16 Actors Who Bombed Their Audition And Lost Their Chance To Portray An Iconic Character

Not everything goes smoothly, even for the biggest of stars. Even the best of actors sometimes make mistakes during the audition process that eventually cost them a big loss in their careers. These Actors Who Bombed Their Audition Ended Up Losing Big Chances.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if Tom Holland hadn’t laughed through his audition and got the role of Finn in the “Star Wars” Sequel Trilogy or if Eddie Redmayne didn’t try to copy Ian Holmes and secured the role of Bilbo in “The Hobbit” for himself? Any starring role in a blockbuster comes to a string of rejected actors. They certainly feel disappointed at that time but when looking back, they agreed that they weren’t right for the part and praised the peers who did go on to play the coveted role. They are the actors who failed auditions and lost their chance.
We’ve rounded up a list of actors who bombed their auditions for iconic character.

#1 Téa Leoni could have played Rachel Green

Source: © The Family Man / Universal Pictures, © Friends / Bright / Kauffman / Crane Productions

Dozens of actresses auditioned for the role of Rachel but the first choice was Téa Leoni. However, she refused to star in the sitcom “The Naked Truth”. As a result, Aniston got the role but the producers were not sure whether she could take on it well. Eventually, they had to admit that Aniston’s interpretation of Rachel was great, and she “breathed life into a difficult character”.

#2 Jim Carrey turned down the role of Captain Jack Sparrow to act in the movie, Bruce Almighty

Source: © Yes Man / Warner Bros., © Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl / Walt Disney Pictures

For Johnny Depp’s perfect performance, Captain Jack Sparrow becomes iconic. However, Jim Carrey initially was offered the role but he rejected because of his scheduling conflict.

#3 Tilda Swinton could have acted in the Harry Potter film series

Source: © Doctor Strange / Marvel Studios, © Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone / Warner Bros.

Tilda Swinton turned down the role of Professor Sybill Trelawney because she couldn’t fit the film into her busy schedule. But it was not the only reason. In an interview, she condemned boarding schools, saying her experience at a boarding school in London was “hell”. And then she added, “That’s why I dislike films like Harry Potter, which tend to romanticize such places.”

#4 Tom Cruise could have played Cliff Booth in the movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Source: © Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol / Paramount Pictures, © Once Upon a Time in Hollywood / Sony Pictures Releasing

Due to his schedule, Tom Cruise had to decline the chance to play Cliff Booth. The role went to Brad Pitt and it helped the actor win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

#5 Emily Blunt turned down the role of Black Widow in "Iron Man 2'

Source: © Edge of Tomorrow / Warner Bros., © Iron Man 2 / Paramount Pictures

Marvel Studios auditioned many aspiring actresses and one of them was Emily Blunt. According to Emily Blunt, what kept her from donning the skin-tight leather outfit was a scheduling conflict with another movie, Gulliver’s Travels.

#6 Iwan Rheon auditioned for the roles of Viserys and Jon Snow on "Game of Thrones"

Source: © Game of Thrones / HBO, © Game of Thrones / HBO

Iwan Rheon originally auditioned for the role of Viserys and Jon Snow but they was given to other actors. However, the producers realized his talent and decided to offer him to play Ramsay Bolton. And it was a wise decision. Rheon said about it, “I think they made the right choice; it would’ve been a very different Jon Snow if I’d played him”.

#7 Eddie Redmayne wanted to play Kylo Ren in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

Source: © Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them / Warner Bros., © Star Wars: The Force Awakens / Lucasfilm

Eddie Redmayne was rejected to play Kylo Ren in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” for his catastrophically bad audition. He explained, “I was trying again and again with different versions of my kind of ‘koohh paaaah’ [Darth Vader breathing sound] voice. And after like 10 shots the casting director was like, ’You got anything else?’ I was like, ‘No.’”

#8 Cameron Diaz could have played Sonya Blade in "Mortal Combat"

Source: © Bad Teacher / Columbia Pictures, © Mortal Kombat / New Line Cinema

Cameron Diaz got the role of Sonya Blade in “Mortal Combat” but she had to quit. The actress broke her wrist while training for the fight sequences. The producers quickly looked for a replacement and selected Bridgette Wilson who was finishing up her lead role in Adam Sandler’s movie, Billy Madison, at that time.

#9 Tom Hiddleston wanted to play Thor

Source: © Thor / Marvel Studios, © Thor / Marvel Studios

At first, Tom Hiddleston beefed up for the Thor tryouts, but the producers realized he fitted for the bad guy. So, Hiddleston became Thor’s cunning but the charming adopted brother.

#10 Josh Hartnett could have played Loki

Source: © 30 Days Of Night / Columbia Pictures, © Thor / Marvel Studios

Josh Hartnett was obsessed with the idea of playing villain Loki and met the director to discuss the role. However, it went to Tom Hiddleston.

#11 Robin Williams always dreamt of playing Joker

Source: © Night at the Museum / 20th Century Fox, © The Dark Knight / Warner Bros.

Robin Williams called Christopher Nolan with the hope of playing Joker. He said, “Chris, call me, I can play anything. I can play one of the main characters or a weird little man in the background’. But his dream didn’t come true.

#12 Courtney Love auditioned for the role of Satine in "Moulin Rouge"

Source: © Manfred Werner - Tsui / Wikimedia commons, © Moulin Rouge! / 20th Century Studios

Even though Courtney Love is a true master of transformations, she didn’t get the role of Satine in “Moulin Rouge”. Producers eventually gave preference to Nicole Kidman.

#13 Cara Delevingne overplayed at the audition for "Alice In Wonderland"

Source: © Carnival Row / Legendary Television, © Alice in Wonderland) / Walt Disney Pictures

Many actresses auditioned for Alice and one of the candidates was Cara Delevingne. Unfortunately, she couldn’t play the role. The actress admitted that she overplayed at the audition, explaining, “My interpretation of Alice was a little crazy. I overplayed it - the way a young girl would overplay all her emotions”.

#14 Fans wanted Zach McGowan to play the Witcher

Source: © Black Sails / Platinum Dunes, © The Witcher / Netflix

Before the auditions started, hundreds of fans claimed Zach McGowan would take on the role of Geralt. The actor was so flattered that promised his fans that he would fight for the opportunity to bring Geralt to life. However, the role went to another actor, Henry Cavill.

#15 Jake Gyllenhaal auditioned for Frodo Baggins in “The Lord of the Rings”

Source: © Spider-Man: Far from Home / Marvel Studios Inc., © The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring / New Line Cinema

Jake Gyllenhaal bombed the audition so badly that the film director, Peter Jackson, called him the worst actor he had ever seen. Eventually, Elijah Wood landed the role of Frodo.

#16 Keanu Reeves wanted to play Wolverine in “X-Men”

Source: © Constantine / Warner Bros., © X-Men / Marvel

Keanu Reeves had always dreamt of playing Wolverine but Hugh Jackman took over it and he had a perfect performance.