Famous actors who missed out on dream roles (11 photos)

Stars are sometimes unlucky too! These famous actors dreamed of roles that, in the end, did not go to them - despite their talent and star status.





Kurt Russell - Han Solo



The iconic role of smuggler Han Solo in the Star Wars epic, brilliantly played by Harrison Ford, almost went to Kurt Russell. In 2017, Russell revealed that he successfully auditioned for the role of Han Solo. “I was already in the finals, but I had to answer ABC if I would work with them on a Western show. I asked George Lucas, "Do you think you're going to use me?" He said, “I don't know if I'm going to put you with him, or with him, or with these two guys...” So, I realized that he hadn't decided anything yet. And then I needed to get at least some work, so I went to make a Western.”

The rest, as we know, is history. The role of Han Solo went to Ford. But Kurt Russell's audition tape is still circulating online, and film buffs may be able to find it.

Jennifer Lawrence - Bella Swan





Jennifer Lawrence could have easily become Bella Swan in the Twilight saga instead of playing the role of Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games trilogy. In an interview in 2018, she said that while auditioning for the film, she "really didn't know what it was going to be." When Lawrence was asked if she was upset about missing out on the role of Bella Swan, she said she had no hard feelings. Lawrence said the only role she was "really upset" about not getting was in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. The role of Alice went to actress Mia Wasikowski, who Lawrence said was "perfect and amazing" for the role.

Matthew McConaugh - Jack Dawson



Although no one imagines anyone other than Leonardo DiCaprio to play Jack Dawson, actor Matthew McConaughey thought he had a good chance of landing the lead role in Titanic.

During a 2019 interview, McConaughey revealed that he auditioned with Kate Winslet for the role of Jack Dawson and came away thinking it went "really well." According to McConaughey, the audition went so well that he thought he got the role.



Alas, Matthew McConaughey was never offered the role of Jack Dawson, but he still got the chance to work with DiCaprio - in 2013, on the set of The Wolf of Wall Street.

Robbie Williams - Remus Lupine



On the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, director Chris Columbus revealed in an interview that Robin Williams really wanted to play Remus Lupin.

Williams was not considered for the role because one of the franchise's first rules was not to cast American actors in order to maintain a degree of British authenticity. “I talked to Robin Williams, who wanted to play Lupin,” Columbus said. - It was very difficult for me to say: “This is all for the British. I can not do anything". The role of Remus Lupin eventually went to actor David Thewlis.

Meryl Streep - Duane



While filming The Graham Norton Show in 2015, Meryl Streep recalled one of the worst auditions of her life - the one she experienced while auditioning for the female lead in director Dino De Laurentiis' remake of the 1976 film King Kong.

According to Streep, Dino De Laurentiis' son saw her in a play and decided to invite her to audition for the female role in King Kong. However, when Streep arrived, De Laurentiis Sr. told his son, “Che brutta?” which in Italian means, “Why did you bring me that freak?” Streep, who understood and spoke Italian, responded, "I'm sorry I'm not pretty enough for King Kong." As a result, the role of King Kong's girlfriend went to actress Jessica Lange.

Robert De Niro - Sonny Corleone



After winning an Oscar for his role as Vito Corleone in the 1974 film The Godfather Part II, Robert De Niro first auditioned for the role of Sonny Corleone in the first Godfather film. This role eventually went to actor James Caan. But director Francis Ford Coppola liked De Niro's audition so much that he still got the role in the sequel.

Britney Spears - Allie Calhoun



Superstar Britney Spears was one of many actresses who auditioned for the role of Allie Calhoun to star opposite Ryan Gosling in the 2004 film The Notebook. In 2005, Ryan Gosling said in an interview that Spears auditioned for the role of Ally and that she was "really good." "She did a really good job," the actor said, "a great job, actually."

Britney Spears wasn't the only superstar to audition for the role of Allie Calhoun. Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Biel and Jessica Simpson also auditioned for the role of Allie before the role went to Rachel McAdams.

Mindy Kaling - Lillian Donovan



Comedian Mindy Kaling really wanted to play in the movie Bridesmaids. “No one ever calls me to audition because I’m very specific,” she complained later in an interview. “But I really liked the role in Bridesmaids. I was invited to the role, which was later played by Maya Rudolph, I rehearsed a lot, and I really loved it, and I love the movie and the cast, and it was heartbreaking that I ended up not being cast.”

Reese Witherspoon - Cher



Reese Witherspoon auditioned for the role of Cher in the 1995 film Clueless. In a 2020 BuzzFeed video, Reese recalled that she "auditioned hard for the role and didn't get it." The film's director, Amy Heckerling, said she "dated Reese Witherspoon because everyone was talking : "This girl is amazing. She's going to make a splash." I was watching some movie where she had a southern accent. Maybe it was on TV. And then I saw a few of her audition scenes and I said, "Wow, she's amazing! But Alicia Silverstone is Cher."