2.
Pedro Pascal was actually one of the actors who came in to read for Marcel Gerard on The Originals. Series creator Julie Plec even admitted she “loved” him for the role, but he “was just on the older side.”
3.
Jeremy Strong auditioned for the role of Roman Roy on Succession, but Jesse Armstrong, the show’s creator, felt that Kieran Culkin was a “slam dunk.”
4.
Whitney Houston was cast as Sondra, the oldest daughter on The Cosby Show, but she didn’t end up signing the contract because she wanted to pursue a singing career.
5.
Penn Badgley screen-tested to play Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad, but the role went to Aaron Paul instead.
6.
Nicola Coughlan auditioned to play Robin on Stranger Things, but Maya Hawke ended up with the role. Nicola said, “She was far better than I ever would have been.”
8.
Joshua Bassett was one of the final two choices for Harvey Kinkle in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, but the role ended up going to Ross Lynch.
9.
Sandra Oh was originally called in to audition for Dr. Miranda Bailey on Grey’s Anatomy, but she liked the part of Cristina more, so she asked if she could audition for that role instead.
10.
Stephanie Beatriz screen-tested for Amy Santiago on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but Melissa Fumero was cast instead.
12.
Jennifer Lawrence also really wanted to play Serena van der Woodsen. She was 16 at the time she auditioned for the role.
13.
Connie Britton was one of the network’s choices to play Olivia Pope in Scandal, but creator Shonda Rhimes insisted Olivia should be played by a Black woman instead.
14.
Taraji P. Henson was another famous person who went in to read for the role of Olivia Pope.
15.
Noah Centineo read for several roles on Teen Wolf, and the casting director even told him, “You’re my choice! I want you to get it!”
16.
Rob Lowe was originally offered the role of Derek Shepherd on Grey’s Anatomy, but he turned down the role, and it went to Patrick Dempsey instead.
17.
Darren Criss auditioned to play Finn Hudson on Glee, but the part went to Cory Monteith instead.
19.
Keke Palmer screen-tested for the role of Iris on The Flash, but she didn’t end up getting it because she looked “a little too young” compared to Grant Gustin.
21.
Wesley Snipes was originally approached to play Lucious Lyons on Empire, but Taraji P. Henson said she’d only star on the show if Terrence Howard was cast instead.
22.
Sonequa Martin-Green auditioned for the part of Michonne on The Walking Dead, but the role ended up going to Danai Gurira. However, the producers loved her so much that they created the role of Sasha for her.
23.
Matt LeBlanc was offered the role of Phil Dunphy on Modern Family, but he felt like he wasn’t the best fit. The role went to Ty Burrell instead.
24.
Mahershala Ali auditioned for the role of “a merchant who got locked in a safe on Season 3” of Game of Thrones, aka Xaro Xhoan Daxos, and he said it was one of the “worst auditions” of his life.
25.
Oliver Hudson was in the final running for Jack Pearson on This Is Us, but by the time he was scheduled to screen-test with Mandy Moore, Oliver went on an already-planned fishing trip instead.
26.
Joshua Jackson was originally announced to play Owen Hunt on Grey’s Anatomy, but just weeks before he was scheduled to shoot his first episode, the TV writers went on strike. By the time the strike ended, Joshua had already moved on to star on Fringe.
27.
Betty White was actually supposed to play Blanche on The Golden Girls, but director Jay Sandrich felt that part was too similar to Betty’s role on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, so she played Rose instead.
28.
Macaulay Culkin was pursued several times to play a role on The Big Bang Theory, but he couldn’t see himself starring on a sitcom.
29.
And finally, Courteney Cox was originally offered the role of Rachel on Friends, but she turned it down because she felt like she related to Monica more.
So, which almost-casting were you most shocked by? Let us know in the comments!
