Shocking times when A-list celebrities faced rejection in Hollywood auditions

Rejection is an inherent part of life, something even A-list celebrities aren’t spared from.

It teaches us that if you want to reach a respected position in life, you're going to face many rejections along the way.

Check out this list of your favourite celebrities who auditioned for popular movies but didn't get the roles, as their paths to fame took a different direction.

Take a look:

Britney Spears for The Notebook:

The 43-year-old American singer, often referred to as the “Princess of Pop,” was considered for the leading role of Allie Calhoun in the acclaimed movie The Notebook, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Ultimately, the role went to Rachel McAdams. Other notable stars who auditioned for the part include Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Biel, and Jessica Simpson.

Jennifer Lawrence for Twilight:

According to Us Weekly, long before landing her breakthrough role in the dystopian Hunger Games trilogy, the 35-year-old actress auditioned for the leading role of Bella Swan in Twilight.

"I didn't know what it was," Jennifer said in 2018 on The Howard Stern Show, adding, "You just get like five pages [at the audition] and they're like, 'Act monkey.' And when it came out I was like, 'Hot damn. Whoa.'"

The iconic role eventually went to Kristen Stewart.

Robert Pattinson for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World:

The 39-year-old actor auditioned for the role of Lucas Lee in the cult-classic Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

In 2020, director Edgar Wright told Vanity Fair that he “vividly” remembers Robert’s audition.

"He did a much more intense read of it as well. Obviously, Robert is an incredible actor and someone who I'd love to work with now," the director said.

The casting director also gushed over the Twilight actor's American accent, but ultimately, the role went to Chris Evans.

Lucy Hale for Fifty Shades of Grey:

The 36-year-old actress, best known for her titular performance in Pretty Little Liars, revealed in 2020 that she auditioned for the lead role of Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey, per Business Insider.

"It wasn't actual scenes from the movie, but it was a very sexually forward monologue and I didn't really even know what I was saying in the audition," Lucy told the Associated Press, adding, "I was a little naive about it all, but yes, I did audition."

She continued, "I obviously didn't get the part. But it was good for me because it scared the crap out of me to do an audition [like that]."

To note, the part eventually went to Dakota Johnson.

Angelina Jolie for Clueless:

According to Vanity Fair's 20th-anniversary piece on Clueless in 2015, the now 50-year-old actress, along with Gwyneth Paltrow and Reese Witherspoon, auditioned for the role of Cher Horowitz, per Business Insider.

Despite the competition, the part went to Alicia Silverstone.

Freddie Prinze Jr. for Spider-Man:

Previously, in 2019, in an episode of his podcast Prinze and the Wolfe, the 49-year-old actor spoke with Josh Wolf, reminiscing about his experience auditioning for Spider-Man in the early 2000s.

" ... I got a meeting with Sam [Raimi], and I was super excited, super nervous," Freddie said, adding, "Went it and we sat down — it was only like three people that he was talking to — and I sat down and he goes 'So, tell me, tell me why you love Spider-Man?'"

He continued,” I go into this whole like universe of what my favorite parts of 'Spider-Man' were, and I foolishly bring up the alien symbiote, which is Venom, right?"

“When I left I literally was like 'You just talked about Venom instead of Spider-Man for 25 minutes you stupid a--hole,' and I drove home so upset and angry,” the I Know What You Did Last Summer actor expressed his frustration, per Business Insider.

However, the role ultimately went to Tobey Maguire.

Miles Teller for La La Land:

The 38-year-old actor was initially supposed to play the leading role of Sebastian Wilder in the Oscar-winning movie La La Land, after working with director Damien Chazelle on Whiplash, according to a 2017 interview with Vulture, per Entertainment Weekly.

"When that movie was almost falling apart, I stayed attached to it and told directors that I really wanted to work with that I couldn't jump ship from 'La La Land' just because the project was in flux," Miles said.

He added, "I'll go to my grave knowing that when push came to shove I expressed extreme loyalty to Damien and that movie. That's sorta all I can say."

It is pertinent to mention that Ryan Gosling was recast in the part.

Scarlett Johansson for Jumanji:

According to Daily Mail, an 11-year-old Scarlett sent in a tape for the role of Judy Shepard in the original Jumanji.

However, Kristen Dunst ended up getting the renowned role.

Robert De Niro for The Godfather:

The 82-year-old, who is best known for portraying the role of Vincent Corleone in The Godfather: Part II, auditioned for the role of Santino “Sonny” Corleone in the first film, according to a 2017 interview with CNN.

However, the part ended up going to James Caan, but director Francis Ford Coppola found his skills so impressive that he eventually gave him a leading role in the sequel.

Jessica Alba for Get Smart:

The 44-year-old actress auditioned for the role of Agent 99 in the action-comedy remake, Get Smart.

However, the role was ultimately given to Anne Hathaway, per Business Insider.

Matthew McConaughey for Titanic:

The 55-year-old Interstellar-famed actor auditioned for the famous role of Jack Dawson in Titanic.

In a 2019 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Matthew recalled how his audition tape went.

"The audition went really well. Well enough where, when I was left, I was being slapped on the back ... well enough where you go outside and call your agent and say 'Oh, I nailed it,'" he said.

However, Leonardo DiCaprio landed the iconic role.

Brie Larson for The Hunger Games:

In 2020, the 35-year-old actress disclosed in a video on her YouTube channel, sharing the exclusive details of all the auditions she went on and didn't get.

Brie auditioned for the role of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, but didn't get it, and the role eventually ended up going to Jennifer Lawrence.

Tom Holland for Star Wars:

The 29-year-old actor faced a few rejections before making it big in Hollywood.

According to Business Insider, Tom shared that he made it past four or five auditions for a role in Star Wars.

"I think I was auditioning for John Boyega's role," he said, adding, "I remember doing this scene with this lady, bless her, and she was just a drone. So I was doing all of this, like, "We gotta get back to the ship!" And she was going, 'Bleep, bloop bloop, bleep bloop.'"

The Spider-Man star added,” I just couldn't stop laughing. I found it so funny ... Yeah, I obviously didn't get the part. That wasn't my best moment."

Taylor Lautner for Camp Rock:

Lastly, the 33-year-old actor auditioned for the leading role of Shane Gray in Camp Rock.

Matthew Diamond, the director of the Disney show, revealed, “Taylor Lautner did audition, and we liked him a lot. I think we kind of said he wasn't exactly right for the part."

However, the part ultimately went to Joe Jonas as Taylor went on to debut his role as Jacob Black in the Twilight franchise the same year.