This is a follow up to one of my previous articles, 32 Actors Who Almost Appeared in Iconic Slasher Films.
Casting. Whether it’s in television or in movies, picking the right actors and actresses to appear in your production can make or break the quality and appeal to viewers. Often times, several actors are up for important roles, ones that they eventually miss out on or are removed from and recast. There are almost endless possibilities, limitless wonders one can envision when thinking what it would be like if a particular actor appeared in a series or even played a central character instead of someone else. With this article, I’m going to highlight some of the revamped casting choices from noteworthy, popular horror and science-fiction television shows so you can imagine would could have been! The list is as follows…
“American Horror Story”
-Eric Stonestreet was booked for a guest spot as a serial killer who shares scenes with Sarah in season two, but the scenes were cut for unknown reasons.
-Chris Zylka was to appear in a two-episode arc as a deaf, mute patient in the series’ second season. Zylka was fired after refusing to shave his head.
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”
-Nathan Fillion auditioned for the role of Angel. The part ended up going to David Boreanaz, but Fillion joined the series near the end of season seven as Caleb.
-Ryan Reynolds was offered the role of Xander Harris, but turned it down due to the fact that he hated his high school experience.
-Sarah Michelle Gellar auditioned for the role of Cordelia, and Charisma Carpenter auditioned for the role of Buffy Summers. The choice would later be reversed.
-Riff Regan was cast as Willow Rosenberg in the pilot. The role was recast when the pilot was pushed to a series.
“Charmed”
-Elisabeth Rohm was originally cast as Phoebe, but left the role for unknown reasons.
-Lori Rom was then cast as Phoebe, but the role was recast and Rom was replaced with Alyssa Milano when the pilot was pushed to a series.
“Dark Shadows”
-Bert Convy was almost cast as of Barnabas Collins.
“Roswell”
-Katherine Heigl read for all three female leads before landing the part of Isabel Evans.
“Supernatural”
-Jensen Ackles auditioned for the role of Sam and Jared Padalecki read for Dean. The choice would later be reversed.
-Kristen Bell was supposed to appear as Ruby, but the role eventually went to Katie Cassady.
“Star Trek”
-Martin Landau was originally offered the role of Commander Spock.
“Star Trek: The Next Generation”
-Denise Crosby was originally cast to play Counselor Troi and Marina Sirtis was cast as a security chief. The choice would later be reversed.
-Christina Pickles was almost cast in the part of Doctor Pulaski.
“True Blood”
-Brook Kerr originally played Tara. She was recast after two episodes and replaced by Rutina Wesley.
-Katee Sackhoff was offered the role of Debbie Pelt, but turned it down after securing a big movie role.
“The Walking Dead”
-Norman Reedus auditioned for Merle Dixon. Writers and producers didn’t think he fit the part, but they liked him so much they wrote in the part of Daryl just for him.
“The X Files”
-Callum Keith Rennie turned down the role of Alex Krycek after not wanting to commit to a television series at the time.
