9 Brilliant Actresses Who Had Problems Getting the Role Because of Their Looks

An actor’s appearance is a powerful and very important tool that can help them get a coveted role. And, as it turns out, some film directors will turn down very famous actors because they find their appearance unsuitable for what they’ve envisioned.

Kate Beckinsale

Kate Beckinsale is a very attractive actress who’s played beauties on screen many times. Who would have thought that someone could find her not pretty enough for a role? But this is what actually happened.

In an interview, the actress revealed that the Pearl Harbor film director didn’t think she was beautiful enough for the role of Nurse Evelyn. But she still managed to land it. However, she had to stay on a strict diet and exercise a lot.

Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley is a beautiful woman, but this almost cost her a role. She auditioned for the movie, Pride and Prejudice, but the film director didn’t want her. “Joe Wright didn’t want me for Pride and Prejudice because he thought I was too pretty,” the actress said, “Then he met me and said, ’Oh no, you’re fine!’”

Emma Thompson

The actress revealed that she’s encountered ageism at work throughout her entire career. For example, she was told she was too old to play Hugh Grant’s love interest in the screen adaptation of the book, Sense and Sensibility. And she was only a year older than him.

Amanda Seyfried

It’s amazing, but the slim Amanda Seyfried was criticized for her body shape. She revealed that she almost lost out on several roles because she was “overweight.” And to be cast for the role in the movie, Mamma Mia!, the actress had to work out a lot.

Amy Schumer

And Amy Schumer was told directly that if she didn’t lose weight, she’d never get the role. Before the movie, Trainwreck, went into production, she was told that an actress in Hollywood should never weigh more than 140 pounds, otherwise, it would “hurt people’s eyes.” At the time, Schumer succumbed to the pressure and dropped a few pounds, but after that, she stressed that she’d never do it again.

Mädchen Amick

Mädchen Amick auditioned for the role of Lorelai in the series, Gilmore Girls, and almost got it. But later, producers changed their minds because they thought she was too young to play a mother. Eventually, Lauren Graham landed the role, but she is only 3 years older than Amick.

Meryl Streep

When the actress turned 40, she was sure that her career was over. At one point, she was offered only the roles of witches — she received 3 consecutive offers to play a witch on the big screen in a year’s time. But she managed to break this stereotype and play many other memorable characters. Eventually, she played a witch though, but it happened when she was 65.

Emmy Rossum

Today, it’s hard to imagine the series, Shameless, without Emmy Rossum who played Fiona Gallagher. However, producers didn’t want her at first and wouldn’t even let her audition. The fact is that they thought she was too glamorous and beautiful to play a girl from a dysfunctional family.

But the actress didn’t give in. She made a video of herself as Fiona and sent it to the producers of the show. After 3 more auditions, she got what she wanted.

Olivia Wilde

At 28, Olivia Wilde auditioned for a role in the movie, The Wolf of Wall Street, and lost. Her agent told her that the casting directors deemed her too sophisticated to play the main character’s wife. But later, the actress found out that they actually said she was too old. Eventually, Margot Robbie landed this role, who was 6 years younger than Wilde.

What do you think is more important for an actor: their appearance or their talent?