Top 10 Moments an Actor Found Out They Got the Role

“The Wizard of Oz” (1939)

In 1939, MGM’s fantasy musical became a timeless classic, but for character actress Margaret Hamilton, it was a mixed blessing at first. Her dual role as the Wicked Witch of the West and Almira Gulch may have established her as an American icon, but she wasn’t totally thrilled with the role when she got it. Hamilton was a big fan of L. Frank Baum’s books when her agent told her they wanted her for the movie. But when she expressed some disappointment at being cast as the Witch, her agent’s succinct reply stopped her in her tracks. What other part could Hamilton possibly play?

“Cheers” (1982-93)

The story of how the Boston bar’s know-it-all got cast is a testament to creating your own opportunities in the business. Actor John Ratzenberger knew his audition for “Cheers” hadn’t gone well. Instead of going home and licking his wounds, he suggested they needed another character to round out their ensemble of faithful bar patrons. Ratzenberger pitched a character who pretended to know everything. Two days later, he got the call that he’d won a role that didn’t even exist before he walked into the room. Cliff Clavin’s improvised explanations for everything became one of the show’s running jokes.

“Man of Steel” (2013)

If you ever doubted the hunky actor’s nerd credentials, you have to hear what happened when he found out he’d won the role of Superman. Or rather, you have to hear what he was doing when he got the good news from the “Man of Steel” creative team. Henry Cavill ignored his phone when Zack Snyder tried to contact him. In his defense, he was playing “World of Warcraft” at the time. Luckily, he did eventually answer the call to wear the “S” but sometimes the dungeon is way more important than answering the phone.

“Moana” (2016)

To cast its newest addition to the Disney Princess brand, the makers of “Moana” honored the character’s ethnic background and searched for a young actress to fit the role. They found Auliʻi Cravalho, who was perfect. Not only did she sing and act the part brilliantly, but she even looked like the character as designed by the animators. The creative team invited Cravalho to one last under the pretense of doing another callback, but they only did it to get her live reaction on camera. She does not disappoint. Seeing Cravalho’s reaction and her phone call to her ecstatic mother is like watching Hollywood dreams come true.

“Captain America: Civil War” (2016)

The British actor’s Labrador Retriever energy was on full display in his interview with Ellen DeGeneres. He achieved a whole new level of fame when he was announced as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man. Apparently, Marvel’s social media broke the news on Instagram before the director could call him. So, when he got the role of a lifetime, he found out with the rest of the world. It’s kind of fun to know that even in Hollywood, the corporate culture is still based on just a bunch of people making decisions without communicating with each other.

“The Color Purple” (1985)

Though she was a fan of Alice Walker’s heartbreaking historical novel, Whoopi Goldberg never thought her offer to play literally any part in a film adaptation would be taken seriously. But director Steven Spielberg took her very seriously. He was a fan of her comedy work and saw the potential in her. Goldberg was stunned. She knew she could act, but doing a movie, and a leading role in a major, big-budget movie was not exactly what she had in mind. Recalling the moment years later, Goldberg remembers telling Spielberg she might suck in the role. Goldberg became one of the few actors to earn an Oscar nomination for their cinematic debut role.

“The Notebook” (2004)

Few actors are celebrated for their looks, talent, and natural charisma like Ryan Gosling. So, you can imagine our surprise, and maybe even his, when the director of “The Notebook” called, telling him he got the part of Noah. His getting the role wasn’t the shocker, though. It was the reasoning. The director, Nick Cassavetes, had him over to his house and told him straight. Gosling had the part, but it was because he had what no other actors had. He wasn’t spectacularly handsome or hip like other Hollywood actors. That’s a backhanded compliment if we’ve ever heard one. Given the success of the movie and his career since, whatever Cassavetes found unconventional about him back then seems to have paid off.

“Twin Peaks” (1990-91; 2017)

The long-haired, evil spirit BOB wasn’t cast in the traditional sense. Actually, Frank Silva was a longtime collaborator of writer-director David Lynch, but his work was generally done behind the scenes as a set decorator. Lynch was inspired to include Silva in one shot of the series pilot, looking menacing near murder victim Laura Palmer’s bed. Even then, neither one knew when or if the shot would make it into the final cut. Actually, it was only when Silva was accidentally captured in a shot that Lynch finally realized Silva would become a running performer on the show. At that moment, the entity known as Bob was born and Silva went from crew member to on-screen villain.

“Wicked” (2024)


It took two decades to get a “Wicked” film off the ground, but finding the right pair of actors for Elphaba and Galinda had to be half the challenge. Ariana Grande has been adamant that Galinda was her dream role for many years. Cynthia Erivo had connected with the show’s score long before she had ever seen it. To break the news to them, director Jon M. Chu and the producers set up separate Zoom calls and hit the record button. Their tearful reactions to finding out they won the roles were captured for the world to see.

“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982)

The leading role of this sci-fi fantasy film needed to have access to a wide range of emotions, be able to cycle through them very quickly, and be grounded enough to not get too upset. Apparently, the movie’s star Henry Thomas wasn’t a shoo-in. He came a long way from his first audition. But his last callback for Elliott, the boy who finds a new friend in an alien creature, is available almost in full. He’s tested with the character’s most emotional scene. After bringing the entire crew to tears, director Steven Spielberg flat-out tells Thomas the part is his.

What are some of your favorite casting stories? Tell us in the comments.