The world of television can be cut-throat at times. With only so many leading parts to go around, many times actors wind up auditioning for the same part.
Below are 10+ TV roles that were almost played by other actors.
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Have a look and imagine for yourself just how different these shows might have been with a different cast of stars.
Elle Fanning auditioned to play one of Phoebe’s triplets on *Friends*.
Elle auditioned to play little baby Chandler !
Sadly, she lost out on the role. In a video interview Elle discusses how her sister ended up booking a slot on Friends in its final season.
Matt LeBlanc was almost Phil Dunphy on *Modern Family*.
“I remember reading it thinking, this is a really good script, (but) I’m not the guy for this. I’d be doing the project an injustice to take this. I know what I can do, I know what I can’t do.”
Ellen Degeneres turned down the offer to play Phoebe Bouffet on *Friends*.
It’s tough to picture anyone other than Lisa Kudrow in the role.
Still, it’s not hard to imagine that Ellen would have done an incredible job in her own right.
Matthew Broderick turned down the chance to play Walter White in *Breaking Bad*.
Apparently Matthew wasn’t the only one, either. John Cusack is also said to have declined the part.
Cranston was given the opportunity after having previously worked with the creators on an episode of The X-Files .
Octavia Spencer auditioned to play Donna in *Parks and Rec*.
When Retta was asked how she got the role of Donna, her response was,
“My manager called and said they were casting a pilot. Octavia Spencer and a lot of other of my ‘types’ were there.”
Rob Lowe turned down the role of ‘McDreamy’ Dr. Derek Shepherd on *Grey’s Anatomy*.
“I agreed to meet with the people making Grey’s Anatomy . I had read it and loved it—the writing was crisp, real and very entertaining—and it’s always been a good idea to hear out talented people.”
Bob Odenkirk was supposed to play Michael Scott in *The Office*.
Casting director for The Office , Allison Jones, once said of Odenkirk:
“His take on Michael was just as funny as Steve’s, but it was darker . . . The worst thing I ever had to do is tell Bob Odenkirk’s agent that he didn’t get The Office .”
Chris Rock was in the running to play George Costanza in *Seinfeld*.
Apparently there were several big name actors in the running to play George.
Not only Chris Rock but Danny DeVito, Nathan Lane, and Steve Buscemi all at one point were considered.
Iwan Rheon originally set his sights on playing Jon Snow in *Game Of Thrones*.
Iwan spoke about how he came to be offerd the role of Ramsay:
“I auditioned for the pilot of Game of Thrones, and was down to the last two for Jon Snow, so I guess they knew me.”
Lucy Hale auditioned for *Hannah Montana* years before Miley was even cast.
According to Lucy , she was only 15 years old at the time.
The audition fell through and the show was shelved until Miley Cyrus came along, and we are thankful that she did!
Selma Blair was the first choice for Joey in *Dawson’s Creek*.
“I really loved Selma until, of course, I got the infamous videotape from the basement of the Holmes family in Toledo, Ohio,” said show creator Kevin Williamson in an interview.
Oliver Hudson was one of the final few actors being considered to play Jack Pearson in *This Is Us*.
“I had a 10-day fishing trip planned. It’s my life! Fishing is a big part of my life and it was this 10-day fishing trip and my agent says, ‘We have to test, and they really like you, and this, this, and that.’ And I said, ‘Oh. I’m supposed to go on a fishing trip’
At one point, Katie Holmes was thought to play Piper in *Orange Is The New Black*.
“She had other things to do,” Kohan said, referring to Holmes. “And also in the beginning , no one knew what this was.”
How crazy would the show have been with Katie in the lead role?
Elizabeth Olsen auditioned to play Danaerys Targaryen in *Game Of Thrones*.
“When I first started working, I just auditioned for everything, because I like auditioning. And I auditioned for Khaleesi . I forgot that,” Olsen said during an interview.
That doesn’t seem like something you’d forget?
Originally, Courtney Cox was offered the role of Rachel Green instead of Monica Gellar.
Cox explained her reasoning for declining the role:
“For some reason, I thought I related more to Monica , which maybe it’s because I do, I’m very similar to her … I’m not as clean as Monica, but I am neat.”
