12 Movie Stars Who Bombed Their Auditions And Lost Famous Roles

We all have our mistakes. However, some mistakes cost us more than others. These stars who bombed their auditions had to pay for their wrong choices with the chance to change their lives. They could have hit the jackpot with these roles, but they choose to wave their chances goodbye.
So here are 12 stars who bombed their auditions and lost the chance to play iconic characters onscreen. They must have some regret over these choices, but we don’t! Thanks to their bad decisions, we got some pretty awesome performances instead.

1. Tilda Swinton could have been in the Harry Potter

Source: Getty Images/ Warner Bros. Pictures

The actress claimed that she had to refuse the role of Professor Sybill Trelawney because her schedule was too busy. However, many people doubted that wasn’t the only reason behind her refusal. During one of her interviews, Swinton shared that her time at a London boarding school was “hell”. She condemned boarding schools, saying “That’s why I dislike films like Harry Potter, which tend to romanticize such places.”

2. Zach McGowan almost got to play the Witcher

Source: Getty Images/ Netflix

Hundreds of people on the Internet all agreed that Zach McGowan was the perfect choice for the role of Geralt. Moved by the fandom, McGowan promised on Twitter that he would fight for the opportunity and even posted impressive fan art on his Instagram. His promise was never fulfilled and the part went to another big fan of the series, Henry Cavill.

3. Robin Williams wanted to play the Joker

Source: Getty Images/ Warner Bros. Pictures

Robin Williams really wanted to play the infamous Joker, but he got turned down repeatedly. His first audition for the role was in Tim Burton’s Batman, but Burton chose Jack Nicholson. His second attempt was in Batman Forever, but he also failed this time.
When he heard that Christopher Nolan was looking for an actor to play Joker, Williams immediately called him and said, “I can play anything. I can play one of the main characters or a weird little man in the background.”

4. Keanu Reeves wanted to play Wolverine in X-Men

Source: Getty Images/ 20th Century Fox

Keanu Reeves admitted that he had always wanted to play Wolverine, but he missed his chance. However, the actor also complimented Hugh Jackman’s performance, saying he was too good in the role. And we gotta agree with Reeves on this one because nobody could have played Wolverine better than Hugh!

5. Jim Carrey turned down the role of Captain Jack Sparrow

Source: Getty Images/ Disney

Can you imagine Jim Carrey as Captain Jack Sparrow? Carrey was offered the role, but the shooting schedule for Pirates of the Caribbean clashed with Bruce Almighty. The latter project sounded much more promising to the actor, so he went with Bruce instead of Sparrow. It’s such a shame. He could have been a legendary pirate!

6. Emily Blunt could have been Black Widow

Source: Getty Images/ Marvel

Emily Blunt was the first choice for Black Widow, but she turned it down because of a scheduling conflict with Gulliver’s Travels. However, the actress never regretted her decision to turn down the role of the famous Russian spy. “Superhero movies tend to cast women as second fiddle to the guys who are out romancing and beating up the baddies,” she said.

7. Tom Hiddleston auditioned for Thor but got cast as Loki instead

Source: Getty Images/ Marvel

Tom Hiddleston originally aimed for the part of Thor, the movie's main hero. He got everything ready for the role and even beefed up a little for the audition. However, after seeing his tryouts, the producers decided he would fit the bad guy so much better. And that was how Hiddleston got his most famous role and became Loki.

8. On the other hand, Josh Hartnett could have played Loki

Source: Getty Images/ Marvel

On the other hand, Josh Hartnett wanted to play the cunning trickster god but failed in his audition. He thought that Loki was very interesting, so Hartnett went to the film director to discuss the character more. In the end, the part went to Tom Hiddleston instead.

9. Cara Delevingne messed up at the audition for Alice In Wonderland

Source: Getty Images/ Disney

After a bad audition, Cara Delevingne lost her chance at becoming Alice in Tim Burton’s adaptation. The actress confessed that she overplayed the role and her interpretation of Alice was a little crazy. Delevingne was devastated when the role went to another actress, but she admitted it was a good lesson for her. “It was a hard lesson but it sort of propelled me toward what I’m doing it now; it was the precursor motivation,” she said.

10. Shailene Woodley could have been in Star Wars

Source: Getty Images/ 20th Century Fox

The competition for the role of Rey was intense. The list of candidates included many big names such as Jennifer Lawrence, Shailene Woodley, Saoirse Ronan, and Jessica Henwick. Shailene Woodley was one of the most promising actresses for the role, but she lost her chance. In the end, the Lucasfilm producers wanted to hire little-known actors for the protagonists, so they went with Daisy Ridley instead.

11. Téa Leoni could have played Rachel Green

Source: Getty Images/ NBC

The competition for Rachel Green was also quite strong. Téa Leoni was the first to be offered the role, but she turned it down because of the sitcom The Naked Truth. Jennifer Aniston landed the part, but she wasn’t a famous actress back then. The producers had many doubts about her. In the end, Aniston’s portrayal of Rachel was so great that they had to admit that no one would have done it better than her.

12. Jake Gyllenhaal could have been Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings

Source: Getty Images/ The Lord of the Rings

Jake Gyllenhaal’s audition for Frodo Baggins was so disastrous that the film director, Peter Jackson, called him the worst actor he had ever seen. He totally missed the importance of the scene, messed up the accent, and accidentally created a very awkward atmosphere during the audition. We have to agree that Elijah Wood is a much better choice than Gyllenhaal.
Those are 12 stars who bombed their auditions and lost their chance at changing their lives. They certainly have some regret passing these roles. Similar to these guys, these actors also lost their million-dollar parts because of their horrible auditions. This post here proves that even when you’re an A-list actor, you‘re still capable of acting terribly.