From Harry Potter to Normal People, actors share the life-changing roles they missed out on

Ever wondered what The Office would be like if Marcus from Coronation Street played Martin Freeman’s role? Actor Charlie Condou has revealed he auditioned for Timothy but didn’t get it, sharing his own experience as he asked other actors which life-changing parts they narrowly missed out on.

From Hermione to Art Attack, actors began to share what might have been in the now viral Twitter thread.

Condou kicked off the thread by asking the Twitterverse: "Actors: what part did you go up for and not get, which would’ve changed your career? I’ll start. Martin Freeman’s part in 'The Office.'"

Harry Potter near misses were a recurring theme in the thread, with one of the biggest being fellow Corrie star Tony Maudsley revealing he had missed out on Hagrid. He tweeted: “Hagrid in Harry Potter. Though I did get a little consolation when I got to play his younger brother Grawp in the fifth film a few years later.”

Call the Midwife actor Cassie Compton also revealed she had missed out on Hermione “after multiple auditions”, saying, “Hermione in Harry Potter... after multiple auditions... only for the first film to be released and spend six months hearing “you look like that girl in Harry Potter” at school for about six months…”

A number of people also revealed they had auditioned for Daniel Radcliffe’s role in the series, with TV writer Elliot Gonzalez sharing his own experience: “I'm totally fine about it now. I ended becoming a supporting artist (extra) in the 4th film and got free cakes every day at 3pm, so I think we all know who won really.”

​Condou and two other actors also shared their joint experiences of losing out on the role of Bilbo Baggins to Martin Freeman in The Hobbit. Actor Neil Cole revealed that back when Sherlock’s shoot schedule had clashed with The Hobbit, he was tapped “in that brief period when Martin Freeman couldn’t do it because of Sherlock…”

Condou responded, “Same. They even told me that Peter Jackson wanted to wait for him so I probably wouldn’t get it.”

As another actor told Condou he’d also lost out on Bilbo, Condou responded, “Join the club mate.”

Emmerdale’s Natalie Anderson said she had lost out to “another Natalie” for the role of Queen Amidala in the Star Wars prequels, which later went to Natalie Portman.

Daniel Logan, who played Boba Fett in Star Wars: Episode II, said he had missed out on the role of John Rowland in Desperate Housewives to Jesse Metcalfe.

You're the Worst's Chris Geere shared a whole string of amazing roles he had sadly missed out on, tweeting, "I have experienced so many ‘down to the last three then missed out’. Pirates of the Caribbean, Letters to Juliet, Vampire Diaries and The Morning Show to name a few!"

He later clarified to another user that the Vampire Diaries role he lost out on was Klaus, a character who later went on to have a spin-off series. He said, "I was so devastated when I heard I’d missed out but now realise how many wonderful jobs I would have missed out on if I’d got it. Life has a path for all of us, let’s enjoy the ride."

Spotless actor Kate Magowan also revealed she was “down to the last two” for Kate Beckinsale’s role in Pearl Harbour, to which Condou replied that he’d been in a similar position for Empire of the Sun.

An actor named Katherine Moran also gave us a glimpse of what lockdown smash hit Normal People may have looked like in another universe, as she revealed she had auditioned for Marianne.

The Fast Show’s Arabella Weir also responded to Condou “James Bond.”

Actor Natasha Barnes also said she was “haunted” by her audition experience for Jerusalem, where she acted alongside Mark Rylance and Jez Butterworth.

She said: “A part in Jerusalem. Sat in a room in the Royal Court with Jez Butterworth and Mark Rylance with no idea who they were. Did some improv. I am haunted by how awful that improv will have been. I am haunted by not knowing who those Gods were at the time.”

Other actors also shared their own experiences, with Raja Singh saying he lost out on the Ang Lee film Life of Pi but "going on to watch it do so well as an incredible feeling and still motivates me to this day."

Actor Jenny Ryan revealed that she auditioned for "the lead in a Granada kids show", but missed out on it.

She added, "It was 30 years until my next professional audition." Ryan currently stars as The Vixen on the quiz show The Chase.