Advertisement

Who won? Actors who auditioned but didn’t get the part

In the game of Hollywood, there's always someone who has to lose, but unlike the world of sport, we rarely get to hear about those pipped to the post.

This week it was leaked that Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively are battling it out to star in sci-fi adventure 'Gravity' alongside Robert Downey Jr.

It got us thinking: which other stars have been up against each other to win a coveted film role?

Ryan Reynolds and Bradley Cooper
'The Green Lantern' is set to be a huge hit, with comic book movies all the rage in Hollywood at the moment. No wonder the casting was tough, but in the end Canadian funny-man Ryan Reynolds won out over 'The Hangover's' Bradley Cooper for the lead.

Terrance Howard, Sam Rockwell and Robert Downey Jr
They all went for the title role in 'Iron Man', and while RDJ was a perfect fit, Howard and Rockwell still went home with a prize. Terrance Howard starred as Rhodey in 2008's 'Iron Man' and Sam Rockwell landed the part of Justin Hammer, Iron Man's nemesis in 2010's 'Iron Man 2'.

Christian Bale and Cillian Murphy
Looking back it seems there's only one husky-voiced actor that could possibly play the role of arrogant Wayne Industries boss Bruce Wayne by day and hard-as-nails Batman by night. Unfortunately for Irish actor Cillian Murphy, it wasn't him. While Christian Bale famously took the main part, Murphy went on to star in both 'Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight' in smaller roles.

Nicolas Cage, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp
It sounds so unlikely that Johnny Depp should ever lose out on parts, but once upon a time before 'Pirates of the Caribbean', it was seen as a risk to have the unpredictable brooding actor in lead blockbuster roles. Despite auditioning, Depp missed out on 'Ghost Rider' (to Nicolas Cage), 'Mr and Mrs Smith' (to Brad Pitt) and 'Titanic' (to Leonardo DiCaprio).

Angelina Jolie and Melissa George
While 'Tomb Raider' became synonymous with Angelina Jolie's curves and swinging brunette plait, Aussie actress Melissa George (of 'Home & Away' fame) also tried her luck for the iconic part, but didn't quite make it.

Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock
Two actresses of a similar age and status in Hollywood are bound to come up against each other from time to time vying for parts, and when it came to rom-com 'The Runaway Bride' in 1999, the chemistry between 'Pretty Woman' co-stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts was sure to generate another winner, which meant Sandra Bullock went home empty-handed.

Madonna, Meryl Streep and Michelle Pfeiffer
Here's a shocker for you, Meryl Streep and Michelle Pfeiffer lost the part of 'Evita' to Madonna. Oscar winner Meryl won't be too disappointed after 2008's surprise musical hit 'Mamma Mia!' Both films cost around $50m to make, and while 'Mamma Mia!' recouped more than double of that cost in box office sales alone, 'Evita' didn't even surpass the budget costs. Michelle Pfeiffer may have been more annoyed however, as she apparently spent several months training her voice for the part when director Oliver Stone was attached to the project.

Two more bonus rounds:

- Classic British comedy actor John Cleese lost out on his big chance to break Hollywood when Johnny Depp took the role of Willy Wonka in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.

- Jessica Alba auditioned for the part of Elektra in 'Daredevil' — taken by Jennifer Garner, who co-starred with her future husband Ben Affleck in the movie.

Are there any actors you think should have won a role but didn't?