Question about Broadway stars being rejected- Page 2

[TonyaFanatic]

Posted: 5/28/07 at 5:50pm

Eriq LaSalle got kicked out of Juilliard

[yankee_fan907]

Posted: 5/28/07 at 6:23pm

"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.'"

That seems ridiculous. First of all, Lea played Eponine and is now well-known in that role. Lea is much more "ethnic" than Eden. Secondly, they offered Eden Fantine in Les Mis, so it's not like they really turned her down.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 5/28/07 at 6:29pm

Actually, accocrding to Juliard, Williams was not kicked out, or asked to leave. He was told "We don't think you have what it takes for our school, we aren't kicking you out, nor are we saying don't come back." He told them to "f-off" and they now admit "We made a mistake with that one"

[Night707]

Posted: 5/28/07 at 6:32pm

Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, and I think Britney Spears all lost at some point on Star Search.

I could be wrong.

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 5/28/07 at 6:35pm

Christine Ebersole went to my high school and as far as I know was in only one show, and we put on a lot of shows...

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 5/28/07 at 6:38pm

Hugh Panaro went to my high school and he was only cast in featured parts in the musicals.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 5/28/07 at 6:42pm

Robin Williams was once a student with the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts In Californis until they kicked him out for being to 'wild'.

Well, now he's ALWAYS mentioned in their alumni letter.

Posted: 5/28/07 at 6:52pm

I think I read that Kelli O'Hara auditioned for Pajama Game in college and didn't get cast...

[TheaterAddict7652]

Posted: 5/28/07 at 7:34pm

According to my great-aunt who went to high school with her, Ann Bancroft wasn't cast in a show until she was an upperclassman.

[ElFantasma14]

Posted: 5/28/07 at 7:49pm

Betty Buckley didn't get cast in a role that was written specifically for her (The Baker's Wife).

[Bobby Maler]

Posted: 5/28/07 at 10:51pm

I just read this the other day but forget where: David Hyde Pierce went to Yale undergrad but was rejected from Yale School of Drama.

[gustof777]

Posted: 5/28/07 at 10:57pm

Julie White auditioned for Festen and didn't get it.

[AnnaK<3LMIP]

Posted: 5/28/07 at 10:59pm

Didn't Madonna get turned down for the role of Roxie in the Chicago movie?

[iliketheater]

Posted: 5/28/07 at 11:55pm

Audra just got bumped from the "Cat..." revival. Which is a mess.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 2:47am

Regarding David Hyde Pierce, I don't think he was kicked out:

"Unfortunately, he soon grew bored with music history lessons and found that he wasn’t dedicated enough to practice the required amount of hours to become a successful concert pianist. Instead, he graduated in 1981 with a double major in English and Theatre Arts."

Warning: That was from Wikipedia. It's 3 am and I'm too lazy to search for a more reputable source at the moment.

[rose_pearl]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 10:08am

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"

I think there's a story in there about how Brian d'Arcy James was living on a cousin's couch, auditioned for a role in Jesus Christ Superstar, got it, but when they couldn't get ahold of him (because he didn't have a phone), gave it to someone else.

[StageFan2]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 10:21am

DHP wasn't kicked out of Yale Drama. He was originally a Music and English Arts major. He only acted as a hobby and hadn't really thought of it as a career. His first choice was to be a Classical Pianist. He entered Yale School of Music, but found sitting in a room with a piano 20 hours a day boring. He's said many times that he wasn't talented enough to be a Classical Pianist. On the advice of his music professor, he switched his major from Music to Theater Arts (keeping English Arts in case theater didn't work out either) and well the rest as they say...is history.

[robstyle001]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 10:52am

the 'ganarea' kid in chorus line didnt get into boco or nyu...

i only know this because i know someone who knows the family really well...(reliable source)

it didnt matter tho becuase we went straight into la cage... and now iv heard hes the best dancer in chorus line...

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 11:26am

You should watch Annabelle Gurwitch's documentary "Fired". She got the idea after she was fired from a Woody Allen play. She interviews many people in the entertainment business who tell stories about being "fired" or rejected by jobs. Some of them are Broadway and theatre related. Good stuff :)

[Miss.Vanessi]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 12:42pm

Christine Ebersole went to my high school and as far as I know was in only one show, and we put on a lot of shows...

I think that might have had more to do with her not yet discovering that she wanted to be on stage than being rejected. Before she went onstage, she played violin in the school's orchestra.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 1:00pm

"the 'ganarea' kid in chorus line didnt get into boco or nyu..."
Do you mean Gonorrhea? And that would be Paul McGill.

"i only know this because i know someone who knows the family really well...(reliable source)"

I think the issue many people here seem to keep forgetting is that he may not have been accepted because there were other students who were, *gasp*, better than him. The entertainment industry is not about who is the most talented (Pauly Shore, anyone?). It's really mostly luck and who you know. There are many more talented people out there than we'll ever know. Schools, on the other hand, are definitely more about fostering and molding talent.

"it didnt matter tho becuase we went straight into la cage... and now iv heard hes the best dancer in chorus line..."

He's one of the better dancers, yes, but not THE best. I would argue Tyler Hanes is the best dancer in the show. But even if anyone disagrees, Ken Alan would be next, in my opinion.

[raphael06]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 1:26pm

"It's really mostly luck and who you know."

IT SERIOUSLY IS. It is amazing how some schools tell you that you're amazing and have an incredibly interesting IT factor while others will tell you how dull and regular you are. It is seriously all chance.

[ComaBaby01]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 1:49pm

Fosse, I think every theater student is smart enough to know that if someone's better, usually they'll come out on top. The point of this thread was to find interesting stories about people who were rejected from top schools or didn't land roles earlier in life, but have since gone on to huge things. It serves as a lesson to never give up, because even if you're rejected from BoCo, you might be playing a lead on Broadway soon after :)

This is fun for me to read, as a recent grad and going into college next year, because I got rejected from a few BFAs and would like to think I might be playing Elle Woods on Broadway one day ^_^ or whatever. And then maybe those schools will be thinking... "Hmm. Perhaps we had something great on our hands and we didn't even know it because we accepted the daughter of our admissions director instead...."

Just dreams, of course.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 2:24pm

Sir Antony Sher was turned down by RADA, Central, and Guildhall. He later became a RADA company member.

Mandy Patinkin, Alan Tudyk, and Robin Williams all left Julliard early.

Parker Posey was cut from North Carolina School of the Arts...Jada Pinkett Smith, Danny Hoch, and Jennifer Ehle all left NCSA early even though the school still use their names to promote themselves.

Mark Ruffalo was fired from a Beth Henley play in L.A. and famously went on nearly 800 auditions before he made it.

Sigourney Weaver graduated Yale Drama School but was told when she graduated that she had no talent and should give it up. She was later fired from Nicol Williamson's MACBETH.

Michael Keaton was fired from PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO.

Eric Stoltz fired from BACK TO THE FUTURE.

Harvey Keitel fired from APOCOLYPSE NOW.

Judy Garland fired from ANNIE GET YOUR GUN.

Rebecca Gayheart was fired from FIREFLY.

Updated On: 5/29/07 at 02:24 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 3:17pm

The thing that you have to understand about Julliard is that they give offers to several students with the intent of cutting down the class. They might start a freshman class with 20 students with the full intention of ending up with a senior class of 10.

Kelsey Grammer was asked to leave Julliard.