Millie Bobby Brown Almost Quit Acting After A Failed "Game Of Thrones" Audition, And 16 Other Actors Who Auditioned For Big Roles, But Didn't Get Them

1.Dylan Minnette — who you've seen in 13 Reasons Why, Scream, and The Dropout — auditioned for the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

A closeup of Dylan Minnette
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Dylan said in an interview with BuzzFeed: "I did go on an audition for Spider-Man, the new one. But to be honest, it was at a time where I wasn't necessarily, like, seeking it out — really. I feel like I wasn't at a point in my career, in my life, where I would feel like I was fully ready to commit to something like that anyway. So I don't think I gave it my all or my best."

The part ultimately went to Tom Holland.

Tom Holland smiling
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Dylan said that he's ultimately glad Tom was the one who got the role in the end, explaining, "I think that Tom Holland always would have gotten the part. He was meant to be that part. He’s the best Spider-Man, I think. His [performance] was incredible. So I'm not saying that I could have gotten that part."

2.Asa Butterfield — who's best known for his role in Sex Education, along with Ender's Game, Hugo, and other films — also auditioned for Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

Asa Butterfield standing by greenery and wearing a suit
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Asa said in an interview with Collider: "Every so often there’s a part [that you really want] and it’s a script you love, and you kind of put your heart and soul into it, and you don’t get it. And it is tough and it is shit, but I often find that something even better comes out of it at the end. And so in the case of Spider-Man, I did Sex Ed, because I wouldn’t have been able to do both of those at the same time."

Asa Butterfield standing next to someone in "Sex Ed"
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Similarly to Dylan, Asa said he thinks Tom was right for the part in the end: "You might just not be the right person, and that’s out of your hands. And that’s something I’ve learned, something that I think is great to help me kind of get over it. Because Tom did amazing things with Peter and he had an entirely different portrayal of him and I think it’s worked so well in the universe and in that part, and I don’t think I could do it. So I think all things work out in the end."

3.Chance Perdomo, best known for playing Ambrose on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, auditioned for the role of Jughead Jones on Riverdale.

Chance Perdomo smiling
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Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the creator of both Riverdale and Sabrina, said in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter that he was "so impressed" by Chance's Riverdale audition. Roberto revealed that he actually later wrote the role of Ambrose with Chance in mind.

Chance in "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina"
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The role of Jughead ultimately went to Cole Sprouse.

Cole Sprouse smiling at an event
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4.Speaking of Riverdale, Katherine Langford, known for 13 Reasons Why, Cursed, and Love, Simon, auditioned for the role of Betty Cooper.

Katherine Langford smiling
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Camila Mendes (who plays Veronica) revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that she and Katherine became friends during auditions: "I remember we went out and we got falafel with a guy who was auditioning for Archie."

Camila Mendes and Katherine Langford at an event
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The part ultimately went to Lili Reinhart.

Lili Reinhart smiling
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5.Speaking of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Joshua Bassett, known for his role on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, auditioned for the part of Harvey Kinkle.

Joshua Bassett smiling and wearing a striped blazer and shirt
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Joshua revealed in an interview with BuzzFeed that he was "really close" to landing the part, which ultimately went to Ross Lynch.

Ross Lynch smiling and standing against a backdrop of flowers
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Joshua explained, "It was down to me and Ross Lynch, and he got it, and I'm super happy for him. But yeah, I was definitely like really hoping for that one."

Harvey Kinkle standing against lockers
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6.And while we're on the subject, Sara Waisglass, best known for Ginny & Georgia and Degrassi, auditioned for the role of Sabrina Spellman on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Sara Waisglass in "Ginny and Georgia" standing in a school cafeteria
Sophie Giraud / Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

Sara talked about her auditions for Sabrina and other roles in an interview with BuzzFeed: "Honestly, the women they cast for those roles were perfect, so I can't even be upset. Sometimes, you gotta just take the L."

The part ultimately went to Kiernan Shipka.

Kiernan Shipka smiling and wearing a black top
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7.Gabrielle Union, who you've seen in Bring It On and Cheaper by the Dozen, auditioned for the part of Valerie in Josie and the Pussycats.

Union at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2022
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The part ultimately went to Rosario Dawson.

Rosario Dawson smiling with her hand on her hip
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8.Taylor Momsen, who's best known for her music and playing Jenny Humphrey on Gossip Girl, auditioned for the titular character on Hannah Montana.

Taylor Momsen wearing a lace outfit and gemstone necklace
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Ultimately, however, Taylor is grateful she didn't land the part. She explained in an interview with Express: "Honestly, if I'd have ended up as Hannah Montana, I don't know if the show would have gone as well. I probably would have told them all to go f*ck themselves by the time I hit 11. And I don't know how that would have gone down. ... I really like where I am right now and I feel really fortunate to be able to really be myself."

Taylor Momsen talking into a mic
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The part ultimately went to Miley Cyrus.

Miley Cirus talking into a mic
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9.On a related note, Lily Collins, who you've most recently seen on Emily in Paris, actually auditioned for the role of Jenny on Gossip Girl.

Lily Collins wearing a blazer and top
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Lily said in an interview with Glamour: "I remember the screen test for Gossip Girl was on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank. I was about 17 or 18 years old at the time. I remember driving onto the lot and going, 'Oh my God. This is surreal.' I wanted it so badly."

A young woman sitting on a Fender amp
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10.One last Gossip Girl note: Jennifer Lawrence, best known for starring as Katniss in The Hunger Games movies, apparently auditioned for the role of Serena van der Woodsen.

Jennifer Lawrence smiling and wearing a polka dot outfit
James Devaney / GC Images

Gossip Girl creator Josh Schwartz said in an interview with Vulture: "We did not realize this at the time, but Jennifer Lawrence really wanted to play Serena and auditioned. This story came to us secondhand, but we were told she definitely auditioned and was bummed to not get it."

The part ultimately went to Blake Lively.

Blake Lively standing with her hands on her hips
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Jennifer also auditioned for the role of Bella Swan in Twilight.

Kristen Stewart as Bella in "Twilight"
Summit Entertainment

She explained in an interview with US Weekly: "I didn’t really know what [Twilight] was. You just get like five pages [at the audition] and they’re like, 'Act monkey.' And when it came out I was like, 'Hot damn. Whoa.'"

The part ultimately went to Kristen Stewart.

Kristen Stewart smiling
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11.Keke Palmer, known for True Jackson, VP, Hustlers, and her stellar memes, auditioned for the part of Iris West on The Flash.

Keke Palmer smiling with her hand on her hip
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The part, which ultimately went to Candice Patton, was reportedly a close call.

Candice Patton smiling with her hand on her hip
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Casting director David Rapaport explained in an interview with BuzzFeed: "That was a really hard role to cast. We had seen Candice initially, but I think we were too early on in the process to cast her so we ended up testing Keke Palmer and this other girl, but they felt a little too young next to Grant [Gustin, who plays Barry]. When building an ensemble, you have to do those chemistry reads to find out who works best together."

Grant Gustin and Candice Patton in "The Flash"
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12.Olivia Wilde, best known for playing Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on House and directing Booksmart, auditioned for the part of Marissa Cooper on The O.C.

Olivia Wilde smiling
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Creator Josh Schwartz said on a panel at the ATX Festival that the role was down to her and Mischa Barton (the latter of whom ultimately landed the part).

Mischa Barton smiling and wearing an animal print top
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The creator explained his reasoning for the casting decision: “Marissa was obviously a character who Ryan needs to save, and Olivia Wilde needs no saving. She’s pretty tough."

Ryan and Marissa on "The OC"
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However, Olivia later went on to appear on The O.C. as a recurring character in Season 2. She played Marissa's girlfriend, Alex Kelly!

Alex and Marissa holding hands
Warner Bros/Everett Collection

13.John Krasinksi, aka Jim Halpert from The Office, auditioned to play Captain America in the MCU.

John Krasinksi with his hands in his pockets wearing a suede jacket
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In an interview on The Ellen Degeneres Show, John explained: "The truth is, they hadn't offered it to [Chris] yet, so they were like, 'Let's see who else is out there before we offer it to Chris Evans.' And um, I went in and I tested for Captain America. This is a true story. I was putting the suit on, and the [costume] guy was like, 'This is really momentous.' And I said, 'Yes.'"

Chris Evans as Captain America
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He continued, "And I was putting the suit on, and I was halfway up — not wearing any clothes other than this — and [the suit] was halfway up. And right at that moment, Chris Hemsworth walked by, and he was like, 'Ya look good, mate.' And I was like, 'Nope. You know what, it's fine. We don't have to do this.'"

The part ultimately went to Chris Evans.

Chris Evans on the red carpet
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You can hear John tell the full story below:

14.Britney Spears auditioned for the part of Allie in The Notebook.

Britney Spears smiling
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Casting director Matthew Barry revealed in an interview with E! News that Britney was actually really close to landing the part. "At the height of her career she was like, ‘I want to be really prepared for this,'" he said. "So I said, 'OK, come work with me and my partner.' And she came in eight hours, two days in a row and worked with us. She was fantastic. They loved Britney. It was probably between Rachel [McAdams] and Britney at the time."

Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling in "The Notebook"
New Line Cinema / Courtesy Everett Collection

The role ultimately went to Rachel McAdams.

Rachel McAdams smiling with her hand on her hip
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15.Evan Peters, known for his roles in American Horror Story, Pose, Mare of Easttown, and the X-Men movies, auditioned for the part of Stiles on Teen Wolf.

A closeup of Evan Peters
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Teen Wolf creator Jeff Davis revealed in an interview with E! News that Evan read for the part. However, the role ultimately went to Dylan O'Brien.

Dylan O'Brien wearing a Hawaiian shirt
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Jeff explained his reasoning behind the casting decision: "[Dylan] came in and I remember very clearly seeing his headshot, flipping it around and most resumes have this long list of who they were trained by, what films they've been in and guest star roles, what their special skills are. His was two YouTube links and that was it. I thought, 'OK.' He had this quality about him. He just seemed elastic. He reminded me of a young Jim Carrey."

Dylan O'Brien in "Teen Wolf"
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16.Millie Bobby Brown, best known for playing Eleven on Stranger Things, auditioned for the part of Lyanna Mormont on Game of Thrones.

Millie Bobby Brown smiling
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In fact, Millie said she almost gave up on acting entirely after not landing that role. She explained in an interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show: "I think I was just very disheartened by the rejection. I guess I really wanted that role."

Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont in "Game of Thrones"
HBO

The role ultimately went to Bella Ramsey.

Bella Ramsey at an event
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17.And finally, Cassie Steele, aka THE Manny Santos from Degrassi: The Next Generation, almost played Gabriella Montez in High School Musical.

Cassie Steele smiling and standing outside at night
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It's not quite clear if she was officially offered the part, but it was reportedly the actor's scheduling conflicts with Degrassi that took her out of the running in the end.

A closeup of Cassie Steele smiling
CTV

The role ultimately went to Vanessa Hudgens.

Vanessa Hudgens smiling
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Which of these surprised you the most? Would you have actually preferred any of these castings?! Tell us in the comments!