10 Actors Who Managed To Predict Their Future Iconic Movie Roles

Fate is a funny thing. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but every now and then, something happens that is just meant to be. There’s a certain element of fate in movie casting, too. So many elements — from an actor’s look to his or her skill set — come into play.  While it’s never easy to predict the future, some actors get a feeling of which roles they’ll end up playing.
Sometimes, all it takes to secure a dream role is just giving the universe a little nudge. A few of these actors even tagged the studios and cast members they wanted to work on Twitter with in order to increase their chances of being seen. Every now and then, it really does work. The Twitter post leads to a conversation with the powers that be, and the rest is history.
Here are 10 actors who manifested high-profile movie and TV roles years before they actually booked the jobs.

#1 Beanie Feldstein

Source: ANGELA WEISS/AFP/East News

Beanie, who starred in the movies, Lady Bird and Booksmart, held a Funny Girl-themed third birthday party. So when 2022 rolled around and suddenly the musical was revived on Broadway, Feldstein was immediately cast in the role. She reflected on this on her Instagram, saying that sometimes dreams really do come true.

#2 Dove Cameron

Source: Admedia, Inc/Sipa USA/East News

Way back in 2013, Dove Cameron made a tweet saying that she wanted to play Bubbles in a live-action Powerpuff Girls movie. When the series was announced, she knew she had to audition. And, sure enough, she got the role. It's a shame the series is currently stuck in development hell. We're looking forward to finally seeing it on the screen.

#3 Emma Roberts

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At age 7, Emma Roberts dressed up in a Scream mask. Years later, this turned out to be quite a foreshadowing moment, as the actor actually went on to star in Scream 4 in 2011.

#4 Barry Keoghan

Source: Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection/East News

Barry Keoghan tweeted at Stan Lee in 2013, asking him to “please” make him a superhero. While this might have been just a throwaway joke, cut to years later, and Keoghan got his wish. He's now official in MCU, having debuted in in Marvel’s Eternals, playing a superhero character, albeit an unconventional one. It looks like if you beg hard enough, life will give in and please you.

#5 Jordan Fisher

Source: Invision/Invision/East News

In February 2020, Jordan Fisher tweeted that he wanted to sing “Something New” with Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett. The creator of the show, High School Musical: The Musical — The Series, saw his tweet and spoke with Fisher. Now, he has been cast in the second season of the show.

#6 Rachel Zegler

Source: VALERIE MACON/AFP/East News

The West Side Story star shared a photo of herself as Ariel in her high school production of The Little Mermaid back in 2017, with the caption, “I wanna be a real Disney princess.” Just a few years later, her Disney princess dreams have come true, and even better than what she had initially hoped for. Zegler will play Snow White in the live-action remake of the classic Disney fairy tale.

#7 Keke Palmer

Source: Insecure/3 Arts Entertainment

Keke Palmer gets really excited about her favorite TV shows. So when she posted about her excitement for season 5 of Insecure, fans misunderstood her words and speculated about her involvement in the show. She tweeted the mistake at the series’ creator and star, Issa Rae, but it somehow worked out! A year later, she had a role in the series.

#8 Simu Liu

Source: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings/Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel Studios

In 2018, Simu Liu tweeted at Marvel, specifically asking if they could talk about Shang Chi, a fairly obscure Marvel superhero. A year later, the announcement was made. The actor had scored the title role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. And Asians around the world were all grateful for the representation.

#9 Ariana Grande

Source: AFP/EAST NEWS

Way back in 2011, pop star Ariana Grande tweeted that Glinda in Wicked (a musical spinoff of The Wizard of Oz) was a dream role for her after she saw the stage show. In 2021, it was announced that Grande’s dream would be coming true. She was cast as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in the film adaptation of the hit musical. Only in early stages of development, the movie is set to release in 2024.

#10 Tom Holland

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In a 2013 red carpet interview, Tom Holland said that he would like to play Spider-Man “in like 10 years’ time.” He didn’t have to wait that long though — in 2016 debuted in the role of your friendly neighborhood webslinger in Captain America: Civil War. But his luck hadn't run out yet. He also said his favorite video game was Uncharted (and then starred in the movie adaptation) and that his celebrity crush was Zendaya (who is now his girlfriend). Talk about the odds!