Some of the greatest movies of all time achieved their ranking because of the iconic leading actors who have starred in them. Just like directors, actors leave their mark on films whether it be by line delivery, iconic improvised moments or lines, or even something as little as a facial expression. Take any Jim Carrey movie, for example: would Ace Ventura be the same without him? Certainly.
Through the years, several major blockbuster films almost had completely different outcomes in terms of casting. For instance, throughout Batman's movie franchise history, different actors were almost cast as the Caped Crusader. Indeed, for many movies, actors were either changed at the last minute or had to cancel for another project. In this article, we’ll examine the alternate universe of casting what-ifs and if the same successes would have been achieved had a different face been put to the name of some of cinema's most beloved characters. As such, here are 8 movies that almost had different lead actors.
8 Britney Spears as Allie in The Notebook
The Notebook, the 2004 hit romance based on Nicholas Sparks' novel of the same name, quickly became an instant classic as far a tragic love stories go. The love of Noah and Allie was cemented into cinematic history with all the great loves because the chemistry between Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling was kinetic. The onscreen, and then offscreen, couple brought their characters to life with their charm, passion, and utterly believable portrayal as two kids in love. However, McAdams' Allie was almost depicted by a completely different face that would have notably changed the dynamic of the movie and its place in romance history.
Brittany Spears, one of the biggest pop stars of the early 2000s, had a screen test and read for the role of Allie. According to casting director Matthew Barry, it was a close call between the two. The role ultimately went to Rachel McAdams because of her audition tape. The Notebook was McAdams' breakout role, which landed her a spot in Hollywood for years to come. However, it's hard to imagine what The Notebook would have looked like had a pop sensation as Britney Spears taken on the leading lady, particularly one who knew Gosling when they were kids in The Mickey Mouse Club together.
7 Jim Carrey as Buddy in Elf
In 2000, Jim Carrey took on one of the most iconic performances of The Grinch to date in How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Even after twenty years, the Christmas classic still holds weight in the mainstream. Elf was released a few years after The Grinch, and the world found yet another Christmas staple. Before Will Ferrell found his inner Buddy, Carrey was desired for the role. However, the deal never fully materialized.
Elf was originally scripted in 1993, but was stuck in development for almost ten years. In 1993, Carrey was becoming one of the hottest comedic actors of the time. Ace Ventura, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber were all boiling for Carrey, and by the time the production was set for Elf, Carrey moved on to bigger and better things. By 2003, Carrey was landing comedy roles like Bruce Almighty alongside Jennifer Aniston, and dipping his toes into more serious waters with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind a year later. Ferrrell had been finding his place on Saturday Night Live, and was considered for the role of Buddy as his comedic strength was picking up more and more heat.
6 Robin Williams as Jack Torrance in The Shining
The Shining, one of Stephen King's most popular novels and a Stanley Kubrick classic adaptation, features Jack Nicholson playing one of his most insane roles to date. Like, literally insane. It is said that on set, Kubrick would torment the actors in a variety of ways to get them to start to slowly lose their mind as if they were in The Overlook Hotel. Yet, what would this have looked like had it been Robin Williams welding the ax and not Nicholson?
Kubrick initially considered Williams for the role of Jack Torrance. There is no doubt that Williams was an incredible actor, and would have absolutely given this part his all. Yet, there is something about Jack Torrance that Nicholson encompasses so fully. Kubrick disclosed that Williams was "too psychotic" for the role of Jack Torrance after he watched his performance on a 1970s sitcom Mork and Mindy.
5 Anne Hathaway as Tiffany in Silver Linings Playbook
Jennifer Lawrence scored her first Academy Award for her performance of Tiffany in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook. The Hunger Games actress went on to star in Russell's American Hustle and Joy, which may have never happened had she not landed the role as Tiffany.
Initially, Anne Hathaway was originally cast as Tiffany, but left the film due to creative differences. The film's leads were supposed to be Hathaway and Mark Walhberg, and production execs were nervous about who would be her replacement. This isn't the first time that Hathaway dropped out of a role, but the same year that she left Tiffany behind is also the same year that she brought home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Les Misérables.
4 Emma Watson as Mia in La La Land
La La Land swept the Oscars in 2017, claiming wins in four different categories. One of those Oscars went to Emma Stone for her performance as Mia, the film's lead. Boasting a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is clear that La La Land's popularity is undeniable. Romantic, artsy, and slightly comedic on the off-beat, La La Land is a fun watch. However, the ever so witty Stone wasn't originally supposed to star in the film.
Emma Watson was the original choice for Mia, and out of all the casting what-ifs in the world, hers seems to be the most sensible. Mia is quirky, smart, witty, and surprisingly grounded in her stubbornness. This would have been a home-run for Watson, but she simply didn't have the time. That same year, Watson was cast as Belle in the live-action telling of Beauty and the Beast. Watson stated in an interview with Entertainment Weekly's SiriusXM show: "I knew I had horse training, I knew I had dancing, I knew I had three months of singing ahead of me and I knew I had to be in London to really do that. This wasn’t a movie I could just kind of parachute into."
3 Reese Witherspoon as Cher in Clueless
Clueless, the cult classic known for its spot-on 90s fashion and memorable line deliveries, almost had a completely different Cher. If you have never seen the film, Alicia Silverstone completely embodies the character, and it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role. However, Cher was almost played by Reese Witherspoon.
Director Amy Herckerling said that she had met with Witherspoon, but she never actually read for the role. They met for tea, and Heckerling says she was impressed by one of Witherspoon's performances, but she couldn't stop thinking of Silverstone. She went on to say, "And by that time I was, like, already settled on Alicia, who I love. Who, you know, was in my head while I was writing." Silverstone had gained popularity and had already had made her debut in the thriller The Crush before reaching her Clueless fame.
2 Johnny Depp as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho
Christian Bale is known for his extreme practices of method acting and that's part of the reason that American Psycho is so good. Bale took on Patrick Bateman's entire work out and skin routine that he narrates in the opening of the movie. American Psycho was adapted from the novel of the same name, and followed the plot as closely as they could. The novel was deeply criticized for its vicious outbursts against women and namely had a great deal of controversy surrounding its film production. Bret Easton Ellis, the author of the novel, was set to write the screenplay himself and, in doing so, had Johnny Depp in mind to play Bateman. He planned on having an X-rating and sticking to the plot as it is in the novel. The project fell through and so did the idea of Depp in the role that turned out to be Bale's breakthrough.
1 Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly in Back to the Future
Eric Stoltz, sometimes known as "the guy who didn't do Back to the Future," was originally cast to be Marty McFly. His achievements as one of the goofy surfer-bros in Fast Times in Ridgemont High sparked the initial interest in Stoltz's ability to play a time-traveling teen. Images were released of Stoltz's Marty online and there was a lot of buzz around the internet as to why Micheal J. Fox was his replacement. Stoltz's acting career didn't suffer by any means, but would he have been a bigger household name had the role as Marty worked out for him? Fox started on the sitcom Family Ties, but it was because of Back to the Future that he earned his real claim to fame. Landing the Back to the Future franchise was only the beginning of his reign on 80s cinema.
So why not Stoltz? Stoltz was replaced in the middle of production. A few scenes of the movie were even shot with Stoltz, however, none of them have been released to the public. Christopher Lloyd claimed that production was looking for someone with more comedic qualities, but even Lloyd himself was worried about the transition. Lloyd commented on Fox and him in an interview stating, "We had a chemistry, which lasted the whole time... We could come back after a break, and it would just be there. You didn't have to work for it, which was great." When you think of the 80s it is almost impossible not to mention Micheal J. Fox and Back to the Future.