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Cast the Runner-Up

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Say you're a struggling actor just on the verge of your big break. You're down to the final two for this coveted role, and you're sure you'll get it... but nope, sorry, the other actor got it instead. But all is not lost!

The casting people feel guilty for making you jump through so many hoops only to lose out on the role in question. Alternately, the runner-up was so good that simply tossing them aside is a waste of their talent. So they offer a consolation prize; it's not a lead role, it's not a big role, but it's in the film and it's yours if you want it. You'd be surprised how many small parts or featured extras do go to the actor who just missed out on getting the lead role. A variation is if they get the role and their scenes end up cut — so they create another character to make up for it.

If the actor is really lucky — and this happens in television more than you'd expect — their new role can get expanded and become a regular or at least recurring.

Compare Consolation Award.


Examples:

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    Anime 

    Films — Animation 
  • Tim Curry was considered to voice the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. He would later voice Forte in Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas.
  • The Lion King (1994): Nathan Lane originally auditioned for Zazu and Ernie Sabella for one of the hyenas. Upon meeting each other at the recording studio, the actors, who at the time both co-starred in Guys and Dolls, were asked to record together as hyenas. The directors laughed at their performance and decided to cast them as Timon and Pumbaa.
  • Michelle St John did a great audition for the titular Pocahontas that the filmmakers loved. However Irene Bedard had already been cast. They gave Michelle the role of Pocahontas' best friend Nakoma.
  • Kristen Bell auditioned to be the voice of Rapunzel in Tangled. The producers let her know right away that, although she wasn't right for this part, there was another project in early development that they thought she would be perfect for.
  • Billy Crystal was considered for the role of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story, but turned it down, causing it to be offered to Tim Allen. However, Crystal would come to regret that decision considering its box office success, so when he was later approached by Pixar to play Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc., he did not hesitate to jump at the chance.

    Films — Live-Action 
  • In an early scene in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Peter looks at a World War II soldier walking through the train station for no apparent reason. This soldier is played by Jaxin Hall, the runner-up for the role of Peter.
  • For Get Carter, Ian Hendry was supposed to play Jack Carter, but he was deemed unreliable due to his alcoholism and ill-health, and ended up playing the film's villain. He resented Michael Caine for replacing him, which adds to their characters' animosity.
  • Scream:
    • Kevin Patrick Walls nearly got the role of Billy that went to Skeet Ulrich. They gave him the smaller role of Casey's boyfriend Steve Orth to make up for it.
    • Drew Barrymore approached producers to play Sidney and was cast — but had to drop out due to other commitments. She was still very interested in the project and was given the smaller role of Casey. As a result, Barrymore inadvertently popularised the Dead Star Walking trope at the time.
    • David Arquette presumptuously turned down the role of Billy in favor for playing Dewey, which was originally written as a hunky, leading man part. He was also considered for Stu.
  • Miss Congeniality originally had a scene with the real Miss New Jersey relinquishing her crown to Gracie. The scene was cut and as an apology to Jennifer Gareis, they had her appear in the crowd at the pageant as Miss New York's girlfriend Tina.
  • Inverted for The Craft. Robin Tunney was auditioning for the supporting role of Bonnie, but producers liked her audition so much, they bumped her up to the lead role of Sarah.
  • In Annie, the children playing the other main orphans were runners-up for the part of Annie. In particular, Robin Ignico (Duffy) was one of the last three candidates for the role (the other top runner-up, Angela Lee Sloan, was just cast as an extra orphan), and Roseanne Sorrentino (Pepper) had recently played Annie in the stage show's third national tour, but was considered too old to play the part onscreen.
  • Harry Potter:
  • In the 1985 adaptation of Anne of Green Gables, Schuyler Grant was initially recommended for the main part (by her great-aunt Katharine Hepburn, who was sought for but declined the role of Marilla), and the director Kevan Sullivan wanted to cast her. However, it was ultimately decided that Anne shouldn't be played by an American actress, so the Canadian Megan Follows got the role, while Schuyler Grant played Anne's best friend Diana.
  • In Full Metal Jacket, R. Lee Ermey was originally going to be a technical advisor, with Gunnery Sergeant Hartman being played by an actor. When the role was given to R. Lee Ermey instead, the actor who was going to play Hartman played the helicopter door gunner instead.
  • Marvel Cinematic Universe:
  • For Dublin Oldschool, Emmett Kirwan joked to Seana Kerslake that she could have a part in the film if she wanted. When she said yes, the only part she could play was Jason's friend Lisa - which was already promised to Sarah Greene. So he created the character of Gemma, Jason's ex-girlfriend (who didn't exist in the play the film is based on).
  • The Terminator:
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger was originally considered for the role of Kyle Reese, as James Cameron originally envisioned the killing machine as having a more ordinary appearance in order to blend in with the rest of society, but changed his mind when he met Arnold and felt that he was in the presence of "a living machine".
    • Cameron's original choice to play the more ordinary-looking Terminator was Lance Henriksen. When Schwarzenegger was cast as the Terminator instead, Henriksen was cast in the smaller role of Detective Vukovich.
  • Andrew Garfield auditioned for Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network but he was deemed too emotional for the role — so he got cast as Eduardo Saverin instead.
  • Back to the Future: J.J. Cohen was originally cast as Biff Tannen. However, he didn't look so imposing against Eric Stoltz, the Trope Namer for The Other Marty, so Thomas F. Wilson was cast as Biff while Cohen was recast as Skinhead, one of Biff's Mooks. According to Bob Gale, had Michael J. Fox been cast as Marty from the beginning, Cohen would definitely have landed the role of Biff/Griff/Buford Tannen instead of Wilson. Billy Zane also auditioned to play Biff before being cast as another one of Biff's mooks, Match.
  • The Lord of the Rings:
    • Christopher Lee originally auditioned for the role of Gandalf, as the latter was his favorite character in the books. However, he immediately realized that Gandalf was a very physical role that he only might have been able to do 25 years ago and chose Saruman instead.
    • Bernard Hill was also considered for Gandalf before being cast as Theoden.
    • Dominic Monaghan originally auditioned for Frodo Baggins before being cast as Merry.
    • John Rhys-Davies auditioned for Denethor. He played two roles: Gimli and Treebeard.
    • Sylvester McCoy was considered for Bilbo Baggins. He would later play Radagast the Brown in The Hobbit.
    • Orlando Bloom originally tried out for Faramir, not Legolas. The producers ended up convincing him that he'd be better suited for Legolas.
    • Billy Connolly was considered for Gimli. He would later play Dain in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
    • John Callen (Oin) auditioned for the role of Radagast, and the voice of Smaug.
    • Adam Brown (Ori) originally auditioned for the role of Bilbo Baggins.
  • The Dark Knight Trilogy:
  • Star Wars:
    • Billy Dee Williams was among those considered for Han Solo. He would later play Lando Calrissian.
    • Perry King also auditioned for Han Solo, and would voice him in the Star Wars Radio Dramas.
    • David Prowse (Darth Vader) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) were both offered each other's roles. Prowse didn't want to play a goodie, while Mayhew didn't want to play a baddie, so they switched.
    • George Lucas considered casting Peter Cushing as Obi-Wan Kenobi before casting him as Grand Moff Tarkin.
    • Christopher Lee turned down the role of Grand Moff Tarkin. He would later play Darth Tyranus/Count Dooku in the prequels.
    • Lucas originally wanted Orson Welles to voice Darth Vader, before deciding that his voice was too recognisable. He did narrate trailers for the film.
    • Kenny Baker (the little guy who was inside R2 making him shake) was supposed to play Wicket, but he fell sick for most of the production and that's when Warwick Davis stepped into the role.
    • Benicio del Toro was offered the role of Darth Maul, but turned it down when most of his dialogue was removed. He later played DJ in The Last Jedi.
    • BRIAN BLESSED originally auditioned for the role of Sio Bibble, the Governor of Naboo, in The Phantom Menace for which he was considered "too loud". Casting director Robin Gurland approached him to play Nass because it was a "bigger than life" character with "a kind of bravado".
    • Mark Lewis Jones auditioned for a part in Rogue One but did not obtain it. He was later offered the part of First Order captain Moden Canady for The Last Jedi.
    • Jessica Henwick and Billie Lourd (Carrie Fisher's real-life daughter) auditioned for for Rey. They would later eventually go on to play Jessika Pava and Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix respectively.
  • Star Trek:
  • Producer Hal B. Wallis originally auditioned Edward G. Robinson for the supporting role of Otero in Little Caesar (played in the film by George E. Stone) before deciding he was perfect as Rico, which became his Star-Making Role.
  • Edward Woods was originally hired for the lead role of Tom Powers in The Public Enemy (1931) and James Cagney was hired to play Matt Doyle, his friend. However, once director William A. Wellman got to know both of them and saw Cagney in rehearsals, he realized that Cagney would be far more effective in the star role than Woods, so he switched them.
  • Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as The Scarecrow and Ray Bolger was to play the Tin Woodsman in The Wizard of Oz. However, Bolger convinced the studio that his style of dancing was completely wrong for that character (just try to picture the Woodsman dancing like the Scarecrow), so Ebsen agreed to switch roles with him. In an unforeseen complication, however, Ebsen had an extreme allergic reaction to the aluminum dust used in the Tin Man's makeup, and was forced to quit the film, spending six weeks in hospital afterwards. Ebsen also noted in an interview on The Jerry Springer Show many years later that he almost had his testicles cut off by the metal suit! Audio of his performance of "If I Only a Heart" has survived, and in the final film his singing voice is heard instead of Jack Haley's during some reprises of "We're Off to See the Wizard".
  • Toshiro Mifune would have played Kyuzo in Seven Samurai when there were just six samurai, but when Kikuchiyo was created as a last-minute addition to the script, the part of Kyuzo went to Seiji Miyaguchi while Mifune was recast as Kikuchiyo.
  • Lawrence of Arabia:
    • Alec Guinness had a life-long interest in T.E. Lawrence, and had played him in a production of Terence Rattigan's play Ross on stage. Guinness wanted very much to play Lawrence, but David Lean and Sam Spiegel both told him he was too old. Laurence Olivier was the original choice for Prince Feisal, and Guinness was shifted to that role when Olivier turned it down.
    • Omar Sharif was originally cast as Lawrence's guide Tafas before being cast as Sharif Ali.
  • Omar Sharif was originally cast as Pasha in Doctor Zhivago with Peter O'Toole as Zhivago. When O'Toole declined, Sharif got the lead role.
  • Lee Van Cleef had never been in a film when he was offered the role of Deputy Harvey Pell in High Noon on the condition that he get a nose job. Van Cleef declined, so he was instead given the smaller role of Colby, the silent thug.
  • The Godfather:
    • Richard Conte and John Marley were among the many actors considered for Vito Corleone. Both ended up with smaller parts, as Barzini and Jack Woltz, respectively.
    • James Caan read for Michael and Sonny, and was provisionally cast as the former, with Carmine Caridi playing Sonny. When Pacino became Michael, Caan was cast as Sonny instead. As compensation, Caridi had a bit part in the first film (as an onlooker during Carlo's beating) and larger roles in the sequels, as Carmine Rosato in Part II and crime boss Albert Volpe in Part III. Besides Pacino, Keaton, Shire and Richard Bright, he was the only actor to appear in all three Godfathers.
    • Al Lettieri was another option for Sonny; he wound up playing Sollozzo instead.
    • Peter Donat was shortlisted with Robert Duvall for Tom Hagen. Appropriately, Donat was cast as Questadt, the Senate lawyer in Part II.
    • Robert De Niro auditioned for Sonny, as well as Michael and Paulie. He would later play the young Vito in The Godfather Part II.
    • Bridget Fonda auditioned for Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part III before being cast as Grace Hamilton.
  • Angela Lansbury was offered the part of the Queen in The Three Musketeers (1948). Feeling she was too young at 23, she lobbied for Milady instead, but was turned down.
  • Charlton Heston was originally offered the role of Athos in The Three Musketeers (1973). He favoured the smaller, yet pivotal role of Cardinal Richelieu.
  • Charlie Sheen was offered the role of Porthos in The Three Musketeers (1993), but preferred Aramis.
  • American Graffiti:
    • Cindy Williams originally wanted to play Carol, and was even willing to have braces put on her teeth for better effect.
    • George Lucas was so impressed by Richard Dreyfuss that he was offered a choice between playing Curt Henderson or Steve Bolander. Dreyfuss chose Curt as he figured it was closer to his true personality.
  • Harvey Keitel was originally offered the role of Charles in Taxi Driver. He chose the role of Sport, even though the character was black and only had three lines.
  • Robert De Niro was offered any of four parts in Mean Streets. Once Harvey Keitel came on-board, he convinced De Niro to take on the role of Johnny Boy. Keitel was originally considered to play Johnny Boy.
  • Sigourney Weaver was originally cast as Lambert in Alien, while Veronica Cartwright was going to play Ripley. At the last minute, their roles were switched. Cartwright didn't find out until she went to a costume fitting.
  • John Cleese originally campaigned for the lead role in Monty Python's Life of Brian, eager to expand his range with his first sustained film role. The rest of the group favored Graham Chapman, and felt that Cleese would be missed if he didn't play several of the ensemble roles. Cleese soon agreed that Chapman was better suited, and stepped aside. Michael Palin was also considered to play Brian.
  • Once Upon a Time in America:
    • Joe Pesci originally auditioned for Max, but Sergio Leone convinced him that he wouldn't be quite right for the role. As a favor to Pesci's friend Robert De Niro (the star of the film), Leone told Pesci that he could pick whichever of the available roles he wanted as his own instead. He chose the part of Frankie, which was considerably larger in the original script than it is in the finished movie.
    • Danny Aiello auditioned for several roles and was ultimately cast as the police chief who (coincidentally) shares his surname.
  • Robert De Niro wanted to play the role of Jack in Brazil., but Terry Gilliam had already promised this to Michael Palin. De Niro still wanted to be in the movie, so he was cast as Tuttle instead.
  • Platoon:
    • Oliver Stone wanted to cast Johnny Depp in the lead role, but the studio felt he was too young and he got a smaller part. Ironically, Sheen is three years younger than Depp.
    • Willem Dafoe was considered for Sgt. Barnes and Rhah before being cast as Sgt. Grodin.
    • John Spencer was originally cast as Sergeant O'Neill, and John C. McGinley was originally offered the part of Tony. But Spencer dropped out, and Stone offered McGinley the larger role. Ivan Kane ended up playing Tony.
  • The Breakfast Club:
    • Ally Sheedy and Molly Ringwald actually auditioned for the others' roles.
    • Emilio Estevez was originally cast as Bender, but when no suitable actor was found for the part of Andy, he agreed to take that part instead, and they cast Judd Nelson as Bender.
  • Pulp Fiction:
    • Tim Roth was considered for Vincent Vega before being cast as Ringo. Bruce Willis was briefly interested before being cast as Butch Coolidge.
    • Samuel L. Jackson was considered for Marcellus Wallace, Lance, Captain Koons and Winston Wolf before being cast as Jules Winnifield.
    • Uma Thurman was considered for Hunny Bunny before being cast as Mia Wallace.
    • Rosanna Arquette was considered for Mia before being cast as Jody.
    • Christopher Walken was considered for Winston Woolf before being cast as Captain Koons.
    • Eric Stoltz was considered for Ringo before being cast as Lance.
    • Quentin Tarantino had written the role of Jimmie with Steve Buscemi in mind but Buscemi had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts. Tarantino himself ended up filling the role and Buscemi was given a cameo appearance as the Buddy Holly waiter at Jack-Rabbit Slims.
    • Phil LaMarr read for Jules Winnfield and Brett before being cast as Marvin.
    • Paul Calderón was almost cast as Jules after a great audition. He got the smaller role of Paul.
  • John Gielgud was originally offered the role of Tiberius in Caligula, but declined. He only accepted the smaller part of Nerva after being sent a letter by Gore Vidal.
  • When Frank Vincent went to meet Martin Scorsese about being cast in Goodfellas, Scorsese asked Vincent which character he wanted to play, and he said he wanted the role of Paulie. Scorsese then said "Don't play Paulie, play Billy Batts."
  • Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott were originally cast in each other's roles in Ride the High Country. But early in the production each actor went to the producer on his own, dissatisfied and ready to quit, so the roles were reversed.
  • Jim Carrey was originally offered the role of Harry in Dumb and Dumber and was told that it had more drama. He chose the role of Lloyd because it had more laughs.
  • Dogma:
    • Kevin Smith found Linda Fiorentino so difficult to work with that he regretted not casting his first choice, Janeane Garofalo (who played Bethany's co-worker Liz).
    • Jason Lee was originally cast as Loki. Scheduling confilicts meant he had to take the smaller role of Azrael.
  • Val Kilmer was originally cast in the lead role of The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996). When he found out he was getting a divorce, he tried to get his part reduced by 40%. That was impossible, so he took the role of Montgomery.
  • DC Extended Universe:
  • Jason Statham was considered for Owen Shaw in Fast & Furious 6 before being cast as his brother Deckard.
  • John Travolta had wanted to make Battlefield Earth since the latter was published in 1982, but he wanted to star as the rebellious human Jonnie. By the time he got funding, he decided he was too old to fit the role (one of precious few good judgments the production made).
  • Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy:
  • While Danny DeVito was Barry Sonnenfeld's first choice for the role of Chilli Palmer in Get Shorty because of his natural charisma, he could not fit it into his schedule (he was directing Matilda) so he ended up playing the smaller role of Martin Weir instead.
  • James Bond:
    • Julian Glover and Sean Bean were candidates to play James Bond at some stages. They wound up playing villains in For Your Eyes Only and GoldenEye.
    • According to some sources, Ralph Fiennes was considered to play 007 in GoldenEye. He would later take over as M opposite Daniel Craig starting with Skyfall.
    • Michael Billington was screen-tested for the role more than any other actor and was said to have been Albert R. Broccoli's first choice had Roger Moore not been available. He met director Peter Hunt and did a photo shoot for On Her Majesty's Secret Service. He was also screen-tested for Live and Let Die, Moonraker, and Octopussy. He ultimately appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me AS Sergei Barsov, Agent XXX's ill-fated lover, at the start of the film.
    • George Baker was said to be Ian Fleming's ideal candidate, but he was unavilable. He would appear as Sir Hilary Bray in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Captain Benson in The Spy Who Loved Me.
    • Lois Maxwell was offered either Miss Moneypenny or Sylvia Trench in Dr. No. She was uncomfortable wearing such revealing clothes and chose Moneypenny.
    • Martine Beswick tried out for Honey Ryder in Dr. No, but was deemed too young and inexperienced. She would later play one of the fighting girls in From Russia with Love and Paula Caplan in Thunderball.
    • Christopher Lee claimed that he almost got the role of Dr. No. He would eventually play a Bond villain, Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun.
    • Earl Cameron was considered for Quarrel in Dr. No. He would later play Pinder on Thunderball.
    • Tania Mallet auditioned for Tatiana Romanava in From Russia with Love. She was cast as Tilly Masterson in Goldfinger.
    • Joe Robinson was a contender for Donald "Red" Grant in From Russia with Love. He would later play Peter Franks in Diamonds are Forever.
    • Cec Linder was originally cast in Goldfinger as Mr. Simmons (Goldfinger's opponent at the card game), while Austin Wills was cast as Felix Leiter.
    • Luciana Paluzzi auditioned for Domino in Thunderball, but decided it would be more fun to play a bad girl, Fiona Volpe.
    • Mie Hama was originally intended for the larger role of Aki in You Only Live Twice, but doubts over her mastering of English, meant that she was ineligible for the part. Hama's reported depression over losing the role, and the disgrace it would bring to her family (she threatened to throw herself off the Imperial Hotel), was instrumental in her taking the equally important, though less vocal part of Kissy Suzuki. Meanwhile Akiko Wakabayashi was originally cast as Kissy.
    • Cassandra Harris auditioned for Tracy in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Mary Goodnight in The Man with the Golden Gun before being cast as Countess Lisl in For Your Eyes Only. She was also married to future Bond actor Pierce Brosnan.
    • Jill St. John was originally considered for Plenty O'Toole in Diamonds Are Forever before being cast as Tiffany Case.
    • Broccoli wanted Lois Chiles to star as Anya Amasova in The Spy Who Loved Me, but she was taking a break from acting at the time. She would star as Holly Goodhead in Moonraker.
    • Louis Jourdan was considered for Hugo Drax in Moonraker. He would later play Kamal Khan in Octopussy.
    • Carole Bouquet was slated to play Holly Goodhead before she had to turn it down, only to play Melina Havelock in For Your Eyes Only.
    • Grace Jones was considered for the title role in Octopussy. She would later play May Day in A View to a Kill.
    • Maryam d'Abo creen-tested for the role of Pola Ivanova in A View to a Kill, but was rejected for being too young for the part. She would be the main Bond girl as Kara Milovy in The Living Daylights.
    • Monica Bellucci was nearly cast as Paris Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies, but according to Pierce Brosnan, "the fools said no". She was also considered for Elektra King in The World Is Not Enough before being cast as Lucia in Spectre.
    • Maria Grazia Cucinotta was considered for the role of Elektra King in The World Is Not Enough, but this was nixed when it was discovered her English wasn't up to par. This did however, parlay into her brief but memorable role as the Cigar Girl Assassin.
    • Javier Bardem was considered for Renard in The World is Not Enough. He would play the villain Raoul Silva in Skyfall.
  • Sam Raimi wanted Bruce Campbell for the lead role in Crimewave, but the studio wanted someone who was more of a "Hollywood actor". Raimi responded by casting Campbell as Reynaldo the Heel and then expanding the role so that he'd be there for the entire production.
    • Campbell was also supposed to star in Darkman. He does cameo as one of Darkman's disguises.
  • Gene Wilder was originally offered the role of Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles, but didn't feel right for it, and told Mel Brooks that he wanted The Waco Kid instead. However, Brooks wanted someone older for The Waco Kid, someone like Dan Dailey. Dailey was originally considered for the role of the Waco Kid, but poor health and declining eyesight forced him to decline.
  • Tombstone:
    • Longtime veteran western actor Glenn Ford had originally signed on as Marshall White; however, poor health forced him to withdraw. The role went to Harry Carey, Jr., who was originally cast as a wagonmaster.
    • Robert Mitchum was originally cast as Old Man Clanton, but the part was dropped from the script after he was injured falling off his horse. He did narrate the film.
  • How the West Was Won:
    • Spencer Tracy was originally going to have an on-camera role, but ill-health meant he had to settle for narrating.
    • John Wayne had intended to play a character in the part directed by Henry Hathaway, but John Ford insisted he appear in the Civil War sequence.
  • The Expendables:
  • Jurassic Park:
  • X-Men Film Series:
    • Kevin Nash was originally cast as Sabretooth with Tyler Mane as his Stunt Double. When Nash dropped out, Mane got the part.
    • Jason Flemyng was going to play Beast in X-Men: The Last Stand when Matthew Vaughn was directing. He would later play Azazel in X-Men: First Class.
    • Shohreh Aghdashloo was originally going to play Dr. Cecilia Reyes in The Last Stand, a rival to Dr. Kavita Rao, but after Vaughn left the project, she was recast as Rao herself.
    • Lucas Til was told that his audition for X-Men: First Class served for both Havok and Beast.
    • Edi Gathegi auditioned for Agent Zero in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Banshee in First Class before being cast as Darwin.
    • Liev Schreiber was originally considered for the role of Colonel William Stryker in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but he requested to take the role of Victor Creed, as he found that role more interesting.
    • Boyd Holbrook screen-tested for the part of Charles Xavier in First Class. He would eventually go on to to portray Donald Pierce in Logan.
    • Josh Helman was originally cast as a younger version of Juggernaut before the role was replaced by Quicksilver. He was then cast as the young William Stryker to compensate for his role being cut.
    • Olivia Munn was approached for the role of Vanessa Carlysle in Deadpool (2016), but turned it down due to Creative Differences over the portrayal of the character. She would eventually go on to portray Psylocke in X-Men: Apocalypse.
    • Zazie Beetz auditioned for the role of Ororo Munroe in Apocalypse. She would eventually go on to play Domino in Deadpool 2.
    • Brad Pitt was offered the role of Cable in Deadpool 2. While he turned it down due to scheduling conflicts, he would eventually go on to portray the Vanisher, an invisible character, who ends up being electrocuted by a power cable.
  • Batman Film Series:
  • James Franco auditioned for Peter Parker in the Spider-Man Trilogy before being cast as Harry Osborne.
  • Kevin Smith originally wrote the part of Randal Graves in Clerks for himself (which is why he has all the best lines), but was already juggling directorial duties and working a full-time day job, losing a lot of sleep in the process, and realized that he couldn't hope to also play a lead character. He gave himself the role of Silent Bob just so he could be on-camera somewhere.
  • Angela Lansbury was considered to star in Mary Poppins. She later starred in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, a Spiritual Successor to the film, and also made a cameo in Mary Poppins Returns.
  • Neighbors (1981): John Belushi was originally cast in the role of Vic and Dan Aykroyd in the role of Earl. The two decided to switch roles just prior to filming the movie. As such, Belushi and Akroyd starred in this movie acting against type, loud-mouthed Belushi played a quiet character whilst the meeker Aykroyd played an over-the-top character.
  • The St. Valentine's Day Massacre:
    • Jack Nicholson was originally cast as Johnny May. He chose the smaller role of Gino because it paid more.
    • Orson Welles was originally cast as Al Capone, while Jason Robards was to play George "Bugs" Moran. Welles was willing but Fox vetoed the deal, feeling Welles was "undirectable". Robards took over the role of Capone and Ralph Meeker was brought in to play Moran.
  • William Holden turned down the lead role in The Omen (1976). Seeing as how the finished film turned out, he jumped at the chance to star in Damien: Omen II.
  • Originally John Dahl wanted Dennis Hopper to play either Wayne Brown or the Sheriff in Red Rock West, but he insisted on playing Lyle from Dallas. Hopper eventually convinced the producers who were thrilled with the end result.
  • Courtney Love auditioned for the role of Nancy Spungen in Sid & Nancy, which eventually went to Chloe Webb; instead she was given the role of Nancy's friend Gretchen.
  • Jeffrey Wiseman tried out for the role of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone, he was offered the part of Mitch Murphy.
  • James Franco was considered for Charlie Holloway in Prometheus. He wound up getting cast in Alien: Covenant.
  • Virginia Madsen was considered for Brenda Wyat in Highlander. She would play a similar role in Highlander II: The Quickening.
  • Bruce Willis was considered for both Danny Ocean and Terry Benedict in Ocean's Eleven. He did make a cameo As Himself in Ocean's Twelve.
  • Steve Buscemi was originally considered for Simmons in the Transformers Film Series. He would later voice Daytrader in Transformers: The Last Knight.
  • The Last Tycoon:
  • Indiana Jones:
  • For Oliver Stone's Salvador, Martin Sheen was originally cast as Richard Boyle while James Woods was originally offered the part of Doctor Rock, but Woods convinced Stone that he would be better in the lead role. Sheen, who was uncomfortable with the material, agreed and allowed Woods to take the role.
  • Don't Take My Baby: Ross Grant auditioned for the lead in this Made-for-TV Movie about a man with a degenerative eye condition that he himself suffers from in real life. He didn't get the part, but he was then written in as a character called Mike who offers the protagonist advice on managing the condition.
  • Smokey and the Bandit: Jerry Reed was originally cast to play The Bandit, until Burt Reynolds read the script and agreed to play Bandit despite considering the script to be terrible. Reed ended up playing Bandit's partner-in-crime Cledus "Snowman" Snow.
  • The role of Patty Tolan in Ghostbusters (2016), played by Leslie Jones, was originally written for Melissa McCarthy. Paul Feig realized that McCarthy had already played similar characters in his previous films, explaining "I wanted to unleash Leslie on the public in the same way we unleashed Melissa on the public in Bridesmaids, with a very showy role."
  • Debra Winger was given the choice of the two roles in Black Widow (1987). She chose the role of the FBI agent, because she didn't understand the motivation as to why the Black Widow kills, so the title role went to Theresa Russell.
  • The Field: Ray McAnally was originally cast as "The Bull", but his sudden death forced writer and director Jim Sheridan to re-cast his leading man. Richard Harris was considered for the role of the Priest, and persuaded Sheridan to trust him in the lead role.
  • Producer Sam Spiegel had acquired the film rights to Horton Foote's novel and play The Chase in the 1950s, and originally wanted Marlon Brando to play the role of Jason "Jake" Rogers, and Marilyn Monroe to play his lover, Anna Reeves. By the time production began in 1965, however, Brando was too old to play the role of the son, and took the part of Sheriff Calder instead.
  • In the 1960 crime caper The Day They Robbed the Bank of England, Peter O'Toole was originally considered for the part of Charles Norgate, which eventually went to Aldo Ray, but insisted on being cast as Monty Fitch, because he didn't want to be typecast as the Irish boyo.
  • Iggy Pop was offered the role of Funboy in The Crow, but had to turn it down, as he was touring at the time. He did appear in The Crow: City of Angels. Eric Mabius also auditioned for the role. He would play the lead role in The Crow: Salvation.
  • The Wicker Tree, the spiritual sequel to The Wicker Man (1973), originally cast Christopher Lee as Sir Lachlan Morrison. While filming The Resident 2011 in New Mexico, Lee injured his back when he tripped over power cables on set. Although very disappointed, Robin Hardy gave the role intended for Lee to Graham McTavish, who had originally been cast as Beame, the Morrisons' butler. Clive Russell plays Beame instead. Lee is still in the film, making a brief cameo appearance as the unnamed "Old Gentleman" who acts as Lachlan's mentor in a flashback.
  • Jada Pinkett was offered the role of Trinity in The Matrix, but had to turn it down due to pregnancy, while Anthony Wong auditioned for Tank. They would later play Niobe and Ghost in the sequels, and Enter the Matrix.
  • In Woody Allen's Interiors, Diane Keaton was originally intended for the role of Joey, but she requested to take the role of Renata as she felt more comfortable with that role.
  • Tobey Maguire first auditioned for the lead role in This Boy's Life (conicidentally named Toby), but director Michael Caton-Jones thought he wasn't right for the role. Maguire's close friend Leonardo DiCaprio still wanted him to be a part of the film, so he got him the role of Toby's friend Chuck Bolger.
  • Robert Loggia was considered for the role of Sam Loomis in Psycho. He would later play Dr. Bill Raymond in Psycho II.
  • Warren Clarke was interviewed for a part in O Lucky Man! called Andy. The part was dropped, but he did play multiple roles, as did the rest of the cast.
  • Rutger Hauer was originally cast as the villain in The Osterman Weekend. He was tired of playing villains, so he asked Sam Peckinpah to let him play the lead.
  • Bela Lugosi auditioned for the monster in Frankenstein (1931), though he wanted to play the titular Doctor. He was also considered for Dr. Pretorious in Bride of Frankenstein. He would play Ygor in Son of Frankenstein and The Ghost of Frankenstein. Funnily enough, he would play Frankenstein's Monster in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.
  • Mickey Rourke was originally going to play Paulie in The Pope of Greenwich Village. He got the other lead role of Charlie, while Eric Roberts got the other role.
  • Coming to America:
    • James Earl Jones was initially interested in playing Cleo (which went to John Amos instead), but the creators wanted him to play King Jaffe and managed to persuade him to accept that role instead.
    • Wesley Snipes auditioned for the role of Darryl Jenks, but Eriq La Salle was ultimately cast. He would later be cast as General Izzi in Coming 2 America.
  • Thure Lindhart was the favourite for the part of Silas in The Da Vinci Code, but got turned down for looking too young. He would later be cast in Angels & Demons.
  • Dana Plato tried out for the role of Regan McNeil in The Exorcist. She had a small role in Exorcist II: The Heretic.
  • In the film adaptation of Before Night Falls, Javier Bardem was originally cast as Lazaro Gomez Carriles before being cast in the lead role of Reinaldo Arenas.
  • The 1988 comedy Burglar was originally a Bruce Willis vehicle with Whoopi Goldberg playing his sidekick. When Willis dropped out, she played the lead role.
  • For Woody Allen's Another Woman, Mia Farrow was originally cast as Marion, but her pregnancy forced her to withdraw from the role. She was recast as Hope.
  • John Travolta was offered the lead role in Mad City. He turned it down, but agreed to play the second lead.
  • In the early planning stages of Mad Dog and Glory, Robert De Niro was originally interested in playing the shy police photographer. Then at a second readthrough, he read for crime boss Frank Milo. It was agreed that his first instinct was correct and Bill Murray got that role.
  • Tim Roth was originally supposed to play the lead role in The Million Dollar Hotel, but scheduling conflicts made him take a smaller, unbilled part.
  • Robert Carlyle was originally supposed to play Major Henry West in 28 Days Later. He wound up playing the lead role in 28 Weeks Later.
  • Cher turned down the role of Tanya in Mamma Mia! due to concert commitments. She went on to appear in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
  • Glen Powell lost out on the role of Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick to Miles Teller, but the creators were so impressed with him that they decided to expand the role of Hangman and give it to him.
  • Doctor... Series: After being the original choice for Sir Lancelot 16 years prior, Robert Morley was brought back to his brother, Captain Spratt, in Doctor in Trouble.
  • Nicholas Hoult tested for the titular role in Superman: Legacy and lost out to David Corenswet, but he would later be cast as Lex Luthor in the very same film.
  • Carry On... Series:
    • Carry On, Sergeant: Cyril Chamberlain plays the Gun Sergeant but had been noted as a possible choice for Sergeant Grimshawe if William Hartnell was unavailable.
    • Carry On Teacher: Hattie Jacques was first set to play Felicity Wheeler (back when the character was known as Cornelia Wheeler) before Rosalind Knight got the part and Jacques was cast as Grace Short instead.
    • Carry On Constable:
      • The vague woman looking for her cat, Fluff, is played by Noël Dyson, who was set to play Joan Hickson's role of Mrs. May.
      • Marianne Stone dubs over Lucy Griffiths in the film but had first been cast as the agitated woman needing to spend a penny, who was later played by Hilda Fenemore.
    • Carry On Regardless:
      • Hattie Jacques was scheduled for a leading role but was forced to drop out due to illness leaving her with the small part of Sister in the hospital scene. To amend this, a script rewrite built up Joan Sims' role, and Liz Fraser was brought in as an extra character.
      • According to the book Carry On Actors by Andrew Ross, comments by Fraser Kerr reveal that he was first offered another role.
    • Carry On Cruising: Lance Percival recalls he had been put up for the role of Sam Turner before taking the role of Wilfred Haines from Charles Hawtrey.
    • Carry On Doctor:
      • Kenneth Williams originally turned down the role of Dr. Tinkle and was given Mr. Bigger but found fault with the role and returned to Dr. Tinkle.
      • Joan Sims was originally asked to play the part of Matron after her earlier success playing a similar part in Doctor in Clover but protested that only Hattie Jacques should play Matron after Carry On Nurse and was happy to play Miss Gibson (a much smaller role) instead.
    • Carry On Again Doctor: Pat Coombs was originally cast as Miss Armitage but when Ambrosine Phillpotts became unavailable, Coombs took her role as the new Matron and her original role went to Ann Lancaster.
    • Carry On England: Despite the fact that her role of Private Ffoukes-Sharpe originally was intended for Penelope Keith, Joan Sims was intended to be in the film's cast from the start although her original role is unknown.

    Live-Action TV 
  • 24: Richard Burgi auditioned for Jack Bauer and was the original choice before Kiefer Sutherland got the role. Burgi would play Alan York actually Kevin Caroll in the first season.
  • 'Allo 'Allo!: Kirsten Cooke (Michelle) originally auditioned for Yvette, while Yvette herself (Vicki Michelle) auditioned not only for Yvette but also Michelle.
  • Arrowverse:
  • Battlestar Galactica (2003):
    • Grace Park originally tried out for first Dee and then Starbuck, before Kandyse McClure and Katee Sackhoff got the parts and she was cast as Boomer. The producers were so impressed by her Dee audition that they let her try out for Starbuck, and she was one of two finalists for the role. Subsequently, she didn't need to read for the role of Boomer, and, thinking it was a minor role, got a pleasant surprise when she read the end of the Miniseries and learned her character was a Cylon and a major role.
    • Lucy Lawless was originally offered the role of Ellen Tigh, but she felt that she was wrong for the part. The producers so wanted her in the series, however, that they later wrote the role of D'Anna Biers with her in mind.
  • Jimmy Nail won the part of Oz after auditioning for a walk-on part in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.
  • The Big Bang Theory:
    • Kevin Sussman was one of the actors who auditioned to play Howard Wolowitz, a role that ultimately went to Simon Helberg. Sussman would later be cast as Stuart Bloom.
    • In the unaired pilot, Kaley Cuoco auditioned for the female lead Katie, but lost out to Amanda Walsh. When the show was revisioned and the Katie character was retooled into Penny, Kaley ended up being cast.
  • Blake's 7:
    • Paul Darrow and Brian Croucher were both considered for Blake before being cast as Avon and Travis Mark II, respectively.
    • Jan Chappell was considered for Jenna before being cast as Cally.
    • Candace Glendenning (Rashel in "Weapon") had auditioned for the role of Jenna.
    • Alan Lake (Chel in "Aftermath") had auditioned for the role of Vila.
  • Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Stephanie Beatriz originally auditioned to play Amy Santiago, who went to Melissa Fumero. She received a callback later, but for the completely different role of Rosa Diaz, then Megan, for which she was cast in the show.
  • Buffyverse:
    • Nathan Fillion first auditioned for Angel, before eventually getting to guest star as Caleb in Season 7. However in this case, he already had a working relationship with Joss Whedon from Firefly.
    • Sarah Michelle Gellar or Bianca Lawson (Kendra) could have been cast as Cordelia, which was the role they originally auditioned for. Both Charisma Carpenter and Elizabeth Anne Allen originally auditioned for Buffy. Sarah and Charisma's roles were switched, and the character of Amy was created for Elizabeth.
    • When Bianca Lawson actually won the role initially, she opted instead to take a role in the sitcom Goode Behavior instead. Producers liked her so much that she was introduced on the second season as Kendra.
    • Julie Benz (Darla), Julia Lee (the girl who goes by Chanterelle, Lily and Anne) and Mercedes McNabb (Harmony) also auditioned for Buffy.
    • Danny Strong auditioned for Xander originally. He didn't get the part, obviously, but was later given the role of Jonathan, and his talent at portraying a hapless dupe of a Spear Carrier with Hidden Depths led to his becoming a recurring, popular character. What would have happened if he, not Nicholas Brendon, had won the role of Xander?
    • Felicia Day auditioned for the role of Fred in Angel that went to Amy Acker. She played the smaller recurring role of the potential Vi in Season 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
    • Armin Shimerman first auditioned for Principal Flutie, before getting cast as Sunnydale High's next principal Snyder. Although the plan was for each principal to be killed off after a few episodes as a Running Gag, they liked his performance enough to keep him on the show until the end of season 3 (with a cameo appearance in "Restless" the following season).
    • K. Todd Freeman was in the running for the role of Spike before being cast as Mr. Trick.
    • Christian Kane auditioned for Riley Finn. He went on to play Lindsey McDonald on Angel. Kane says he played his audition for Riley "perhaps a little less than wholesome", which he feels resulted in Joss Whedon later casting him as a darker character.
    • Adam Busch auditioned for a part in Angel before being cast as Warren Mears on Buffy.
  • Charmed (1998): Brian Krause, Julian McMahon and Kerr Smith all originally auditioned for Andy in Season 1. Brian Krause got the last laugh, staying on as Leo for eight seasons, while Andy was written out at the end of the first (Leo had been written as a recurring character first, and didn't become a series regular until Season 3).
  • Cheers: John Ratzenberger originally auditioned for Norm Peterson. When he failed that, he asked the writers if there was a know-it-all character in the series. Thus, Cliff Clavin was born.
  • Dad's Army:
    • Co-creator Jimmy Perry had hoped to play Walker himself but was talked out of the role by David Croft. Perry did appear in front of the cameras during the first series, however, as comedian Charlie Cheeseman in "Shooting Pains".
    • Jack Haig was considered for the role of Jones. He later played The Cameo role of a gardener in "The Day the Balloon Went Up", a slightly bigger role as Mr. Palethorpe, the landlord, in "Ring Dem Bells", and finally played Jones when he filled in for Clive Dunn for half of the Screen-to-Stage Adaptation.
  • Davy Crockett: Buddy Ebsen was initially cast as Davy Crockett until Walt Disney saw Fess Parker's performance in Them! and decided he was better suited for the role. Ebsen was recast as Davy's sidekick, George Russell.
  • Doctor Who:
    We both agreed that I wasn’t really ready for it. I was too young and inexperienced. He then suggested I go away, learn more about theater, and try again in about a year’s time.
    • Frazer Hines unsuccessfully auditioned for the part of Ben Jackson, A few stories later, he would be cast as Jamie McCrimmon, and his popularity would lead to Ben being written out of the show!
    • When Nicholas Courtney appeared in "The Web of Fear", he was originally cast as Captain Knight, with another actor cast as Col. Lethbridge-Stewart. When that actor failed to turn up, Courtney got a promotion.
    • Pamela Salem auditioned for the role of Fourth Doctor companion Leela but lost out to Louise Jameson. Salem was instead cast in the guest role of Toos in "The Robots of Death", the second story to feature Leela.
    • Ian Marter was originally offered the role of Captain Yates. He later made a guest appearance in "Carnival of Monsters" before being cast as Harry.
    • Bernard Padden auditioned for the role of early Eighties companion Adric, but lost out because of his strong Northern accent. (At the time, it was felt that an extraterrestrial character should not have a distinctive accent.) Instead, Padden appeared in Adric's debut story "Full Circle" as Tylos, while Adric was played by Matthew Waterhouse.
    • Colin Baker first made inquiries about playing the Doctor in 1980 when he learned that the role had become vacant. He was later cast as Commander Maxil in "Arc of Infinity" before being cast as the Sixth Doctor.
    • Sylvester McCoy put his name forward for consideration to play the Sixth Doctor in 1983, unaware that Colin Baker had been cast. He would later succeed Baker as the Seventh Doctor (and briefly play the Sixth during the regeneration sequence, as Baker refused to come back for it).
    • BRIAN BLESSED was considered for Merdeen and Glitz in "The Mysterious Planet". He would be in "The Trial of a Time Lord" as King Yrcanos in "Mindwarp". Furthermore, Honor Blackman was considered for Katyca before being cast as Sarah Lasky in "Terror of the Vervoids".
    • Sophie Aldred originally auditioned for Ray in "Delta and the Bannermen", who was originally supposed to be the new companion. Instead, she was asked to reapply for the alternate companion, Ace.
    • Simon Pegg was originally slated to play Rose's father, Pete Tyler. However, Pegg was unavailable during the filming of "Father's Day", so his role was transferred to that of the Editor, the human villain of "The Long Game".
    • Georgia Moffett was originally offered the role of Robina Redmond in Series 4's "The Unicorn and the Wasp". She was instead cast as Jenny in "The Doctor's Daughter".
    • Michelle Gomez could have played Ms. Delphox in "Time Heist", but she couldn't make the audition. As she explained it later, "I was moved to write to Steven [Moffat] saying I was such a huge fan and if in the future if he ever needed someone for a razor-cheek-boned villainess then it’s me."note  This led to her being cast as Missy, the Series 8 Big Bad who went on to be central to the Twelfth Doctor's Myth Arc.
    • Jodie Whittaker really wanted to play a villain under heavy prosthetics in Series 11, but then Chris Chibnall informed her that he wanted her to play the Doctor instead, becoming the first female lead in the show's long history.
  • Farscape:
    • Paul Goddard originaly auditioned for the role of Scorpius but lost to Wayne Pygram. Goddard was instead cast as Stark, who debuted alongside Scorpius, and was such a hit with the cast and crew that they kept bringing him back.
    • Raelee Hill auditioned for the role of Lieutenant Grayza but lost to Rebecca Riggs. The producers liked Hill's audition enough that they created the character of Sikozu for her.
  • Friends:
    • Jennifer Aniston originally originally read for Monica, while Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow read for Rachel.
    • June Gable was cast as Estelle the talent agent in an episode, but her scenes in the episode were cut. To make up for it, they cast her as a nurse who appears in a different scene. They then brought Estelle back later, with her playing the original part.
    • Hank Azaria failed to get the part of Joey but was later written in as Phoebe's scientist boyfriend David.
    • Leah Remini first auditioned for the role of Monica, which went to Courteney Cox. She got to appear as Lydia in a Season 1 episode.
    • Jessica Hecht was cast in a recurring role as Susan, girlfriend (and eventual wife) of Ross's ex Carol — was turned down for the part of Rachel.
    • Maggie Wheeler likewise auditioned for Monica and ended up in the recurring role of Chandler's on-off girlfriend Janice.
    • Jon Favreau auditioned for Chandler. He would later appear in the series as Pete Becker, Monica's super rich boyfriend and wannabe cage fighter.
  • Game of Thrones:
    • Carice Van Houten was unable to take the role of Cersei Lannister due to commitments to another series at the time. When Season 2 came along, she was able to come on board as Melisandre.
    • Conleth Hill auditioned for Robert Baratheon, played by Mark Addy, but got cast as Varys. This worked out well, and he stayed on for eight seasons.
    • Natalie Dormer says she auditioned for another character (but didn't say which one) before she was cast as Margaery Tyrell.
    • Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy), Joseph Maxwell Dempsie (Gendry), and Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Snow/Bolton) originally all auditioned for the role of Jon Snow.
    • Finn Jones (Loras) auditioned for both Jon Snow and Robb Stark.
    • Eugene Simon (Lancel Lannister) originally auditioned to play Joffrey Baratheon.
    • Anton Lesser auditioned for the role of Maester Luwin. He later played Qyburn.
    • Jonathan Pryce was offered a role during Season 1 but turned it down. He was later cast as the High Sparrow in Season 5.
  • Gilmore Girls: Liza Weil auditioned for the part of Rory (one of the main characters). They loved her, but she wasn't the right fit for the character. Instead, the role of Paris, Rory's Academic Alpha Bitch enemy-later-turned-friend, was specifically created for Liza Weil.
  • Glee: Chris Colfer originally auditioned for Artie (which would go to Kevin McHale) but the producers liked Colfer so much they changed a previously planned character and wrote Kurt Hummel specifically for him.
  • The Golden Girls: Originally Betty White was offered the part of Blanche and Rue McClanahan was to play Rose. They ended up swapping roles because Blanche was too similar to White's character Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose was too much like McClanahan's character Vivian from Maude.
  • Happy Days: Don Most originally auditioned for both Richie and Potsie, and was almost considered to play the latter. Since they liked Don Most's audition, they eventually decided to create the character of Ralph Malph just for him. While a minor character in the pilot, he eventually becomes a a regular.
  • Heroes:
    • James Kyson Lee originally auditioned for the role of Hiro Nakamura, but instead got the role of Hiro's sidekick Ando.
    • Greg Grunberg (Matthew Parkman) originally auditioned for the part of Peter Petrelli. His character was written for him after Tim Kring's wife pointed out that the show had no everyman character.
    • Tawny Cypress (Simone) originally auditioned for the role of Niki Sanders.
    • Christopher Eccleston was originally offered the role of Sylar, but declined, as he didn't want to be tyepcast in Evil Brit roles. He accepted the role of Claude.
    • Jimmy Jean-Louis auditioned three times for the role of D.L. Hawkins before being cast as the Haitian.
  • I, Claudius: BRIAN BLESSED originally auditioned for the role of Tiberius, but was eventually persuaded to play Augustus instead. He recounted Herbert Wise's saying "be as you are, full of flannel", and that he should always play Augustus as an ordinary person, because the reactions of those around him would make him the Emperor.
  • Interview with the Vampire (2022): Thomas Antony Olajide lost the lead role of Louis de Pointe du Lac to Jacob Anderson, so he was given the part of Jonah Macon in "Is My Very Nature That of a Devil".
  • Kamen Rider BLACK: Takahito Horiuchi auditioned for the role of protagonist Kotaro Minami and, after Tetsuo Kurata was cast, was given the role of Nobuhiko Akizuki, Kotaro's adopted twin brother.
  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit:
  • Lost:
    • Dominic Monaghan originally auditioned for Sawyer, who was originally supposed to be a suit-wearing city con man. The producers were so enthused by Monaghan that the part of Charlie was altered to accommodate him - Charlie was originally going to be a 45-year-old washed-up rock star.
    • Kim Yunjin originally read for Kate. The producers felt she was not what they were looking for in Kate, but decided to create a new character for her, along with a spouse.
    • Matthew Fox and Jorge Garcia also auditioned for Sawyer.
    • Lance Reddick was offered the role of Mr. Eko, but had to drop out due to his role on The Wire. He would eventually appear as Matthew Abbadon.
  • Mad Men:
    • John Slattery prepared an audition to play Don Draper. Matt Weiner had already decided on Jon Hamm, but found Slattery perfect for Roger Sterling, Jr.
    • January Jones auditioned twice for the role of Peggy Olson before Matthew Weiner asked her to read for the part of Betty Draper instead, despite the fact that at that point the character was barely in the pilot and he had no plans of fleshing her out.
    • Jessica Paré auditioned for the roles of Rachel Menken and Jane Siegel before being cast as Megan Calvet.
    • Christina Hendricks originally auditioned to play Midge Daniels.
  • Marvel Cinematic Universe:
  • Monk: Alfred Molina was the original choice for Monk prior to Tony Shalhoub's casting. Molina would have a guest appearance in the Season 6 episode "Mr. Monk and the Naked Man" as the killer of the week's target whom Monk had to save.
  • MTV: Jesse Camp was the winner of MTV’s "Wanna Be a VJ" contest in 1998. However, MTV later hired the runner-up, Dave Holmes, who stayed with the channel about three years longer than Camp did and has since had a very successful career as a writer, radio host, and occasional actor.
  • The Office (US):
    • Bob Odenkirk was in the running for the role of Michael Scott, but ultimately lost out to Steve Carell. They brought him back in a later season as Pam's alarmingly Michael-esque boss.
    • Rainn Wilson read for Michael in what he himself described as "a bad Ricky Gervais impresssion." While that wasn't right for Michael, he got the nearly-as-pivotal role of Dwight Schrute.
    • Angela Kinsey auditioned for Pam, but wound up playing the new character of Angela.
    • Kate Flannery originally tried out for Jan Levinson-Gould, a stern Dunder Mifflin corporate executive and Michael's boss, but was instead cast in the (originally) more minor role of Meredith Palmer. Ironic, considering in early seasons Jan was an object of lust for the male employees of Dunder Mifflin, while Meredith's overt promiscuity was consistently treated with disgust. Originally just a bit part, Meredith ultimately became a regular supporting player in the cast up until the show ended, while Jan was mostly written out of the plot by the end of Season 4 (though she had several later guest appearances).
    • Ellie Kemper is a variant, as she actually auditioned for the other show the creators were starting but her test made the producers call her for newcomer Erin Hannon in The Office.
  • Only Murders in the Building: Adina Verson auditioned for the role of Cinda Canning. While that part went to Tina Fey in the end, the producers liked Verson so much that they created the character of Poppy White for her to play.
  • Our Friends in the North: Christopher Eccleston was originally offered the role of Geordie. He felt the role of Nicky was more interesting.
  • Party of Five: Jerry O'Connell dropped out of the role of Bailey to star in Sliders so it was between Scott Wolf and Jonathan Whitworth. The former got the part, and the latter got a role in the pilot and later another episode as PK - a bad boy love interest for Julia.
  • Perry Mason: William Hopper auditioned for the title role, which ultimately went to Raymond Burr. Instead, he was given the co-lead role of PI Paul Drake.
  • Please Sir!: Robin Askwith played Eddie in the Series 4 episode, "A.W.O.L.", but had been considered to play Duffy before the casting of Peter Cleall.
  • Power Rangers:
    • Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers:
      • David Yost auditioned for Jason. He decided that he didn't look like a leader (despite being the oldest in the cast) and took the role of Billy.
      • Walter Emanuel Jones originally auditioned for Billy, but changed tunes when he saw that playing Zack would be more attuned to his skillset.
      • Jason Narvy (Skull) auditioned for Billy.
      • Dan Southworth (Eric Myers on Power Rangers Time Force) stated at Power Morphicon that he had auditioned for the role of Adam during production of the second season. But instead, Johnny Yong Bosch got the role and Dan continued his stunt work. In addition to being Austin St. John's stunt double (morphed), he also acted as a Stunt Double to Johnny (also morphed). He also auditioned for Chad in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue.
    • Brad Hawkins was originally going to become the white ranger before he ended up doing VR Troopers instead. Creator/Jason David Frank had shot a pilot for what would become VR Troopers, but Haim Saban felt it was a better idea to bring back Tommy, so the roles were switched and Hawkins ended up as Ryan Steele. He was then going to reprise his role as Ryan Steele in Power Rangers Zeo, now the gold ranger. He did voice Trey of Triforia before his identity was revealed.
    • Patrick David auditioned for the role of Andros in Power Rangers in Space before being cast as Psycho Red.
    • Power Rangers Lost Galaxy: Jason Faunt and Rhett Fisher also auditioned for Leo Corbett. They would later be rangers - Rhett became Ryan the Titanium Ranger and Faunt became Wesley Colins.
    • Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue:
      • Rhett Fisher (Ryan/Titanium Ranger) originally auditioned for the role of Carter. Interesting if you think about how, in the show, Carter originally tried to use the Titanium Ranger powers, but couldn't handle it.
      • Jason Faust also auditioned for the role of Carter before being cast as Wes in Time Force.
      • Deborah Estelle Phillips was actually approached for a role (likely for the role of either Kelsey, Dana or Angela), but she didn't think herself ready for the job and would later play Katie in Time Force.
      • Phillip Jeanmarie auditioned for the role of Joel before being cast as Max in Power Rangers Wild Force.
    • Power Rangers Time Force:
      • Dan Southworth was offered the role of Wes in Time Force; but, as fans already know, Jason Faunt got that role instead. Interesting to note: in the show, the team was hoping that the Quantum Morpher would go to Wes. Just before that, he auditioned for Lucas. But, apparently, the crew thought he was "a little too intense" to be the Blue Ranger.
      • Ricardo Medina Jr. auditioned for the role of Eric, right after Southworth. He would later play Cole Evans in Wild Force and Deker in Samurai.
    • Power Rangers Ninja Storm:
      • Emma Lahana auditioned for Tori Hanson. And since she was trying to launch a music career at the same time, one wonders if the character would have been a straight copy of Hurricaneger's Nanami had she gotten the role. She would later play Kira in Power Rangers: Dino Thunder.
      • Jason Chan auditioned for the role of Dustin before being cast as Cam.
      • James Napier was offered the role of Shane but scheduling conflicts with his role in The Tribe prevented him from accepting it, though he would be cast as Eric in the finale before playing Conner in Dino Thunder.
    • Power Rangers Mystic Force: Firass Dirani and Richard Brancatisano, who played Nick and Xander respectively, actually tried out for each other's parts.
    • Before being cast as Dillon in Power Rangers RPM, Dan Ewing auditioned for the role of Casey in Power Rangers Jungle Fury.
    • Power Rangers Samurai:
      • Emily was almost played by Ciara Hanna, they even had the contract ready, but she backed out before signing. She would return to play Gia in Power Rangers Megaforce.
      • Spike's actor, Felix Ryan actually tried out for the part of Antonio.
      • According to a recent interview, during the audition process, at one point, they moved Hector David, Jr. over to the Gold Ranger.
    • Power Rangers Megaforce:
      • Orion's actor, Cameron Jebo, originally tried out for the part of Troy.
      • Christina Masterson (Emma) and Ciara Hanna (Gia) auditioned for each other's roles.
      • Noah's actor John Mark Loudermilk auditioned for the role of Jake. Peter Sudarso also auditioned for the role.
    • Power Rangers Dino Charge: Brennan Mejia auditioned for the roles of Chase and Riley before being cast as Tyler.
    • In Power Rangers Beast Morphers:
      • Liana Ramirez initially auditioned for the Yellow Ranger before Jacqueline Scislowski would take the role. She instead got casted as Roxy, which adds irony to her character being the intended Yellow Ranger.
      • Hunter Deno who would later play Amelia Jonas in Power Rangers Dino Fury also mentioned that she had auditioned for the role of Zoey.
  • Pride and Prejudice (1995): Lucy Davis auditioned to play Lydia, but lost out to Julia Sawalha. She was cast as Maria Lucas instead.
  • Red Dwarf:
    • In the DVD Commentary for "Future Echoes", Chris Barrie mentions that he originally auditioned for both Rimmer and Lister, and preferred Lister. Imagine that for a moment. "Bodyswap", in fact, gives us a taste of how he would have played it.
    • Norman Lovett originally auditioned for Rimmer. Instead, they changed Holly to a male and offered him the part.
    • Eddie Bagayawa, who played Captain Kadri in "Samsara", originally auditioned for the role of Jim Green in the same episode but lost out to Dan Tetsell. He was offered the part of Kadri, which was significantly expanded during rewrites, as a consolation.
    • Craig Charles didn't exactly audition for the Cat, but having been sent the script as what we would now call a sensitivity reader regarding the character, he was nearly offered the role, before they decided he'd make a better Lister.
  • Vanessa Morgan originally auditioned for the role of Josie in Riverdale, and while she didn't get the role, she left enough of an impact to be cast as Toni Topaz starting with season 2.
  • Saved by the Bell: Elizabeth Berkley auditioned for Kelly. Although Tiffani Thiessen got the part, they liked Elizabeth's audition so much they created the role of Jessie Spano just to have her in the series.
  • Scarlet Heart: Kevin Cheng was almost cast as Yin Zhen. Then Nicky Wu was cast instead, so Cheng got the role of Yin Si.
  • Scrubs: Neil Flynn auditioned for Dr. Cox but lost out to John C. McGinley. The producers cast Flynn as The Janitor instead and were so impressed by his improv skills that he ended up being a Breakout Character and major part of the series anyway.
  • Shadowhunters: Matthew Daddario initially auditioned for Jace Wayland, but author Cassandra Clare saw his audition and said he'd be a better fit for Alec Lightwood (who is still a major character in the series).
  • Shakespeare Unwrapped:
    • William Brady was first cast as Gloucester, but then upgraded to Lear.
    • Bobby Calloway auditioned for Albany but got cast as Cornwall instead.
  • An interesting example happened with Shining Time Station: Carol Kane was originally supposed to play Stacy Jones, but lost the audition to Didi Conn. She would later be cast as the Tooth Fairy in an episode of The Noddy Shop, which was also created by Rick Siggelkow.
  • Smallville:
    • Jensen Ackles was the second choice for the role of Clark Kent had Tom Welling turn down the offer. Ackles would eventually go on to portray Jason Teague in the fourth season of the series.
    • Martin Cummins auditioned for the role of Lex Luthor before the casting of Michael Rosenbaum. Cummins would later go on to play Doctor Garner in the second and third season of the series.
    • Allison Mack toyed with the idea of auditioning for Lana Lang before going for Chloe Sullivan. Incidentally, Allison is a green-eyed Caucasian just like traditional Lana while Kristin Kreuk is part-Chinese with dark eyes. While Allison is a natural blonde, Charlotte Sullivan dyed her hair red for the role of Maxima in Season 8's "Instinct."
    • Originally actor Justin Hartley was suppose to play the role of the character Arthur Curry AKA Aquaman. However, he ended up playing the role of the Green Arrow instead and the role of Aquaman went to Alan Ritchson.
  • The Sopranos:
    • Ray Liotta was in consideration for the roles of Tony Soprano and Ralph Cifaretto, but turned them both down. He will appear in the prequel film The Many Saints of Newark.
    • Lorraine Bracco was originally asked to play the role of Carmela Soprano, but she felt that the part was too similar to her character in Goodfellas. She decided the role of Dr. Melfi would be more challenging.
    • Stevie Van Zandt was considered for Tony Soprano, while Michael Rispoli was the first to read for the part. Both were given other roles when James Gandolfini was chosen, Van Zandt as Silvio Dante (a character he pitched himself) and Rispoli as Jackie Aprile.
    • Max Casella (Benny Fazio) originally auditioned for the parts of Matt Bevilaqua and Jackie Aprile, Jr. Both characters only lasted one season, but Benny remained until the final episode.
    • Tony Sirico and Frank Vincent auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior. Sirico was offered the role of Paulie instead. Vincent joined the cast as Phil in the fifth season.
    • Steve Schirripa (Bobby Bacala) originally auditioned for the role of FBI agent Skip Lipari.
    • Annabella Sciorra auditioned for Janice Soprano. She was later cast as Gloria Trillo.
    • Christian Maelen was David Chase's second choice to play Christopher Moltisanti. He provided the voice of Big Pussy's son, Joey LaRocca, in The Sopranos: Road to Respect.
  • Star Trek does this a lot (often overlapping with You Look Familiar as a number of actors played one-shot roles and then moved up to playing recurring or regular characters):
    • DeForest Kelley was originally offered the part of Spock. He turned it down, but eventually accepted the role of Dr. McCoy (the first two pilots had different doctor characters). Nichelle Nichols also claimed she was offered the role.
    • Patrick Stewart auditioned three times. Once for Data and twice for Picard. Once bald and once wearing a hairpiece.
    • Marina Sirtis and Denise Crosby were originally going to play Yar and Troi respectively but switched roles at the last minute.
    • Rosalind Chao auditioned for Tasha Yar. She would later play Keiko O'Brien.
    • Jeffrey Combs auditioned for the part of Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation. When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine rolled around, he was eventually cast in two different recurring roles, Brunt and Weyoun. The latter was meant to be a one-shot character (he was killed off in his first appearance) but the writers liked him so much they made the character's species a race of clones so they could bring him back, and he became a major villain in the series. Along with a few one-shot guest characters, he also played the recurring role of Shran on Star Trek: Enterprise, who was in line for a Promotion to Opening Titles until the series was canceled.
    • Andrew Robinson tried out for the part of Odo before being cast as Garak.
    • The producers of DS9 were so impressed by Alexander Siddig's performance in A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia that they intended to offer him the role of Sisko, until they actually met him and realized he was far too young for the part (having been aged up for the film). Instead, they cast him in the role of the station's doctor, originally called Julian Amoros but renamed Julian Bashir to better suit Siddig's background.
    • James Cromwell was considered for Odo on DS9. He would later play Zefram Cochrane in Star Trek: First Contact.
    • Tim Russ auditioned for the part of Geordi LaForge on TNG. He played a number of one-shot guest roles in the franchise before being cast as Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager.
    • Eric Menyuk was a finalist for the role of Data on TNG; he ended up playing the recurring role of the Traveler, Wesley Crusher's alien mentor.
    • Robert Picardo desperately wanted to be cast in Voyager, but as Neelix, whom Picardo was convinced would become the show's Breakout Character. Thankfully he was persuaded to take the "boring" role of the Doctor, turning that role into the breakout character, instead.
    • Ian Alexander auditioned for the part of Adira Tal in Star Trek: Discovery; when that role went to Blu Del Barrio, Ian was cast as Adira's boyfriend Gray instead.
    • Karen Austin auditioned for Capt. Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager. She would later appear as Dr. Kalandra in DS9's "Nor The Battle To The Strong" and Miral, B'Elanna Torres's Klingon mother in VOY's "Barge Of The Dead".
  • Stranger Things: Joe Keery initially auditioned for the role of Jonathan Byers, which instead went to Charlie Heaton. Nonetheless, the Duffers liked Keery, so they cast him as Steve Harrington. Perhaps not coincidentally, both characters have relationships with Nancy Wheeler, with her being with Steve from the start of the show until early in season 2, and then hooking up with Jonathan halfway through season 2 (around the same time Heaton and Natalia Dyer began dating for real).
  • Supernatural: Mark Pellegrino was on the short list to play Castiel. Misha Collins got the part, but a year later Pellegrino was cast as Lucifer and as his meatsuit, Nick.
  • Vikings: Clive Standen said that he was actually more interested in the part of Rollo, but nonetheless auditioned for Ragnar, which would turn out to be the lead role for the first four seasons of the show. (Despite early drafts that planned to kill Ragnar in the first season.) After Travis Fimmel was cast as Ragnar, Standen did wind up playing Rollo.
  • Veronica Mars: Amanda Seyfried and Alona Tal were both runner-ups for the title role. They wound up playing the recurring roles of Lily Kane and Meg Manning, respectively.
  • The Walking Dead (2010):
    • Jon Bernthal was reportedly considered to play Rick Grimes before being cast as Shane Walsh.
    • Ethan Embry, who plays Carter in the Season 6 premiere, originally auditioned for the roles of Rick and Shane.
    • Norman Reedus originally auditioned for Merle Dixon. Although he didn't get the part, his performance wowed the producers so much that they created the role of Daryl for him in the show. Ted Huckabee, who plays Alexandria resident Bruce, also auditioned for the role of Merle.
    • Laurie Holden was originally asked to audition for the role of Lori Grimes before she was cast as Andrea.
    • Chad L. Coleman originally auditioned for the role of Morgan Jones. Similar to Reedus, he impressed the producers despite not getting the part that he was one of the actors considered (and ultimately cast) to play Tyreese when the character debuted in Season 3.
    • Sonequa Martin-Green originally auditioned for the role of Michonne. She ended up playing Sasha, who coincidentally is the aforementioned Tyreese's sister. Rutina Wesley, the actress heavily considered to play Michonne, was eventually cast as the character's Evil Former Friend in Season 9.
    • Markice Moore, who plays the prisoner Andrew in Season 3, originally auditioned for the role of T-Dog.
    • Ross Marquand (who plays Aaron) and Daniel Bonjour (who plays Aiden Monroe) were among those who auditioned for Gareth.
  • Wednesday: Emma Myers originally auditioned for Wednesday but instead plays Enid.
  • It's amazing to think that of all the cast members on The Wire's large roster, many of them auditioned for different roles than the ones that they ultimately ended up in.
    • Idris Elba originally auditioned for the part of Avon Barksdale, hiding his British accent at the behest of a casting director because David Simon preferred American actors for authenticity. Upon discovering Idris' true origins, he offered him Stringer Bell instead.
    • Lance Reddick auditioned for the roles of Bunk Moreland and Bubbles before being cast as Cedric Daniels. He was told that they were looking for "a name" to fill the Daniels role.
    • Tray Chaney originally auditioned to play Wee-Bey Brice but the producers felt he was too short. They were so impressed with his audition that they created the character of Poot for him to play.
    • Jay Landsman auditioned for the character based on himself before being cast as Dennis Mello.
    • Seth Gilliam auditioned for the role of Stringer Bell before being cast as Ellis Carver.
    • Tristan Mack Wilds auditioned for the role of Randy Wagstaff before being cast as Michael Lee.
    • A twofer from season 3: Gbenga Akinnagbe auditioned for the role of Marlo Stanfield before being cast as Chris Partlow. The role of Marlo instead went to Jamie Hector, who had originally auditioned for the role of Cutty Wise.
    • Isaiah Whitlock Jr. auditioned for the role of Lester Freamon before being cast as Clay Davis.
    • Michael B. Jordan auditioned before casting director Alexa L. Fogel in New York City for the role of Bodie. He was called back twice and the auditions went well, but he was turned down for the part because Fogel thought he was too young. The part went to Jordan's friend J.D. Williams, who grew up in the same hometown with Jordan in Newark, New Jersey. And Jordan instead got cast as Wallace.
    • Anwan Glover auditioned for the roles of Marlo Stanfield, Fruit and Drac before being cast as Slim Charles.
    • Donnell Rawlings was considered for the role of Omar before being cast as recurring character Damien "Day Day" Price.
    • Jermaine Crawford auditioned for the role of Michael Lee before being cast as Dukie Weems.
    • Michael Kostroff originally auditioned for the part of Frank Barlow before being cast as Maurice Levy.
    • Reg E. Cathey also auditioned for the roles of Cedric Daniels and Lester Freamon. He was later cast in the show's fourth season as Norman Wilson.

    Theatre 
  • For the original run of Wicked, Jenna Leigh Green did an extensive audition process for the role of Elphaba, which of course ended up going to Idina Menzel. She was then called back for a two minute audition and given the role of Nessarose.

    Web Video 

    Western Animation 
  • For Amphibia, both Anna Akana and Haley Tju originally auditioned for the lead role of Anne before Brenda Song was cast. Braly still liked their auditions, however, and would go on to cast them as Anne's best friends Sasha and Marcy, respectively.
  • For Ben 10 (2016), Tara Strong almost didn't reprise the role of 10 year old Ben. Yuri Lowenthal, who voiced teenage Ben in the original series' three sequel series, auditioned for the role. While Tara got the role, he would later be cast as the show's version of Vilgax and (starting in his 2nd appearance) Michael Morningstar.
  • Batman: The Animated Series:
    • Tim Curry had originally been cast as the Joker, but he had to drop out because doing the Joker's laugh was too hard on his vocal cords, so he was replaced by Mark Hamill. He eventually guest starred in the Batman Beyond episode "Final Cut" as Mutro Botha.
    • Mark Hamill himself subverts this. He originally wanted to audition for one of the main villains, with the Joker being his top pick, but Tim Curry had already been cast in the role. He was also considered for Mr. Freeze, but that role went to Michael Ansara, so he instead voiced Ferris Boyle in Freeze's debut episode "Heart of Ice". After Tim dropped out, Hamill was then cast as the Joker.
    • Inverted with Kevin Conroy, who initially auditioned for the role of Detective Harvey Bullock. He believed that voicing the titular character would be boring and read for the part only at the behest of the crew.
    • John Glover had also auditioned for the Joker, but ended up voicing the Riddler.
    • Clancy Brown originally auditioned for Clark Kent on Superman: The Animated Series. According to Bruce Timm, when he was asked to portray Lex Luthor instead, his initial response was "Am I ever gonna get to play a good guy?" note 
    • Clancy Brown's casting was also an example of this: Sherman Howard was almost cast as Luthor prior to him, but was instead used as the Preserver and then later cast as Derek Powers on Batman Beyond.
  • Futurama: The role of Fry was originally going to be played by Charlie Schlatter, but after a change in casting, the role instead went to Billy West, who was already cast as Dr. Zoidberg and Professor Farnsworth. In addition, West filled in for the late Phil Hartman as Zapp Brannigan, who was originally created with Hartman in mind for the role.
  • The Ghost and Molly McGee: Michaela Dietz auditioned to play the titular character, but when Ashly Burch got the role instead, she was cast as Molly's brother Darryl.
  • Monica's Gang: In the early 1980’s, Angélica Santos had originally auditioned for the role of Maggy while Mauricio de Sousa Productions was in the process of recasting the characters. She ended up getting the role of Jimmy Five instead, and has become his official voice since.
  • In Phineas and Ferb, Mitchel Musso was originally hired to voice Ferb. When the creators decided to make him British instead, Musso was recast as Jeremy, whom they had previously planned to be The Ghost.
  • In Regular Show, Mark Hamill auditioned for Pops, but Sam Marin already got the role, so J.G. Quintel had him audition for Skips.
  • Scooby-Doo: A double case with Fred and Shaggy. Frank Welker, Fred's voice actor, auditioned to play Shaggy and Casey Kasem, Shaggy's original voice actor, auditioned for Fred. Welker was originally brought in to voice Scooby, given his legendary ability to mimic animal sounds is what got the attention of the crew in the first place, but Don Messick ended up being the original Scooby. Welker would later voice Scooby in addition to Fred starting in 2002 after Messick's death in 1997.
  • The Simpsons:
    • Nancy Cartwright and Yeardley Smith auditioned for both Bart and Lisa. For Smith, the casting director believed her distinctive voice was too high for Bart, and offered her Lisa instead. Cartwright, meanwhile, had been offered her choice between the two, and chose Bart because she liked his mischievous characteristics more.
    • During season 11, Drew Barrymore was originally meant to guest star as Becky in "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Marge", but plans got shuffled and she ended up guest-starring as Sophie in season 12's "Insane Clown Poppy" instead, and Parker Posey played Becky instead.
    • The producers wanted to cast William H. Macy as Frank Grimes in season 8's "Homer's Enemy". However, due to scheduling conflicts, Hank Azaria played Grimes, who based his mannerisms on Macy. Macy later appeared As Himself in season 17's "Homer's Paternity Coot".
    • The producers wanted The Rolling Stones to appear as themselves in season 4's "Krusty Gets Kancelled", but they turned down the offer. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards would eventually appear as themselves in season 14's "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation".
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars:
    • Catherine Taber auditioned for Ahsoka, but was considered too mature sounding for the Kid Hero and was instead cast as Padmé.
    • The opposite happened with Ashley Eckstein. She originally auditioned for Padmé, but was deemed too high-pitched and instead was cast as Ahsoka.
  • Star Wars Rebels:
    • Sam Witwer was originally cast as Kanan before Freddie Prinze Jr. came along. Sam later reprised his roles as Emperor Palpatine note  and Maul instead.
    • Philip Anthony-Rodriguez (Fifth Brother) auditioned for The Clone Wars.
  • Steven Universe: Both Shelby Rabara and Erica Luttrell came close to being cast as Garnet before Estelle got the roll instead. They were latter cast as Peridot and Sapphire, respectively.
  • Tara Strong originally auditioned for Starfire in Teen Titans (2003). Hynden Walch would be cast as Starfire, while she would go on to play Raven.
  • Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go: Glee Dango had originally auditioned for Kana, but ended up being cast as Sandy.
  • Voltron: Legendary Defender:
    • Jeremy Shada auditioned for the role of Keith before he was cast as Lance.
    • AJ Locascio claims that he originally auditioned for both Shiro and Keith before auditioning and then being cast as Lotor and James Griffin.
  • Young Justice (2010):
  • Work It Out Wombats!: As Rain Janjua says here, he originally auditioned for the role of Malik before being cast as Zeke.

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