When you watch a movie, it’s often hard to imagine how it would look with different actors in the lead or supporting roles. What you don’t see is the long, difficult audition process, choosing between frontrunners, and scheduling shakeups that go on behind the scenes.
In the most difficult of cases, directors and producers make the hard decision to recast a role mid-production, whether due to creative differences or cases of miscasting. Use our guide to find 10 stars who were recast mid-production, including Ryan Gosling, Eric Stoltz, Julianne Moore, and more.
Harvey Keitel - ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ (1999)
Sydney Pollack appears in Stanley Kubrick's erotic thriller, Eyes Wide Shut, as Victor Ziegler, Dr. Bill Harford’s (Tom Cruise) wealthy patient who helps him dabble in some elite circles during a personal crisis. Originally, though, Harvey Keitel was to star as Ziegler in Eyes Wide Shut. As an actor known for playing morally gray characters, he would’ve been a strong candidate for the shadowy Ziegler.
However, Kubrick was a notoriously demanding director, as evidenced by the staggering 15-month film shoot of Eyes Wide Shut. During that time, he and Keitel allegedly butted heads, with Gary Oldman claiming Keitel walked off set after 68 takes of a scene in which he walked through a door. However, Keitel claimed that he didn’t walk off set but was fired by Kubrick and felt disrespected. Although Keitel’s story isn’t verified, he certainly wouldn’t be the first actor to face the toll of Kubrick’s controversial directing style.
Lori Petty - ‘Demolition Man’ (1993)
Demolition Man sees the hardened, sarcastic John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) and idealistic budding cop Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock) form an unexpected partnership to catch a serial killer. Critics praised Bullock and Stallone for their performances, but they weren’t the original duo. Initially, Lori Petty was cast as Lenina. After just two days of filming, though, the production fired Petty and replaced her with Bullock.
At the time, producers cited creative differences as the reason for the replacement. Later, Petty explained to EW that she and Stallone didn’t get along, describing them as “oil and water.” Chemistry can make or break a movie like Demolition Man, but neither Petty nor Stallone has ever gone into detail on what happened between them. Still, Petty seemingly took the setback in stride and quickly went on to star in her most iconic role as the titular hero in Tank Girl (1995) two years later.
Eric Stoltz and Melora Hardin - ‘Back to the Future’ (1985)
Michael J. Fox and Claudia Wells will always be associated with the young lovers Marty McFly and Jennifer Parker in Back to the Future. Still, initially, these roles were to be played by Eric Stoltz and Melora Hardin. While Fox was always the first choice for the role, the production went with Stoltz due to his phenomenal performance in Mask (1985) and Fox’s scheduling conflicts.
Stoltz filmed a good portion of the movie over seven weeks before director Robert Zemeckis realized his more serious approach to McFly wasn’t working. While most agree that he may have been miscast, Hardin’s subsequent firing was less understandable. She alleged the production recast her because the filmmakers didn’t like that she was taller than the new male lead, Fox. Back to the Future went on to become a hit, but the casting backstory is sobering, especially given the young age of the actors involved.
Stuart Townsend - ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)
In Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn quickly rose as the franchise’s fan favorite, offering viewers the ideal hero and warrior. Yet, Mortensen wasn’t Jackson’s first choice for Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Instead, the role went to Stuart Townsend. It was a bit of an odd choice, considering Townsend was quite young to portray the wise and dedicated 87-year-old Aragorn.
Jackson seemed to recognize the error only one day before filming, after Townsend had already put two months into training and rehearsing. According to Townsend, he was also denied pay for the work he put into the role. In his autobiography, Sean Astin added that Townsend appeared deeply uncomfortable in the role and that he was challenging to work with during rehearsals. While recasting may have been the solution, it’s difficult to say whether production approached it the right way.
Connor Ratliff - ‘Band of Brothers’ (2001)
Comedian Connor Ratliff was to have a small role in Band of Brothers as Private John Zielinski. However, he was left heartbroken when Tom Hanks abruptly fired him. Just days before filming, Ratliff learned from production that Hanks allegedly didn’t like his “dead eyes” on his audition tape and made him re-audition, then fired him and replaced him with Adam Sims.
For years, Ratliff was confounded and broken by the rejection and the absurd reason behind it, eventually exploring the story in his podcast Dead Eyes. The podcast culminated with Hanks’ appearance on the show, where he personally apologized to Ratliff. However, he admitted he didn’t remember the incident and believed whatever comment he made about Ratliff’s “dead eyes” might have been misconstrued by producers. While Ratliff received some closure, the podcast raised big questions about Hollywood’s handling of rejection and how things are translated back to those facing it.
Kel O’Neill - ‘There Will Be Blood’ (2007)
Many critics and audiences consider There Will Be Blood as the crown jewel of filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson’s career. However, an element of infamy remains in Kel O’Neill’s firing. O’Neill was originally to star in the film as Eli Sunday, but was fired and replaced by Paul Dano several weeks into production. The firing sparked longstanding rumors, including the theory that O’Neill was intimidated by Daniel Day-Lewis, who is known for his sometimes extreme method acting techniques.
After years of speculation, O’Neill cleared the air, revealing that difficulties with Anderson led to his firing. The pair had a difficult working relationship, and O’Neill took partial responsibility for the fact that they simply didn’t mesh. O’Neill’s departure seemed to be more of a mutual decision between him and Anderson. Still, subsequent rumors demonstrate how easy it is for the media to sensationalize these personal, sometimes difficult working decisions.
Ryan Gosling - ‘The Lovely Bones’ (2009)
Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones sees Mark Wahlberg star as Jack, a father desperate to solve his daughter’s homicide case. Initially, Ryan Gosling was set to play Jack, a surprising decision by director Jackson, as Gosling was only in his late 20s yet was playing a father to a 14-year-old. Still, Gosling threw himself into the role, gaining 60 pounds and growing a beard to appear older.
He achieved the weight gain by drinking melted Häagen-Dazs ice cream. However, it seems he didn’t clear his vision for Jack with Jackson before delving into his extreme transformation. Jackson didn’t agree with what he had done and ultimately replaced him with Wahlberg when Gosling showed up on set 60 pounds heavier than when he was cast. Gosling denies having any hard feelings, but the incident definitely presents a case for communication between cast members and directors during the pre-production period.
Samantha Morton - ‘Her’ (2013)
Scarlett Johansson portrays an AI system, Samantha, in a voice-only role in Her. The voice is unmistakable and unforgettable, in what some fans consider Johansson’s best role. However, Samantha once had a different voice actor. Samantha Morton was director Spike Jonze’s first choice for Samantha. She got further along in the filming process than most stars on this list, filming all of her scenes as the voice of Samantha, before Jonze realized his vision differed from her take on the role during editing.
Jonze denied the decision was personal, and Morton admits her and Johansson’s takes were very different. Even so, it’s a sad situation, with Morton comparing the incident to creating a painting only to put it in the attic so no one sees it. She also wasn’t invited to Her’s premiere, which further made her feel cut out of the film family.
Julianne Moore - ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ (2018)
In Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Melissa McCarthy makes the role of literary forger Lee Israel surprisingly lovable and forgivable. Initially, though, the role went to another critically acclaimed actress—Julianne Moore. At the time, the media reported Moore had left production due to creative differences. However, she later confirmed that the original director, Nicole Holofcener, fired her over a clash of visions for the characters.
Later, Can You Ever Forgive Me? star Richard E. Grant revealed the source of conflict was Moore’s desire to wear a fat suit and fake nose to portray Israel. Holofcener didn’t agree with Moore’s vision, and ultimately fired her several days before production began. The issue remains a tender spot for Moore, who admitted she never saw the final cut of the movie because it was still painful for her.
