8 Actors Who Begged For Their Movie Roles (And 7 Who Don t Need To) | Blog | Life

Life

8 Actors Who Begged For Their Movie Roles (And 7 Who Don’t Need To)

3. Begged: Anne Hathaway Begged To Be In Les Misérables

Very early on in her career, Anne Hathaway became an instant star after playing the title role in the box-office hit The Princess Diaries. Later, after doing the sequel, she was seen in the cult-favorite The Devil Wears Prada, as well as in Get Smart and Bride Wars. Her track record was very successful, and yet Hathaway couldn’t even get an audition for the role of Fantine in Les Misérables. The problem was, the producers didn’t even have her name on the list of actresses whom they wanted to audition. The director thought she was too wholesome for the role of Fantine, an orphan forced into prostitution. So, Hathaway for the first time had to beg for the role. When she finally landed an audition, the director caved in after seeing her perform “I Dreamed A Dream” and “The Arrest.” It was the best decision ever made, as Hathaway won an Oscar for her part.

2. Doesn’t Have To Beg: Directors Seek Out J.K. Simmons

J.K. Simmons was on everyone’s radar in Hollywood after playing an abusive orchestra conductor in Whiplash. He received widespread critical acclaim for the role and was nominated for more than thirty accolades, including the most prestigious: the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award. When Simmons won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Whiplash, directors sought him out for roles, NOT the other way around. One of the first movies Simmons signed on for following Whiplash was The Accountant, a crime drama with Ben Affleck in the lead. Simmons met with Gavin O’Connor, the director, over lunch and during the course of their meal, O’Connor offered the role to Simmons with that just meeting, which meant he didn’t have to audition for the role. So that’s what happens when you receive an Academy Award. Sometimes your world is in a tailspin and you have to act fast in choosing roles before you fall off Hollywood’s finicky radar.

1. Begged: Yes, Even Goddess Meryl Streep Had To Audition For A Role

Meryl Streep is a lasting icon whose movies are critically acclaimed. The Deer Hunter, Manhattan and most of all Kramer Vs. Kramer which led her to win an Oscar for best-supporting actress, are early works that cemented Streep’s success in Hollywood. Nowadays, she’s still in the spotlight, and playing lighthearted and comedic parts in Julia & Julia, Mamma Mia! and The Devil Wears Prada. But back in the 1980s, at the height of her career, she still had to audition for a role she desperately wanted. That movie was Sophie’s Choice and Streep wanted the lead. The director originally had doubts about Streep and envisioned someone else for the role, but he ended up hiring her after she literally threw herself at his feet to beg for the part. Good thing, because Streep won an Oscar for her part and it is the most important movie in her oeuvre, as well as in history.