9 Times Directors Rejected to Hire Actors Due to Their Looks

In an ideal world, talented actors and actresses would have all acceptances to all roles, in productions, all the time. However, the reality is always harsh. If you’re an actor, you should be familiar with rejection, dealing with company after company saying “no”.
It is true that actors are refused every single day but getting rejected for their looks is something that film industry insiders don’t want to mention. Sometimes, beauty may end up becoming, not a helpful tool but trouble. While some actors didn't get a role because the casting directors find them not attractive enough, others were said to be too pretty for certain parts.
Go down memory lane and find out some of the most talked-about cases in that actors spoke up about getting rejected for their physical appearance or being told that they couldn’t make it big because of the way they looked. You can read these articles to see more: 9 Talented Actresses Who Had Trouble Due to Their Looks, and 6 Actors Who Were Rejected Due To Their Beauty.

#1 Jennifer Lawrence

Source: East News

For her performance in “Winter’s Bone”, Jennifer Lawrence was nominated for an Oscar. However, this might never have happened due to her beauty. The actress shared, “They turned me down, and then they moved the casting to New York… I put myself on a red-eye to just show up to casting the next day in New York.” She added, “So that always helps. Red-eye. Not showering. No makeup. Eventually, they went, ’Oh, she’s right. She’s not cute!”.

#2 Andrew Garfield

Source: East News

The Spider-Man hero, Andrew Garfield used to audition for the part of Prince Caspian in the movie “The Chronicles of Narnia”. However, the role went to Ben Barns. Andrew Garfield ask his assistant what the reason was. He said, “She eventually just broke under my incessant nagging, and she was like, ’It’s because they don’t think you’re handsome enough, Andrew.”

#3 Emmy Rossum

Source: East News

It’s hard to imagine someone else playing Fiona, the eldest daughter of the Gallagher family, as Emmy Rossum. Many might not know that the actress almost turned it down because her image was too glamorous. But after 3 auditions, she eventually got the role.

#4 Keira Knightley

Source: © Pride and Prejudice / Focus Features and co-producers

The book-to-movie adaptation, “Pride and Prejudice” starred Keira Knightley in the leading role. while fans thought the actress was so perfect for the role because of her beauty, it almost made her miss the role. The director Joe Wright didn’t hire her as she was too beautiful.

#5 Hugh Grant

Source: East News

Hugh Grant landed the role of Charles in the movie “Four Weddings and a Funeral”. Even after getting the part, Charles in Richard Curtis, the writer of the screenplay, didn’t want Grant to play this character. “Richard Curtis, after the audition, did everything in his power to stop me from getting the part,” shares Grant.

#6 Jamie Dornan

Source: East News

According to Gillian Anderson, who was a part of the TV series “The Fall”, his co-star Jamie Dornan almost missed the role of Christian Grey. She said, “The initial intention was not to hire somebody who was that attractive”. Though he still got the part, it “didn’t have anything to do with his good looks, although in the process, we realized what that would do psychologically to the viewer,” she shared.

#7 Minnie Driver

Source: East News

Before officially taking on the role of Skylar in the iconic movie “Good Will Hunting, she received rude comments that almost deprived her of the part. She revealed, “The producer of Good Will Hunting did not think I was hot enough to be in that film and did not want me in the film.” Eventually, she had a perfect performance that helped her earn an Oscar nomination.

#8 Charlize Theron

Source: © The Devil's Advocate / Warner Bros. and co-producers

The director of “The Devil’s Advocate” didn’t want to hire Charlize Theron for the part of Mary Ann Lomax because she was too pretty. For this reason, Charlize decided to adjust her appearance. She stopped wearing makeup, woke up at 6 a.m, beat herself up, did not brush her hair, went into read with dark circles under her eye, and so on. For her effort, she finally got the role and it was a breakthrough in her new career.

#9 Henry Cavill

Source: © Casino Royale / Columbia Pictures and co-producers

Henry Cavill dreamed of becoming James Bond 007. So, after Pierce Brosnan decided to stop portraying the role, Henry auditioned for the role but he got rejected. The director said that he wasn’t skinny enough and eventually the role went to Daniel Craig.