4 Sitcom Characters With Surprisingly Dark Backstories

From drugs, to stabbings, to mysterious childhood illnesses

Authors: By JM McNab
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 0

The Best Exchanges Between Homer Simpson and His Own Brain

Inside the strained relationship between Homer and his own head

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 0

13 Funny Jokes from Kate Berlant

Berlant’s comedy washes over you like an absurdist wave, so it’s best to just go with the flow

Authors: By Erik Barnes
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 0

Bombshell Surprises ‘The Office’ Characters Must Have Learned When Their Documentary Came Out

Which of the Scranton branch’s dirty secrets would cause the most trouble after exposure

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 0

5 Fitness Products That Were Sued Out of Existence

When the U.S. government and Federal Trade Commission is your best gym buddy

Authors: By Ian Douglass
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 0

15 Bonkers Ways Actors Got Their Big Roles

By:: Andrea Meno

February 01, 2021

15 Bonkers Ways Actors Got Their Big Roles

Sigourney Weaver might have had to do some weird stuff on camera for Ghostbusters, but that’s pretty tame compared to her audition. Let us tell you about that and 14 more stories ...

15

Sigourney Weaver got cast in Ghostbusters because she got on all fours and howled like a dog. She thought Dana should be possessed and basically turned into a dog, so when she met with director Ivan Reitman, she jumped on his coffee table on all fours and howled like a — Source: The Hollywood Reporter

14

They only put Shane Black in Predator SO he could rewrite the script for them. 5FTROCY He didn't want to do a rewrite, so they gave him a role, thinking that they could get him to do it if he was on set. But when he showed up, he again — Source: 6 Crazy Auditions That Landed Actors Their Famous Roles

13

Harvey Stevens was cast in The Omen because he kicked the director in the crotch. Director Richard Donner wasn't sure if Stevens could pull off the scene where, as Damien, he has to fight his own mother- so in the audition, Donner told him to come at him. Stevens charged — Source: 6 Crazy Auditions That Landed Actors Their Famous Roles

12

They put Ryan Gosling in The Notebook because they thought he wasn't handsome. Director Nick Cassavetes told him, I want you to play this role because you're not like the other young actors out there in Hollywood. You're not handsome, you're not cool, you're just a regular guy who looks — Source: 6 Crazy Auditions That Landed Actors Their Famous Roles

11

Friends' Gunther was originally just an extra. He was just in the background for the first season and a half, and then they asked the actor, James Michael Tyler, if he had any acting experience. They started giving him a line here and there, and eventually fleshed him out into — Source: 6 Crazy Auditions That Landed Actors Their Famous Roles

10

Harrison Ford got cast as Han Solo because he was installing Francis Ford Coppola's door. That's where he ran into George Lucas, who had him sit opposite actresses he was auditioning for Princess Leia and read Han Solo's lines. Which made him realize that Ford should really play Solo. — Source: 6 Crazy Auditions That Landed Actors Their Famous Roles

9

Rory McCann got the role of The Hound because his sister messed up. He had asked her to print out his audition speech, but she'd only gotten the first few lines, so he went in with basically nothing. He then ad-libbed the whole thing, unleashing all the anger he was — Source: 6 Crazy Auditions That Landed Actors Their Famous Roles

8

Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella had Timon and Pumbaa tailor-made for them. They had auditioned for the hyenas in Lion King, but the studio liked them so much that they created two new characters, Timon and Pumbaa, for them. CRACKEDcO — Source: Entertainment Weekly

7

John Krasinski got a role on The Office by badmouthing the show to the executive producer. The producer sat down next to Krasinski while he was waiting to audition, and Krasinski, who had no idea who he was, told him he was really afraid they'll screw up the show. When — Source: HelloGiggles

6

Seinfeld's Soup Nazi showed up to his audition in military uniform. Larry Thomas thought the Soup Nazi was going to be an actual Nazi, so he put on a uniform to show how totally committed he was. He looked like Saddam Hussein, in his words. And he still got the — Source: The Hollywood Reporter

5

Rachel McAdams played Regina George in Mean Girls just because Lindsay Lohan couldn't. They had cast Lohan as Regina, but then decided she couldn't play the villain because Freaky Friday had just come out and her fans wouldn't want to see her as a bad guy. So they cast Rachel — Source: Vulture

4

Pedro Pascal shot his Game of Thrones audition on a janky iPhone. It looked like s**t, said show co-creator David Benioff-- it was shot vertical on an old-school iPhone and looked really amateurish. But his performance was intense and believable and just right, so he got the part. — Source: Variety

3

Pat Morita auditioned 5 times for The Karate Kid. Pat Morita was a comedian, so producer Jerry Weintraub had a hard time believing he could pull off a dramatic role. After 5 tests, Weintraub said Pat, I almost made the worst mistake of my life. I just want to be — Source: The Hollywood Reporter

2

James Cameron cast Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic because all the women in the building came to see him. Matthew McConaughey had already auditioned and did really well, but then they called in Dicaprio, and every woman in the building, from the accountant to the security guard, came to the meeting. — Source: The Wrap

1

Hugh Laurie's American accent was sO convincing, House M.D. executive producer Bryan Singer had no idea he was British. When he saw Laurie's audition, he went See, this is what I want: an American guy. The producers were looking for a quintessentially American person, says creator David Shore, and apparently — Source: USA Today

Scroll down for the next article

Must Read

25 of the Funniest Tweets from the Week of September 18, 2023

It’s really not looking good for Joe Jonas lol

Authors: By Ian Garner
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 0

28 Funny, Strange or Unbelievable Things Security Guards Have Seen People Do On Camera

Stop doing weird stuff in the elevator, they can see you

Authors: By Ian Garner
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 1

‘Alright, Alright, Alright’: 30 Trivia Tidbits About ‘Dazed and Confused’ for Its 30th Anniversary

A bar trip for cheaper drinks kick-started Matthew McConaughey’s movie career

Authors: By Brian VanHooker
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 0

15 Hard-Living Centenarians That Suggest Drinking and Smoking Might Be Incredibly Good for You

I forget, does correlation imply causation?

Authors: By Mike Rampton
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 0

4 Iconic Pop-Culture Names We Got Stuck With Because Someone Sued

There’s a method to the madness behind ‘Fast and Furious’

Authors: By Ryan Menezes
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 2

Best and Worst Sitcom Dads, According to Reddit

TV fathers know best — except when they’re absolute jerks

Authors: By Matt Solomon
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 4

MUST READ

4 Sitcom Characters With Surprisingly Dark Backstories

From drugs, to stabbings, to mysterious childhood illnesses

Authors: By JM McNab
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 0

The Best Exchanges Between Homer Simpson and His Own Brain

Inside the strained relationship between Homer and his own head

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 0

Bombshell Surprises ‘The Office’ Characters Must Have Learned When Their Documentary Came Out

Which of the Scranton branch’s dirty secrets would cause the most trouble after exposure

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: September 24, 2023
Comments: 0