Margot Robbie Lost Out on Role in ‘American Horror Story: Asylum’ Despite Being a ‘Favorite’ Casting Choice

Margot Robbie almost was part of the Ryan Murphy television universe.

The “Barbie” star and producer auditioned for “American Horror Story: Asylum,” which aired in 2012. The FX series starred franchise staples Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, and Lily Rabe, with Chloë Sevigny, Clea DuVall, Adam Levine, and Jenna Dewan having guest appearances in the Emmy-nominated anthology installment.

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Casting director Eric Dawson revealed that Robbie auditioned for an undisclosed role, and despite being one of his “favorite” performances, she was not cast.

“Margot has a lot of ‘it’ factors. That’s the tough thing for casting directors who aren’t in the room [anymore] with actors,” Dawson said during Backstage’s “In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast.” “Margot is probably one of my favorite auditions of all time, and it was right before she broke out. She was such a star. It was crazy, her star appeal when she walked in the room. Even though she didn’t get that role, that was one of those things as a casting director where you go: This is a star, what do we do with her?”

Dawson continued, “Immediately, though, she was out of our realm of possibility of hiring. But that’s really the fun part of casting, is seeing the people whose careers are just rising.”

Dawson has been the casting director for most of executive producer Murphy’s productions, ranging from “Glee” to the recent Netflix series “Dahmer.” A new installment of “AHS” titled “Delicate” is set to premiere September 20, with Emma Roberts, Cara Delevingne, and Kim Kardashian starring.

At the time of Robbie’s “AHS” audition, the Australian actress was coming off of the short-lived series “Pan Am” which aired from 2011 to 2012. Robbie would then star in “About Time” and land her breakout role in Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” both released in 2013.

Robbie recalled auditioning for lead roles following the “Pan Am” cancellation. The Oscar nominee told The Guardian in 2018 that she would approach casting calls fearlessly, despite being new to Hollywood.

“I would go in thinking, ‘You fucking wait, look up from your papers, watch me, I’m going to blow your fucking mind,'” Robbie said.

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