Actors no one wanted in the role that made them famous: they fought for their chance

The process for an actor to get the role they want is not easy, but in the case of the artists below, several people told them that they should not be in a certain movie or series. In the end they succeeded and it even earned them great recognition.

Winona Ryder in “Heathers”

The actress was just 15 years old when she joined the ‘Heathers’ (movie you can watch for free on ViX) and was barely making a name for herself in Hollywood.

At a young age she was sure that the role of Veronica was perfect for her, but not everyone was so sure. The film’s screenwriter, Daniel Waters, for example, revealed to Cosmopolitan magazine in April 2014 that he didn’t think Winona Ryder was “pretty enough” for the role.

The actress’ own agent, Di Novi, revealed in March 2019 to Variety magazine that he begged her on his knees not to take part in the project because he thought it was “too dark”.

Al Pacino in The Godfather

Although fictional, Michael Corleone’s name will forever remain with the actor. However, Al Pacino was on the verge of not starring in the mob movie.

His co-star in the film, Diane Keaton, revealed this to Entertainment Tonight in a note published on August 8:

Once the actor did a camera test with Keaton, he was given the iconic role.

Marlon Brando in The Godfather

But Al Pacino wasn’t the only actor in the Corleone family saga who had to struggle to appear in it.

In a memo signed on April 3, 2017, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Francis Ford Coppola, the director of the tapes, was convinced he wanted Marlon Brando in his project, while “the studio saw him as very toxic”.

The director took the liberty of proving to the execs that the Hollywood heartthrob was the perfect choice to play Vito, as he went to pick him up from his home and, once there, the actor improvised an audition with basic items such as cotton in her mouth and her shoe polish in her hair.

“He started acting, but he didn’t say anything,” the director revealed.

The audition was caught on video and when they saw it, the executives were so impressed by Brando’s talent that they gave him the part.

Lady Gaga in ‘A Star Is Born’

In 2018, the singer starred in the remake of the 1976 film with Bradley Cooper. Her work in the film earned her her first Best Actress Oscar nomination (though she didn’t win) and no doubt helped her break into Hollywood.

In several interviews, the future “Joker 2” star revealed that the only person who supported her for the role was her co-star.

Aaron Paul in “Breaking Bad”

Aaron Paul’s career wouldn’t be the same if he hadn’t played Jesse Pinkman in “Breaking Bad,” but getting that character wasn’t so easy for him.

As he told “The Off Camera Show” in an interview published in May 2020, when he auditioned for the role, he was very nervous because he had “fallen in love” with it, but also because he lacked the money. However, this did not work in his favor and led to him making mistakes a couple of times.

Because of his mistakes “no one wanted me” for the series, he said in the same interview. However, Vince Gilligan, the creator of the story, was convinced that she was the best choice, so he fought to keep the role.

Whoopi Goldberg in ‘Ghost’

The movie “Ghost: the shadow of love” was released more than 30 years ago, but the role of Oda Mae Brown is still relevant for the actress, as it earned her her first Academy Award.

However, he was not the first choice for the role. In November 2020, the film’s director, Jerry Zucker, revealed that he was “seriously” considering Tina Turner and didn’t want Whoopi to stay with him because he “only knew her comedic side.”

It was Patrick Swayze, her co-star, who interceded for the actress and asked the director to consider her.