If you want to see how the sausage gets made in Hollywood, look no further than celeb audition tapes.
We’re able to see some of our favorite stars hustlin’ for the roles they were clearly meant to play.
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From Blake Lively trying out for Gossip Girl , to Aaron Paul in Breaking Bad , here are 10+ side-by-sides of actors in their auditions vs. the actual scene.
Russell Brand in ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’
There’s actually an amazing backstory behind this entirely improvised audition tape .
Brand impressed the producers and writers so much that they rewrote some of the script to create his character, Aldous Snow.
While you’re at it, check out Kristen’s audition tape.
Blake Lively in ‘Gossip Girl’
It’s a good thing Blake nailed this audition since playing Serena van der Woodsen is ultimately what launched the star’s career.
Where would we be without her and Ryan Reynolds?
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint in ‘Harry Potter’
Aww, they were so little!
In both clips, the trio performed the scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when Hermione learns about Nicolas Flamel.
Ian Somerhalder in ‘Vampire Diaries’
Casting Ian in the role as Damon ended up being one of the smartest things the show ever did, as everyone said that he was the perfect choice to play the smoldering vampire.
And, based on this audition tape , we agree.
Rachel McAdams in ‘The Notebook’
You look at these pics and you just know that the Canadian actress was made to play Allie in the romantic tear-jerker.
Dacre Montgomery in ‘Stranger Things’
Dacre was the new kid on the block on Stranger Things in Season 2.
While his character ended up being, well, terrible, he played a bad boy so well.
Miley Cyrus in ‘Hannah Montana’
The “Malibu” singer was just 12 years old when she beat out thousands of other Hannah-wannabes for the role of the secret pop singer.
There’s even this video of her watching her old audition tape!
Shay Mitchell in ‘Pretty Little Liars’
On her YouTube channel, the actress rewatched her old tape for fans. She even gave them some behind-the-scenes secrets of how the audition process went.
In the end, this would be the role that kickstarted her career, leading her to other big projects such as Netflix’s You .
Gwendoline Christie in ‘Game of Thrones’
Judging by this audition tape, she was meant to play Brienne of Tarth, the headstrong character who put Jaime in his place, all the while uncovering his softer side.
Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse in ‘Superbad’
Watching this audition tape of the guys improvising is almost as hilarious as the actual movie.
You can see exactly why the movie was such a hit right from the start.
Steve Carrell in ‘Anchorman’
Just try not to laugh while looking at these stills.
Thanks to his audition , some fans think that he did a better job at this scene in the audition tape as opposed to what we see in the movie!
Aaron Paul in ‘Breaking Bad’
In his audition tape, the actor messed up his lines and still got the part.
Suffice to say, there’s just no one else who could play Jesse Pinkman the way he did.
Emma Stone in ‘Easy A’
When Emma did this tape , it was her first time auditioning for a lead role in a film. It was also the first time she had to audition via a vlog webcam-style audition tape.
Thankfully, she nailed it , bringing along her signature humor and charm.
John Krasinski in ‘The Office’
Right from the get-go, John captured the loveable but bored Jim Halpert.
What you see in the audition is exactly what we see for Jim’s first interview in the pilot of the hit show.
Daisy Ridley in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
It’s hard to believe that Ridley had only acted in minor TV roles before this intense audition for Star Wars .
She completely nailed the emotion of the scene!
Matthew McConaughey in ‘Dazed and Confused’
Not only did this audition kickstart the actor’s career, but it also led to his famous catchphrase, “Alright, alright, alright.”
Also, seeing a young Matthew is everything we needed to see today.
Chloë Moretz in ‘Let Me In’
Aww, baby Chloë! She was only 12 years old when she auditioned to play a vampire.
It’s clear to see why she’s built such an impressive career in Hollywood, having worked with directors such as Tim Burton and Martin Scorsese.
She’s just that talented!
Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Iron Man’
Believe it or not, Robert wasn’t just handed the role he was meant to play. He had to audition and do screen-tests like everybody else.
Thankfully, he pulled off the confident charm that we so love in Tony Stark and he went on to play the role for a decade!
Lea Michele in ‘Glee’
She nailed the role as Rachel Barry for six seasons, but Michele later admitted that she had a “disastrous” audition for the show.
The piano man messed up her song. “I got so nervous and freaked out,” she said in this clip . When she left, she thought it went terribly, but thankfully, she acted enough like Rachel to nab the part.
Ed Westwick in ‘Gossip Girl’
No one else could play Chuck Bass the way Ed Westwick did and his audition tape proves exactly that.
He’s pretentious while still being utterly charming.
Seth Rogen in ‘Freaks and Geeks’
Before he was making us laugh in Superbad , Pineapple Express , and Knocked Up , the Canadian actor starred in Freaks and Geeks .
Selena Gomez in ‘The Wizards of Waverly Place’
Selena was just 11 when she had her first audition with Disney. “You know, I’m not going to cry if I don’t get it,” she said right after it. This proves that she was always so confident in herself.
Thankfully, she did nab the role and it ended up being her breakout one!
Jason Momoa in ‘Game of Thrones’
Despite his incredibly good looks, it wasn’t until the Hawaiian-born actor starred in HBO’s Game of Thrones that everyone really knew his name.
In his audition tape, he actually did a ceremonial Haka dance. He also did it on the red carpet and even in his Apple TV show, See .
