Star-Swapped: 35 Times Actors Were Recast Mid-Filming

A casting director’s job is to understand the potential of a movie and find the fitting actor to play the role that has the right chemistry to pull it off. midway through filming, however, unforeseen circumstances can derail the original casting decision, leading to recasts.  From actors who unexpectedly passed mid-shooting to those who got caught in Hollywood scandals that immediately created a bad rep around them, the reasons for replacement can vary. We’ve compiled a list below of key actors who landed the role but were swapped out faster than the director could yell, ‘Action!’

#1 Stuart Townsend In Lord Of The Rings

Image source: warnerbros, warnerbros When the massive production of Lord of the Rings got off the ground, it was 27-year-old newcomer Stuart Townsend who playing Aragorn, the future king of Gondor. Townsend went through months of training but only managed to only film a couple days. Jackson quickly decided Townsend was far too young. Townsend was replaced with Viggo Mortenson, who is 14 years his senior.

#2 Sylvester Stallone In Beverly Hills Cop

Image source: mgm, paramount When production for Beverly Hills Cop first started it was Stallone, not Murphy, who was playing Axel Foley. The original script was very much the comedy the movie became but Stallone had different ideas. He stepped in to rewrite parts of the movie, as Stallone turned Axel into more of action hero. That take was rejected and Stallone was subsequently removed from the film. This, thankfully, allowed Eddie Murphy to take the role and become a comedic superstar.

#3 Eric Stoltz Was Initially Cast As Marty Mcfly In Back To The Future, But His Method Acting And Drama Skills Didn't Translate To Screwball Comedy As Well As Production Hoped. So, A Couple Weeks Into Filming, Director Robert Zemeckis And Writer Bob Gale Made A Deal With Studio Head Sid Sheinberg Behind His Back — They'd Keep Filming With Him Until They Could Bring In The Lead Actor They Really Wanted. He Was Replaced By, Of Course, Michael J. Fox

Image source: sunnclassicpictures, amblin

#4 Lisa Kudrow Was Originally Cast As Roz In Frasier And Even Worked On The Pilot For Three Days Before Being Replaced By Peri Gilpin, Who Went On To Play The Role For The Rest Of The Series

Image source: warnerbros, paramount

#5 Richard Harris In Harry Potter. The Actor Died In 2002, Before The Franchise's Second Film, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, Was Released. It Was The Final Harry Potter Film He Acted In

Image source: warnerbros, warnerbros Replaced by Michael Gambon, beginning with the third film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

#6 Anne Hathaway In Knocked Up

Image source: disneystudios, universalstudios It seems like it was destined for the leading lady of Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up to be dissatisfied with her role. The actress who played Alison in the finished movie, Katherine Heigl, infamously trashed the film and her character in public. Heigl isn’t the only famous actress who had problems with Allison. It was Anne Hathaway who first signed onto Knocked Up to play Allison. Shortly into production Hathway quit the role when she found out one very specific detail of the movie. When Hathway discovered that footage of a real birth would be used in the film's climax, with the accompanying nudity, she backed out. The actress felt that the graphic shot was unnecessary and unneeded. Even though the nudity in question wouldn’t even have involved Hathaway but another person entirely.

#7 Dougray Scott Was First Cast As Wolverine. 1999 Was A Big Year For Scott As He Was Cast As The Villain In Mission Impossible II And Was Lined Up To Play Wolverine In Bryan Singer’s X-Men

Image source: ABC Studios, 20th Century Studios Yet production on Mission Impossible ran longer than expected. While X-Men waited for a month for Scott to become available, they eventually had to recast. Hugh Jackman landed the role instead and spandex history was made.

#8 Nicole Kidman In Panic Room. She Dropped Out Of The Film After A Knee Injury She Sustained While Filming Moulin Rouge. Replaced By Jodie Foster

Image source: lionsgate, sonypictures

#9 Andre Braugher In The Upcoming Shonda Rhimes Series, The Residence. The Actor Died In 2023 While The Show Was On Pause From Filming Amid The 2023 Wga And Sag Strikes. Replaced By Giancarlo Esposito

Image source: andrebraugher, netflix

#10 In The Truman Show, Christof Was Originally Played By Dennis Hopper, But He Was Reportedly Replaced Because He Couldn't Remember His Lines. Ed Harris Took Over The Role

Image source: 20thcenturystudios, paramountpictures

#11 A Few Days In Filming Demolition Man, Lori Petty Was Fired From Her Role As Lenina Huxley. Producer Joel Silver Blamed The Decision On "Creative Differences," But Lori Attributed It To Her Personality Clash With Lead Actor Sylvester Stallone, Telling Entertainment Weekly, "Sly And I Were Like Oil And Water." She Was Replaced By Sandra Bullock

Image source: 20thcenturystudios, warnerbros

#12 Initially, James Remar Was Going To Play Dwayne Hicks In Aliens. However, He Was Let Go A Month Into Filming Because He Was Arrested For Drug Possession After Police Raided His Apartment In London. He Was Replaced By Michael Biehn

Image source: paramountpictures, valhallaentertainment

#13 Jenna Fisher Was Originally Cast Opposite Friends Star, Matt Leblanc, In His Sitcom Man With A Plan. She Even Filmed The Pilot Episode Before She Was Fired From The Show And Replaced With Liza Snyder

Image source: endemolshine, paramount

#14 Katie Holmes In Christopher Nolan's Batman Franchise. After Appearing In Batman Begins, Holmes Didn't Return For The Second Film, The Dark Night. Replaced By Maggie Gyllenhaal

Image source: warnerbros, warnerbros

#15 Before Brooke Shields Stepped Into The Role, Jackie’s Mom In That 70s Show, Pamela, Was Played By Eve Plumb And The Vibe Was All Kinds Of Different

Image source: HBO, Lionsgate

#16 Henry Cavill In The Witcher. The Actor Left The Ongoing Netflix Series After Three Seasons. Replaced By Liam Hemsworth

Image source: Netflix, Netflix

#17 Lance Reddick In Percy Jackson And The Olympians. The Actor Died In 2023 Before Season 1 Premiered. Replaced By Courtney B. Vance For The Upcoming Second Season

Image source: disneystudios, courtneybvance

#18 Aaliyah Was Originally Cast As Zee In The Matrix: Reloaded And She Had Even Filmed Part Of The Movie Before She Died In A Plane Crash In 2001. After Her Death, The Studio Held Auditions For A Replacement And Nona Gaye, Marvin Gaye's Daughter, Was Cast To Play Zee In The Matrix: Reloaded And The Matrix: Revolutions

Image source: warnerbros, sonypictures

#19 Initially, Ryan Gosling Was Set To Play Jack Salmon In The Lovely Bones. He Decided To Gain 60 Founds To Fit His Personal Vision For The Character, But The Director And Producers Didn't See Eye To Eye With Him. So, He Was Let Go Only A Few Days Before Filming Started. He Was Replaced By Mark Wahlberg

Image source: sonypictures, amblin

#20 Lisa Robin Kelly Originally Played Laurie On That '70s Show For Seasons 1, 3, And 5 But The Role Was Recast With Christina Moore For The Sixth Season

Image source: dmdcentral, ladychristinamoore

#21 Chris Farley In Shrek. The Comedian Died In 1997, Before The Film's Release In 2001. Replaced By Mike Myers

Image source: paramount, mikemyers

#22 Jake T. Austin Played Jesus For Two Seasons Of The Fosters But Left The Show After Learning His Role Would Be Reduced In The Show's Third Season

Image source: freeform, freeform Season 2 even ended with Jake's Jesus getting into a nearly fatal car accident and leaving viewers to wonder if the character survived. Then Season 3 began with Jesus surviving the crash and now being played by a totally new person, Noah Centineo.

#23 In Her, Samantha Morton Was The Original Voice Of Samantha. However, When The Movie Got To The Editing Stage, Writer/Director Spike Jonze "Realized That What The Character/Movie Needed Was Different From What Samantha And [he] Had Created Together." Scarlett Johansson Replaced Her

Image source: warpfilms, studiocanal

#24 Friends Actress Jane Sibbett Was Replaced With Anita Barone Who Played As Carol Willick

Image source: warnerbros, warnerbros The first Carol from Friends left the show because she wanted to have a bigger role on a show. While Carol Willick, later Willick Bunch, was not in a lot of episodes, she did pretty well for a guest star. She was in fifteen episodes scattered throughout the series up through season seven.

#25 Delores Pasternak's Character From Two And A Half Men Was Played By Actress Missi Pyle Which Later Was Replaced By Alicia Witt, Only For Missi To Inexplicably Return For The Series Finale

Image source: WarnerBros, WarnerBros

#26 In Valley Of The Dolls, Judy Garland Was Originally Set To Play Helen Lawson. However, Due To Her Contentious Working Relationship With Director Mark Robson And Complications From Her Struggles With Alcohol Abuse, She Was Fired. She Was Replaced By Susan Hayward

Image source: Eric Carpenter, 20th Century Fox

#27 Kevin Spacey Filmed The Entirety Of All The Money In The World Before He Was Cut From The Movie Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations. Christopher Plummer Stepped In To Replace Him And Had To Refilm The Entire Movie, Which Took Nine Days And Cost $10 Million On Top Of The Movie's $40 Million Budget

Image source: sonypictures, sonypictures

#28 Rachelle Lefevre Played Victoria — One Of The Franchises' Main Villains — In Twilight And The Twilight Saga: New Moon, But Was Let Go Due To Her 10-Day Long Commitment On Dustin Hoffman’s Film, Barney’s Version

Image source: lionsgate, lionsgate Rachelle had a contract to return for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and was "fully committed" to the movie having turned down other roles because of it. She was stunned to find out the studio had recast the role with Bryce Dallas Howard.

#29 In Chicken Little, The Titular Character Was Originally A Little Girl Voiced By Holly Hunter. However, After Her Lines Were Recorded, Disney's Then-CEO Reportedly Said, "I Don't Want It To Be A Girl, I Want It To Be A Boy." The Movie Ended Up Getting A Full Overhaul. Holly Was Replaced By Zach Braff

Image source: Team Coco, The Movie Dweeb

#30 Naya Rivera In Step Up. Rivera Died In 2020 In Between Seasons 2 And 3. Replaced By Christina Milian For Season 3

Image source: nayarivera, christinamilian

#31 Initially, Harvey Keitel Was Supposed To Play Us Army Captain Benjamin Willard In Apocalypse Now, But Director Francis Ford Coppola Famously Replaced Him A Week Into Filming. Denying The Director's Claims In Coppola's Monster Film: The Making Of 'Apocalypse Now', That He Was Fired Because He "Didn't Want To Stay In The Jungle," Harvey Told Insider, "Well, Harvey Keitel Spent Three Years In The United States Marines Corps In The Jungle." He Was Replaced By Martin Sheen

Image source: warnerbros, zoetrope

#32 Actor Ed Skrein Played Daario Naharis From Game Of Thrones Replaces By Michiel Huisman. Apparently Ed Is The One Who Decided To Leave The Show To Be In Transformers

Image source: hbo, hbo

#33 Mark Webber Was Cast In Stumptown But Ended Up Being Replaced By Jake Johnson Because He Wasn't "Handsome Enough For The Executives."

Image source: blumhouse, disneystudios

#34 In The Show The O.c., Mini Coop Went Away To Boarding School And Came Back Not So Mini. Shailene Woodley Was Not Old Enough To Play The Older Version, So The Show Tapped Willa Holland

Image source: Lionsgate , DC Entertainment

#35 Janet Hubert In The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. She Left The Showing Following Season 3. Replaced By Daphne Maxwell Reid

Image source: warnerbros, U.S. Department of Agriculture