Question about Broadway stars being rejected- Page 3

[Timmer]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 4:13pm

The whole sical "A Chorus Line" is based on stories of teh original cast members (from '75.) Much of it is about rejection.

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 4:22pm

^ wow...really?

Wasn't Shoshana pressured the whole time she was at CCM? Or am I thinking of someone else?

[ahmelie]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 4:29pm

They wanted to kick LuPone out of Juilliard as well, but they didn't have reason to.

That's not responding to the original question, I just find it funny how many people left or were kicked out of Juilliard that are now extremely famous.

[ahmelie]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 4:30pm

They wanted to kick LuPone out of Juilliard as well, but they didn't have reason to.

That's not responding to the original question, I just find it funny how many people left or were kicked out of Juilliard that are now extremely famous.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 5/29/07 at 4:57pm

"Judy Garland fired from ANNIE GET YOUR GUN."

I assumed this thread was about rejection by a perceived lack of talent. Judy Garland was fired for being, well, unreliable. Also, let's keep in mind that no matter how great an actor may or may not be, they may not be appropriate for certain roles. It may take some rehearsals or filming of scenes to actually know that.

[evadiva]

Posted: 7/10/07 at 6:20am

Bump

[Act0r721]

Posted: 7/10/07 at 11:02am

-- Updated On: 7/10/07 at 11:02 AM

[MarkRascati]

Posted: 7/10/07 at 3:27pm

I'm sure tons of famous people have been rejected from Juilliard since it's so hard to get in.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/10/07 at 3:48pm

Madonna wasn't turned down for the role of Roxie in the film version of CHICAGO.

To be more specific -- in 1986, Bob Fosse himself was preparing to finally make his feature film return with his own film-version of his CHICAGO (his film follow-up after STAR 80 in 1983). Though he had always intended on filming CHICAGO as far back as 1979 (with Goldie Hawn as Roxie and Liza Minnelli as Velma), he kept pushing it off. For this late 80's version, after meeting with a then still up-and-coming Madonna, he cast her as Roxie Hart. Quoting him directly, he said "...I'm going to help Madonna win an Oscar".

The first production meetings with producer Marty Richards, Madonna and the rest of the those involved were scheduled for early October 1987. Unfortunately, Bob Fosse suffered his fatal heart attack in late September 1987.

Jump to the late 90's, jumping on the CHICAGO bandwagon thanks to the huge success of the 1997 Broadway revival, Harvey Weinstein and his Miramax company buy the rights to CHICAGO and plan on bringing it to the big screen. For this incarnation, Goldie Hawn is once again set for Roxie and for this round Madonna is set for Velma. Nicholas Hytner is set to direct; states that Goldie is TOO old for Roxie, thus the production is halted. Madonna remains firm on playing Velma, no matter what. Too many delays -- Madonna exits as does Nicholas Hytner.

Jump a few more years and some former Broadway dancer-choreographer turned director is set to direct now and Renee Zellweger becomes this film-version's Roxie and CHICAGO producer Marty Richards' relative: Catherine Zeta-Jones (Marty is married to the aunt of Zeta-Jones' husband, Michael Douglass) ends up with the role of Velma.

The rest, of course...is history.

[Katecab99]

Posted: 7/10/07 at 4:21pm

If I remember correctly, I believe Sutton Foster was told she'd never amount to anything in the theatre when she was at Carnegie Mellon...?

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 7/10/07 at 4:24pm

Night707: Britney Spears actually won Star Search, unbelievably.

Justin Timberlake lost, though.

I don't know why it's important to have this knowledge.

[MarkRascati]

Posted: 7/10/07 at 4:32pm

Jesus, since when do people at schools actually say stuff like that?

[Calvin]

Posted: 7/10/07 at 4:43pm

LONG before Mr. Carp, I'm sure.

My media performance professor was quite harsh, telling most people in the class they were too fat, too ugly, or (in my case) too gay to ever be on television. And today, some of those classmates are, uh...bad example, actually.

[singingshowgirl]

Posted: 7/10/07 at 5:04pm

barbra couldn't get replacement liesl in sound of music on broadway

this thread is very reassuring and comforting because i always feel awful, but it's good to know that big shots got rejection also


separately, i realize not broadway, but j.k. rowling certainly got harry potter rejected MANY MANY times hahaha

[WOSQ]

Posted: 7/11/07 at 1:41pm

In the casting process before anyone is offered a role (and I'm talking real stars, not most of the names tossed about so far who are either Juilliard cuts or actors who are playing leads but who most definitely are not stars) names are tossed around like scraps of paper. "What about so-and-so?"

This goes on forever.

When a script is finally submitted to a star's agent, there isn't even a firm offer attached. A deal would have to be worked out later.

Then if a star or their agent passes, the script goes to another name. And another and another, etc. Rare is the time that the first offer takes the show. Wendy Wasserstein wrote An American Daughter for her old friend Meryl Streep. Meryl even did a Seattle workshop. Kate Nelligan played it on Broadway.

The earth is littered with stars who were let go in rehearsal or in tryout because they were wrong for the show. Ask Patti Lupone, Faye Dunaway, Robert Morse or Ron Silver who are among the most recent.

Everyone has been 'rejected' for a show, even if you're in the third grade. ("Too tall to play Gretel.") Replaced once the show is going is another thing.

[don logan]

Posted: 7/11/07 at 3:00pm

michael jordan didn't make varsity til his senior year of high school I think

[dancinfan]

Posted: 7/12/07 at 1:34pm

Diana DeGarmo auditioned to play Belle on Broadway and didn't get the job. This was post-Idol but before Hairspray.

[logan0215]

Posted: 7/12/07 at 2:00pm

Lucille Ball

"In 1925 after a romance with a local bad boy (Johnny DeVita), Ball decided to enroll in the John Murray Anderson School for the Dramatic Arts with her mother's approval. There, the shy girl was outshone by another pupil, Bette Davis. Ball went home a few weeks later when drama coaches told her that she 'had no future at all as a performer'

She moved back to New York City in 1932 to become an actress and had some success as a fashion model for designer Hattie Carnegie and as the Chesterfield girl. She began her performing career on Broadway using the stage name "Diane Belmont" and was hired—but then quickly fired—by theatre impresario Earl Carroll from his Vanities and by Florenz Ziegfeld from a touring company of Rio Rita."


Lucy on Wikipedia

[ABoyLikeThat]

Posted: 7/12/07 at 2:06pm

dancinfan, was there ever confirmation of that? I recall Disney wanting Diana to play the role back in 2005, but at the time, she was still involved in promoting her album and also wanted to finish high school. I always thought that would've been great casting. I do know she got rejected as Gabriella in High School Musical though.

[dancinfan]

Posted: 7/12/07 at 2:14pm

I don't know if Disney ever wanted DeGarmo to play Belle as much as she and her people wanted her to play it, but she definitely auditioned and didn't get the job. It was a lack of acting experience, ultimately, that got her in trouble. She also didn't really have the vocal quality that the show requires.

[AnnaK<3LMIP]

Posted: 7/12/07 at 2:20pm

Thanks for that BrodyFosse. I had no idea.

[AKDPerformer]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 9:48pm

Audra McDonald was consistently told at Juilliard that she would never ever be on Broadway and they tried to change her voice.

Sissy Spacek wasn't cast in a lot of her high school plays.

At CCM, Shoshana was always told she was too ghetto/ethnic, etc. and that she didn't quite fit into their mold. They always thought she was too rough around the edges, and she would never make it.

Elvis was told that he should go back to being a truck driver and was rejected from the Grand Ole Opry.

Fred Astaire received many negative comments on his first MGM screening test.

Lots of talented/successful performers have been repeatedly told that they were weak links and were just simply not cut out for a career in showbusiness.

Updated On: 11/14/07 at 09:48 PM

[mattonstage]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 11:17pm

Rosie O'Donnell often tells the story of how she was rejected at school with a professor telling her that the role of Rhoda Morgenstern had already been cast.
And I believe the Fred Astaire story goes that a casting director or someone at the studio wrote about him, "Can't act, can't sing, can dance a little."
And for future reference, if I ever decide to go back to acting, I was rejected by the Carnegie-Mellon acting program.

[AngActing]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 12:21am

I attended AADA, here in New York (about 100 years ago). Anyway, I will say that over 25% of their "alumni" they brag about were probably NOT invited back for the 2nd year program.

At the time I attended they had approx. 750 or so students auditioned and accepted (out of about 5,000 who auditioned). I got in that one, too!!! Then, the 2nd year, they narrow us down to only 50! Yes, from 750 or so to ONLY 50. The third year about 10. It may have changed since then . . .but, many of their 'stars' on their adverts and walls were only one-year students who did well.

Stories I heard then . . . and throughout my years in the business.

Lucille Ball was kicked out of AADA (I think) and a letter was written to her mother, telling them to teach her to cook and clean as she has NO TALENT as an actor!

Ruth Gordan was NOT invited back the 2nd year. She told us herself (yes, I was there a long time ago). Ruth was told, to her face, to learn to cook and clean as she'd only amount to being a housewife.

Bette Midler could not get an agent in NY when she was starring in "Fiddler ON The Roof" on Broadway (as Hodel)! One agent told her she was too ugly to make it in show business and had a nice voice, but not enough to make it.

Brooke Shields (who has been on Broadway) auditioned for one of the drama schools (was it Yale) and was turned down; she ended up studying literature/journalism or the like. Heard she is a great writer, too.

Fred Astaire was said to dance "a little" by an agent.

Tracie Thoms tried and tried to get the role of "Joanne" in the play and never could 'get the part'. She was dumbstruck when asked if she'd like to do the movie.

Carol Burnett had many comments about how she was not attractive enough for television or show business.

Yes, there are many stories of those who were told to "give up" or that they were "not good enough". Yet, they believed it and achieved it!

[evadiva]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 12:43am

There have to be SO MANY MORE stories out there - that are under wraps.