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Mad About Helen

  • Helen Mirren
  • Helen Hunt
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Home›Helen Mirren›The actors who campaigned to land their dream roles

The actors who campaigned to land their dream roles

By Christopher D. Bailey
April 6, 2022
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Sean Young, Samuel L Jackson, and Ryan Reynolds all actively pursued big movie roles, but not all of them were successful. (Getty/Lucasfilm/20th Century Fox)

For most actors, the process of being cast in a movie is complicated. There are taped auditions, casting calls, line readings, screen tests, and many hours of waiting on the phone to see if that dream role will be yours. For some, however, things have been a bit more straightforward.

The connected world has made it easier than ever to spread your message, and some have taken to their platform to make their intentions about a franchise or role they’d like to participate in known.

Read more: There will never be another Bruce Willis

We’ve rounded up some of the most notable instances of a star publicly pursuing a role and winning, as well as some failed attempts.

Success: Helen Mirren – fast furious franchise (2017–present)

Vin Diesel with Helen Mirren in Fast & Furious 8 (Universal Pictures)

Vin Diesel with Helen Mirren in Fast and Furious 8 (Universal Images)

Known for high-profile roles such as her Oscar-winning role in The QueenDame Helen Mirren might not be the name you think of for a fast-paced action franchise, but apparently the acting legend was a fan.

“Things are exploding all around you, it’s an incredible pleasure,” she told Graham Norton in 2016 of making action movies. “That with cars, that would be my dream come true,” she added.

Apparently Vin Diesel heard her wish and she was cast in 2017 Fast and Furious 8, and was part of three films in the franchise as Magdalene, the mother of Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw.

Failure: Sean Young – Return of Batman (1992)

UNITED STATES - JULY 24: Sean Young in Cat Woman costume in the Joan Rivers Show dressing room.  (Photo by Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

Sean Young in the Cat Woman costume in the Joan Rivers Show dressing room. (NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

TV exposure isn’t always successful, as Sean Young discovered ahead of filming Return of Batman. blade runner the Young star was originally cast as Vicky Vale in 1989 Batmanbut was replaced by Kim Basinger following a riding accident.

Undeterred, Young appeared “in character” as Catwoman on The Joan Rivers Show in 1991 to plead his case. Unfortunately for her, Michelle Pfeiffer won the role.

Achievement: Simu Liu – Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Simu Liu made his Marvel debut as Shang-Chi in 2021 (Marvel Studios)

Simu Liu made his Marvel debut as Shang-Chi in 2021 (Marvel Studios)

One of Marvel’s latest heroes has used a very modern way to get their attention. When Shang Chi was announced in 2018, Simu Liu – then a popular TV actor on shows like Kim’s Convenience — tweeted bluntly “Okay, Marvel, are we going to talk or what? »

Despite the apparent confidence, even the actor himself was surprised when he was cast, responding to his own tweet eight months later with “well s***.”

Failure: Michael Jackson – To win over (1990)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 30: American singer Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009) arrives by helicopter at Haggerston Park with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse to visit children at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children ahead of his concert at Wembley on July 30, 1992 in London, England.  (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Michael Jackson arrived with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse to visit the children at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 1992. (Getty Images)

Many rumors circulate around the implication of Michael Jackson in the film of Steven Spielberg. Peter Pan sequel, but the late King of Pop was no doubt keen on playing the role of Peter Pan in To win over.

Jackson, who named his home Neverland Ranch after the story by JM Barrie, saw an ideal chance to live out his dream with Spielberg, then Hollywood’s hottest director.

Read more: Beloved movies that critics hated

However, the filmmaker recalls that the couple separated due to the direction of the film, where Peter would be an adult.

Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman in

Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman in “Hook”. (Credit: TriStar)

“Michael understood at that moment that it was not the same Peter Pan he wanted to do,” Spielberg told EW in 2011.

Success: Samuel L Jackson – star wars prequels (1999-2005)

Samuel L. Jackson and Darth Vader during

Samuel L. Jackson and Darth Vader at the charity premiere of ‘Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones’. (Wireframe)

Samuel L Jackson’s Jedi Knight Mace Windu was an integral part of the star wars prequel trilogy, but it might not have happened without a TV show. In 1996, the pulp Fiction the star appeared on a British chat show TFI Friday and, when asked by host Chris Evans (not that one) what his dream role would be, Jackson replied that he would do “anything” to appear in upcoming George Lucas movies.

Someone at Lucasfilm saw the interview, and the rest is history.

Failure: Tyrese Gibson – Django Unchained (2012)

the fast furious actor went so far as to film his own audition tape for Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 western Django Unchained, bookending the video with quotes indicating how he wanted to show another side of his repertoire.

Despite a committed performance that drew praise when leaked online, the role ultimately went to Jamie Foxx.

Hit: Ryan Reynolds – dead Pool (2017–present)



<p>Victory and violent – ​​how will Deadpool fit into the Mouse House?  (Fox) </p>
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Rude and violent – how will Deadpool fit into the Mouse House? (Fox)

Sometimes you just have to let people decide. He played an alternate version of the character in the 2009 setting X-Men Origins: Wolverinebut Ryan Reynolds had been pushing for a solo Deadpool movie since 2004 when a studio exec told him about his performance in Blade Trinity reminded him of Wade Wilson.

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in X-Men: Origins: Wolverine (20th Century Fox)

Ryan Reynolds with Hugh Jackman in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (20th Century Fox)

A decade later, test footage featuring the actor as the character leaked online sparked a huge outpouring of support that culminated in the 2016 hit. dead Pool. Was it Reynolds who leaked the footage? “I’m 70% sure it wasn’t me,” he teased chat show host Jimmy Fallon in 2016, revealing he’d discussed the leak in the past.

Read more: Deadpool 3 Will Be The First R-Rated MCU Movie

Whether or not he’s the culprit, a 12-year campaign to bring justice to the character paid off thanks to fan enthusiasm and two minutes of mayhem. He’s set to continue the role in the MCU in the future, with The Adam Project director Shawn Levy at the helm.

Look: Dead Pool 3 get a director

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