Actors who had awkward auditions for their famous roles


We’ve all had awkward moments when applying for job roles, and the interview process can sometimes be pretty cringe for a lot of us. Hollywood stars might seem like they’re otherworldly beings, but they really aren’t all that different from you or I. Even the biggest actors and actresses in the world have had some awkward auditions.

The great thing about being a movie star is that you get judged on your performance, not on your audition! Sometimes things go perfectly for film stars, and sometimes they go horribly. And sometimes, just sometimes, everything seems to go wrong, and yet the actor still lands the role. Here are some of the most awkward auditions actors have experienced, and still walked away with the part.

Bill Skarsgard – Pennywise the Clown, IT

Following in the footsteps of Tim Curry was never going to be an easy task, and Bill Skarsgard performed admirably in the recent remake of IT. But the audition process – or, rather, the pre-audition process – was one he’d rather forget. To attend a callback, he had to drive across town in readily prepared clown makeup, then walk a couple of blocks as well! He also used the journey to perfect the maniacal laugh he gives to Pennywise in the movie. He had to walk through Hollywood in full makeup, and tried to stay in character!

Actors who had awkward auditions for their famous roles

Ryan Gosling – Noah Calhoun, The Notebook

Who doesn’t love a bit of The Gos? And who among us didn’t shed a tear or two when watching The Notebook, huh? Well, Ryan’s audition for the role of Noah in the movie was anything but smooth. Strangely, the Hollywood heartthrob actually won the role because director Nick Cassavetes thought he was unlike all the other young actors in Hollywood, but in the wrong way! According to Gosling, he was called to Cassavetes home, where the director said “I want to play this role because you’re not handsome, and you’re not cool. You’re just a regular guy.” Jeez Nick, say what you really think!

Margot Robbie – Naomi Lapaglia, The Wolf of Wall Street

Margot Robbie is undoubtedly one of the brightest young talents in Hollywood, and what makes her so great is that she’s not afraid to take risks. When auditioning for Martin Scorsese’s biopic The Wolf of Wall Street, opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, the Australian worried she hadn’t made a good enough impression in the audition. The scene she and Leo were acting out was during an argument between the couple, and according to Robbie, at the end of the scene, it called for her character to kiss him. She remembers thinking she should, but then marched over, slapped him in the face, and yelled expletives at him. It wasn’t in the script and was quite a shock in the audition, but it obviously worked as she bagged the role!

Actors who had awkward auditions for their famous roles

Many roles out there were secured through unconventional means, but these have got to be some of the more awkward examples. There are plenty of other actors and actresses who have seemingly absolutely ruined an audition but wound up with the role regardless. These stories are fun, cool, and an important part of film legend. And the stars we mentioned above all had to go about securing roles after awkward audition experiences.

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