Famous people's worst audition stories
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Famous People's Worst Audition Stories — Daily trivia Monday, March 16, 2026: questions and answers
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01Aaron Paul called his Breaking Bad audition awful, yet still landed which role?
- AJesse Pinkman
- BHank Schrader
- CSaul Goodman
- DGus Fring
Show answer
Jesse Pinkman
Jesse Pinkman. Vince Gilligan insisted on casting him despite other decision-makers' doubts, and Paul went on to win three Emmys for the part.
Q 02For which role did Martin Campbell tell a young Henry Cavill he was 'looking a little chubby'?
- AJason Bourne
- BJack Reacher
- CEthan Hunt
- DJames Bond
Show answer
James Bond
James Bond. Cavill has said he took the note well, but the producers wanted an older Bond for Casino Royale, and Daniel Craig got the part.
Q 03Why did Dino De Laurentiis's Italian insult of Meryl Streep at her King Kong audition backfire?
- AHer agent overheard and translated
- BShe spoke the language and answered him
- CThe comment was caught on the audition tape
- DA translator in the room repeated it to her
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She spoke the language and answered him
She spoke the language and answered him in Italian, saying she was sorry not to be as beautiful as she should be; Jessica Lange got the part.
Q 04Tom Holland's Star Wars audition for Finn fell apart when he kept laughing at what?
- AA puppeteer operating a Chewbacca costume
- BJ.J. Abrams doing lightsaber sound effects
- CA woman making droid noises opposite him
- DAn actor in a half-finished alien prosthetic
Show answer
A woman making droid noises opposite him
A woman making droid noises opposite him. Holland couldn't keep a straight face, and the part of Finn went to John Boyega.
Q 05Eddie Redmayne called his audition for which Star Wars villain 'catastrophically bad'?
- AGeneral Hux
- BKylo Ren
- CSupreme Leader Snoke
- DEmperor Palpatine
Show answer
Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren. Redmayne says he tried out ridiculous space-villain voices, and the part went to Adam Driver.
Q 06Which actress auditioned at 11 for Judy Shepherd in Jumanji but lost to Kirsten Dunst?
- ANatalie Portman
- BScarlett Johansson
- CReese Witherspoon
- DMila Kunis
Show answer
Scarlett Johansson
An 11-year-old Scarlett Johansson auditioned for Jumanji but lost the part to Kirsten Dunst, who had just come off acclaimed performances in Interview with the Vampire and Little Women.
Q 07What job did the director tell Sidney Poitier to get after his failed first audition at the American Negro Theatre?
- AA dishwasher
- BA taxi driver
- CA janitor
- DA street sweeper
Show answer
A dishwasher
Poitier stopped dead in the street wondering how the man knew he already was a dishwasher, then spent months learning to read with an elderly waiter and came back to the same theatre and won a part.
Q 08What did Jamie Foxx do when Tom Cruise went quiet during his bombed Jerry Maguire audition?
- ATelling him where they were in the script, thinking he had lost his place
- BAsking for a five-minute break
- CImprovising a monologue from a different film
- DWalking out to take a phone call
Show answer
Telling him where they were in the script, thinking he had lost his place
Telling him where they were in the script, thinking he had lost his place: Cruise had only paused, and Cuba Gooding Jr. won an Oscar as Rod Tidwell.
Q 09Nicholas Hoult was asked to base his Prince Caspian audition accent on which animated character?
- AZorro from The Mask of Zorro
- BEl Macho from Despicable Me
- CDiego from Ice Age
- DPuss in Boots from Shrek
Show answer
Puss in Boots from Shrek
Puss in Boots from Shrek. Hoult tried an Antonio Banderas impression, delivering "I am Prince Caspian!" in a Desperado voice, and called it horrendous; Ben Barnes got the role.
Q 10Aubrey Plaza's Scream 4 audition went sideways when she took her character direction too literally and did what?
- AScreamed so loudly she set off a fire alarm
- BBrought a fake knife and lunged at the casting director
- CDressed like a murderer instead of looking glamorous
- DRefused to read any lines and just stared at the camera
Show answer
Dressed like a murderer instead of looking glamorous
Dressed like a murderer instead of looking glamorous: Plaza went 'full method' for the killer, and the part of Jill Roberts went to Emma Roberts.
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