man 3." While Garfield arrived in Rio, he did not attend the event, citing jet lag fatigue. As a result, Hirai was forced to scramble at the last minute, canceling the announcement.
Though the specific reason for his dismissal was never revealed, Garfield and Sony parted ways soon after the Rio event dust-up.
#3 Charlize Theron was hired and then fired from Chicago
Source: BAKOUNINE/Shutterstock
Unfortunately, her dream of appearing in "Chicago" was dashed. "I think because I had [the role] I was like, 'Oh, I'm going to make this movie,' and then I was kicked off it."
During filming, the director who cast Theron as Roxie was fired and replaced by another director, who recast the role with Renee Zellweger, who won the second of four Golden Globes for her performance. "She did an amazing job," Theron, a fan of the film, said.
#4 Chris Pratt was almost too heavy for Moneyball
Source: Tinseltown/Shutterstock
While Pratt's huskier build was fine for Andy Dwyer, it cost him the role of real-life professional baseball player Scott Hatteberg in "Moneyball." "That was the first time I heard someone say, 'We're not gonna cast you — you're too fat.'" Pratt told Vanity Fair. Pratt said he took matters into his own hands to lose weight because he couldn't afford a trainer. "It was all running and crash-dieting and cutting alcohol," he explained. Eventually, Pratt landed not only the audition for "Moneyball," but also the role.
#5 Henry Cavill was told he was too chubby to play James Bond
Source: Pablo Cuadra/Getty Images
Campbell was asked to confirm whether Cavill's weight was a factor in his and the Bond producers' decision to cast Daniel Craig as 007. "[Cavill] did a good test, [but] he was too young, and he just wasn't as experienced as Daniel," Campbell explained in 2022.
#6 James Purefoy was (maybe) dismissed from V for Vendetta because of the mask
Source: David M. Benett/Getty Images
Hugo Weaving, who took over for Purefoy as "V," hinted in an interview that the mask was the root of the issue. "I was very surprised to get the call saying, 'Well, look, we've actually sort of parted ways with James Purefoy,'" he said. "It was to do with animating the mask and they didn't think it was working."
In an interview, Purefoy appeared to refute that account.
#7 Meryl Streep was told she wasn't attractive enough for King Kong
Source: 360b/Shutterstock
"The father said to his son in Italian — because I understand Italian — 'Why do you bring me this ugly thing?' Very sobering!" Streep joked to Norton and other guests Mark Ruffalo and James McEvoy. "So I said to him, 'I understand what you're saying. I'm sorry I'm not beautiful enough to be in 'King Kong.'"
#8 Paul Bettany wasn't American enough for Legally Blonde
Source: Tinseltown/Shutterstock
Karen McCullah Lutz, co-scripter, noted that she and co-author Kirsten Smith had an actor in mind from the beginning. "We always called [Emmett] 'the Luke Wilson character' while we were writing it," she remembered. "They saw some other actors, and finally Joseph was like 'Maybe we should get Luke to play the Luke Wilson character.' I was like, 'You think?'"
#9 Tom Holland couldn't stop laughing and blew his Star Wars audition
Source: DFree/Shutterstock
"I just remember thinking there's no way this lady's going to read the robot's lines opposite me because that would be ridiculous," Holland explained. "I don't remember what my line was, but it was [something like], 'Let's get back to the Falcon!' and this lady, bless her, would sit there with full commitment and was like, 'Be-boop-be-boop.'"
"I remember saying, 'You're not actually going to do that, right?' And she was like, 'Well yeah, the robot's part of the scene, he's the character,"' said Holland. "I just got the giggles, because you know when you realize you've got something so wrong? I just couldn't stop laughing."
#10 Too old at 29: why Olivia Wilde didn't land The Wolf of Wall Street
Source: Franco Origlia/Getty Images
The movie in question was "The Wolf of Wall Street," and Wilde was 29 at the time of the casting call.
#11 Violence spurred Will Smith to drop Django Unchained
Source: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
The intention behind Django's actions, however, was where Smith and Tarantino disagreed. "I wanted to make that movie so badly, but with that story, I felt the only way I could make that movie is it had to be a love story, not a vengeance story," Smith explained. "Violence begets violence. For me, I just couldn't connect to violence being the answer. Love had to be the answer."
Jamie Foxx eventually took Smith's place in "Django."
#12 Worried about being known as Mr. Wolf, Russell Crowe said no to Wolverine
Source: Debby Wong/Shutterstock
Crowe later realized that "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott removed a lot of the wolf references from the finished film.
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