9 Hollywood Casting Switch-Ups That Changed the Face of Millennial Culture

Hollywood has never quite been able to let go of the aughts—the last decade before its dominion came under threat from streamers. Some of the biggest blockbusters of the period, though, could have easily looked completely different, talent-wise. Below, Vogue revisits some of the close casting calls that left an indelible mark on Y2K culture.

Rachel McAdams versus Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada

Having starred in Mean Girls and The Notebook in quick succession in 2004, Rachel McAdams turned down the role of Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada despite being offered the part three times, according to director David Frankel. Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, Kate Hudson, and Kirsten Dunst were also all considered for the role before the studio ultimately landed on Anne Hathaway.

Britney Spears versus Rachel McAdams as Allie Hamilton in The Notebook

Speaking of McAdams, casting director Matthew Barry shared in 2021 that her main competition for the role of Allie Hamilton in The Notebook was, in fact, Britney Spears, who read with Ryan Gosling for the part. Spears had played Lucy Wagner in 2002’s Crossroads opposite Taryn Manning and Zoe Saldaña, and had her sights set on Hollywood at that moment in her career. Jessica Simpson, Reese Witherspoon, and Jessica Biel were also all in contention for the part at one point. George Clooney, meanwhile, shared during the 2020 BFI London Film Festival that he had once been lined up to appear as Noah Calhoun, with Paul Newman playing an older version of the character. Clooney changed his mind, though, after revisiting the Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid star’s many classic films. “[After that] I said, ‘I can’t play you. I don’t look anything like you. This is insane.’ We just wanted to do it because we wanted to work together, [but] it ended up being not the right thing for us to do.”

Emilia Clarke versus Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey

Despite being a fan of Sam Taylor-Johnson, who directed the first installment of the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, Emilia Clarke turned down the role of Anastasia Steele due to the volume of sex scenes required. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Game of Thrones star explained that she had already done so much nudity as Daenerys Targaryen that she feared she would be typecast going forward if she accepted the part. Dakota Johnson, of course, stepped into the Red Room instead.

Jennifer Lawrence versus Blake Lively as Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl

Before her breakthrough role in 2010’s Winter’s Bone—for which she received her first Academy Award nomination—a teenaged Jennifer Lawrence was in the running to play Gossip Girl’s Serena van der Woodsen. “We did not realize this at the time, but Jennifer Lawrence really wanted to play Serena and auditioned,” series creator Josh Schwartz told Vulture in the run up to the drama’s 10-year anniversary. “This story came to us secondhand, but we were told she definitely auditioned and was bummed to not get it.” Also of note in terms of GG casting? Greta Gerwig told Huffpost Live that she auditioned for the part of Eva Coupeau, Chuck Bass’s insouciantly chic French girlfriend, ultimately played by Clémence Poésy.

Nicole Kidman versus Julia Roberts as Anna Scott in Notting Hill

Despite already being well-established in Hollywood by the late ’90s, Nicole Kidman got passed over for the part of Anna Scott in Notting Hill in favor of Julia Roberts. (She would later go on to star with Hugh Grant in The Undoing, with the pair speculating about what might have been throughout the press tour.) Six years later, Kidman signed on to play the Jane to Brad Pitt’s John in Mr. & Mrs. Smith before dropping out due to her Stepford Wives filming schedule—inadvertently giving rise to the Brangelina phenomenon in the process.

Henry Cavill versus Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in Twilight

When the news that Twilight would be adapted for the big screen (the first time) broke, author Stephenie Meyer shared that she had always envisioned Henry Cavill in the lead role—although, at 24, he would now be deemed too old to play a high schooler. Robert Pattinson would go on to beat out more than 5,000 actors to play Edward Cullen. Kristen Stewart, too, was up against a wealth of Hollywood talent for the role of Bella Swan, including Emily in Paris’s Lily Collins.

Matthew McConaughey versus Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson in Titanic

Matthew McConaughey—a staple of rom-coms throughout the aughts—revealed in 2021 that he made it as far as auditioning with Kate Winslet for the role of Jack Dawson in Titanic. “So I went and read with Kate Winslet,” he told Rob Lowe on his podcast in 2021. “They filmed it, so it was like, into screen test time. After we left, you know, it was one of those ones where they, like, followed me, and when we got outside, they were like, ‘That went great.’ I mean, kind of, like, hugs. I really thought it was going to happen. It did not.” As for the part of Rose DeWitt Bukater? James Cameron reportedly had his eye on Claire Danes—who had just finished filming Romeo + Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio—for the female lead, but she turned him down, knowing she wasn’t ready for the level of fame that the blockbuster would bring.

JoJo versus Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana

Miley Cyrus has been candid about the fact that the casting process for Hannah Montana proved grueling—not least because the Disney Channel had already set its sights on an older teenage actor, deeming the 11-year-old Cyrus too young after her first audition. Instead, JoJo was asked to appear as Miley Stewart in the record-setting tween series, but turned it down because she wanted to take her career in another direction. Ultimately, Miley won over the Disney team, with the series premiering a few months after her 13th birthday.

Angelina Jolie versus Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz in Clueless

Surreally enough, Angelina Jolie was put forward for the role of Cher Horowitz in Clueless. “It was the first time I’d seen Angelina Jolie,” casting director Carrie Frazier told Vanity Fair 20 years after the premiere. “But she was too knowing for what was needed for Clueless. Angelina never came in [to audition] for the project. I was just looking at her tape. I remember an agent pitching her, and I’m going, ‘No, no, no, this is exactly the opposite of what I need for this.’” Gwyneth Paltrow and Reese Witherspoon were also discussed as possible options before the studio settled on Alicia Silverstone. Frazier also campaigned for Ben Affleck to play the part of Josh Lucas, a role that ultimately went to Paul Rudd.