Especially the really popular movies/actors
Robert De Niro tried out for the role of Sonny in “The Godfather”. I’m glad James Caan was selected. Good for De Niro, too, who got to play Vito Corleone in the flashback scenes in The Godfather: Part II
The original Star Wars screen tests are quite interesting to watch. You get to hear how the ridiculously clunky dialog tripped up so many actors, and why Carrie Fisher’s smoothly delivering strings of nonsense words got her the job.
The biggest names were Cindy Williams, later to be Shirley on Lavern & Shirley as Leia, William Katt (Greatest American Hero) as Luke, auditioning opposite former Disney teen star Kurt Russell as Han. Robbie Benson also auditioned for Luke; he’s best known as the voice of Beast in Disney’s Beauty & the Beast.
No screen tests available…but when the producers were casting the film version of West Side Story, virtually every age-appropriate male in the business was given a look for the starring role of Tony. Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Robert Redford…and then every Disney heartthrob like Tommy Sands, Dean Jones…
This is a gag, but Cecily Strong is hysterical.
Regarding the casting for Tony in “West Side Story”…Natalie Wood promoted her friend Warren Beatty for the role. It would be interesting to see audition footage if it ever existed to see how he might have handled the role. I can’t see him as Tony, but who knows how it may have worked out. The story goes that Natalie was so P.O.ed they cast Richard Beymer that she was openly hostile to him and the two of them never spoke except when they were doing their lines. Beymer hated the movie and walked out at the London premiere.
Brando screen test for Rebel Without A Cause
