What if? Stars who didn't get the part — Page 2

Sondheimite said: "Amy Adams lost a role in The Wedding Singer to Laura Benanti


Really? I've never heard this one before. Seems odd they went with Laura (who I didn't think was a perfect fit in the role) over Amy Adams, who was already an Oscar nominee by then.

AEA AGMA SM said: "little_sally said: "Really? I've never heard this one before. Seems odd they went with Laura (who I didn't think was a perfect fit in the role) over Amy Adams, who was already an Oscar nominee by then."



Or it could be a case that Laura Benanti was the second choice when a deal couldn't be worked out with Amy Adams (just a thought as to why, not a statement of fact).



That seems more plausible than Adams "losing" out on the role to Benanti.

Amy Adams was nowhere near the star she is today back in summer/fall 2005, when The Wedding Singer was cast. Junebug had just come out and was picking up some buzz on the indie film circuit, but Adams was hardly a known commodity. By the time she picked up her Oscar nomination, the show was already cast and in tryouts in Seattle. Had the show happened a year later and Adams been available, things might have been different.

Wasn't Patti also offered a chance to come into the ALMN revival after Bernadette? Or is that just a persistent rumor?

Nunn was very strict about casting each role age appropriately for the initial cast, but obviously he was more leniant with the replacements.

And Bernadette can play younger much more effectively than Patti.

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, Barry Gibb, and Murray Head (who played Judas in the original concept recording of the show) were all considered for Jesus in the Jesus Christ Superstar film and the role bizarrely (and thankfully) ended up going to Ted Neeley (who was the understudy for Jesus in the original broadway production).

Updated On: 1/19/17 at 10:53 AM

NoName3 wrote regarding the central casting of MAME: "This was after numerous bigger ladies had turned the part down cold (Rosalind Russell, Mary Martin, Dolores Gray, etc.)"



Not questioning the validity of your statement (and I had heard about Russell and Martin declining the role before) but unless it was possibly a salary dispute or she was unavailable, I find it really hard to believe Dolores Gray would ever have turned down the starring role in a Jerry Herman musical especially after his megahit HELLO DOLLY. Also would never have even considered her as a Mame replacement due to her rather cold demeanor (Rose Havoc yes, Mame Dennis not so much). Plus she accepted the "co-starring" role in SHERRY! the following season that in no way had the same public interest as MAME..

Patti talks about her audition to replace Bernadette as Dot in her book. She was waiting to be called in to the room with her audition material when Sondheim happened to walk by. He said to her, "Now Patti, I don't want any belting." Patti looked at the song she brought and said, "oh ****" and of course never got the role.

The Into the Woods story is a little dicier because she's told it two different ways. In one version she claims they wanted her for the Witch (and I agree what a missed opportunity that was) but she wanted to play Cinderella. In another version of the story, she claims she was in negotiations for the role but they broke down because they couldn't agree on billing, later lamenting that Bernadette got the billing she had originally asked for. Who knows which version is the truth.

She did give an interview around the time of the Night Music revival stating that when she heard about the revival she was very interested and called Trevor Nunn to express her desire to play Desiree. According to her, he never returned her phone call.

Updated On: 1/19/17 at 04:58 PM

all the Pattii stories are so shady lol.