15 Actors Who Auditioned for One Role and Accidentally Got Cast as Someone Else
An audition rejection usually means grabbing your coat, thanking everyone in the room, and trying not to think about it on the ride home. Occasionally, though, casting directors reject the role and keep the actor. Someone walks in hoping to play the hero and leaves as the villain, reads for one sitcom weirdo and becomes another, or impresses producers enough that they create an entirely new character. A few of these swaps now feel almost impossible to imagine any other way, which probably says something nice about casting directors actually knowing what they are doing. Here are 15 actors who auditioned for one role and wound up playing somebody completely different.
Tom Hiddleston Wanted to Be Thor
Tom Hiddleston originally auditioned to play Thor, even putting on muscle for the part, before Marvel decided his particular talents made considerably more sense for Loki.
Cillian Murphy Put on the Batman Suit
Cillian Murphy actually screen-tested as Bruce Wayne in the Batman suit, but Christopher Nolan liked him enough to redirect him toward Jonathan Crane, better known as Scarecrow.
Tom Felton Tried Harry and Ron First
Before becoming Draco Malfoy, Tom Felton was tested for both Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, complete with different hair colors, before casting landed him in Slytherin instead.
Rainn Wilson Took a Shot at Michael Scott
Rainn Wilson auditioned for both Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute on his first day, later admitting his Michael was basically a bad Ricky Gervais impression. Dwight went considerably better.
Adam Brody Thought He Was Ryan
Adam Brody went into The O.C. wanting to play Ryan Atwood and initially resisted reading for Seth Cohen, which is especially funny considering how completely Seth became his breakout role.
Sandra Oh Asked for Cristina Instead
Sandra Oh initially came in for Miranda Bailey on Grey’s Anatomy, but after reading the script she became much more interested in Cristina Yang and asked to switch roles.
Gaten Matarazzo Started With Mike
Gaten Matarazzo first read Mike Wheeler’s material for Stranger Things. Casting liked him, just not as Mike, and called him back for the role that became Dustin Henderson.
Madelaine Petsch Was Sent in as Betty
Madelaine Petsch was brought in under the guise of reading for Betty Cooper on Riverdale, although the casting team already suspected she belonged on the other side of town as Cheryl Blossom.
Norman Reedus Read Merle’s Lines
Norman Reedus auditioned using Merle Dixon’s material even though Michael Rooker was already attached, and Frank Darabont liked Reedus enough to create Daryl Dixon specifically for him.
Amanda Seyfried Went Full Regina George
Amanda Seyfried first auditioned as Regina George in Mean Girls, but her unusual take caught the filmmakers’ attention in another way and eventually helped steer her toward Karen Smith.
Chris Colfer Got a Brand-New Character
Chris Colfer went after the role of Artie Abrams on Glee, but Ryan Murphy liked his audition so much that he created Kurt Hummel specifically for him.
Nicholas Hoult Tried to Become Superman
Nicholas Hoult made it deep into the Superman audition process, but after David Corenswet landed Clark Kent, Hoult ended up on the opposite side of the movie as Lex Luthor.
Jeremy Strong First Had His Eye on Roman
Jeremy Strong initially gravitated toward Roman Roy when Succession was casting, but a month later he auditioned for Kendall, giving the Roy family a very different configuration.
Chelsea Peretti Read for the Tough Cop
Chelsea Peretti originally read for the tough detective who eventually became Rosa Diaz, but producers decided she was better used elsewhere and created Gina Linetti around her instead.
Sebastian Stan Tested for Captain America
Sebastian Stan screen-tested for Steve Rogers before Marvel approached him about Bucky Barnes instead, starting a considerably stranger MCU journey than the one he originally auditioned for.