Life of an actor would be so sweet if you could just find a casting call, apply to it from the convenience of your home through a dedicated platform like AllCasting, arrive for the auditions, get the gig, and soon enjoy the fruits of your labor. Might a fact, that is exactly what happens sometimes.
Read about the star-making audition stories below.
Jennifer Lawrence
Once the plans to turn The Hunger Games dystopian novel into a live-action movie went into development in 2009, and Gary Ross became its director a year and a half later, soon it was also the time for casting calls.
The main cast for The Hunger Games movie was rounded by mid-2011. The choice to play the protagonist of the novel trilogy Katniss Everdeen especially could have made or broken the franchise’s chances. So, the casting directors needed an actress who could naturally embody the necessary qualities of the complex character, including strength and resilience. After all, Katniss eventually becomes a symbol of rebellion against an oppressive regime in the story.
Amongst the candidates for the teenaged heroine role was Jennifer Lawrence, who at the time was up-and-comer in Hollywood, fresh off her breakthrough role in the drama Winter’s Bone. There were certain concerns regarding her age, since she was a few years older than what was depicted in the novels.
Lawrence’s audition monologue was a tough one – a scene where Katniss pleads with her mother after the death of her father. Yet she handled it brilliantly, portraying the scene with the necessary emotional depth, and earning praises from the director Ross and author Suzanne Collins, who was heavily involved with the casting decision-making. Gary Ross even went on the record to call choosing Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen his “ easiest casting decision ever made”.
The Hunger Games movie ended up being a major box office success, largely thanks to Lawrence’s performance. The role established her as one of the top stars in the industry, with many leading roles for both blockbusters and critically acclaimed movies following up next, including also The Hunger Games sequels.
Tom Holland
At the start of 2015, the news broke that the iconic Spider-Man character will be rebooted once again. But this time around the headlines stated that he will join the already widely-successful Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The joint venture between Sony and Marvel Studios meant that fans would be able to finally see their beloved superhero rub shoulders with other legendary Marvel characters, including Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Panther.
Since it was a reboot, Andrew Garfield was not returning to the role, so, of course, the question on everyone’s mind was who would play Peter Parker in the MCU? The casting process to find the next Spider-Man was understandably meticulous, with reportedly 1,500 candidates arriving for auditions.
Amongst the candidates was the up-and-coming English actor Tom Holland. While he was already on the casting directors’ radar, including casting head at Marvel, Sarah Halley Finn, as well as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, thanks to his previous work, Holland still had to convince everyone he was the right man for the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man job.
The audition process lasted several months and he was amongst the candidates participating in multiple audition rounds, which included screen tests with MCU stars Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans. Holland’s skills outside of acting, namely in dancing and gymnastics also became really handy during the auditions, showcasing his physical abilities to do various tricks, including backflips, that solidified he could embody Spider-Man that way as well.
In June 2015, it was announced that Tom Holland had been cast as MCU’s Spider-Man, with his first appearance following in 2016, with the appearance in Captain America: Civil War film. The role, which he has portrayed in six films to date, established him as one of the top new lead actors in Hollywood.
Britney Spears
Over 20 years ago, The Notebook’s love story appeared on the big screens, depicting a love story between the characters Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton that spans several decades, starting in 1940. The Nick Cassavetes directed film captured how enduring love can go against all odds, and how memories shape our relationships as the time goes by, with many of its aspects making it so relatable to viewers of various ages and generations.
Amongst the highlights of the movie was the chemistry between its two leads – Ryan Gosling as Noah and Rachel McAdams as Allie. Their performances are often cited as the reason audiences were able to connect to the movie’s profound themes so well, making it not only a sleeper box office success and a cult classic but also one of the best romantic films of all time.
While now Gosling is one of the brightest stars amongst leading men in Hollywood, back in 2004 he was not such an obvious choice for the role of Noah. But only from the outside looking in because director Cassavetes wanted Gosling for the role for that very reason – a seemingly unconventional leading man who does not possess the traditional traits required to star in such a role.
Interestingly enough, other potential candidates were reluctant about the role of Noah Calhoun, thus letting Gosling get the job without much competition. Cassavetes’ vision ended up as he planned, as Gosling’s performance was relatable and genuine to the audiences, also carving him a lane to stardom in the process.
Meanwhile, McAdams was initially not a favorite for the role of Allie – might a fact, she was not even considered by the casting directors for the female lead of The Notebook. Yet, as the audition process went on, she kept showcasing the sort of complex qualities necessary for the strong yet vulnerable Hamilton.
As the candidates for the role narrowed down, and Gosling was already cast as Noah, came the stage of readings. The chemistry between the two was undeniable to the casting staff, and especially Nick Cassavetes, ultimately helping McAdams to come out on top to get cast as Allie.
It might not have all been just star-making acting abilities, as Amy and Ryan later started a romantic relationship in real life as well, spending approximately two years together.
Who was amongst McAdams’ final competition for the now-iconic role? Other now well-known actresses like Jaime King and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Who else? The iconic princess of pop, Britney Spears.
While already a mega star in the music circles, her acting career was just beginning, following appearances in a couple of movies, most notably the 2002 film Crossroads. Despite proving she has some serious acting skills to the casting director of the movie, as well as having co-starred with Gosling back in the day in The Mickey Mouse Club, ultimately the decision was made to not cast Spears as Allie. It pretty much ended the singer’s aspirations to become an actress.
Thankfully, Britney later stated she is glad things worked out as they did with the casting call for The Notebook, as she felt immersing herself in a role was taking too much of a psychological toll on her.
