Stars Who Landed Different Roles Than They Originally Auditioned For

The role: Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy

Who *actually* played it: Dave Bautista

The role they played instead: T'Challa in Black Panther

Boseman said that after getting turned down for the role of Drax, the Marvel Studios casting director, Sarah Finn, said she kept him in mind when it came time to cast the Black Panther lead.

The role: Lorna in Orange Is The New Black

Who *actually* played it: Yael Stone

The role they played instead: Nicky

Lyonne initially wanted to audition for Lorna, but she said they wouldn't let her since they had already decided they wanted her to be Nicky. Stone initially auditioned to play Nicky, so the two basically swapped parts.

The role: Captain America in Captain America

Who *actually* played it: Chris Evans

The role they played instead: Bucky Barnes

Although Stan originally wanted the title role as Captain America, he said that everything ultimately "worked out" in his favor, and that he felt Barnes was a "much better role" for him.

The role: Amy Santiago in Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Who *actually* played it: Melissa Fumero

The role they played instead: Rosa Diaz

After reading for Amy Santiago, Beatriz was told to come back and read for the character of Rosa. Beatriaz said she was really nervous about doing the screen test for Amy with Andy Sandburg, and added that she felt like the role of Amy was always supposed to be Fumero's since she felt more comfortable as Rosa.

The role: Artie Abrams in Glee

Who *actually* played it: Kevin McHale

The role they played instead: Kurt Hummel

McHale originally auditioned for Artie and was turned down. But creator Ryan Murphy liked Colfer so much that he actually invented the character of Kurt specifically for him.

The role: Blanche Devereaux in Golden Girls

Who *actually* played it: Rue McClanahan

The role they played instead: Rose Nylund

The Golden Girls producers originally wanted White to play Blanche, but then they had second thoughts. They feared Blanche would be too similar to a previous role White had as Sue in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. So, they pulled a switch.

The role: Betty Cooper in Riverdale

Who *actually* played it: Lili Reinhart

The role they played instead: Cheryl Blossom

Petsch went in to read for Betty, but the producers had her in mind for something else. She thinks "they always knew they wanted me for Cheryl."

The role: Finn Hudson in Glee

Who *actually* played it: Cory Monteith

The role they played instead: Blaine Anderson

Criss said he wasn't too disappointed about not landing the role of Finn, and added that it kind of made sense considering he's "not a football guy." He added that it was a "dream come true" to play someone as "complex" as Blaine.

The role: Regina George in Mean Girls

Who *actually* played it: Rachel McAdams

The role they played instead: Karen Smith

Seyfried not only auditioned for the role of Regina, but she almost had it. Director Mark Waters said that she was "brilliant" as Regina, adding, "She played it in a much more ethereal, but still kind of scary way. She was more frightening, but oddly, less intimidating."

The role: Harry Potter and Ron Weasley in Harry Potter

Who *actually* played it: Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint

The role they played instead: Draco Malfoy

Felton auditioned for the title role of Harry and Ron before eventually getting cast as Draco. He has said that he's "grateful" he was cast as Draco because he doesn't think anyone else could have done the job Radcliffe and Grint did.

The role: Batman in The Dark Knight

Who *actually* played it: Christian Bale

The role they played instead: Scarecrow

Murphy said he got so far into the audition process for Batman that he was able to try on the iconic Batsuit. But he added that he knew he wasn't going to get the role, saying it was "obvious" that it was going to Bale.

The role: Tony in Skins

Who *actually* played it: Nicholas Hoult

The role they played instead: Freddie

Pasqualino says he was happy that he didn't end up getting cast as Tony. He didn't think he was ready for it. "I think it was right to go to Nick Hoult."

The role: Dave Lizewski in Kick-Ass

Who *actually* played it: Aaron Taylor-Johnson

The role they played instead: Chris D’Amico/Red Mist

Mintz-Plasse said that he auditioned for the role of Kick-Ass, but the director "hated" everything he did. Instead, he got the role of Red Mist.

The role: Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy

Who *actually* played it: Chris Pratt

The role they played instead: Ronan the Accuser

Back in 2012, Pace did an interview where he said he was auditioning for the role of Star-Lord and was "very excited about it." Pace didn't end up landing the title role, but did end up playing a smaller villain instead.

The role: Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Who *actually* played it: Sarah Michelle Gellar

The role they played instead: Cordelia Chase

Before landing the role of Cordelia, Carpenter wanted to be Buffy. Gellar also wanted to be Cordelia, but Joss Whedon thought she would make a better Buffy, so they swapped.

The role: Roman Roy in Succession

Who *actually* played it: Kieran Culkin

The role they played instead: Kendall Roy

Creator and lead writer Jesse Armstrong said that Strong thought he would be good as Roman, but Culkin was "a slam dunk." He added that Strong "is the character" of Kendall.

The role: Cole Lockhart in The Affair

Who *actually* played it: Joshua Jackson

The role they played instead: Scotty Lockhart

Donnell got close to playing Cole since he had auditioned for him a few times. Series co-creator Sarah Treem said that "he wasn't quite right," but she was such a big fan of him that she wrote the role of Scotty specifically for him.

The role: Lorelai Gilmore in Gilmore Girls

Who *actually* played it: Lauren Graham

The role they played instead: Sherry Tinsdale

Amick said that she got really far into the testing process and almost played Lorelai, but then the network felt like she didn't seem old enough to be a mom. She was eventually brought back to play Sherry.

The role: Dwight Schrute in The Office

Who *actually* played it: Rainn Wilson

The role they played instead: Jim Halpert

Krasinski was originally interested in auditioning for the role of Dwight, but he ended up convincing the casting directors to let him read for Jim. He had instant chemistry with Jenna Fischer.

The role: Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones

Who *actually* played it: Lena Headey

The role they played instead: Melisandre

Houton said that she was asked to audition for the part of Cersei, but she couldn't do it because she was shooting something else. She was then offered the role of Melisandre, and said that "Lena couldn't be a better Cersei."

The role: Emma Duval in Scream: The TV Series (2015-2-16)

Who *actually* played it: Willa Fitzgerald

The role they played instead: Nina Fitzgerald

Thorne turned down the main role because she thought the character, Nina, was more "iconic," adding that she's never died on screen before.

The role: Jon Snow in Game of Thrones (2011-2018)

Who *actually* played it: Kit Harington

The role they played instead: Ramsay Bolton/Ramsay Snow

Even though Rheon's role was memorable, it was also one of the most hated characters in Game of Thrones history—and that's saying a lot.

The role: Nurse Rose and Dr. Sadie Harris in Grey’s Anatomy (2005-present)

Who *actually* played it: Lauren Stamile (as Nurse Rose), Melissa George (as Sadie Harris)

The role they played instead: Dr. Arizona Robbins

Capshaw auditioned for multiple roles in Shonda Rhimes' hit TV series Grey's Anatomy before finally landing the role as Dr. Arizona Robbins.

The role: Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight (2008)

Who *actually* played it: Christian Bale

The role they played instead: The Joker

Ledger ended up winning a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the Joker.

The role: Regina George in Mean Girls (2004)

Who *actually* played it: Rachel McAdams

The role they played instead: Caddy Heron

Can you imagine this Mean Girls changeup? Originally the producers wanted Lohan to play Regina George. However, after Freaky Friday came out and Lohan's popularity skyrocketed, they were worried the audience wouldn't like her as the villain.

The role: Cady Heron in Mean Girls (2004)

Who *actually* played it: Lindsay Lohan

The role they played instead: Regina George

Director Mark Waters told Vulture he thought McAdams was "too old" for the part of Cady, but found her age helped her play the intimidating Regina George opposite the younger Lindsay Lohan.

The role: Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games (2012)

Who *actually* played it: Josh Hutcherson

The role they played instead: Gale Hawthorne

In 2011, Hemsworth told MTV he was interested in playing Peeta, but we think the casting directors got this one right.

The role: Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games (2012)

Who *actually* played it: Josh Hutcherson

The role they played instead: Cato, a tribute

Clearly, Peeta was a coveted role in Hollywood. The Vikings actor also wanted the part.

The role: Miranda Bailey in Grey’s Anatomy (2005-present)

Who *actually* played it: Chandra Wilson

The role they played instead: Christina Yang

Oh revealed at PaleyFest LA in 2006 that she saw the part of Christina Yang and was much more drawn to it, so she "asked for what she wanted" and we'd say it worked out for her.

The role: Derek Shepherd in Grey's Anatomy (2005-present)

Who *actually* played it: Patrick Dempsey

The role they played instead: Preston Burke

Even though Washington didn't get the role of Derek Shepherd, creator Shonda Rhimes reportedly liked his audition so much that she cast him as Preston Burke when the original actor dropped out.