WATCH: Zachary Levi’s ‘Shazam!’ Audition Tape
Zachary Levi’s audition tape demonstrates his unbridled eagerness to portray the character, and despite not being in the room with him, director Sandberg asked, “Why is this guy not our Shazam?”
Watch: Henry Thomas’ Audition for ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’
Although hundreds of boys auditioned for the role of Elliot, Henry Thomas ended up with the role after he cried convincingly in an improvised audition.
Watch: Eleven Year-Old Natalie Portman’s ‘Leon: The Professional’ Audition Tape
To celebrate Portman’s birthday, here’s eleven year-old Portman’s audition video for Léon: The Professional.
Watch: The Auditions for ‘The Outsiders’ Featuring Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane and Patrick Swayze
The casting director and producer of The Outsiders, speaks about how the film was cast and how it was very different than a normal audition
Watch: Tippi Hedren’s Screen Test for Alfred Hitchock’s ‘The Birds’
On this date in 1963, Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds was first released in New York. While star Tippi Hedren had many terrible experiences while filming the movie…
Watch: Robert De Niro’s Sonny Corleone Audition for ‘The Godfather’
Forty-three years ago today, The Godfather premiered in New York City. So today, we celebrate Robert De Niro.
Watch: Matthew McConaughey’s ‘Dazed and Confused’ Audition is Exactly as Cool as You Think It Is
As one of the best high school films of the 1990s, Dazed and Confused features plenty of stars in their earliest roles. However, the most memorable actor in the film is undoubtedly Matthew McConaughey
Watch: Lea Michele Describes Her Mistaken-Ridden ‘Glee’ Audition
Though it’s not the cultural juggernaut it was in its second and third seasons, Glee will be returning for its sixth and final season on January 9 with a two-hour final season premiere. The show’s primary breakthrough star during its entire run is undoubtedly Lea Michele, who went from a little-known Broadway musical actress to becoming a television star on Glee. Despite all that, Michele reveals in the above video that her first audition for
Watch: Michael Cera’s Audition for ‘Superbad’
Yesterday, This Is Our Youth starring Michael Cera ended its limited engagement on Broadway. It was Cera’s Broadway debut. The Juno actor has come a long way since his first movie starring role in 2007’s Superbad. Here is a clip from his Superbad audition. It features Cera auditioning with Seth Rogen (who co-wrote the screenplay and served as executive producer of Superbad) in the part that would eventually be played by Jonah Hill. Unsurprisingly, Cera
Watch: Rose Byrne’s Audition Tape for ‘Get Him to the Greek’
Rose Byrne might be starring in the remake of Annie, which opens today, but before she starred in the 2010 comedy Get Him to the Greek she was mainly known for supporting roles and appearing on the TV drama Damages. She’s since appeared in the comedies Bridesmaids, The Internship, and Neighbors, and it’s fair to say that this audition for Get Him to the Greek likely put her on the comedic path. Byrne has to
It’s All About That Voice! Watch How Benedict Cumberbatch Nailed the Role of Smaug In ‘The Hobbit’
Benedict Cumberbatch is one of the hottest actors this awards-show season with his turn in The Imitation Game garnering a lot of buzz. The obsession around the talented and quirky actor has reached a fever pitch as of late, so it’s fun to watch the Brit’s audition tape for The Hobbit. The genius of Cumberbatch is how he chose to tape his audition for the role of Smaug. “I did a few head movements and
Watch: Aaron Paul’s Audition Tape for ‘Breaking Bad’
Though Aaron Paul stars in Exodus: Gods and Kings, which is being released today, it’s hard to fathom that he’ll ever be more associated with a role as he is with Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad. The role has made Paul a three-time Emmy winner. But before the awards and the accolades, Paul had to audition. In this clip from Paul’s Breaking Bad audition, you can see that he had the role nailed from the
Watch: Jim Carrey’s Audition Tape for ‘Man on the Moon’
Jim Carrey returns to one of his zaniest and most famous movie characters in Dumb and Dumber To, which comes out in theaters today. Though watch Dumb and Dumber To might bring you back to 1994, this audition tape of Carrey’s for Man on the Moon might bring you back to 1999. At the time, Carrey was at the height of his fame, but before he was cast in the lead role of the Andy
WATCH: Jason Momoa’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Audition
Considering his barbarian-like looks, it’s hard to believe that Jason Momoa had to audition to play Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones. But the Wolves star was required to audition, so he appealed to producers by showing his warlike side: he performed the Haka, a Māori war dance. It’s intense, it’s frightening, and it’s absolutely perfect for Game of Thrones… and most of the other roles that Momoa plays. Check out Momoa’s audition above!
Watch: Emma Stone’s Audition for ‘Easy A’
Emma Stone makes her Broadway performance debut today in the first preview of Cabaret, taking over the role from Michelle Williams. It’s probably quite nerve-wracking for Stone to debut in such a high-profile role, especially since the first few years of her screen acting career consisted of bit parts or supporting roles on television and in film. Stone finally starred in her first lead movie role in 2010’s Easy A, but she had to jump
Watch: Hugh Jackman’s 1999 Audition for ‘X-Men’
New York theatergoers are undoubtedly excited that Hugh Jackman will be back on Broadway with The River, which begins previews tonight. Even though the Tony Award-winner won’t be singing and dancing in the Jez Butterworth play, Jackman always commands top ticket prices. While most of that has to do with Jackman’s Broadway fame, theatergoers shouldn’t forget that the other main reason why Jackman is such a huge star is because of a certain hairy Canadian
Watch: Marlon Brando’s Screen Test for Early Version of ‘Rebel Without a Cause’
Fifty-nine years ago today (October 27, 1955), Rebel Without a Cause starring James Dean was released. An oft-repeated bit of trivia about the film is that Marlon Brando auditioned for Dean’s role in the film. However, that isn’t entirely accurate. Brando, who was seven years Dean’s senior and was already thirty during the filming of Rebel Without a Cause, had actually screen tested for an earlier adaptation of Robert M. Lindner’s book that was far
Watch: Ellen Page’s Audition for ‘Juno’
Ellen Page‘s Kitty Pride might not have had the biggest role in this year’s blockbuster X-Men: Days of Future Past (now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD), but ever since her 2005 breakthrough movie Hard Candy Page has been a popular actress. To date, her most popular film is 2007’s Juno, for which she was nominated for an Oscar. Here is Page’s audition for this movie acting opposite Olivia Thirlby, who played her friend in
Watch: Jennifer Garner’s Audition for ‘Elektra’
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day actress Jennifer Garner might be married to the new Batman, Ben Affleck, in real life, but the couple actually met each other when Affleck was playing another superhero, Daredevil, in the 2003 adaptation of the Marvel comics character. In the film Garner played the ninja assassin Elektra, a role she would reprise in a 2005 spinoff movie. Garner landed the role after the above audition
Watch: James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo’s ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ Screen Test
Fifty-nine years ago (September 30, 1955), Hollywood legend James Dean was killed in a car accident. Along with the memorable performances in the three films that he starred in, his death at only age 24 quickly pushed him to an eternal iconic status of cool. He is the only actor to be nominated for Oscars twice posthumously — one for East of Eden in 1956 and Giant in 1957. He is also revered for being
