- 3 hours ago
Sometimes the best roles come from the biggest blunders! Join us as we count down the most fascinating times actors landed iconic roles largely by accident. From botched auditions to being in the wrong place at the right time, these casting stories will leave you absolutely stunned. Which of these accidental casting moments surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments!
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00:05Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most notable times an
00:10actor landed a role largely on account of a mistake. For clarification, we're not discussing
00:16actors whose casting was considered a mistake.
00:26Neil Patrick Harris – How I Met Your Mother
00:28When you think of Harris, the first character who comes to mind is potentially Barney Stinson.
00:34It's gonna be legend. Wait for it. And I hope you're not lactose intolerant because the second half of that
00:39word is dairy.
00:40Despite many of his mishaps being problematic by today's standards, he's still an adored character.
00:46Originally, he was meant to be entirely different, planned to be a rotund, cigar-smoking Jack Black.
00:53Since Harris didn't fit this description, he made the mistake of going as overboard as possible during the audition.
01:07This included him doing a dive role straight into a desk. The chaos of this performance ultimately proved successful,
01:14as he was given the role and the character was re-written to fit his style.
01:19Most people associate success with money and power.
01:22But really, it's a state of mind.
01:26Aaron Paul – Breaking Bad
01:28It's hard to think how Breaking Bad would have gone down without Jesse or Aaron Paul playing him.
01:34So you do have a plan?
01:35Yeah, Mr. White!
01:38Yeah, science!
01:39Yeah, science!
01:40Fascinatingly, he was originally intended to die in Season 1.
01:43But the creator loved Paul's performance, so he scrapped that idea completely.
01:48This makes it surprising when you learn how Paul got the role, which was from a botched audition.
01:57He messed up a line which embarrassed him so bad that he walked away thinking he had no chance of
02:03getting the part.
02:04Thankfully for Paul, Gilligan liked him so much that he gave him the part anyway.
02:08This wasn't a popular decision though.
02:10Basically, everyone else told him to get someone else.
02:13Honestly, no one wanted me, other than Vince.
02:17Really?
02:17And finally, I mean, he just said, listen, this is the guy I want.
02:22You know, this is my show.
02:23So he made them…
02:24He made it happen.
02:26Right.
02:26Thank God.
02:28Robert Pattinson – Twilight
02:30Did you know Robert Pattinson has a deep fear of auditions?
02:33This would lead to his confidence flying out the window during many auditions.
02:37To combat this phobia, he decided to take an anti-anxiety pill before his Twilight audition.
02:43Which is no good at auditioning ever, because I can't cry on cue, which is basically seems to be like,
02:48that is the way to get things for an audition.
02:51This decision could have made him tank auditions for most characters, making him completely spaced out.
02:57Thankfully, this worked wonders since it fit the character perfectly.
03:01You didn't answer my question.
03:03Oh, you don't answer any of mine, so…
03:05I don't know.
03:06I mean, you don't even say hi to me.
03:08There are loads of other stories surrounding this era of Pattinson's career.
03:12For instance, he didn't understand the film's appeal at first.
03:15Plus, he supposedly refused to shower on set.
03:19Beautiful.
03:20This is the skin of the killer, Bella.
03:22Viggo Mortensen – The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring
03:26It's hard to believe anyone else is Aragorn in this fantasy film trilogy.
03:30Turns out, he was a last-minute decision.
03:33I can avoid being seen if I wish, but to disappear entirely, that is a rare gift.
03:39Who are you?
03:41Are you frightened?
03:44Yes.
03:45Initially, they cast Stuart Townsend as the character.
03:48They trained him up for two months, but literally the day before filming, they axed him for the project.
03:53Peter Jackson ultimately decided that he'd mistakenly cast someone too young, so he scrambled to get Mortensen involved at the
04:0111th hour.
04:02By my life or death, I can protect you.
04:05I will.
04:10You have my sword.
04:11Mortensen largely got involved because of his son's encouragement, as no one realized how famous it would make him.
04:18Sadly for Townsend, they never actually paid him, despite giving two months of his life to them.
04:23No matter you.
04:29No matter you.
04:29No matter you.
04:30No matter you.
04:30No matter you.
04:31No matter you.
04:32Matt Dillon – Over the Edge
04:34Where'd you get that belt buckle?
04:36A friend gave it to me.
04:37Well, what is it?
04:39It's a leaf.
04:40What kind?
04:42Poison ivy, I think.
04:43If you ask anyone who is a teacher, they'd tell you it's a big mistake to cut even a single
04:49class.
04:49If you ask actor Matt Dillon, he would hesitate to disagree.
04:53Hey, boys.
04:54You heard me about a party?
04:56Where?
04:57We're at Old Town.
04:58Come on, let's go.
05:00This is because in 1978, while cutting class, he bumped into director Jonathan Kaplan, who was casting his new drama,
05:08Over the Edge.
05:08It was miles away from being considered a hit.
05:11It earned only $200,000, but Dillon's performance was strong enough to get him two more film roles.
05:17Hey, where'd you get this box?
05:19Oh, some robbery scheme I planned up.
05:22Worked out pretty decent.
05:24Was that before or after you broke into a bike shop?
05:27Shut up.
05:28These were Little Darlings and My Bodyguard, released in 1980, and successful enough to start a decades-long career.
05:36Sarah Michelle Gellar – An Invasion of Privacy
05:47Many Gellar fans will know the story of her appearing in a Burger King advert as a child.
05:52This was a famous example of an attack ad, which angered McDonald so much that they banned Gellar completely.
05:58Before this incident, her career began after she auditioned for a TV movie in Invasion of Privacy.
06:04Now, you know what I think when I see a lot of string beans, I think maybe somebody isn't eating
06:09her veggies.
06:11I mind my mommy cook two minutes.
06:14She was only four years old when she made the mistake of reading both her lines and Valerie Harper's.
06:20This was easily forgiven by the directors, who were so impressed by the blunder that they gave her the role.
06:26Oh, honey, the man at the gas station said that Dr. Cohen specializes in not hurting people.
06:31You better be telling me the truth.
06:33Well, I don't think the man would lie.
06:35Jordan Nagai – Up
06:36One of the most memorable Pixar movies is easily Up.
06:40Good afternoon.
06:41My name is Russell, and I am a wilderness explorer in Tribe 54.
06:46It tells the tale of a struggling old man who goes on a whimsical adventure with a child named Russell,
06:52played by Jordan Nagai.
06:54Originally, his older brother auditioned for the part.
06:57When the director heard Jordan's voice, he instantly thought it would be great for the role.
07:01When it came to casting the voice of Russell, one of the things that was really important for me was
07:07that it not sound like an actor kid.
07:09The mistake here was the fact that Nagai constantly talked during the auditions.
07:13Such behavior is often considered unprofessional, therefore making it a mistake for many.
07:19He wasn't even 10 years old at the time, though, making it easy to understand and forgive him, which led
07:24to his casting.
07:34Frank Silva – Twin Peaks
07:37One of the major villains in Twin Peaks is the evil spirit Bob, played by Frank Silva.
07:42When he shows up, he's hardly acting.
07:45Usually, he just sits looking menacing and maybe sometimes screams.
07:51It's you.
07:52It's me.
07:53It's me.
07:55Initially, he wasn't meant to be in the show at all.
07:58Then, his reflection was accidentally captured in the mirror of one scene.
08:02Director David Lynch turned out to love it so much, he left it in and created the character Bob.
08:08And I went running into Frank.
08:10I said, Frank, are you an actor?
08:12And, like, everybody in Hollywood?
08:14He said, why, yes, David, I am.
08:16Silva then graduated from being a prop master and set decorator to being a primary villain.
08:22Unfortunately, Silva couldn't find any subsequent acting roles leading to him becoming homeless.
08:28Tragically, he died in 1995, but archival footage meant he returned in Season 3, which was dedicated to Silva.
08:36Charlize Theron – Children of the Corn 3 Urban Harvest
08:40Since the mid-90s, Theron has become a major figure in Hollywood.
08:44When she was 16, she started modeling, but thought of herself more as a dancer.
08:49Eventually, in 1994, she decided to pivot to the film industry.
08:54I would watch television, American television, 24-7.
08:57And that's what you would watch that and you would learn English from that?
09:00Oh, yeah.
09:00Three months after settling into a motel in Los Angeles, she had a public meltdown in a Hollywood bank.
09:06One of these were rejected, which Theron made a scene about.
09:09This would usually be super embarrassing, but talent agent John Crosby was behind her in the queue.
09:15He was impressed by her, so he handed her his card and cashed the check for her.
09:28A year later, she got her first role in Children of the Corn 3 Urban Harvest, beginning her lengthy career.
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09:50Bill Murray – Garfield the Movie
09:56The Coen brothers are one of the most acclaimed filmmaking duos in Hollywood.
10:00They're responsible for a plethora of adored movies, not including Garfield from 2004.
10:06When Bill Murray was asked to play the titular feline, he believed that co-writer Joel Coen was one of
10:12the famous brothers.
10:13This motivated him to join the project with little hesitation.
10:25After spending two days recording lines, he was confused by the script's quality.
10:30He asked if he could watch the rest of the movie, making him question what Joel Coen was thinking.
10:35This is when they finally explained to him that the Coen brothers had nothing to do with the project.
10:39It's therefore unclear why he returned for a sequel, but it was probably just money.
10:45We gotta put an end to this torture. Time for a new DJ.
10:51Were there any stories you know that we didn't mention? Let us know in the comment section!