Question about Broadway stars being rejected

[Born2cthelightsofbway]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 8:39pm

Hi, I am doing a report for school since it is "college time" about people who have been rejected from schools (especially there top choice) or from jobs. I already have a few celebs I am using, but I was wondering if anyone knew of any Broadway people(they don't have to be big stars, but thats great too) that were rejected from a music school, or any college, or jobs. Thanks so much.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 8:44pm

Raúl Esparza was denied some theatre scholarship. I don't remember all the details, but I know he talks about it on his second Chatterbox appearance, as well as an interview he has on his website.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 8:45pm

Isn't part of being an actor rejection from jobs? I mean, every actor has probably been rejected from a job.

ETA -- insult to injury, Esparza GOT it and then had it taken away, or something like that. He was in high school. Go hunt around his site -- he's told the story more than once.

Updated On: 3/28/06 at 08:45 PM

[Born2cthelightsofbway]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 8:47pm

Of course it is. But because I am in my last year of high school and everyone is trying for colleges, the point is to show that even those who are rejected can make it.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 3/28/06 at 9:42pm

Shoshana Bean was accepted to CCM but rejected from University of Michigan.

Posted: 3/28/06 at 11:11pm

robin williams was kicked out of Julliard

[Popular]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 12:10am

Juilliard even. And that was going to be my example. I'm trying to think of people that were beat out on Star Search but I'm too tired at the moment.
Updated On: 3/29/06 at 12:10 AM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 12:23am

Robin Williams wasn't kicked out of Juilliard, he dropped out.

Jennifer Hope Wills auditioned for but did not get Clara (replacing Kelli O'Hara) in The Light in the Piazza

Cyndi Lauper auditioned for but did not get Mrs. Lovett in the revival of Sweeney Todd

Lee Roy Reems (42nd Street) auditioned for but did not get The Phantom (replacing Michael Crawford) in The Phantom of the Opera

Also, as you won't find many stars publicly discussing their rejections, you might want to focus on actors being replaced out-of-town, i.e. Ron Orbach in The Producers, Betty Buckley (as the Witch) in the original production of Into the Woods. You'll likely find much more material on that.

[QMAN03]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 12:30am

I know Steven Spielberg was rejected from either USC or UCLA. That's pretty amazing.

Posted: 3/29/06 at 1:47am

POPULAR! Good catch! LOL...
when robin williams was on actors studio he said he was kicked out...maybe he was kidding..the guy is nuts so i never know what to believe..perhaps he dropped out but i believe it was because he was asked to...according to his comments in interviews.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 2:07am

Maybe he (Williams) was kicked out, but I remember seeing him saying in a television interview or something that one of his teachers was basically like, "You don't need to be here. What you've got cannot be taught. Go out and start getting work" and he said, "OK!"

[Popular]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 2:08am

That's OK. A friend of mine who actually went there kept spelling it "Julliard" too in the beginning. It became a joke between us which is the only reason I caught it.

I was under the impression Robin Williams got kicked out or asked to leave (same difference?) as well, but I never really looked into it so it's possible that's not entirely true.

Posted: 3/29/06 at 2:11am

your friend went there and couldn't spell it?! LOL!!
thats funny..
i don't really care whether or not Robin was kicked out or thrown out a window..he isn't really a broadway star anyway...so who cares! LOL

[Popular]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 2:22am

It's a long story and I don't want to threadjack, but basically, she spelled it wrong when she first wrote me about getting accepted. I told her if she wanted to go there she better learn how to spell the darn school's name and it became this joke between us. She claims it was a typo but I'm not sure cause it happened once or twice after that Good thing she's got acting skills! Girl can sing as well... her myspace link is in my profile.

OK... back to the original topic. Sorry.
Updated On: 3/29/06 at 02:22 AM

[Born2cthelightsofbway]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 8:57am

Thanks guys, if you have anymore stories, please do tell. :)

[knows_too_much]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 9:31am

Rosie O'donnel wasn't accepted somwhwere, but I don't remember wehre.

Posted: 3/29/06 at 2:27pm

There was a rumor at my acting school that Harvey Keitel auditioned for The Actors Studio many times before being accepted - the number I heard was 19 times, but who knows for sure? Apparently, that's true for many.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 3:33pm

barbra streisand was turned down for the actors studio when she was 16 or so -- but made a member in full 2 years ago with a personal apology from ellen burstyn for the oversight.

ann hampton callaway turned down for CCM the year her sister and 2 friends got in. CAN YOU IMAGINE!

[Anakela]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 4:04pm

Michelle Dowdy was rejected from Juilliard, and then cast as the Tracy understudy in Hairspray, her senior year of high school.



Dowdy article

[WickedOne2]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 4:27pm

I have this book and it has fabulous stories of botched auditions and actors not getting the role

"Making It on Broadway: Actors' Tales of Climbing to the Top"

You can get it on Amazon.

[Sluggy]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 4:35pm

Don't know how far back you're going, but Judy Holliday was rejected by Yale Drama School. She later starred in Born Yesterday and won a Tony for Bells Are Ringing.

[alwy15]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 4:58pm

Rosie O'Donnel was kicked out of Boston University's acting program.
Robin Williams WAS kicked out of Juilliard.
Marissa Tomei was kicked out of Boston University's acting program.

Posted: 3/29/06 at 5:03pm

wickedone..thats a great book! i highly recommend it!

[incupsofcoffee]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 5:07pm

rejection is pretty much the life of someone in theatre...i think probably every single actor or actress has been rejected or told they were worthless at some point-that's what makes them stronger, i think

[crazyfangirl]

Posted: 3/29/06 at 5:12pm

I could be wrong, but wasn't there some sort of bad-blood between Patti LuPone (and the producers, or whoever) over Patti not playing Mama Rose in the GYPSY revival (I think that is what it was...) I could be reading that wrong, but I recall LuPone wanting it very badly, and then getting passed over for Peters. Or something of that nature. I believe it was GYPSY.

The only other one I can remember (or know of) is Eden Espinosa getting turned down repeatedly when auditioning for Eponine in LES MIS. She said in a Chatterbox interview that the casting directors wouldn't even listen to her because they thought she was too "ethnic."