Hollywood has a fiercely competitive acting industry. To establish their value, even Hollywood A-listers frequently feel compelled to go above and beyond the call of duty. Actors like Bill Murray in Lost in Translation are sought after for specific roles. Coppola reportedly spent a year attempting to find Murray after writing the part just for him. However, some actors have to fight tooth and nail to get cast in a role they know they are perfect for.
For instance, Jennifer Lawrence was told that she was too pretty to star in '
Winter's Bone, or Constance Wu pleaded with the director of '
Crazy Rich Asians' to accommodate her schedule. Scroll down to see the actors who did everything possible to get the iconic roles.
1. Jennifer Lawrence was too "pretty" to star in *Winter's Bone*.
Source: Roadside Attractions
Don't you think that's not the worst way to get turned down for a job? J-Law took a red-eye journey to New York to attend the casting call without any sleep or makeup to disprove the producers.
2. The studio was fought entirely to casting Marlon Brando in *The Godfather*.
Source: Paramount Pictures
Whoever the head of the studio was at that time, I sincerely hope they were fired. Francis Ford Coppolla had to beg Paramount just to let Brando screentest. When the actor walked into the room, he immediately slicked his hair back with shoe polish and stuffed Kleenex in his mouth.
3. Hank Azaria fought tooth and nail to be on *Friends*.
Source: NBC
Before the first Friends episode ever aired, Hank knew it would be a success. He first auditioned for the role of Joey and was turned down. Hank returned to the audition area and insisted on another opportunity, refusing to accept a no. In response to his request, the producers swiftly reiterated their previous denial. But it wasn't all in vain. Hank was ultimately chosen to play David, Phoebe's former boyfriend.
4. Constance Wu argued with the director of *Crazy Rich Asians* to adjust her schedule.
Source: A Star Is Born
Constance had already committed to Fresh off the Boat at the time when filming was to start. She sent John Chu an email, and he was so moved by what she had to say that he changed his plans to accommodate Constance.
5. Taylor Lautner was nearly substituted in *Twilight: New Moon*.
Source: Summit Entertainment
Taylor Lautner, who plays Jacob in the first Twilight movie, is a baby-faced beanpole with a lovely grin. However, the character in the second movie needed to be considerably larger. Taylor began bulking up to persuade producers that he could do the job.
6. Lady Gaga was not the studio's first choice for *A Star Is Born*.
Source: A Star Is Born
Warner Bros. was highly hesitant to use a pop singer in the lead role of their next film who had no prior acting expertise. Gaga stunned everyone, so she was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance.
7. It took Ryan Reynolds 11 years to get *Deadpool* made.
Source: 20th Century Fox
Studios were quite reticent to offer Ryan another chance at the role, even though he had already been cast in the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Ryan never gave up in the face of overwhelming odds, and in the end, the R-rated Deadpool broke the record for the biggest opening weekend at the box office!
8. Dev Patel felt typecast by the producers of *Lion*.
Source: Transmission Films
Dev acknowledged that initially, he was solely recognized as the young man from Slumdog Millionaire. He had to put in a lot of effort to persuade the authorities that he was truly the guy for the job.
9. Whoopi Goldberg was also combating vision issues for her role in *Ghost*.
Source: Paramount Pictures
Whoopi mainly was considered a comic in the early 1990s, despite her Oscar-winning performance in The Color Purple. Ultimately, she and Patrick Swayze persuaded director Jerry Zucker to change his mind.
10. Nobody wanted Aaron Paul for the role of Jesse Pinkman in *Breaking Bad*.
Source: Breaking Bad
No one but Vince Gilligan, the show's creator. Aaron immediately caught his attention, and he realized that Jesse had to be played by Aaron. In the end, Vince issued a request to the studio: either Aaron got the role, or Vince would leave.
11. Winona was prepared to take genuinely any role in *Heathers*.
Source: New World Pictures
The Stranger Things actor outlined the following in a conversation with Variety: I had no idea what the plot was since the conversation was so entertaining to read that I essentially asked for any role in the movie. I only wanted to participate in some way.
12. Lisa Kudrow was the only member that producers were uncertain of.
Source: NBC
Lisa was requested to audition more than once since they were so uncertain. The perfect choice was chosen, as Lisa rapidly won over fans as Phoebe Buffay. She received a total of six Emmy nominations for the entire series.
13. Mahershala Ali's role in *True Detective* was originally written for a white.
Source: HBO
Ali was first given a supporting role but fought hard to be given the lead. The renowned actor shared pictures of his grandpa, a State Trooper by profession, to producer Nic Pizzolato. In the end, Ali persuaded Pizzolato that the narrative would benefit from having a Black character's point of view.
14. Producers hesitated about casting Patrick Swayze as Sam Wheat in *Ghost*.
Source: Paramount Pictures
This was because Patrick's career at the time had been mainly shaped by the gritty action movie Road House. At first, it was difficult for the producers to see him as such a delicate character, but he ultimately won them over.